I previously bought another bagless vacuum cleaner 2 years ago which said it had the best suction and it was supposed to be the best one on the market - how wrong I was!This one cost me approximately £240 (£100 more expensive than the previous cleaner) but it was money definitlely well spent. Yes its heavier than the average vacuum cleaner, and yes it is quite noisy in comparison to other makes, but that pales in comparison with the advantages.
I suffer from allergies and have found that since using this cleaner for 2 weeks, my chest is clearer and I have not suffered any attacks of wheeziness since. Thats just with the suction on this baby!! The day I bought it I vaccuumed the house before we left and so thought it was clean - tested the cleaner in the living room and it lifted 2 inches of dust and dirt from the carpet. I was amazed at the amount of stuff that was sucked up. Even though it is heavy it is so easy to manoevre around furniture and corners etc.
The ball makes it so much easier to get around whilst cleaning. It also has a telescopic hose with an attachment, meaning you can leave the cleaner at the bottom of the stairs and clean the top stair with relative ease. There is also the small brush attachment which is great for the tops of doors and under radiators, etc. On top of all this is a special attachment for cleaning mattresses, perfect for allergy sufferers as you can clean your mattress and get rid of dust mites which cause allergic reactions. It can also be used on hard floors, not just on carpet. There is a little red button to switch the brushes on or off, depending on which floor type you are on.
Fantastic if, like me, you have young children who drop crumbs on every floor in the house - it certainly saves on brushing up every five minutes!! It is noisy but not deafening, just slightly annoying. Even though it is slightly noisier and heavier than other brand vacuum cleaners, the advantages of manoevreability, suction and versatility far outweigh the disadvantages. Money well spent!!!