My eyes about popped out of my head when I saw the pricetag on this baby. My mother just gave me hers. She has arthritis and finds this pull-behind canister a bit too heavy for her joints.

The powerbrush is kind of nice, because you can turn the power to the brush on/off at the handle, but leave the main vacuum unit still running. All the power hookups seem a little complicated to me, but I leave it all hooked together so I can quickly grab it out of the closet to get to our all-too-frequent messes. Unhooking the powerbrush unit to put on another tool seems a little cumbersome to me. It may just take getting used to. Plugging the power cord back in to the powerbrush unit takes me a few tries.

However, the suction seems good and without the powerbrush running the motor is amazingly quiet. Even with it running, it's not too loud. I noticed it sucked up baking soda out of the carpet with no trouble. The powerbrush unit has 6 height settings. There is a HEPA filter included, which is nice for those with allergies. My DH does have a lot of sinus trouble so it might help. I haven't ordered extra bags yet, but Mom says they are more expensive. The most fun feature (esp. to the kids) is the retractable cord. Step on the pedal and the cord coils right up into the unit. The tools are tucked neatly in a little compartment inside the "lid" of the canister. There is a crevice tool, a tool for cleaning blinds, and the usual upholstery brush and basic floor nozzle. The power to the main unit is turned on & off by stepping on the opposite pedal.

I haven't tried this on my stairs yet (I don't vacuum the stairs nearly frequently enough, it's such a pain) but I surmise it will be easier to use than my old upright Dirt Devil. I'll still probably have to haul it up stairs to reach the top few, though.