Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you're looking for a quality vacuum without breaking the bank, the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional just might be the one for you. First and foremost, the suction on this thing is fantastic. Seeing what winds up in the container is a little... scary. I can obviously see that my carpet looks cleaner without the dog hair all over it, but what I couldn't see was all the dust and dander the Shark pulled up from beneath the surface. Wow. Even with the large capacity of the Professional model, we filled the container on the first time out just by vacuuming the second floor of the house. (And this was only after two weeks, having vacuumed previously with an Electrolux EL5020A Intensity Upright Vacuum Cleaner that clearly wasn't doing as good a job as I thought it was). This is out first bagless vacuum, and I was a little skeptical about the whole thing. I really liked being able to pull out a bag, banishing the dust and dog hair to the trash can with no chance of it getting all over the place. But I haven't had any issues with the Shark spilling out dust... and not spending any more money on bags is certainly nice too! The model we purchased, NV356E (available at Bed, Bath & Beyond), also comes with an super-long crevice tool. If you're on the tall side, this will probably save your back a bit while trying to get into some hard-to-reach areas like behind furniture, but by no means is it an essential tool. If you want to know the difference between all available models, there is a good Amazon discussion thread about it, available here (http://www.amazon.com/forum/Fx2YQOH78I1BU2B/Tx2NZ4K2YHN2MPS) and here (http://www.amazon.com/forum/Fx4HRQ7N28BOF1/TxFZW3JT3K6I7V). The only thing working against the Shark Navigator Pro is that is it is not well balanced, i.e. it is top-heavy (because it is so light overall). When you are using the hand-held wand, it is very easy to tip the vacuum over, possibly into one of your nice pieces of furniture, which will cause your wife to yell at you and then supervise the rest of your vacuuming. Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything. No, certainly not... but this did cost it a star in my rating. There's also no headlight, which I actually find really useful on a vacuum cleaner. It's by no means a deal-breaker, but it would have been nice to have. I would say that if you don't need the extra capacity or the hardwood floor attachment, you should go with the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Vacuum (the regular version). The motor is exactly the same, so you are not losing any of the suction power. Of course, some of those reviews mention that model being top-heavy as well, although it seems reasonable that given its smaller size, it would less of an issue. You'll also save yourself a couple of bucks in the process. The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional is, of course, made in China. However, I will say that the product is very well made. The components are all very sturdy, and they fit together well. While it's only been a couple of months, I think I am safe in saying that this is product built to last.