Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We bought this hand vac after our hand held powerhead attachment broke on our Sears canister unit, and our Dirt Devil was relegated to auto use. The old DD was so loud that we used ear plugs, and was just okay in the power dept. We were fairly happy with the old DD, so we bought another. Mistake! We didn't realize that the brush roller was beltless...powered by the incoming air. Any pressure on the roller and it stopped. Returned it promptly to the store. We did more research at Amazon and bought the Eureka. This one works well. We share our home with 4 cats and so far, this vac handles it well. My wife is not an occasional cleaner. She keeps the house spotless and goes thru poorly made vacs like water. The 71AV vac picks up cat hair well, even on course fabrics. It has impressive suction, even when compared to bigger vacs. Even so, it's much quieter than the Dirt Devil we had. The only thing that prevents a 5 star rating is the weight...5 lbs. Also, we have not proven the durability yet. Time will tell. Summary: GOOD: Great suction, strong brush roller, convenient cord wrap, quiet. NOT THAT GOOD: A little heavy, a little hard to clean around the filter, unproven durability (wife WILL test it!) Update 4/2012: This vac suddenly became afflicted with the dreaded smell of roasted electrical parts, and while it's still working, had to be relegated to outside use because of the smell. We will probably get another just like it. Six and a half years is decent for a vacuum of this price.