Kenmore600 Series Pet Friendly Lightweight Bagged Canister Vacuum with Pet PowerMate, Pop-N-Go Brush, 2 Motors, HEPA Filter, Aluminum Telescoping Wand, Retractable Cord and 4 Cleaning Tools, Purple

The PowerMate (big motorized head) works on stairs and its edge cleaning is good enough to avoid bringing out the crevice tool. The Pet Tool is 1/4 the width of the PowerMate so it takes 4x longer to do stairs with the pet tool. The pet tool is motorized (not air driven) and it sucks better than any air "turbo" tool. The pet tool can do vertical stair risers.The canister has a stair grip which holds the body on the stairwell. It works but if you step on or kick the body it will fly off and (maybe) take you with it. I can carry the body while vacuuming the stairs because the entire thing is only like 13lbs but small or elderly people may feel it is too much to carry on stairs.So stairs, 7 stars, superior stair vacuum. For general tile, carpet, wood, runners and area carpets, the suction is off the charts. It will easily pick up and suck in small area carpets; there is a reason the suction adjust is on the grip.Power on/off & PowerMate on/off are on the grip so you don't have to reach down to the floor. The hepa bag and hepa body filter keep all the dirt in; you will not smell your carpet as you clean it. Like all canisters it can be a challenge getting tangled up in the cord, hose and canister. There's a definite trick to it; I stepped on the hose a few times permanently denting it...it's small and fortunately everything still works. Overall this is a 5 star vacuum and spending more will not result in better cleaning.Downsides: it's all plastic so if it lasts 3 years I'll be surprised. The hose, grip, wand and PowerMate do NOT stand secuely; falling over so easily I always lean them against something; the sound of the grip hitting the floor is gut wrenching. The cord needs to be longer but will work in any room 25-30 feet wide or smaller.Many complain the floor tool door opens up and, yes it does when you press the button. This happens when you touch the hose to the button or when you pick up the canister and touch the button. You have to be aware of where that button is and avoid touching it.The cord winds into the body and I recommend you pull it all the way out; it gets very hot in the body which is dangerous for the vacuum and the cord. The accessory tools lid only pops up 45 degrees and does not stay open by itself; irritating. The overall fit and finish are good but being all plastic it's just not as crisp as metal vacuums. I do think the wand, pet tool, crevice tool and brush are excellent; probably best you'll find at this price.As for how much the bag holds, I did 9 floors and 6 stairwells and filled it 2/3'rds. I changed the bag at that point to see what it was picking up: tons of dirt, carpet fiber, people hair and fistfuls of cat fur. The blue light will turn on when you stopper the crevice tool against a cushion or something but that does not mean the bag is full. The bag refill number is 20-53292 Q/C bag (6-pack). Should last a year for me. The bag looks 2x too big for the vacuum but it fits easily. By the way, the bags feel luxurious.I clean the brush roll every use to remove hair and carpet threads (very easy to do). The motor belt is enclosed in the head and the manual says to open up the head and clean out the innards at regular intervals. When fibers get inside the roller and belt, that will kill the vacuum so the best prevention is to keep strands from accumulating on the brush roll(s).

I had an upright Electrolux that was the best vacuum I have ever had in over 55 years of vacuum cleaner owning. But all good things come to an end and Electrolux no longer makes that vacuum and there are no longer replacement parts available. I was almost heartbroken. Well, 4 months and 5 vacuum cleaners later, I finally found one I like just as much. (I went through a Dyson, Hoover, Shark, Riccar, and a no-name brand, These ranged in price from $200 to $1,300. Some were junk and some were simply disappointing. Cost played no part in how I felt about them.) After so many failures, I decided to try this Kenmore 600 cannister. By this time, I had learned to photograph each step of unpacking the vacuums so I'd know how to put the pieces back in the box for return shipment. We'll, I'm happy to announce that the box for this Kenmore 600 went into the recycling bin last week!!!PROS:1. EXCELLENT SUCTION POWER. Sucks dog hair which is several inches away from the brush head both in front and on the sides.2. On board storage of most used accessory tools.3. Retractable cord.4. Rotary brush that works on both hard and soft floors. Brush rotation can be stopped if desired.5. Hard floor suction head. Best use is under furniture due to its low profile.6. 2-motor system making suction equally fantastic even if using the hose alone.7. Quiter than most other vacuums.8. Toe operational height adjustment - no bending over to adjust.9. Fingertip continual variable suction power (on Low it sucks dirt from small rugs and mats without sucking them up into the vacuum cleaner).10. Uses a bag making it much easier, neater, and dust free than emptying a bagless vacuum cleaner.11. Beautiful purple color.CONS (more like "suggestions"):1. I'd like the cord to be 35 feet long instead of 28.2. Pulling a cannister around takes some getting used to, but it's lightweight enough to easily pick up. Plus the bump spots are covered in rubber to protect walls and furniture from my lousy steering. I found after the 3rd time I vacuumed I developed a system that overcame my steering troubles.I strongly recommend this Kenmore 600 to anyone searching for a really good vacuum. It's reasonably priced and comes with all of the tools most of us ever need.FYI:The Riccar I tried was a few dollars shy of $1,300 and was the 2nd worst vacuum cleaner of the 5 I had tried. The Hoover was pure junk, the Dyson was mediocre, the Shark was just ok, and the no-name was slightly above mediocre.