I cannot believe what this vacuum pulled from my rug! I usually vacuum at least once a week, but I only have a 5x8' area rug, a sofa, cat scratcher, and chair. I had vacuumed two days ago before this vacuum arrived and after a simple set up I went ahead and did my area rug - which I didn't realize was so dusty! I bought this vacuum because of its compact size and my upright was a pain to store and did not work with hardwood floors. I only need to go over furniture and the cat scratcher once and it picks up all the hair I can see, and my area rug actually feels softer if that's possible. I was a little skeptical about this after reading the other reviews, especially about the canister size, but I only live in a hardwood 600 sq foot apartment so it was perfect for me. My only complaint is that the head is small but it's such a small price to pay, especially considering I am no longer going back and forth on the same spots, and I no longer have to bang the dust out of a filter as well as empty out a canister and worry about washing filters every time I vacuum (my old vacuum was a PAIN). I am very happy with this purchase and when I do move into a larger home I will probable invest in a larger Dyson.