Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Handheld Vacuum, Corded

UPDATE: One year later, and I have to drop the rating from 5-stars to 3-stars. The vacuum does work great, and is perfect for "erasing" pet hair, but there is a catch. This hand vac operates on the same principle as inkjet printers (where the ink is just as costly as the printer). Brand new, this vac has great power and will make short work of any pet hair covered piece of furniture. However, it has a paper filter (i.e. can't be cleaned filter) that doesn't take long to become completely clogged (the vacuum will suck up pet hair and every last molecule it can). Your mileage will vary, but if you use the vac daily, don't expect the filter to last more than a month (two months tops). Take a moment to see how much the replacement filters cost, then plan on buying at least 4 per year if you want to maintain anything close to the original performance. The other piece that will need replacement at least once per year is the rubber nozzle. It is covered with "fingers" that do a great job of pulling embedded hair away from the furniture so that it can be sucked up. Really helps with the efficiency of the vac. However, especially if used daily, the constant rubbing against furniture upholstery creates a lot of friction and heat that will over time (six months) completely wear away the fingers. A replacement nozzle can be found on the Bissell website for about a third of the price of the vac itself (plus shipping). See where this is going? Great vac, but to keep it running that way requires a lot of investment. They lure you in with the low price, but they get you with the cost of the filters and nozzle. ------------------ To the point: If you have pets that shed and furniture that attracts pet hair like a magnet, then I highly recommend this hand vac. It's a great value. I used this as soon as it came in the mail, and it's great. It's obviously lighter than our upright vac, and the suction is wider than our vac's wand attachment. It made quick work of our couch with no hair left behind. I also used it on the stairs, and it worked great there as well. The cord is 16', and where our outlet is, I was able to do all of the stairs without having to plug in somewhere else. Sixteen feet isn't as long as you might think it is, but any minor inconvenience of unplugging/replugging halfway through a job is well worth it compared to lugging around a full size vac/detachable upright. I even tested out the non-upholstery/carpet capabilities. I hate using a dustpan when sweeping and prefer to vacuum up my dust piles. It worked like a charm. I think those who complain about its dust-busting capabilities may not be taking the time to switch the attachment at the end made for it. I will say that the exhaust blowing out the sides is quite powerful, and perhaps if you don't have your dust/dirt/whatever in a nice pile, then I could see the vac blowing some of that stuff around on hard surfaces.