For the price, you honestly can't go wrong.  I have purchased some very expensive vacuums over the years and I honestly don't believe they are worth the money.  This vacuum is great on hardwood floors (doesn't scratch them at all) and does well on our area rugs as well.  I bought this vacuum from Amazon almost four years ago and it's still going strong.  I even knocked it off of a high wooden chair I had it sitting on while I was changing the bag and it just bounced - no broken parts.  If I were to complain about anything, I wish the wand pieces had buttons that helped it stay together.  If you take the wand apart often (to maybe get in crevices or hard to reach places, etc .) it tends to sometimes come apart while you're using it.  Other than that, I think it's top notch.  And when it goes out, if it ever does, I'll replace it with the exact same vacuum.