This is the purchase that made me question whether i would ever take consumer reports seriously again. i bought this after returning to the states after living in the uk for 7 years; there i had an early model dyson. well, cosumer reports trashed the dyson and praised this model, and so i thought, i would try this one (it was also much less expensive). the approx $350 more for the dyson would have been worth every penny. the Boss is so badly designed in terms of use: all the knobs, switches and levers are either too hard to move, or in weird locations; the attachments are a pain to use, the belt breaks constantly (and costs $20 for new one), the bags are expensive. The thing is super loud and very heavy. Anyway, it sucks. in all senses of the word.