I have had a hard time vacuuming my basement stairs with my full size vacuum, so thought maybe this would work. It did not disappoint.  It was so simple to assemble; the parts just snapped together. At first start, it does not sound very powerful, but there is a higher setting you can use.  Still not as loud or powerful (did not leave lines in the carpet) as my regular one.  However, i could tell how good it worked by the amount of dog  hair and dirt it collected.