So far, so good with our new Bissell! We recently had a Hoover, and when that went out on us, I researched vacuums and came across this one. The first night I used it on my rug, it was FULL of sandy dirt. We have three black labs and live in rice field country. They are outside all day and are continually taking a cold swim in the rice field and then rolling in the dirt. They all 3 came in at night, and since we have concrete floors throughout, they will usually sleep on the rug in the living room or on their beds. I never realized how much dirt they were bringing in on them. My hoover never got full, and I vacuumed every day with it. It would pick up a little but never enough to make an impact in the canister. This Bissel though, when I vacuum every night, I am amazed at all the dirt and hair it is picking up. It makes me cringe knowing that my Hoover was leaving all of that on our floors!