First of all, let me say that there's no reason to ever use this without the brush spinning. I thought "brush off" would be best for a hardwood floor, but it just pushes cat litter around in this mode. It does surprisingly well on the bare floor with the brush spinning - it doesn't fling it everywhere like my large vacuum does. And it does pretty well on my area rugs as well. This vacuum is basically a dustbuster on a stick, so the suction power isn't overly powerful. But even a hand vac is more convenient when you don't have to bend over. Having said that, there are spaces where you are going to have to remove it and use it like a hand vac, in tight spaces and up under cabinet edges, specifically. Overall, for the price and for it being cordless, I recommend this vacuum highly. But I will probably just spend a little more on an upgraded model the next time I buy a vacuum