Wow! The Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum has powerful suction! I am impressed! I have never owned a vacuum that picks up hair and suctions this well. I vacuumed the carpet twice, and the dust cup was full of hair and dust. Later in the week, I did it two more times, and it still packed up a lot of hair and dust. The vacuum is on the heavier side. I tend to use more arm movements to guide the vacuum than wrist movements due to the weight. Emptying the dust cup is easy, and there are two openings for the dust cup! The lift-away feature is helpful, but I don't use it often because it is heavy for me to move around. I love that hair doesn't get stuck around the brush roll! It saves me so much time in maintaining the vacuum. Maintenance is easy, but it requires cleaning the filters once a month to keep the vacuum working well. With my carpet being around ten years old and having a gravel driveway, this vacuum is a lifesaver for my carpet!