Years! I've spent years- DECADES- cussing at the HEAVY vacs I have had - lugging those stupid unwieldy monsters up my narrow steep steps in our home built in the 1860's. OMG do you know how mortified I am that I sniggered at other reviewers claiming they love their Bissell vacs? Why was I so narrow minded??? Now I get it! I mean I still HATE vacuuming but hey, this model gets the job done - sucks up all the cat hair and also all the gardening debris tracked in on the carpeted stairs and best of all no cracking my foot when those other machines would fall down the stairs on me. Thank you so much!