Review (1/5): Disappointed - went back to my T800
I bought a T800 quite a few years ago when I found the Austrian-made unit on sale at the local Target store. It lasted very well, and I was somewhat disappointed when the battery eventually would no longer accept a charge, though it continued to work while plugged in.
After carefully looking into alternatives, I went with a T970 from Amazon.com, hoping for the same quality. Major letdown! This Chinese-made unit just is not up to the same standard as my T800. The charger is a seperate seperate and bulky transformer, instead of the simple cord of the T800. The T970 is larger, more awkward to hold and to use, and more fragile in every possible way. The vacuum, which was one of the initial attractions, works, but only marginally well, and the unit is unstable when laid down on a solid surface. If the mile-long charging cord is attached, expect to have to prop the unit against a wall to prevent it rolling over.
I spent $6.00 on a top-quality replacement cell for my T800 (shipping was $4.00, for a 700mA Sanyo AA), and after careful disassembly and reassembly, successfully replaced the ailing cell without breaking anything. Unbelievably, The T800 now outlasts the T970 two-fold.
I wish I'd stuck it out with the T800 in the first place.
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Updated June 29, 2009.
After about two years of irregular use and the resulting regular complete self-discharges, the T970 stopped functioning even while plugged in, unless first given time to recharge. Initial time to start working after plugging in has increased to the point where it no longer works even being plugged in for 24 hours.