Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet Upright Vacuum

It's hard to write a review of a Shark Navigator without comparing it to a Dyson. So I'm going to do to both by reviewing it on its own merit but also as compared to Dyson -- in my case, to a Multifloor 2. THE SUCTION POWER The Shark has pretty good suction. Not sure I agree that it's stronger than a Dyson, but it gets the job done. DUST BIN CAPACITY The Shark really falls down here. It seems as if the canister is huge, but most of that is taken up by the motor. The actual dust bin capacity is quite low. If you have pets, you will be emptying it a lot as you go. This is somewhat mitigated by how easy it actually is to dump everything in the bin out. The bin on the Shark is wide and has two release buttons -- one to dump everything out of the bottom and one to dump stuff out of the top of the bin. Unlike the Dyson bin, which I had to reach into and then use my hands to pull dust and pet hair out, the contents of the Shark bin all come out at the touch of a button. So big points here. CORD LENGTH Much shorter on the Shark. Additionally, the cord is attached on the side and so has a greater tendency to get in the way and get wrapped around things. EASE OF USE This is why the Shark only gets 3 stars. It is SO top heavy with the motor located in the canister pod. The advantage of this is that it gives the Shark great flexibility, as discussed below. But I am a bit older and have thrown my back out each time I have used the Shark. I am writing this review with an ice pack on my back after taking pain reliever. The Shark also does a less than stellar job of moving over uneven surfaces such as poorly grouted tiles or warped floorboards. On low carpets it moves forward on its own, which might be good for area rugs, but makes it hard to pull the unit backward, for instance, when vacuuming runners. The controls aren't terribly intuitive. Once you get the hang of things, they are pretty cool, though, so let's dive into that. FLEXIBILITY Here's where the Shark shines. You can pull the canister off the base and use it as a handheld vacuum. Or you can pop the canister into a canister caddy and have a canister vacuum, more or less. Similarly, you can pull the wand off the base and have a long, straight wand that is good for getting into high or tight places. This makes the Shark way more flexible than the Dyson, which only lets you have a long, inflexible wand. The Shark also comes with a ton of great attachments that make the flexibility features even better. (Pet hair attachment for sofas, duster attachment for floors, etc.) HUMAN HAIR IN THE ROLLER Both the Shark and the Dyson pick up human hair pretty well, but neither can deal with getting it into the cannister. The Dyson rollers are longer and have a little groove in them, so it's much easier to pull away long hair without detaching the roller assembly. The Shark has a much smaller roller, which makes it easy to get the vacuum into tight spaces, but also makes it really hard to stop and quickly pull out hair. SERVICE I have no idea whether Shark service is any good, but I do know that Dyson has given up on customer service, to the point where even though I like their vacuums better, I will never buy a Dyson product again. VALUE FOR MONEY Unless you have a bad back, the Shark is way better value. If you have a bad back, this model is probably not for you as it is quite heavy and can be unwieldy. Otherwise, with the Shark you are getting a lot of flexibility and power for the money. So a much better deal than a Dyson all other things being equal.