How did i live without this? – Friends had always seemed surprised that I didn't have a dustbuster, so I finally succumbed, & read heaps of reviews before making a purchase. A lot of people seemed to me, to be unimpressed with the standard cheap models, or perhaps their requirements were less than mine.

I have 3 dogs & 2 cats, all with long hair, & a 2-storey house with a carpeted staircase. Having a shoulder injury, & after battling with electrical cables, & flex hoses that pull against you & want to recoil, I discovered the Dyson DC31 Motorhead. As the name implies, the motorhead attachment has an additional separate motor. I was aware from reviews I had read that the battery charge lasts only between 6-10 mins, depending on whether you use the Boost option which requires more power. But I decided I could live with that &, with economical use, ie. not running the motor continually, but instead, each time I lift the machine, releasing the trigger, I can complete the whole staircase without the battery dying. It is quick to recharge & I keep it charged all the time.

In the rest of the house, I do a major vacuum with my upright Dyson, & do minor tidy-ups with the DC31 throughout the day as required. The motorhead makes the suction more powerful, it has a little rotating brush inside which is great for removing pet hair, & is easy to remove to release the hair. I vacuum my mattress with the motorhead, & you can see in the clear canister, just how much dust & fluff the machine removes. This is one powerful little hand-held vacuum &, although expensive in comparison to others, it is a true vacuum cleaner, just small & lightweight which can be a huge advantage. It has 2 other attachments, a long crevice cleaner, and a brush for upholstery. It is easy to empty into a bag or bin with the press of a button & you don't need to dirty your hands. So if you want a serious little hand-held vacuum cleaner, I would recommend spending the extra money & buying this little machine. So handy, reliable, powerful, yet lightweight. Expensive, but worth it