I hate this vacuum with a passion, it's ungainly, awkward and noisy! You don't need a degree to work it but it's not user friendly. The hose collapses during use and the scream it produces is of a frequency that will punch a hole in your ear drum!

For this kind of money, buy a Miele! It's suction is fantastic, its' easy to use, light weight and best of all, it's quiet enough to talk over.