A:Answer Vacuum cleaners and I do not get along at all. We have five dogs so I need a powerful vacuum. We've only had this one for a couple of weeks. Our carpet is thick and medium height, and it seems to be doing just fine, so far. I do want to point out that the width of this vacuum is not as wide as our previous ones most of which die a few months after purchase (different brands), so this one requires more effort to vacuum but it wasn't a big enough deal to return it. The cord does not retract, because the canister comes off so the cord is wound around the vac. So far it's been okay. There is a good deal of suction when using the attachments (for spilled dog food). If you're not going to use the canister independently, I would recommend any vacuum where the cord retracts. Also if the width is important, look at others. I'm not in the position to recommend anything, considering that our vacs don't last long. What I will recommend, however, is the BestBuy extended warranty, because BestBuy has replaced every single failed vacuum for us on the spot. It's July as I write this, and this is third vacuum so far this year. I'm not sure if we've been unlucky or have made bad choices despite researching the vacuums, but the warranty is well worth it.
