The perfect vacuum for hard floors and small spaces, pet owners

We recently decided to buy our first "real" vacuum. Tired of buying cheapies only to have them break or stop picking up dirt and cat hair (we have 3 cats) after less than a year, we decided to get something better even if it meant a lot more expensive. A HEPA filter was my condition because of my allergies, and we have all hardwood with some area rugs so I wanted a canister vacuum - I just find them more versatile for the upholstery, car etc. A compact machine would be nice since our cottage is small. Having had manufacturers stop making bags and filters etc for past machines I wanted to have a bagless technology but no expensive replaceable filters.

The Dyson DC21 Stowaway came with a hard floor attachment, a power turbine head with switch to turn it off on delicate rugs or floors, a crevice tool, an upholstery tool with hair-grabbing strips (somewhat like the red directional pet hair removal brushes for upholstery and clothes) and a soft brush dusting tool.

The DC21 was very easy to set up, just a hose to snap into place and some plastic wrap to remove. The wand telescopes down for storage while the hose wraps around the unit and the whole vacuum takes up very little space in the closet and is pretty light and portable. The big wheels make it easy to pull along the floor and the self-retracting cord is very convenient.

There is no dust or smell from the exhaust air, though the brand new machine still smells like new plastic. The dirt canister is very easy to remove and empty, and holds a lot of dirt and hair. Just push a button to detach what look like an alien pod from the machine, hold over the dust bin and press another button to "hatch the egg" and empty out the contents.

The power tool is effective on hard floors, it has a rubber edge at the back that prevents grit from being flung around. You don't want to use it on even large rugs, though because it grips on so tight I could barely move the vacuum around. The hard floor tool is even more effective on the hardwood because the brushes help get up any dust and cat hair, and there is no beater bar to pick up my long hairs and tangle.

The upholstery tool works great on the sofa and also curtains, the suction is really good and the hair removal strips help pull off woven-in fur.

After about 1 week of ownership I have to give this machine a big thumbs up! If it continues to perform as promised (never clogs) then I will be a very happy vacuumer.