While I certainly appreciate not having to hold and maneuver the main vacuum down a flight of stairs, I do find that the overall look of the carpet is less attractive when using this than having used the main vacuum. I don't think that this quite picks up the pile of the carpet as well, although the suction is comparable. The carpet is at least cleaner, and this definitely picks up my long hair and my dog's short white hairs off of the stairs.
Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]