This stick vac is the best stick vac I have ever used, hands down! I love how it swivels around things with zero effort and so smoothly. The hand vac is a functioning part of the whole vac and is easy to remove and so convenient. The filter is removed easily, just clean and replace, that's it! I have other stick vacs, they have either scratched my laminate flooring or just lose suction power. So far the Electrolux has done neither of these...a must have product as far as I'm concerned.