It is a sad sight seeing what's out there in the retail stores. Uneducated consumers buy on impulse, and have no idea of the quality that they'll get. We live in a throw away society now, buy it, use it for a couple of years and if it breaks, throw it out and get a new one. Friends of mine who own a successful vac shop tell me that many of the new ones break before they're out of warranty, and the manufacturer doesn't even have parts for them, so they just send them a new cleaner. Without naming brands, let's just say they're from overseas! Oh well...and the band played on!