Vance, just to correct you on one point there....this particular series of Panasonic NEVER had a metal brushroll or metal bottom plate, as this was one of Panasonic's "retail" lines, meaning they were sold in retail shops as well as vac shops. The only Panasonic line that has EVER had a metal bottom plate & metal brushroll is the Performance Plus line, which is exclusive to vac shops. They save the metal bottom plate & brushroll for vac shops so they have a feature that makes their models superior in the consumer's eyes, & also so the vac shop can justify the higher price for their models.
Rob