I purchased this unit to replace a 40 year old FASCO unit which had it's second motor burn out which was only 5 years old. Yes, this cost more than some of the cookie cutter vacs, but the quality is obvious. The powder coated steel is beautiful and built to last. It is much quieter than the old one and the suction is terrific, which is noticeable when the rug nozzle is actually drawn down to the rug. The window in the collection bucket is a nice feature to keep an eye on the dirt level. There is also an indicator light to alert you that it is time to clean the HEPA filter. The unit comes with a muffler which reduces the exhaust noise quite a bit. I like the soft start feature of the motor. It nicely ramps up to speed. With inlet ports on both sides, it was easy to match up with the existing piping.