A brilliant vacuum cleaner. We'd vacuumed our whole house with our outgoing S6 the day before we bought this one, so we weren't expecting to pick up much. In 18 minutes, which is how long it took to do the whole house with this nifty vacuum cleaner - I had to empty the canister 6 times - all manner of cat fur, hair and dust had been left behind by our other cleaner. The pet head is so smooth and easy to use on doonas, cat trees, couches and more. This Miele HX1 is noticeably more sturdy than other makes and models, which does make it a bit heavier but we like the feeling of quality that comes from it - it's obviously going to last a long time. The ability to move the canister down the shaft will help people with weaker wrists. If you have a carpeted house this is probably the best vacuum cleaner on the market. Sucks harder than other makes, and has an unparalleled build quality to it. On the question battery life - I used about half the battery during 25 minutes of mixed low/medium