I wasn't sure if your welcome was an honest invite or just baiting me. Now I know. Sorry if anyone has rained on your parade. First time posters to a forum who push a product or criticize a product are viewed with suspicion, as they are sometimes sock puppets or drive-by posters with an agenda. Welcoming them is a non-confrontational way of signaling that they are new. Go to the threat entitled Kirby VS- Dyson to see what I mean. By all means revel in your choice and hopefully you took advantage of the BB&beyond coupons! I would then agree you got a great vacuum at a great price. But I still contend as a sales person it is my job to tell the customer the positives and the negatives. I shopped the internet and the stores for a year before the Dyson appeared on the US market. The top-rated Consumer Reports vacuum clogged in the showroom. The few bagless vacs before the Dyson required expensive replacement filters and were awkward to empty. My research included a trip to an independent vac shop, hoping to test drive some less known bagless vacs, a feature I specifically wanted. The owner said, "I would never sell a bagless vacuum." That comment demonstrates my point about why you can't necessarily rely on a vac shop expert's opinion - lack of agreement on what features are most important. As for those 4 min washing filters every six months, maybe you don't mind but the "average middle-aged women who pushes it around twice a week" that you represent, will. (Insert two fingers into rolling eyes). I was referring to myself. IÂm a middle-aged woman who vacuums twice a week. As for an overwhelming positive responses, you've got to be kidding me,. Anyone who has read reviews (even in this forum) can see how many negative responses there are as well! This is a love/hate product. You never see so many negatives written on any other vacuum. We women consumers who have Dysons love the machine. Vacuum cleaner reviewers hate it. Vacuum cleaner salesmen hate it. If you do a search of threads on this forum that contain the word Dyson, you will get three pages of threads, starting with the one with the most responses. That thread covers almost two years of opinions. The responses are OVERWHELMINGLY positive, and the few negative responses include comments from people who didnÂt buy the unit because they were talked out of it by a salesman. OK I understand the salesman as a hustler attitude but to have more faith in a TV pitchman or a soul-less corporation who workers make peanuts vs the Corp Exec's who make 400 x's the average worker over the advice of the working Joe, doesn't make sense to me, but whatever... IÂm not sure what your point is, but I bought my Dyson because of its features: no bags to replace, the washable filter, and the clear canister. In the hierarchy of whom to take advice from, I would value the opinion of lots of other women users over both a Corp Exec and a "working Joe" vac salesman. Now what is your personal experience on other vacuums? How many kinds? Why would your experience be a better recommendation than a store dedicated to a large selection of machines. Most people don't have access to any other vacuums other than what is shown on TV or Walmart. So in a choice between a Dyson compared to an Oreck or Hoover Tempo most people would love the Dyson. See my comment above about visiting an independent dealer. Prior to buying a Dyson, if I had been able to find a bagless vac that emptied easily and didnÂt require expensive replacement filters, and was comfortable for me to push (a 120 pound middle-aged woman), I would have bought it. Based on my criteria, what vacuum besides a Dyson would fit my needs? But there are some other really great vacuums available made with better quality materials and more reliable (ever wonder why there are so many refurbished Dyson's on the internet). I am not touting the Dyson as the best vacuum on the market. It is only the best FOR ME. Please point me to a better quality bagless vac that is easy to empty with a washable filter and a clear canister. I do understand price is unfortunately a consideration for many but If you want to see a fantastic cleaning upright Vac compare the tandem air Simplicity/Riccar units to whatever vac you are considering. Please don't pull I'm a corporate shill, card. I believe in giving the customer a choice, full disclosure and let them make the decision. As far as I know, Simplicity/Riccar doesnÂt offer a bagless vac, does it? And, finally, I would still like to hear more about what a sealed system is defined as. I assume it has to do with the emission levels. What is the standard to be called a sealed system?

Bill you were posting while I answered Mongo :) So let me add...I should have said "Ask" verses tell :) My guys have all be fabulous so far and I do believe in letting the experts guide me, but I also wanted to be informed up front, just because of all the stuff I read here. So let me tell...wait ask...no tell heh heh you what the GC and I just discussed. First of all, he suggested we consider using epoxy grout instead of the regular stuff. He really likes it for the ease in care in the future. So far everything I read about that is good, on my part, and more difficult on the part of the installer, but he'd like to go that route so I'm happy in the future. He's said before that he want's to see me as happy with the shower ten years from now as I am when they walk out the door, so I think he's trying to do what's best for the job. We did discuss going to a bit larger grout lines (1/8 inch) so that the epoxy can be applied easier (it has grains in it like sanded? and forgive me if I just botched up that explaination). How's this sound to you? I'm fine with a larger grout line if it's easy to take care of. I have these horrible 3/4 inch lines now that I hate! So that was why I went to the 1/16th. I think they're going to do a fabulous job, but I do appreciate your help as I go into our meeting. And I promise :) I "ask" and haven't "told" yet :) well except for the plumbers but that's a whole different story! Thanks for the heads up on the white verses grey. I'll keep that in mind for our meeting just to be sure. The same instructions came with the mosaics (white verses grey) so the shadows don't come through the marble.

My advice is to find another home for the dog. You have enough caregiving going on without adding a dog to the mix, which is time-consuming and expensive. You raise children to grow up into adult individuals who will go off on their own; dogs are like toddlers that never grow up and sort of regress at the end. I am giving you my perspective as one who also is not a dog person but was talked into getting one by my family. My dh firmly believes that kids need a dog (I don't believe this at all). I have always liked dogs but have never wanted to own one and was happy with a cat. I'm not going to tell you all the nice things about having a dog, as I'm sure you know those, but I want to give you an honest assessment from someone with a similar mindset as to the negatives of dog ownership. We got our puppy a year ago and she is darling. She is sweet and good-natured. She is also, IMO, a pain in the neck in a lot of ways. There is so much training, feeding, and attention required in having a dog. They can be messy and dirty and you have to add that to your cleaning regimen or accept dog hair and dirt, water slops, drool, etc as a given, not to mention some less pleasant deposits like barf and pee (or poo, though I've not had that since the dog hit about 3 months) from time to time. They need so much attention, which some people find a bonus but to me is an aggravation. I am a person who REALLY needs a lot of personal space and dogs don't really appreciate that. I hate being followed around all day. I hate dog licks and wanting in and wanting out and wanting in and wanting out...you can't go anywhere for a weekend without taking the dog to a kennel or having someone babysit full-time. It seems I get a card from the vet on a regular basis reminding me it's time to get this shot or worm pill or what-have-you. I've already spent almost $2000 on her in the year I've had her just in vet bills (two escapes from the yard led to being hit by a car and being mauled by pit bulls). I have to clip nails and check teeth and provide chewies and pick up the shreds of whatever chewed thing is left. I have to pick up poop out of the backyard and sometimes clean off my kids' shoes when I miss some (YUK!!!!!!). In short, the dog has added as much work as having another small child without the benefit of having that child grow out of it. If I had it to do again and had any say in the matter, I'd not get a dog, even though I do really like her. I realize that I'm the kind of person who best appreciates dogs when they're owned by others. Oh, and now that we've had the dog a year, the kids don't even like her around most of the time because she sits on their cards or licks their dolls or tries in some way to participate in their games, something they don't appreciate. When the kids have playdates, I have to put the dog wherever the kids aren't because she tries too enthusiastically to play with them and little kids don't like that. BTW, my dh wants to get another dog. He claims that she won't need as much attention if she has a friend. Huh. The thought of getting another one leaves me cold, to say the least. If you were a dog lover, I'd give different advice, but you will probably resent the extra work a dog entails and you will not see the benefits of it the way someone else might. I like my dog (Bassett/Beagle mix) but honestly? I would not be broken up if she found a new home. I've had 5 kids, the oldest now almost 27 and the youngest 3, and loved it all. I don't love dog care.

My wife got me a 6-piece DeWalt 18 volt set for my birthday. So far it has been great. I've used the 1/2" drill a ton. It is a little heavy so after a long project it can get tiring (i put a drywall screw attachment that countersinks the screw to the proper depth, and after hanging 3 sheets on a ceiling my arm was like jello, so I switched to a corded drywall screwdriver). The recip. saw has been pretty good. I've cut off a bunch of old copper drain pipe with it, and used it to demo a small wall. The battery did die fairly quickly when doing the demo. I was sceptical about the circular saw, but for light-duity work its prety good. I've cut through quite a few 5/8 sheets of plywood with no trouble. If you had to cut a lot of plywood you'd want a corded saw of course. It worked pretty well for my bathroom remodel The impact driver works well. Smaller and lighter than the drill so I often throw a phillips bit in it and use it for a screw driver (but depending on what you are screwing you need careful since it doesn't have an adjustable torque setting). plenty of torque - this can drive anything I need it to. The grinder is the last tool I tried out. I used the metal disc to cut off a few copper strips, and it worked well. I've also used a diamond tile blade to do a few cuts in tile. The battery didn't last that long. I think I'd rather have a corded tool and not bother with cordless. i noticed the first time I used it the safety didn't work, so I think I might call and see how DeWalt's service is. flashlight - it works, not much else to say about that.