Sanitaire Professional Compact Canister Vacuum

Yes. At 10 lb, the SL3681A is light enough to carry with one hand and lift up to high spots, and it's compact to store. That makes it easy to take from room to room or up to a shelf or ceiling corner without dragging a heavy body behind you.

Strongly. The SL3681A pulls dirt and litter out of the grooves in hardwood, tile and epoxy floors, and it handles area rugs and car floors without trouble. Bare floors are what Sanitaire builds it for, and that's where its 800 W motor earns its keep.

Not well. There's no powered brush head, so the SL3681A isn't the right tool for carpet or carpeted stairs, and it's best kept for bare floors. It does include a combo bare floor and carpet tool, but wall-to-wall carpet still needs a vacuum with a powered brush.

Yes, it's on the noisy side. Sanitaire rates the SL3681A at 71 dB, and in use it's often described as loud, with a high-pitched tone in at least one case. In an office, it's a job for after hours or before people arrive.

Long enough to do a whole room from one outlet, at 20 feet. It doesn't retract, though, so the SL3681A's cord has to be wound by hand after every session, which adds a step to packing it away at the end of a shift.

A combo bare floor and carpet tool, a crevice tool, a dusting brush and a two-piece plastic wand. The dusting brush, crevice tool and wand get a lot of use above the floor on the SL3681A: shelves, vents, curtain rods, window sills and ceiling cobwebs.