I am always skeptical about products that sound too good to be true, because they usually are. But I've wanted one of these ever since I saw the first commercial.

There are some chores I just hate to do, not because they are difficult, but because the tools of the trade are inefficient or they force me to work in an awkward way. The broom and dustpan are just plain poor tools. Pushing dirt around your floors with a broom seems to me like scrubbing your counter tops with a dead chicken. Stooping down to use the dustpan is awkward and hard on the back. It always leaves a streak of dirt on the floor, and I frequently end up spilling part of the load on my way to the wastebasket.

In the Swiffer Sweep Vac, I found the answer. After using it for a week, I'm pleased to say that it does work as advertised. It combines a "clingy" fabric pad to trap dust and dirt with a vac to suck up particles of debris. Will it pick up everything? No. If you spill a box of macaroni, this is probably not the right tool. But it excels at picking up the the small particles that brooms always leave behind and that make your floor look like it's still dirty right after you've swept it.

I don't have pets, so I can't speak to its hair trapping ability, but for typical sweeping on vinyl and wood floors I'm well satisfied with the results. It is very light and flexible and its low-profile swivel head makes it easy to get into corners and under the edges of counters and appliances.

I have not had problems with battery life that some others have experienced, but I agree that it's important to keep the filter clean. The filter is very small and the suction falls off quickly when it gets dirty. A different filter design with a larger surface area would probably solve this problem.

Overall, I am doing a better job with less effort thanks to the Swiffer Sweep Vac. I actually look forward to sweeping now.

Recommended: Yes