First, this is a genuine Dyson, so you already know it's probably going to be the most well-engineered device you can buy for what it is. Also, you know that you are going to pay an upfront premium for that quality. I've owned other models of vacuum cleaners, and I've owned several Dysons. There's nothing that comes close to the quality. Sure you have to pay more, once. Or you can go with a shabby competitor brand for less, but you get much less in quality *and* function.This is quite the beast when you first encounter it. We have an older Dyson Animal from about 2001 that still works great. It's got the whole upright canister and the hose and it was the best thing around at the time. Then, for smaller upstairs jobs, we got the portable rechargeable Dyson Animal version in 2015 or thereabouts. That works well, and we didn't have to carry the big model upstairs all the time. Once in a while because the upright does a better job and there's no worry about how much battery is left.When I saw this, though I thought it was sort of a combination of the two. The portable that we had was lighter and worked okay, but we still ended up carrying the big model upstairs when we needed to do a longer job. Using the canister model requires dealing with a cord and it's not exactly lightweight and maneuverable, but it has a large capacity bin and better suction than the portable. So, if you're already having to push around a big upright model to do a thorough cleaning, and you can use the portable for quick, small jobs that you can get done in less than 20 minutes without changing the battery or having to plug it in to recharge, then it's a great combination. This is kind of like having the strength and longevity of an upright with the convenience of a portable -- within reason and with a few compromises.First, it's got better suction than the 2001 Animal upright model. That makes sense of course because the technology is 20+ years apart. And if it can beat the suction of the 2001, then it certainly does better than the portable from 2015.The question is whether it's a replacement for both, or a supplement? You could make a good argument for either one, but I think the verdict is still out. The decision really comes down to one fairly significant aspect: weight. If you have the strength to work with this Outsize, then this is all you need. If not, then it's a great supplement to having the smaller portable that's light enough for the kids to use and the upright still takes some muscle to move around. This has become my favorite choice over the older portable. My wife prefers the older portable solely because it just weighs about 5 pounds less.With the extra battery included with this model, and the three-speeds you can choose, this would easily take the place of an upright and last much longer than the portable.So it comes down to two compromises. The compromise between this and an upright is that with an upright you have a flexible hose to get to places that you can't reach with any portable. The arm-strength needed is about the same because this is portable and heavy, but still puts a lot of that weight on the head when in use. It feels about the same.The compromise between this and a smaller portable is mainly the weight. And it's really only about 5 pounds difference -- hardly noticeable for quicker jobs.It's got more attachments and extras than an upright -- except for the hose. And an extra battery is included. The same great suction power and a nice display to show the battery life left so you can adapt the speeds to get longer life on the Eco mode, and turbo boost when you need the extra suction.I'll admit a little bias after learning about James Dyson's "journey" to make the best vacuum cleaner, but I can objectively say that it's better than the other brands I've owned. My bias is only that I'm willing to pay more for a Dyson . . . for an equal quality competitor . . . but as far as I know, nothing comes close.Overall, this is a very nice Dyson that, in my opinion, is a great vacuum cleaner. Worth the price. Five solid stars.