My wife says that anything with a plug is not a good gift for a woman, it just means more work! With that being said, I guess it depends on what you are doing, I loved my old Kirby, my wife hated it, said it was too heavy. She bought a Dyson, but it's an overpriced plastic piece of junk. I like the Oreck that my mother-in-law uses. Lightweight and just does the job. I had to replace a belt once and the beater bar once, but it's still going strong.