Either you guys are easily impressed, or I expected more out of a $600+ vacuum. The head on the thing was nothing special at all; just a simple brush. I will admit that the suction was pretty good, so I'm inclined to say it's more d/t it's piss-poor agitation of the carpet. The hose attachment was a PITA to use as well. She has a central house vac that works excellent, however, it's a PITA for her to drag 30+ feet of hose around, not to mention, it beats the shit out of the walls.
I also think you could be on to something in that the quality has probably gone downhill with increasing popularity and production. To me, it was cheap-ass plastic and not what I expected for $600.