First of all, let's look at it overall. Makita makes tools, it's not for household use. Also, the vacuum cleaner costs about 50€, the battery another 50€, and the charger another 50€, totaling 150€. So, it's an expensive purchase, right?
WRONG!
First of all, we are talking about a handheld vacuum cleaner with an extension and a brush foot, so that one can clean both floors and carpets. With all other vacuum cleaners, if the battery breaks, you throw away the vacuum cleaner, as it is unlikely that the warranty will cover it and there is no talk of replacement. And Makita is one of the companies with a long presence in the field of rechargeable power tool batteries. So, if the battery fails or its performance decreases, we are talking about a range of 2 years with daily heavy use, and if that happens, you buy a new battery! In the same time frame, any vacuum cleaner, anonymous or branded, would show a decrease in performance. With the same logic, one could either buy a new vacuum cleaner or simply buy a new battery.
Also, Makita provides service for all its tools. It is not impersonal in our country and has many representatives who can support service.
Cleaning the vacuum cleaner is extremely easy and simple. I use the fabric bag and not the disposable paper one, mainly for cost-saving reasons.
The cleaning and maintenance that the vacuum cleaner requires takes a good and full 10 minutes. Nothing more and approximately every 15 days or a month.
Performance is closely related to the maintenance of the tool. The more we clean its filters, dust it internally from time to time, and empty or change the bag before it says "enough", the better it performs, a rule for every broom and vacuum cleaner!
In terms of size, it is neither the smallest nor the most discreet one has ever encountered.
The use I have been doing for the past 2 years is daily and in a house with two small children. Crumbs, playdough, dust, cereals, crumbs, toast (those who have children know) are permanently on floors and carpets. So, every day the vacuum cleaner takes care of cleaning locally on carpets, even with a large foot, on sofas, on chairs, etc. The vacuum cleaner has been used for about 700 days, from 1 to 20 minutes per day, and it works like the first day. In heavier messes, it may struggle to suck them up a bit, but with persistence, it will manage. At some point, I may try it with the rotating brush foot OEM. The battery is the weight that may be off-putting, but it is neither prohibitive nor comparable to the hose and pipe of a regular, sturdy, and branded electric vacuum cleaner. I have done a quick cleaning with one charge in a house of about 100 square meters and it cleaned quite satisfactorily. Clearly, it will not replace a regular, sturdy, and branded electric vacuum cleaner, but in its category, I believe it is an investment with guaranteed results.
It is definitely worth the money and more.