My vacuum cleaner decided to die today. Does anyone have one that they just love? I have no idea what's good or not good. This one was 12 years old so I haven't shopped for one for ages. It's a canister, and I've hated that. I know I want an upright and like the bagless idea. I went out pricing them and see they're anywhere from $100 to $500.
I have to get a decent one. There are 5 adults and 3 pets in my house!
Yikes.....just when I'm totally broke after 3 birthdays and Christmas in the past 2 weeks!
We have 2 shop vacs because they clean so good and that way we can afford to have one for the upstairs and the down stairs but as for the prices of the bagless one they have dirt devils which are really good and we bought our last one at walmart it was bagless and worked great till my husband has some crazy idea when we moved to drain our spa with our vacuum. Yeah smart idea but the bagless ones work great but after awhile from dirt and stuff they start to stop sucking as hard and you also are always having to clean the filters and buy new ones.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my 8 pound Oreck! It's the most powerful little workhorse I've ever had. And I used to think my Kirby was the cat's meow.
The only downside is, in order to keep it at 8 pounds, it has no attachments. So, in addition to the upright, I have the little Oreck portable with all the attachments and it works better than any canister or little vacuum I've ever owned as well. Plus, it has a shoulder strap so you can carry it around easily.
One of the unique features of the Oreck is the protected belt. If you've ever vacuumed up long hair, you'll appreciate this as I do!
For inexpensive, I LOVe the bagless Dirt Devil Vision. The only problem is the flexible cord isn't long enough, for things like stairs, cars, etc. I won't get a bagged again, period, or a canister. Hated those things, as it sounds you do! The Vision's cord reaches all over the downstairs, when plugged in in the middle of the house. I recommend it. Around $60 I think. Had the Tristar canister, $2000 ten years ago, and hated it.
I have a Kirby which I highly recommend! We have dogs and small kids. It does a fantastic job with the dog hair. Before I indulged myself with the Kirby, I had an Oreck. It's a great sweeper also, but pales in comparison to the Kirby. It really just depends on what your budget will allow you.
I love my Dyson - one click and the bottom drops out. I have the animal - made for pet owners - my cousin has it too and she has 4 golden ret. dogs! She loves it - its cute and purple too!
I vote for a Dyson also. We don't have the pet one but the regular one. It is awesome.
This is a good question.. We have a Kenmore upright that works just great for day to day stuff... but... doing stairs is a nightmare.
Supposedly, it has this powered handheld spinning brush to attach to the long house, but.... it doesn't work to well in our house and it's mainly my fault! I have waist long hair and while I keep it up most of the time and NEVER just comb it in random places, and always throw away my hair after combing, my hair still gets around and then it gets intangled in the rotary brush and in that little handheld part, the ONLY way to clean the hair out is to unscrew it all and disassemble it!!!
I really need something good for carpeted stairs that won't let hair get all knotted up inside the roller... any suggestions for me? And don't say a kirby. I grew up with those and it's just too much Money for what you get.
Melissa
I have the Dyson animal one too & I love it! I put off getting it because it was so expensive, but I don't regret it at all. I have 5 constantly shedding dogs and I vacuum everyday, at least once a day. I would have to buy a new (cheap, $80 -$100, you name the brand, I have had it) vacuum once a year because it would die that fast. I haven't had my Dyson for quite a year yet, but it's still going strong & I haven't had to take it apart to unclog it like I did with all the others. It's definitely worth the money.
-Lisa
i just went through this too! i needed a new vacuum cleaner so i was researching them because it was going to be a christmas gift from my parents.
my main concerns were value for cost, good suction because we have a cat and an infant that will be crawling soon and also the weight of the vacuum. i needed one that i could carry up and down stairs without hesitation. at that point i had 2 cheaper vacuums, one for upstairs and one for down just because i knew if i didn't, the upstairs wouldn't have been vacuumed as often as it was supposed to be. 
anywho, i ended up chosing the oreck and I LOVE IT!!!! its so lightweight and easy to handle. it sucks up everything. the separate canister with attachments is incredible also. i was going through the house the other day vacuuming up places that i forgot existed! and it was so FUN!!!
i have the model that has the ergonomic handle and uses hypoallergenic bags. now, i'm just waiting for my free gift! i'm getting the cordless iron. 
HTH
good luck on your decision!
Well, I used to sell Rainbow's (for like a weekend, I am NOT a salesperson by any means), and those were awesome at getting everything, and you didn't have to worry about dust going back into the air because it all got sucked into the water basin. They are really nice, but really expensive. Plus to lug it all around it can be a little cumbersome.
But I would get one if I had the money for one.
Now, the my boss has 2 golden retrievers and she got a dyson and she loves it. A co-worker of mine in another department also has dogs and really enjoys her Dyson.
I have a Kirby that is now 22 years old and still works wonderfully (am getting my money's worth out of it!!)
IF I had to go and buy a new one ~ the two I would look seriously at are what has already been mentioned - the Dyson and the Oreck. I think both of them are very nice and a lot cheaper than the Kirby is.
Thanks so much for all your answers! Right now I'm leaning towards the Dyson Animal and Ebay seems like a great place to pick one up for a good price. I saw them at Best Buy and Target for $499 and on Ebay for $100-$150 less. I really appreciate that you all left me suggestions!
RAINBOW! RAINBOW! RAINBOW! I absolutely love mine! If it ever dies I am getting another one for sure. Mine is going on 12 years now and it's still as good as the day I bought it. How many vacuums last 12 years? Plus like m0use said, the dust doesn't go back into the air, it goes into the water. Yes, you do have to pull it around but that's not a problem with me knowing all that crap it just sucked up is in the water basin and not right back in my house. They are expensive, around $1500.00 but they are so worth it. I could go on and on because I really love that thing.
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