My vote is also for the Dyson. Expensive but I have 2 long hair dogs & I need a good, strong vacuum & the Dyson is it.

I hated my Dyson and sold it. Maybe I would have liked the one with the ball better but the one I had (the Animal) was heavy and hard to negotiate into small areas. It would probably be great for really large rooms/areas - but that's not what I have. I had wall to wall carpet when I bought it and still didn't like it. Now I only have a couple of small area rugs and I bought a cheap tank type at Sears for the dust bunnies. It is lightweight and easy to haul from room to room.

I had the vacuum problem for years! The last straw was a $750 Oreck canister. Bought on sale! I had to special order the filters and often the bags. It went thru 3 motors in 5 years(in warranty). When they told me a new hose was $75, I went to Sears and bought a $39.99 Shop Vac. I also got the Hepa filter, extra bags and smaller hose for it Less than $75 for all.It's red. It has 4 huge wheels. It turns quickly, pulls easily behind me. I don't have to struggle with it. It will pick up everything--pins, rocks,pecans,cat toys hidden under things, cat litter, ping pong balls, even the water in the dog dish! AND you don't have to spend 3 days drying out the motor if you manage to pick up water (or something like water). If you don't need a carpet sweeper, get a cheap shop vac. Mine's 10 years old and is still perfect. And I'm an artist who vacuums up glitter, paint, cat hair, and other unmentionables.

Has anyone tried the Shark swivel sweeper (I think it is called) with the lift-off handheld cannister with hose?

I have a Hoover Supreme Wind Tunnel. To me, a vacuum is a vacuum. I'll never get all the dog hair out of my carpet. Not even with my heavy duty scrubber.

Oh that reminds me. I volunteer at an animal rescue and my job is cleaning the cat room. Although I've used their regular vacuums I ALWAYS get out the shop vac. It sucks everything up better. (I know that doesn't sound very good!)

I too have the pet Dyson. I have had a Hoover, Oreck and can't remember everyone but I will always have a Dyson from now on. I purchased a used one off of Craigslist just to see if I would like it. Fell in love so purchased a new one and sold the used one. Dyson is awesome and when I go to empty the container I take it out to the garage to empty, as it can be dusty.

My DD has a Bissel, and I love it. She was ill and I went to help out, and that puppy is great,. You can actually take the filters out and wash them. I think there is one on my list of goodies

Dyson, Dyson, Dyson if you have a pet. I can't recommend them highly enough.

I have a Royal Upright that I bought for $350 in 1996 and it's still going strong. I had to take it in a few years back because it wasn't picking up so good and was going to trade it in for a Dyson but the guy said mine was better made than a Dyson. It's metal (heavy) and works great for pet hair. It cost me less than $100 to replace the roller (the bristles were wearing down which caused the problem) and get a tuneup. That's been about 6 years ago and still works great.