I've had the Eureka Boss SmartVac for several yrs, which was quite inexpensive at ~$175 at Costco, but picks up all debris we have very well. The consumer reviews on it were good--it has a long cord, a HEPA filter, and for hardwood floors all I have to do is turn the dial and flip a lever. For carpets, you switch back--no separate attachment needed. It also handles walls and upholstery. I haven't used the others so have no comparisons to make with Dyson, but have no major complaints with mine. Here's a consumer reviews link that goes over many different ones and might be helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vacuum reviews

I have about 3000 square feet of hardwood floors, 4 tiled bathrooms, and one carpeted upstairs bonus room and carpeted stairs as well as several area rugs. I also have two small children, 1 cat, and 2 very poofy, hairy dogs (pomeranian and keeshond). So I definitely consider myself an expert on hardwood floors and giant dustbunnies!!! I recently bought a vacuum from sears that had great reviews and I absolutely love it. It works great on all of my surfaces. It has different attachments, one for hard wood, one for carpet, and one smaller carpet one that works great for stairs and cars. It is a Kenmore Progressive canister vac, model 116. I think it was last year's model so I got it on sale. It was around 300 or so originally. It is an orange color. It is awesome! Oh, it also has a dust attachment that works great on blinds, furniture, and air vents. LOVE IT

I have an Electrolux Harmony canister. Bought it as a "reconditioned" machine. It's basically brand new. I have all hard surface flooring and it works great, has a million and one attachments too so you can clean upholstery, curtains, etc. also. What I like about it also is it is very quiet and very clean. It has 2 filters and disposable bags.

Word to the all, don't leave it plugged in when you're not home and have bad cats running around. I came home today to find the vacum on. Unfortunately no one was passing it around the floor!! Having animals is just like having toddlers. Nothing can be overlooked, not even the vacum cleaner. LOL

Miele.

Do a search, auntjen: there was a long thread on this very topic just 2-3 weeks ago. :)

Did I say 2-3 weeks ago? Try 4-5 months ago, instead. Sure sign that I'm getting old when months seem like weeks. :)

People feel very strongly about their vacuums: it's kinda' cute.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vacuum Thread

I love having the Roomba to use on days when I don't want to push, pull, lift or strain. I now only vacuum once a week and use Roomba in between.

I'm a Dyson fan, although I don't have animals. It works wonders on both carpet, tile and hardwood floors. I purchased mine when LNT was doing a $50 gift card promotion.

Dyson. I have the regular ol' Dyson upright (nothing terribly fancy) and a very large, very furry Labrador that is blowing coat ALL OF THE TIME, it seems...LOL

I love it. Easy to dump the canister, can turn the brush on and off for the hard floors (and we have everything it seems--hardwood, tile, laminate, carpet), and it does an EXCELLENT job. Beats the pants off the old Eureka!

Miele!! I have had mine for 5 years and I've converted all my friends with wood floors to be miele users. I have a dog, and 2 small children, I vacuum every day. My sister has a dyson, although it works great for carpet, she doesn't like it on wood floors, and it wasn't rated well by Consumer Reports.

I LOVE my Miele. I bought it soon after I started that thread that Organic linked. I especially love it on hardwood floors - that's what they are best at (they started in Europe where they mostly have hard floors). They can be expensive, but if you only need it for hard floors you can get a less expensive model (no need for a power brush for carpets). The hard floor brush just glides over the floor. I also love that it is very quiet for a vacuum. I would definitely tell you to consider one. You should be able to get one for hard floors only within the price range you mentioned. Good luck!

I have a Dyson canister vac that I have been happy with using on laminate, hardwood, and area rugs. I have the older version. Dyson stopped selling it for a while and then brought it back. I've read that the new version has a powered head for carpeting - mine is air driven.

Comparing it with the Dyson upright, the canister does not empty quite as well as the upright does, but generally a good rap on the side will get the stuff out (long dog fur). The short cord has never been a problem for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dyson canister on HSN

Thanks for the responses and thanks, organic, for the link. Don't know how I missed that discussion! Having read all of those responses, however, I remain confused! Seems like there are so many mixed responses. Does anyone know who sells Miele? I'd need to buy from a mall/big box store in order to use my gift card.

Just a reminder to consider something that also will work well on carpet even if you only have hardwood floors since you'll likely have area rugs you'll want to vacuum and need to switch back and forth readily to do that--at least I do. I have a built-in vac system, but primarily use my upright since my built-in is older and doesn't have a good beater head for the area rugs and carpet. As you can see from all our comments, there are many good ones.

OK, now I'm considering the Miele S4210 Antares w/the turbo nozzle. I can get it on Amazon, and I think I can use my gift card (which is actually just a Visa debit card) on Amazon.

So ... Miele vs. Dyson. Hmmmmm ...

I really like our progressive canister. We have all hardwoods with some area rugs and it works great on both. And get a steam mop...that's my new most amazing tool.

I love my 20 year old electrolux cannister. Vacuums carpets great too.

Well ... now I'm leaning towards the Electrolux! OMG, I feel not only confused, but highly fickle at this point! LOL! I can get the Electrolux for $200, as opposed to around $500 for the Dyson or Miele, and even though it's a refurb, it comes with the standard 2-year warranty. Would you hesitate to buy a refurb?

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Electrolux refurb

All hardwood here too along with area rugs and two kitties. My Progressive canister (from Sears) is 8 years old. Does a great job! Had to replace the motor 4.5 years ago. (I wasn't changing the bags often enough.) At that time I visited a vacuum store to get the real scoop on vacuums. Was considering buying a new one. Although Miele is a top seller, I was leaning toward another German-made machine called Sebo, but the $700 price tag was a little steep when I compared it to a new motor. When I do finally need a new vacuum I'm pretty sure it'll be a Sebo.

Good luck with your decision!

MIELE- MIELE- MEILE!!
I bought one in 1999 - Model 251I for $399.95. The bags last about 3 months ea. I vacuum up at least a dog a week! have used it while renovating this house - thought for sure the drywall dust would kill it! It was demo'd as picking up nails which I have done, just not on purpose. I also accidentally sucked water from the tub - no damage - except to the paper bag.
I recommend Miele.

auntjen, you won't be sorry. Electrolux has been around a million years and still going strong. I know you'll be very happy with it. I bought the refurb, you must have not read my earlier post.

Had a Kirby and love it. It sucked out things I didn't know existed, LOL. But, it was too heavy and cumbersome, and when I moved, I made a goofy decision to give it to my sister, who is still in love, but she has a 1 story house. She uses every few months on her mattresses and calls me to give me the gross report, LOL.

I replaced with a cheap-o Eureka Boss as mentioned above as a transition vac, and really, really like it. We have a Chow, and it gets all of his hair!!! I bought a Dyson, and returned it within a week, because it didn't do 1 ounce better for 300.00 more!

I'd JUMP at the Refurb. Electrolux or Miele....in fact I might...um...!

Sorry, Brutuses ... I did in fact read your post, but my head is just swimming with all this stuff! Is the Electrolux really badass on pet hair? (And I can't recall -- do you have cats? Cat litter is the bane of my existence!)

Well, since I've had experience with all of the vacuums you are considering, I'll through my 2 cents worth in. I've had a Dyson Animal, and although it did a good job of picking up pet hair that thing was a beast to push around the house. It gave me tendinitis in my shoulder that took forever to go away. The Dyson broke after 2 1/2 years, and I replaced it with an Electrolux Oxygen canister vac. The Electrolux works fine, although I was disappointed that it didn't seem to be as well constructed as the Electrolux that my mother was so proud of when I was a child. I have only had the Electrolux for about six months, but so far it's working fine. My daughter bought a refurbished Electrolux recently, and it seems to be working fine and it was a great deal.

I haven't been 100% happy with my Electrolux because it just doesn't feel like a quality, heavy duty machine. I recently decided to move that vac upstairs and buy a new vac for the downstairs, and today I bought a Miele for that purpose. I just unpacked the Miele and gave it a trial run, and I have to say that this is the vacuum I have been looking for. It just feels like a well made machine and the suction and cleaning are amazing. In my opinion, the Dyson and Electrolux machines are not in the same league at the Miele. If you want a vacuum that is well constructed and that will last a long time, go for the Miele. They have a 7 year warranty on their motors, you won't find that on a Dyson or an Electrolux.

Which Miele model did you purchase?

I'm in similar situation to auntjen--all hardwood with some area rugs. I plan to purchase a few oriental rugs as well. I have the Kenmore canister vac, but it is too cumbersome to lug around and pulling it around will ding up my base molding so I'd prefer a smaller upright.

I'd also be interested to know what brand of Miele everyone is talking about.

Decision time. Assuming the Visa debit card payment went thru without a hitch, I'll be getting a Tristar. My parents have this model, and they love it. My dad claims it'll suck the chrome off a bumper, should you have the need to do so. ;-) I know it's a well-constructed beast, and I almost fell over when I saw the price. I know that when my parents bought theirs, these went for over $1,000 new.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

I am a strictly cannister person for hard floors.I just don't think the uprights do as well on them. They are hard to get into corners and under things.
I have an entry level Miele cannister that is wonderful. If you don't have any carpet than that should work great for you.
I prefer an upright for carpets and so I've always had a cannister and an upright.
When I was using my Miele at Christmas, My son who was visiting commented on how quiet it was.

Hmmm. I guess the price isn't showing up on my link anymore, but I got the Tristar for $299. I consider that a deal. :-)

We have the Dyson Animal and really love it. We have hardwood, carpet, and tile. We have one cat (all white). Anyway, it works great on the pet hair - better than any vacuum we've ever had. I don't use it on the hardwood. I have a Swiffer Sweeper (which has a battery that can be charged up). The Swiffer is perfect for our hardwood. I also periodically spray a mixture of windex and water (very, very light mist) on the hardwood and wipe it dry immediately with one of those rag-on-a-stick things.

Jan

I bought the Miele Aquarius. I needed a model with the large powerhead, since the upstairs in my house has wall to wall carpet. I also needed a model with a HEPA filter, since my husband has allergies. If you don't have wall to wall carpet at all you can get a model for a good bit less money than I paid.