Hoover Hard Floor Bagless, Quick Broom. Excellent suction, gentle on the floors, swivel head to get around things and into corners and doesn't kick the hair all over the place, just sucks it up.

Hi there. You may get a better response to this question on the cleaning forum. I collect antique vacuums and sold them for Sears for 2 years, so I know a little bit about the subject. I'm afraid you may not like my answer though. For hardwood floors and a lot of dog hair, a straight suction canister is the best option. Every stick vac I have ever known has terrible power and clogs very fast. Certinaly stay away from Hoover, Eureka, Bissell and Dirt Devil. Those brands (except Dirt Devil... never even tolerable) were okay in the olden days, but now are simply garbage. Electrolux makes a decent stick vac you might check out. The quality is better than the others, and the suction isn't amazing but adequete for hard floors. If you are going to go with a stick vac, do not get cheap or you will be disappointed.
Copy and paste this link to the Lowes web site to see the Electrolux to which I am refering:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=79733-73823-EL1000A&lpage=none

Simplicity is a brand that is sold at vac shops.. maybe check out their QuickSilver. Here is a link... copy and paste.

http://www.simplicityvac.com/products/other/quicksilver/

Please also avoid Euro Pro, Shark, and Fantom... all made by the same terrible company. Their machines are loud and flimsy.
Hope you find something that works for you... and have fun shopping! :O)

*hehe* someone knows their stuff!

Hey vacuumfreak what do you think about Dyson's Animal vac? I've been really wanting one of those. I HATE the Oreck that I have now.

Lisa

Heehee, I wondered where you got your name. I thought you were just a clean freak who liked to vacuum.

Not to change the subject of the post, but... (I think the question has been answered anyway)
Dobesrule... the Dysons are great vacuums. The only thing that makes that model called the "Animal" is the air driven turbine tool which is supposed to be good for pet hair. The hose and cords are very long, and the dirt chamber is very easy to empty. If someone must have bagless (most vac guys don't like bagless, I feel the same) a Dyson is the only way go to. They don't lose suction and they are a dream to empty. Powerful too... there is some debate about the agitator not being strong enough for American carpets. Also, long hair will wrap around the brush roll because it is very slender so keep that in mind. If you have bare floors, you can just turn the brush roll off, or release the hose, flip the hand grip and insert the bare floor attachment. It works wonderfully! Can't break the belt... When I worked for Sears, I would throw a sock on the ground and run it over. The brush roll will stop and you will hear the most terrible racheting sound you've ever heard in your life. The clutch is preventing the belt from breaking, and the user will certainly know to remove the obstruction. Lots of ports to remove clogs too! No headlight, and it's very "tall" at the base so if you need to do under something you will need the attachments. If you are used to an Oreck it will take a while to get used to the bulk of the Dyson. The head is tall, and it weighs I believe 19 verus your flat 8 pound Oreck. But, you will be happy with the performance. You can even change the angle on the dusting brush and upholstery tool, and the upholstery tool and crevice tool have slits in them so the air flows and they don't "stick" to the surface you are vacuuming. They thought of almost everything! I hate all the plastic on the modern stuff, but I guess we have to grow with the times. I'm 23 and I like the vacuums that were made before I was born! If you can afford a Dyson, by all means get one. Orecks are traditionally known for small motors and fans and being loud, but I only know of them by their reputation among vacuum people.

That's great to know before I plunk down the cash for a Dyson. We have an Oreck stick vac too. It's about as useless as the regular vacuum is. We had a Kenmore upright before the Oreck and it was by far a better vacuum.

Lisa

I can vouch for the Dyson Animal as well - I've had mine for over a year and with 4 dogs, 4 cats and various foster puppies and kittens coming and going, it is the best vacuum I've ever owned!

The only thing I don't like about it is getting the hose attachment out... its sort of a pain, but the hose is really long and I can stand at the bottom of my steps and go all the way to the top w/o moving the vacuum from the floor. The animal attachment is fantastic on pet hair on the steps.

I do have to cut the hair off the brushes quite frequently -ick... but it is worth it.

I also recently purchased another Roomba. I also have to cut the hairs off the brushes on that about every use, but also worth it. Its great for the days when I don't want to vacuum... which are most days I confess! I have to empty it probably more frequently than someone without as many pets, but it really works great and while its zipping around I can be doing other things.

The Roomba comes with a little tool for cutting hair off the brushes, so that works great on my Dyson as well.

Sher

Thanks so much for all the input! I appreciate it! Hmmm, never thought about a Roomba, gonna have to check that out.

I have all hardwood and tile floors and 3 cats. I'm shopping for a lightweight stick vac for quick cleanups and sweeping up litter from the tile floors.

Any idea how the new (revamped) Dirt Devil Broom Vacuum performs on pet hair?
http://www.amazon.com/Dirt-Devil-Broom-Vacuum-White/dp/B000CQI92I/sr=8-1/qid=1167934148/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3645697-3637430?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden

What about the Swiffer Sweep and Vacuum?
http://www.amazon.com/PROCTER-GAMBLE-Swiffer-Sweep-Vacuum/dp/B000BQSM1C/sr=8-3/qid=1167933871/ref=pd_bbs_3/103-3645697-3637430?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden

Hi there. The Dirt Devil you speak of is an interesting and pretty machine. It, however, is a Dirt Devil made by TTI, and if it's like any of their other products is TERRIBLE quality. Stay away from anything bearing that name as a general rule... ask anyone who knows vacuums. If you ask a houswife who loves her dirt devil because she couldn't afford anyting else, probably not going to get an accurate review. That machine is a bit heavy, so even though it looks like a regular broom it will not be easy to "sweep" with. And you can't push it like a vacuum. The Swiffer sweep n vacuums (was also branded under a dirt devil name for a period of time) use disposable pads... are you willing to change those out every time you use it? Loud cheap motor as well... at least it's rechargable. Much lighter than the Dirt Devil Broom Vac. Go to Target and buy each machine... compare them and if you don't like them get a refund for one or both if you just want to see how well they pick up. Don't feel badly about returning them used... if they truly wanted satisfied customers, they would have a demmo area right in the store. How much were you planning to spend? Hope you find something that works well for you! :o)