Didn't know there were dust pan choices! We have a HAH with the VacPan. Ours is a little noisy, but nothing compared to a standalone vacuum. I love my HAH, although, faithers03 is right about the power head not being good for carpet. We have a plush carpet area rug in our living room and 3 long haired dogs. Most of the time, I don't even bother with the power head because it does such a poor job. It is harder physically, but I can get just as much or more hair off with the hard floor brush attachment. Now, the low pile rugs and berber area rugs are much more compatible with the air driven power head. It works just fine for those in getting off the long hair. We only have one vacpan, but I wish I installed more throughout the house. My dogs' hair forms tumbleweeds in certain spots of the house and it would be so much easier to sweep it right into a vacpans. If I had to do it over again, I would place vac pans near the larger return air vents and near the entrance from the garage. Those places seem to accumulate the most hair.

I have never had a regular vacuum that is even close to being as good as my central vac (and I have had my share of good, bad, and ugly vacuum cleaners in the last almost 40 years!!) I hope, and intend that I will never again have to live in a home that does not have a CV. If you were to compile a wish list of features for a dream vacuum cleaner I guess you would have... Powerful suction that does not diminish over time No fine particles of dust recycling in the air (and coating your furniture and floors, and lungs) Only have to empty bag once or twice a year Quiet or silent motor Light as a feather A breeze for cleaning stairs Ability to clean hard floors and carpet Extensive selection of tools No vacuum cleaner storage required This is what a central vac provides. Add Hide A Hose for ultimate convenience - no hose to carry around and nothing to store but the tools. Plus you are likely to find your DH, your kids, relatives, or friends volunteering to do your vacuuming - it's such fun to watch the hoses snaking back into the wall! Other than that I have no opinion :-)

The first one I had was Ricar when the house was being built. They came out about 4 times. It would work when they left, but still never enough power. Then I would have trouble with the hoses not going in or coming out. Then I got electrolux to come out and they put in all new ports or outlets, and new hoses. Still not enough power and the same with the hose problems. They did do a few things in the attic with the pipes. Now I have Drainvac which is the high powered unit I got the electrician to install. Great suction power but hoses still get stuff in the pipes. If I only had clear pipes I could see where the blockage is. We have a call into the head people at the original company that installed the pipes. It was a Hide A Hose system. We are hoping they will recommend someone who really knows how the install and service them. I have almost 9k in this system now and still not happy. My sister built a new house the same time and did not want it. She has a rainbow somebody gave her. She is laughing all the time about what I am going thru. I never had any trouble before until I got Hide a Hose.

I didn't get any other bids since I was so dead set on the HAH, so I can't really compare. Knowing your bid amount and your square footage, it seems comparable and in line to my pricing. I have two hoses, one vac pan, all the tools I could possibly need, and the garage outlet/tools/garage hose. I think the extra costs are there not because he marks it up for profit, but because of the HAH requirements. He has to build in enough tubing to house each retractable hose, so the price difference is for the material and the extra time it takes him to install. The main trunk line can't really house the hose because it would render the system unusable. Also, because the HAH uses special sweeps, that can rack up the price as well. Is it worth the extra cost? That is going to entirely depend on you and the way you plan on using and storing the hoses. For me, the HAH was essential because I knew I would end up with the hose tangled up in the bottom of the coat closet rather than neatly put away. I just know myself and knew I would be neat with it at first, but would eventually give in and just not do it which would result in a mess (and then the toddler would probably end up climbing on it and smashing it, etc.). I didn't see the point of having the central vac if I was still having to take up space in the closet for it like I did with the traditional vacuum. I also knew I would drive myself and my neat freak DH crazy with the tangled hose! :) Frequent vacuuming is essential in my house (a minimum of 2-3 times per week) because we have three dogs that shed, so I have to stay on top of it or suffer the consequences. I have to make it easy on myself to be organized or I just simply won't do it. Since you have a two story home, you would probably also want a hose on each floor if you didn't go with the HAH, so that is something to consider as well. If you don't think you would mind dealing with the hose (and some people don't), then you may not see the $2,000 benefit of the HAH. I just know myself and have been able to come to terms with my weaknesses! If you are a person who always puts things away regardless of any amount of hassle involved, then you probably wouldn't miss the HAH. However, if you have the slightest suspicion you might ever get a little lazy (you have to be brutally honest with yourself), I promise the HAH is money well spent. Another point to consider whether you go with Bob or not, I'm not crazy about the Turbo cat with the amount of dog hair we have to control. We have all concrete floors with plush carpet rugs here and there. Just based on its performance with the rugs, I know I wouldn't like the air driven head if I had actual carpet. I don't know if I would have the same opinion if we didn't have the dogs though, but for our situation, it just doesn't work. If we had carpet any thicker than berber and animals that shed a lot, the electric head would be a much better tool. The HAH was my splurge in our build, and even my husband, who rarely sees the value in these types of things, has said on numerous occasions that it was by far the best money we spent in our entire build. That was a profound statement coming from him because I swear sometimes I can hear him squeak when he walks! ;)