The only portable hand held vac we have is a Black and Decker which is over ten years old and still works with original batteries? Weak, but picks up after a fashion. Personally I got totally disgusted with battery powered tools and went to corded ones. Maybe if you're a contractor and use them continually, subjecting the batteries to the deep discharge and recharge that they like, you'll get decent life. For most of us, a cordless tool on the shelf is almost guaranteed to not work when you need it, then the battery won't take a charge. My personal favorite are the cordless phones that we all have around the house. The battery starts to die and you investigate replacement, $24.00 plus S&H and the phone cost $29.99??? It must be me, but there seems to be something wrong with this picture? Good luck, Ev

I will tell what we bought and can say as far as performance we could not be happier, don't know about longevity yet because we have only owned it for little over 2 months. We got the Shark Vacuum, model NV356E with the hardwood floor attachment. Works outstanding, is as good or better than the Dyson in every respect. When I bought this one I tested it at Bed Bath & Beyond on the DYSON test carpet, I used the Dyson first, ran over the carpet at least twice in every direction then took down the Shark and ran it over the same carpet and it picked up quite a bit more dirt that the Dyson left behind. The ONLY small fault I have with it is the hose is a wee bit too short and doesn't stretch so makes it slightly difficult to vacuum like way behind something like a PC desk etc where you just want a hose with a very small attachment so that you can get into tiny crevices. I have ordered an extension hose from another model (NV22) in hopes that it will fit then I will have the perfect vacuum. It is an upright bag less vac that turns into a light canister in about 2 seconds. Zero loss of suction, easy to empty, has a small head with roller brush that gets into tight spots easily, goes down almost flat when used as upright to get under furniture pretty well and if that isn't far enough then simply push a button and turn it into a canister with hand held floor brush or small "turbo roller brush" that get under ANYTHING. Plus we only paid $160 from BB&B using the 20% coupon. I doubt there is a better vac even for 3X the price. Check out the reviews on Amazon, between the various models I imagine there are around 1500+ reviews and I bet at least 85+% are 5 star.

I want to clarify some things. If you have alot of dust related allergies, including dustmites, pollen, etc. then I would suggest that you purchase a vacuum cleaner with really great filtration. If you do not, then you may find more selection in other vacuum cleaner models. It sounds like you do not have major allergies, if you are using a Bissell bagless upright. You do want a vacuum cleaner that will filter well though, since you do not want to be doing alot of dusting. We are very lucky nowadays, in respect to better filtering vacuums, compared to years ago. There are more better-filtering cleaners out there. "I only have carpet in the bedrooms everywhere else is tile." My question for you is, do you want somewhat clean carpeting or very clean carpeting? I would hope you would say very clean carpeting. You see, turbo brushes will not clean as well as a power nozzle. Turbo brushes rely on air movement, from the main vacuum, to turn a fan which turns the brushroll. The brushroll cannot be too agressive or it will not turn. Turbo brushes use shorter, softer bristles. The turbo attachment is more suited for delicate rugs like oriental or other very low pile carpeting. Bosch, Miele, Riccer and Simplicity canisters are strong enough to turn the turbo brush, but the turbo attachment is still not aggressive enough to handle the thicker carpeting. You mentioned the Bosch at Costco. Costco has sold Bosch vacuum cleaners for awhile now. This price is true. Costco can sell at a discount, because they sell to members who pay a yearly fee. Costco also has stores across the U.S. and beyond. They are not one vac shop, selling Bosch and Miele. Costco is not the only retailer that sells this model, so do not worry that you may be getting scammed. The Bosch premium canisters are very good vacuum cleaners. They are quiet and filter very well. They are easy to use. The swiveling wheels come in handy when you want to push the vacuum to the side. It is a sturdy and reliable series from Bosch. I have more homework for you to do. Before making the purchase, look at where you will have to take it for repair work under warranty. Look in the phonebook and see if there are any authorized servicers in your area. If there are none, then call some and see if they could repair one that is out of warranty. If it is in warranty, you have to take or send it to an authorized servicer of Bosch vacuum cleaners. This is something to consider. If the vacuum cleaner breaks down, do you want to pack it up and send it off. Look at another thread here regarding sending off the Dyson for repairs. If you are comfortable with this possibility, then go for it. If you go with the addition of a turbo brush, they are simple to get. You can go to any vac shop and they will have it or they can order it. All you ask for is a turbo brush attachment for Bosch canisters, with 35mm fitting. What I would suggest, if you purchase this vacuum, is that you try to keep the Bissell upright as long as you can and use it for the carpeted rooms. That way, the rugs will at least be cleaned better. I have another option too........

I had a small hand held, electric, Dirt Devil vacuum I bought at my aunt's garage sale for $1. It worked, worked for years then the motor finally went kapoot and the sweeper store guy said it wasn't worth fixing. A new one would cost almost as much and they are better made these days anyhow. So I went online and bought one, it came with a supply of bags too. They hold alot and it's much better than the mess of a bagless in my opinion. The Dirt Devil has two speeds and its very powerful on pet hair, I have a cat. I use it on the rugs in the library and the mohair furniture. I love it. Only disadvantage is bending over to sweep the rugs but I've even been known to continue and do the wood floors too! It picks up all the crud that falls in between the boards (old house).