I see that you already made a decision with your vacuum purchase for your parents, and am glad it is working well for them. I realize you don't need this info, but posting in case helpful to anyone else. I have an Oreck XL 21 that I purchased 9 yrs ago when pregnant (it has 21 annual cleanings/maintenance), but this was when they were still made in US, I believe. Works well, and I love the lightweight aspect and huge bags (they hold lots and lots of dirt/animal hair!), which are easy to change. I also have a small, rechargeable Shark bagless for quick clean-ups for the fall out from my daughter's gerbils, and quick dog/cat hair pickup. Gotta say, I HATE emptying it, and digging out the hair collected in the filters. Have a 15 year old Miele White Star canister too (like many here, I do have a bit of an addiction to vacs). Give us another update after they've been using them for a while. =)

Last year, on the recommendation of Raven and my brother (both of whom I trust), I bought a Shark Lift-Away Navigator Pro. I liked it so much that I decided to get another one for another level of the house. This time, I got the Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away 3-in-1 vacuum. It cost a little more, but I love it (it even has the tools to clean out my sewing machines). I've had Kirby, Kenmore, Hoover, Bissell, Electrolux, etc., but the Shark is my favorite! I've had back and knee surgery, so I appreciate the fact that the Shark is easy to maneuver and not heavy.

So I ended up with a Shark. It’s still in the box so I can’t comment on performance. I got it at Costco so it’s easily returnable. I went there because they had a deal on a Dyson Animal. However once I saw it, I knew it wasn’t going to work for me. That ball is huge and I have very limited storage space. It’s also a lot heavier than the Shark. This model is highly recommended by Consumer Reports and so many of you like Sharks. We’ll see how it goes. I am appalled by all the plastic after a lifetime of old Hoovers and my Kenmore canister. Not just Sharks, but all of them except the Miele. If I had a bigger house I might have sprung for the Miele.. Thanks for all your feedback. It really helped!

Like Salonva - Kenmore canister vacuums were my favorites for many years but they were difficult to maneuver in small areas and awkward on stairs. When my last Kenmore died I ordered my first Shark on a whim while watching QVC in 2015. I now have 4 Sharks - 2 at home and 2 at our vacation place. Some have suction control, some have the small powered mini brush which works great on stairs and my newest one (from 2019) also has LED lights on the wand. I really appreciate the ability to use the lift-away feature to vacuum under beds and furniture and I often pop the brush head off and just use the wand to do the baseboards. To avoid the doggy smell in vacuum cleaner bags I realized that I had to replace them even before they were full and that's one of the reasons that I switched to bagless. I abhor dog hair and I have a very hairy English lab so the thought of being without a working vacuum is the reason why I have a back-up at both places. Plus the added benefit of keeping one on both levels makes it easier to pull out of the closet to clean up a mess. Since they're bagless it's a snap to empty the dust bin into a plastic bag for disposal. They do a great job on carpet but to vacuum the fine dust from the hardwood floors I have to use the Dust Away floor attachment. When Maggie was a puppy we bought a Roomba and it worked well in the kitchen - except the dust bin was so tiny it quickly filled with dog hair and dust and needed to be emptied too frequently. That was 12 years ago and now you can get one that returns to the home station and empties itself. But I'm not willing to spend close to $1000 to try it. We have a mix of wool carpets, expensive silk Persian area rugs, lots of hardwood and tile in the bathrooms and I wish there were one vacuum that was perfect for all of them.