Our old vacuum was on its last legs – a canister type Kenmore, and after hearing from so many people how much they loved their Dyson’s, we bought one.   Crazy expensive they are – the model we purchased was $550.
In the 3 months that we’ve had it, it’s been a frustrating machine to use – the power head keeps stopping, and with a couple hairy pets, the canister seems to fill up in no time at all.
The power cord is only about 15 feet long, so in our average sized 1950’s era home, we have to unplug, and plug it in 3 times to complete the main floor.
There is an assortment of attachments for the vacuum, but unfortunately, none are attached to the vacuum – we keep them all in a rubbermaid that is stored in a closet.
So, after 3 months of frustration, I decided to buy a new vacuum – this time it was a Hoover WindTunnel model – it was on sale at London Drugs for $130.  This one has a 25′ cord, so only  have to move the plugin twice to complete the main floor.  It came with a couple attachments, that clip right to the upright vacuum, so they are always handy.  The power head hasn’t stopped once yet – and the canister is at least twice as large, which is great!
The Hoover is a little bit noiser, and weighs a couple pounds more – but I think the pro’s far outweigh these cons – and the price is 1/4 the cost of the Dyson!