Enjoy your new vacuum and hopefully it’s not too noisy.

The long extension rod/hose lets me put the vacuum at the bottom of the stairs and clean all the way to the top. And cleaning under beds, curtain rods, and ceiling fans is a breeze.

What I love most is the way it works just as excellently on my main-floor hardwood as my basement carpet and front-hall runner.

Worth every single penny it cost me to buy it for The Husband for Christmas a few years back. He was thrilled to get it (provided he didn’t actually have to use it).

Amy K., I was going to say the same thing. I have too much hair myself. What I want to know is not the best vacuum cleaner for cute little dog hairs but the best vacuum cleaner for long hairs that wrap themselves around, well, everything.

Actually, I’m likely to end up going with vh’s solution and switching to wood floors.

Anyway I sort of want a Dyson, but my vaccum still works and I’m not complaining.

When last seen, the Kenmore was really just a top-of-the-line Panasonic.

Since my house is all hard floors with a few dhurrie-style area rugs, after the Kenmore disappointment I took myself to Fry’s Electronics and bought the cheapest Panasonic they had. I don’t need the automatic push-me-pull-you or any other gadgetry for good carpets. The price was so reasonable that if it died in a year or so, I could afford another.

Well, it hasn’t died. It’s still going strong, and it does a fine job.

Best thing I ever did was to replace the chronically dirty carpets with hard flooring. It’s easy to keep clean–easy to clean under the beds and furniture–and you never have to rent a carpet cleaner or hire someone with steam-cleaning equipment. If a dog or a kid barfs on it, big deal. Expensive coming out of the gate, but over time it saves you a LOT of money and hassle.

BTW, now I’m using an iRobot Dirt Dog–a version of the Roomba billed as a “shop vac.” It’s really an electronic broom–doesn’t have a vacuum, and because it has fewer parts to break it’s a lot more durable than the Roomba. It cleans indoor hard floors just as easily as it sweeps the garage floor, does a decent job (even gulps up dog kibble), and the cost is a third to half of a Roomba. And it’s sooo cute! Better than a real dog: you don’t have to take it to the vet.

FWIW, I’ve had a Kenmore Progressive canister vac for about 10 years now. It was $200+ when I bought it, and it’s held up reasonably well. The cord is a bit too short, but it’s fairly good on hard floors; I have no carpets. The HEPA filters are outrageously expensive though, and Sears sees you coming when they price the vacuum bags. I’m sure I’ve spent several hundred bucks in bags alone. Now that it’s older, I’m having to replace parts on the thing; a new hose was a $55 investment, because the wires run through it, and in taking apart the handle, my husband broke the power switch, which has to be tinkered with frequently now. The biggest problem with it is jams, though; debris has to make a turn through the handle, and my daughter is very good at leaving bobby pins, small pencil stubs, etc, under furniture…and I find them when I hear a “clink, clink, clink” and the whine of the motor when the hose gets a jam.

Also FWIW, my parents finally got rid of their Kirby a couple of years ago; it was over 40 years old and still going strong. The vac that wouldn’t die…

Usually I listen to Consumer Reports, but they are dead wrong. The Dyson is worth every penny.

A few bucks and 15 minutes will replace the belt, and though it sounds like you’re happier with the new one, the local Salvation Army or what not would probably appreciate the old one (if fixed).

FWIW, I have a bagless Hoover I got at Bed Bath and Beyond with one of those 20% off coupons that always come in the mail. My only regrets about it are that 1. I hardly use it. 2. I hardly use it because I hate cleaning the HEPA filter. I should have gotten a bagged vacuum instead.

They say for asthmatics that HEPA filters are best, but truthfully, unless you are wearing a HEPA dustmask when you are emptying out the vacuum, you’re going to end up with more problems than it solves. I have to clean out the filter every other time I vacuum and I am always worried about the very small dust particles floating in the air as I tap the filter into the trashcan to clean it. I would say it’s very bad for asthmatics unless you have someone else around to clean it. (Thanks World for reminding me again that I’m single!)

Anyway, after a year we could no longer stand it. I consulted CR, and went with #9, “Hoover Tempo Widepath (U5140-900; $60, CR Best Buy)” It is LOUD, but it performs, and those old-fashioned bags hold a ton and replace cleanly and easily.