nice vacuum to buy??

Around once a year, Consumer Reports looks at vacuums and does all sorts of testing as to how they can clean up and what kind of value you can get for your dollar. I don't have the issue with me, but a quick search at the library or buying a subscription would probably be worth the money. Disclaimer: I've had a subscription for years and read every issue cover to cover. My recollection is that they aren't hot on the Dyson models, but it's been a while since I read it.

We have 2 Miele's and we all love the little things. They are light, they suck like a whirlpool , and they are so quiet the cats dont budge .
They are a bit pricey but we have a top model down stairs and a bottom line upstairs. They both perform the same. The top model has more bells and whistles thats all.

I like the way these things can keep the dust (<4 microns) down in the rooms. We used to have tv screens with dust attracting power, now it takes much longer to even get any dust on a big tv screen.
We sweep about 1 a week and we split the chore

I have a Miele too! They are pricey but you get what you pay for and mine
is around 8 years old - never broke and never had any other problems and they
work better than most others (and believe me I had many brands).

We've had a couple of good vacuum cleaner topics here over the years that you may wish to skim for info and opinions of different brands and models:

http://able2know.org/forum/vacuum_cleaners/