I would look at Riccar or Simplicity.

I owned a Panasonic a few years ago that I liked.

Riccar.

If you don't need to use attachments, I would recommend the Simplicity Freedom or the very similar Riccar.

If you live anywhere near St. James, Mo(on I-44) you can go to the factory store. They also have a museum of vacuum cleaners. You can learn alot about vacuums past and present.

I bought my mom a Riccar RSL5 lightweight upright. It is awesome, does an excellent job grooming the carpet and handles long pet hair like a dream. One down side, it is loud, but no worse than a Oreck or the cheap Hoover Platinum Bagged Upright, or most other upright vacuums. The Riccar cost the same as the Hoover, minus the hand held canister, but worth every penny. The lower models in the Riccar RSL line are cheaper, but you loose some features. IMHO, you really can not go wrong with any of the lightweight Riccars.

Mainly curious, as my lunch-time expedition didn't lead to enlightenment. I stopped into a local Riccar-carrying dealer here in California, and they completely steered me toward Miele, much to my frustration in learning about the options out there. The only real explanation given was the "Made in China" vs. "Made in Germany" one (which I don't know if true). To their credit, they did point out weaknesses in the lower-end Miele compared to my decade-old RedStar.

With such a strong set of recommendations for Riccar here, any insight into the dealer's behavior (past the potential profit motives, since I don't know either line's margins)?

Tacony manufacturing makes Riccar and Simplicity in St. James, Mo. The parts are probably made elsewhere. Miele evidently makes some of their vacuums in China as well as parts. Maybe Miele had some sort of incentive for dealers. I noticed in shopping for kitchen appliances over time at one time the ardent recommendation by a particular salesman was for one line and later for another line, probably depending on how much money is to be made on either.

http://www.riccar.com/about-us/

Here is an article about Miele vs Tacony

Here is a link that might be useful: Business Week

Well, this thread and my subsequent research have led me to the decision to buy one of the Tacony vacuums. Their warranties are great and even though I can't afford their top of the line vacuums, I can get a pretty good one. My husband bought a Sebo in the summer. It is a wonderful machine, but it is heavy for me to lug up and downstairs. I decided to buy a second vacuum to avoid the problem and am so happy to be able to support a U.S. company. That was the deciding factor for me! Thanks for showcasing this company!!!

Cynthia