Hi, I did extensive internet research before I bought my last vacuum and after much confusion and frustration, got the Hoover Shoulder Vac Pro Commercial. I absolutely love it! It picks up great, has a hepa filter, and several attachments. It's backpack style so there are no wheels to potentially scratch wood flooring, it's lightweight, and the ergonomic harness was designed by a chiropractor so it's comfortable once you get it on and adjusted. Best of all it has a 48 foot cord so I can vacuum my entire main level and up the stairs without moving the plug, provided I use one that's centrally located. The bag is in clear view and easy to manipulate. It comes with a cloth bag that you have to clean but I buy the paper bags out of laziness. My only complaints would be the size and cost of the paper bags. They don't seem to be sold in bulk, only in packs of 5, and they aren't very large. With two large dogs I have to change them after 4 or 5 uses.

Changing bags after 4 or 5 uses??? Spoildogs, my wonderful new home looks like I have been butchering rabbits in here!!! LOL, I can't stand it anymore. I've been without a working vacuum for almost 23 hours.

Good idea, Curt.

And correction, Sustainable, the bags come in packages of 7 not 5. At $9.99 a package that is about $1.42 per bag. It's worth it to me, since everything else about the vacuum meets my needs. And don't feel bad, I have little dog hair tumbleweeds forming as I type this and my vacuum works! :)

Hi. I have a Dyson and it works quite well but doesn't quite get the finer layers of dust, so I have to go over them with Swiffer dry cloths. There is a newer model that is supposed to get the finer dust but at that price I will have to wait a long time before I buy it.

We've had a shark navigator for 6 months now. We have 7 dogs (labradors) and a cat so we generate a LOT of hair. We have all hardwood floors and the vacuum has been GREAT so far. No bags. Just a clear container to empty. We vacuum every day and fill the container every day!

I wonder what Consumer Reports recommends?

The Dyson DC59 is amazing. So convenient to use, amazing suction, easy to dump dust cup, and versatile. It's the best vacuum for hard surfaces I've ever experienced.

The Dyson DC59 is indeed a great design. I looked at it last year when I was shopping for vacuums but was disappointed to find when reading the reviews that the battery only lasted about 7 minutes on the high setting, before having to charge it up again for several hours. Good for small jobs but not as a primary household vacuum for hardwood floors. Do they have an updated model that may have improved those numbers at all?

You're correct about the time at max setting. I have found the normal setting to be adequate 90% of the time-much better cleaning than the Eureka complete clean canister it replaced. And the battery lasts with plenty of time for me to vacuum my 1,000sf house.

I have hardwood in most of the house and Berber in the bedrooms. Bang for the buck is the Oreck. It goes smoothly from carpet to floor, high and low speeds, hepa filtered. Lightweight and quiet, it's very versatile. They threw in the small canister for attachment cleaning to boot. I traded in a Miele for the Oreck and I've never looked back. After going through two Dyson machines, the warranty and yearly maintenance offered by Oreck was very appealing. It wasn't cheap at $599 but you get what you pay for.

Have had several Orecks but don't think they are really cleaning the thick pile carpet I inherited with this house. And I have many carpeted stairs. Have been researching new vacs but I'm baffled...newest (ugly) Shark navigator with many bells and whistles get good reviews.

I use my mighty mite...but with hardwood...I always have to do a run with my dustmop afterwards.

For hardwood, I use the Bellawood treatment and micro fiber mop... it always looks good.

l just bought a Shark at Costco and it works as well as mu Dyson at half the price. I got it for my basement.

Shark is decent, but went for $60 before Consumer Reports gave them a good write-up. Dollar for dollar, I now prefer Miele as a longer lasting option with a low repair rate.

I am looking for a cordless lightweight vacuum for our 100% hardwood flooring home. I am unable to manage a heavy vacuum due to shoulder surgeries. I need to vacuum daily due to 2 wildly shedding doggies! Any suggestions??

Maybe a Roomba for you, amandaala? I don't own, but hear good reviews.

LOVE our Dyson DC59 for quick jobs or the moderate amount of tile in out home. Our full-size 8 year old Dyson has treated us incredibly well also (as evidenced by the quick fill of the canister after cat and lab hair pick up- ALL of that came from MY floor?!). I'd buy Dyson again when the time comes. :)

Oh! We also have a roomba and although it picks up an insane amount of dust/hair, it often finds it's way under items and gets stuck (i.e. sofa, entertainment console), which can be frustrating if you expect it to clean your home when you leave and upon returning, wonder how much it actually never cleaned...haha. Of course, this occurs over carpeted areas; perhaps if only hardwood, there would be enough space for the roomba to sneak under. I'd recommend it nonetheless...

I love my Roomba but I still need a "normal" vac since there are just times you need to hit one area really quickly and Roomba isn't the tool for that. Rosie, our Roomba, does am amazing job with dust and dog hair.

That is a very good question. Here are my thoughts. In my opinion and based on research, a canister type of vacuum is better suited for hardwood floors. It doesn't use brush roll (rolling bristles) that scatters debris and may scratch wood floors. It rely on its strong suction to remove dust and dirt on the floors. Most of the canister vacuums also features rubber or protective wheels which are gentle on laminated floors, see here http://vacuumseek.com/best-hardwood-floor-vacuums/ ... For your pet hair problem, find a canister vacuum with pet attachment.

There is a new product on the market, it is a microfiber foot mop. It is dual sided and has a scrubber, it is amazing. It is quick and easy for cleaning any hard surface floors and really cleans up spills, dirt and et hair. I love Glass Plus, I spray the floor, drop this and swipe it around with my foot, it works !. It is washable, I have 6 of them, they are around 10.00 you can find here www.easyfloorcleaning.com