I’ve had a Dyson for 12 years and strongly recommend considering one. For one thing, no bag vacuum could possibly handle the amount of fur I pick up from my two dogs and three cats. I would use a bag every two weeks. The only major repair I’ve had is to replace the cord, which was due to my SO pulling on the (very lengthy) cord and damaging the plug. One thing that I really like about the Dyson is that it comes apart almost completely for cleaning. Got a clog (which is rare)? Take off THIS piece of tube and clean it out. The seals are very easy to replace. The foam filter can be washed in your sink. There are tons of third-party replacement beater bars and attachments. While it’s true that the vacuum power is not the best, it’s certainly been more than adequate for me. The animal hair attachment is especially good for my furniture.
In the time I’ve had my Dyson, my mother has gone through a Bissell and a Sears…and she has no pets at all.
Using a Bissell made for pet households. Tried a Hoover that was supposedly for pet hair and it died relatively quickly. I am curious if bag vacuums even exist anymore
yes, Sanitaire still sells this ~40 year old Eureka design. it’ll probably last forever, but you really don’t want one of these. The bags never seal very well, so you’ll get dust being ejected down where the bag slips over the discharge. Also, the biggest flaw is that this design has the impeller in between the beaters and the bag, so anything you vacuum up has to pass through the impeller. and anything larger than a grain of rice is just going to rattle around off the impeller blades and get spit back out. almost all newer designs have the vacuum impeller after the canister so it only exhausts filtered air.
Here’s a tip that actually worked for me: Buy anti-static spray, spray it on carpets/rugs/furniture about a minute before you vacuum. It helps loosen the hair. I pick up about twice as much pet hair per vacuuming session when I use this. (Two cats and a very sheddy dog.)