We used to have a regular vacuum cleaner and a rechargeable shaft vacuum cleaner (both Electrolux). The regular one (what are they called, those ones that you pull along the floor?) was used for the big weekly clean and the shaft one was for every other day, to deal with cat hair and small crumbs.
We needed to replace both of them, and my husband decided to bite the bullet and invest in a Dyson. They are expensive, but wow does this thing work like a charm!
It is not big or noisy, not too heavy, and it sucked things out of our carpets that must have been there for years. There are many attachments for different fabrics, so we can do our bedhead, our curtains, our sofa. There are no cables to drag behind you and it is so easy to clean.
I can really really recommend it. Ours came with a free holder, and we keep it in our little storage room.
James Dyson is a very interesting man, and he talks about how he invented the cyclonic vacuum cleaner in his book Invention: A Life. One reason he failed to find backers for his idea is that all established vacuum cleaner companies thought people would be grossed out by seeing what came out of their carpets. I LOVE that clear canister. It’s great to see it fill up!
Stick, canister &/or upright vaccums are the three basic indoor/consumer/household styles. The main difference is the brush head to motor to dust compartment/component ratio & complexity.
There’s also the “hand” vac (vernacular could be handi vac or also known regionally in the US as a “DustBuster” which is a brand name but was also a common term for a small handheld vacuum) as well as wet/dry vacuums that are often for places like workshops or car/garages for wet/messy areas (the motor & filter parts are separate from the canister area so you can vacuum up messy things that would ruin a traditional vacuum.)
Then there’s the whole variety of household consumer carpet cleaning utensils that do both vacuuming and/or appt cleaning wet messes (such as a brand called “Spot Bot by Bissell for pet/kid messes) and then all the robotic vacuums as well as tile/hard floor cleaning items.
Source: I’m a huge homewares nerd/consumer. (Don’t get me started on the vacuuming nuances of hard floors v carpet)
Btw we personally have two different Dyson vacuums (a stick vac for the quick cleaning of the hard floors/area rugs upstairs & a canister for the carpeted areas, downstairs, and when we had a cat) and they’re seriously worth every penny.
Excellent investment! If we had more than two rooms with wall-to-wall carpeting (blegh) I’d probably look at a Miele canister vac for those areas. But the rental home we’re in doesn’t have difficult floors (a definite plus!) thankfully. Though I definitely prefer the extra power & dust container space the upright has for the carpeted areas.
I’d not want to rely solely on the stick vacuum for all the work. But it’s soooo handy with all it’s integrated attachments for stuff like chairs & air return vents and whatnot. Just lovely!