We've had Dyson's for probably 12 or 13 years now. Our 2 year old Hoover Windtunnel died in a shower of sparks, so I decided to replace it with a higher quality vacuum. I'd never have another "cheapie" vacuum.
We now have 3 Dysons. One is kept on the main level of our house, one on the lower level, and one at our lake home. I've not had a single problem with any of them; I do clean the filters every 6 months or so, but that's the only maintenance done.
We recently gave one of our Dysons from home to my elderly father, and replaced it with a Dyson DC28 from Amazon, the new one was just under $300, and so far it has performed flawlessly. The tools lay flat enough so I can vacuum under couches, chairs and beds. The tangle free tool is great for removing pet hair from the couches, and Dysons are one of the few vacuums that I've had with tools and a hose that are actually usable.
My dad loves his "new to him" Dyson-it's vastly better than his old Eureka; the Eureka was a "cheapie" and about 5 years old when the motor quit.
The Dyson at our lake house has to contend with a lot of sand dragged in from the beach-between us, the dogs and guests there's a lot of sand, and it has no issues pulling it all up. It's now the oldest we have, so it must be about 13 years old.
I prefer the bagless-it's a simple matter of removing the container, taking it out to the garage, and pulling the lever to dump it in the garbage can. Far cheaper and easier (in my opinion) than fussing with bags.
