I cant say enough about the Bissell Momentum upright.

$99 at home depot, better suction then the infamous Dyson, no bags to buy and all the extra tools you’ll ever need.  And best yet, no internal filters to clog. The popularity of bagless vacuums can be over hyped when uneducated home owners bring home their new Hoover or Eureka only to discover the half way through there home the new “bagless” vacuum looses most of it’s suction due to a clogged filter or in some cases, filter’s.

Who wants to wash a filter out every time you vacuum up after Chompers and Mrs Fiskers?

The Bissell has somehow gotten around Dyson’s patent and duplicated the same “venturing cyclonic (what ever that means)” filterless system and sells it to you minus the huge cost of an incredible marketing campaign. You can buy five of the Bissells for the cost of one Dyson and still come out a head in the suction department.

http://www.bissell.com/Products/c/uprightvacuum/p/3910MomentumVac/product.aspx

Give one a shot, what have you got to lose.?

Except pounds of dirt?

Edit: A new model has been introduced, the Bissell Healthy Home Upright.
At $250 or so it’s a complete Dyson knockoff but with a better brush roll, a pile height adjuster and half the price.