UPDATE!!!!!!!
After all of your wonderful advice, I have great news! Shocking news!
Before contacting this forum, I had already been shopping around: I either looked at or considered the Hoover WindTunnel, Riccar, the Sanitaire (but worried about the cloth bag eventually not being conducive to...
Thank you, bigbubbacain from Texas, I appreciate and will heed your advice. I have always been nervous about on-line purchases anyway unless books or something I am familiar with in the case I needed to return the item. And I hadn't considered the service aspect - if I had a bum machine/lemon it...
I have another question:
Is it less expensive to purchase a vacuum on-line or at a local store, do you know? I am very much out of touch these days . . .
Thanks!
You are SO kind to take time to reply - I deeply appreciate ALL of your responses and now since the field is narrowed, I feel much more confident! Yay!
Hopefully now my vacuum-hunting expedition headache will cease!
I will check back periodically for new info.
Thank you SO much - you all seem...
Greetings ~
I found this forum while having a vacuum-research headache and hope this is an appropriate use!
I have ill health due to a chemical poisoning in a former neighborhood and need the absolute best vacuum (I am assuming a bagged upright) for medium pile CARPETING, tile and marble...