The Royal PowerCast upright vacuum was designed to clean as well or better than a fan-first design. Not only does the machine have a dead center direct, short air path - it also has brush stiffeners on the brush roller (steel) with a lifetime belt. It's probably the best cleaning direct air vacuum I've ever seen.
I got mine in 2006 at the last VCCC meeting I ever attended. I traded Hans a Metropolitan tank cleaner for it.
