Well, any item shipped overseas is taxed if it's value is declared as over £18 for anything sold commercially, and anything sent as a gift has to be over £40 (though I think that value may be changing soon) in value before the HMRC start extracting money from you... :S
It's where having a good friend or two over in the states can be handy to help source and ship such things...
The "Perfect" vacuums are chinese clones of Sanitaires, and I've read a few low opinions of those, some do like them (probably for their disposability), but the majority who have used a real Sanitaire do not, so probably best to not consider those... :\
As for brushrolls, some prefer a VibraGroomer1, others a VibraGroomer2 and some the Distribulator, it just depends on what you use the vac on and how often. The differences, well the VG1 is an aluminium spiral, with removable brush and beater strips (allows for different combinations of brush & beater setups), the VG2 is a chromed steel, hollow-tube brushroll with integrated beaters and with removable brush strips, of which you can buy softer or harder strips to match the surface you're cleaning, and lastly the Distribulator is a wood brushroll with plastic beater strips and bristles stapled into the wood...
Personally, I have VG2 brushrolls in all three of mine, and in those I use VG3 bristle strips which vastly improve the brushroll's sweeping ability (I have no idea where to get those strips, I just got them from a friend over in the states!!)...
