Noisy Vacs
John,
I agree, a few years ago the HOOVER logo on a vac really meant something! I have one of the newer Hoover T series bagless, plastivac, that I bought for my wife and we both hate it! I dug it out the other day and tried to use it, that thing whines like a jet engine when you turn it on. In fact it was so bad, it scared my newborn nearly to death! I used it on one room, turned it off, put it back in the basement, finished up with a Hoover Convertible on the carpet and my Electrolux Silverado on the bare floor! That old convertible motor hummed the little guy right back to sleep!
As far as what I think is essential for a good machine, I have to agree with Morgan on his points there, after hearing how quiet the new Aerus Platinum is, that just shows me you can have a high quality machine that does a great job AND doesn't shriek like a banshee when you're running it!