JeffA

I took Carmine's advice and went down to my local vacuum shop to see what he had.  The shop owner was perfectly willing to order me the top-of-line panasonic mc-cg985 and match online prices ($500).  I figured if panasonic made the vacuums for Kenmore I would be pretty safe and this particular model came with all the attachments as well.  We were chatting about the Miele and he wanted to show me a direct competitor that he in stock.  He brought out a Simplicity Verve and went through a quick demonstration.  It was a very very nice machine.  My wife was with and just blurted out, "we'll take it".  The guy was very nice, and chopped $100 off the top and sold it to us for $699 and threw in two boxes (12) bags.  He also gave us a 5 yr warranty on everything and a 7 yr warranty on the motor.  I have no idea if this was a good deal or not.  I can't seem to find any online pricing for this unit.  My only point of reference was the Miele S5 series with the powerhead that starts at $850.  In any even I'm happy with my purchase.  I supported a local business and feel like I got a great product (even though I blew my budget by $200).

Thanks for the comments everyone.  If I get a chance I'll write a review.

One thing I should mention is that my wife has allergies. 

Last night I came across the Miele S4212 Neptune Galaxy that can be had for $500.  This unit comes with the air driven STB 205-3 Turbo brush for rugs and the SBB 300-3 Parquet Floor tool.  Would you still recommend a Kenmore with a proper power brush over this unit?

I've been reading here for awhile, but this is my first post.  As the subject states, I'm looking for a new vaccum and I would appreciate any sugestions. 

Lets start with the specifics.

Pets - 1 Dog (Great Dane that does shed), and 3 cats.

Floors - House is mostly lamanate flooring with a few large will area rugs and runners.  Carpeting in a couple bedrooms but I'm planning on pulling that and putting in lamanate with rugs.

Right now I have an upright hoover wind tunnel that I despise.  I'm afraid of the wheels scratching the floor and it's absolutely dreadful to clean out.  The filter gets plugged and I need to take it outside to dump because it's too messy and dust goes everywhere.  Needless to say I will not be going bagless ever again.

What I've been looking at:  I'm mainly looking in the $250-$500 range.  If I spend $500 it better be an awesome vacuum.

I've been looking at the panasonic MC-CG885 ($250ish).  There are some reviews on amazon but no professional reviews that I've been able to find.  The price is right.  The lack of a bare floor attachment might be an issue (can I find an aftermarket that will work?)

 I've also seen the MC-CG985 for around $500, but again no reviews.  What am I getting for an extra $250?  The Panasonic site is aweful for trying to discern the differences between models.

I've also kicked around getting a $500 Miele S4212 Neptune Galaxy.  The lack of a powerhead makes me think twice about getting one of these.  I'm not sure if the turbobrush that comes with this unit is upo to the animal task.

Any thoughts?