I just bought a new vacuum right before Christmas. I didn't want to buy online because I figured locally I should be able to find something. Plus I would have hands on with the product. I went to Best Buy and Walmart and looked at every vacuum between $100 and $300, I didn't want to go crazy since we only have a small 2 BR CYV with wood floors in the kitchen & DR. I wrote down the model numbers on every vacuum in that price range that they stocked.
The lowest was the Hoover Windtunnel 2 for $99 at Best Buy.
The highest was the Dyson DC33 for $299 at Walmart.
Then I went home read online reviews of about 20 vacuums. We were leaning toward 3 or 4 Shark models in the $150 to $240 range but found it confusing since identical looking models have a different number at each store.
Then I liked the styling and compact look of the Hoover Hepa vacuum for $150 at Best Buy.
The more I read the more the Windtunnel 2 Rewind for $99 keep leading the pack, but I figured for $100 how can it be that good. So we went back to Best Buy and really looked at several models. The Hoover Hepa felt flimsy and some reviews were very critical. The Sharks had some great reviews but then some really bad reviews. They also felt a little flimsy. We finally decided on the Hoover Windtunnel 2 for $99 and since we've had it home, it is the best vacuum I've ever owned. I noticed now that Best Buy has raised the price to $129.