We've had a Hoover Windtunnel for years that works great and I like the attachments for the stairs, etc. It was a bit heavy for up/down but then I got a cheap Hoover wide path for $85 to leave upstairs and have been very happy with it too. Doesn't have as many bells/whistles as wind tunnel but for half the price it's great.
Both rank high on consumer reports and are affordable. Bags and belts are easy to get and cheap to replace. I've never had to replace a belt on either one and one is about 7 yrs old and the other is 1 year old.
I tried a fancy Kirby and while it sucked up the dirt great, it was heavy and attachments were a huge pain! Their customer service sucked too....
I asked an independent vacuum repair place about his thoughts and he said he had more repairs on Dyson than any others right now. He said Hoovers were good but tended to go through belts faster. We've never had that problem though.
Full-time homeschooling mama of 11yo lego master, 8yo DIVA, 5yo charmer, and a cute baby girl!