Tineco A11 HERO

This vacuum looks fancy on the website but it's really not that extraordinary in its features. Here are the basics: It's cordless, light enough to take around the house, has three power settings (I almost always use the most powerful), straightforward to empty (filter can get grungy so I rinse it and let it dry once a month), has several attachments (I only use the main one and the long thin one), and is a real workhorse!

We, family of four (with two small kids), use it pretty much every day. The kids like it and will vacuum up the sand they bring home in their shoes, among other messes. It's also not very loud so I expect family pets will not be alarmed by it's presence.

The only downside is that, unlike bag vacuums, the dirt container is not very large so you'll need to empty this one every few uses, including shaking off (and occasionally rinsing) the dust filter inside. Like a two minute job.

We've had it for three years and I expect we'll probably have it for at least three more.

(Upon closer inspection, technically speaking, we have the PWRHero 11S model, which is no longer sold (except on Ebay). Ours is white -- the current one looks nicer)