ok , my mum bought me a nilfisk vacum with a bag and a thingy that connects to the pole to suck up the dirt , so mininal stuuf goes into the bag .so you have a tube you have to empty when you fininsh and you dont need to change the bag , only every 6 mths or yearly if you please ..

i chucked a wobbly at mum for buying a naff vacum , as DH drummed it into me that bagless was better ...

so she took me to godfreys and got the man to explain the good and bad of each type of vacum ..
he adviesd me against bagless ones ..

so after a few years my vacum is still going strong ( but i feel its time to update )

i really want a dyson but they are $$$$ and im not sure they are worth it ..

i reckon about $350 will get you a good long lasting vacum and get it from godfrey ( my mum has an awseome one with a vibrating plate that brings even more dirt out !) and it lasted her aaages . same with my MIL


advice - take it or leave it . but dont buy one from Kmart or the like , yes they are cheap , but you get what you pay for ... buying cheap will only mean you have to replace it sooner than you'd like

i know this because DH bought a cheap bagless one ($99, it camw with a steam mop , it broke too !!) and it broke with in 3 mths of usuing it , not worth it ... aim for the mid price range and you cant go wrong