Vacuuming quandry!

I am sure we have all heard several excuses why our other halves can't possibly do the hoovering but this one my husband came out with a few days ago is one of his better ones.

I have had a DC04 Dyson upright hoover for the last 6 or 7 years and I love it. Over the last 2 years we have needed to replace various parts through wear and tear which has been easy to do and not at all expensive - a spring I needed cost £1.99 for instance. My mum hates my Dyson as she finds it too heavy but I love it, it picks up well even after 7 years of constant use and abuse over the last year after walls being knocked down and continued building work in the house. I also find it does the dog hair well.

Image from Google

However, I was caught looking at the Dyson Animal out of curiosity really to see if there was a marked difference with dog hair - the showroom had one of those displays where you could check the suction power.

      

Image from google and Dyson

Less than 2 weeks later, I go away and when driving home form the airport I ring t'husband who informs me he has tried to make the house tidy for my return but can't hoover as the Dyson has all shattered and cracked at the front when he tried to use it. He is not kidding either, I have no idea how he did it but I am gutted to say the least.

Thing is it is now unavoidable - I need a new hoover. I want to stick with Dyson and I know and like them but now I have to make the decision on which one I want - and they are so bloody expensive as well so it has to be right.

Can anyone advise me - does an animal make any difference or are they all as good as picking up the bits as each other? I am also wondering if I should, try a pull along one rather than an upright as it might make the stairs easier to vacuum. Decisions, decisions. We have mainly wooden floors downstairs and then carpet up the stairs and landings/bedrooms.

So do I go for a basic multifloor Dyson again or the animal - is it all a marketing con or is is true and does it make a difference.

I can't even make a simple decision on a vacuum here!