Oreck XLT is better than Dyson.

Today, my wife, mother-in-law, and I tested our Dyson Animal DC07 against her Oreck XLT. The 8-pound Oreck kicked butt. Then, we tried her old Dyson DC14 Animal against the Oreck XLT and performance was about just about even. The Oreck is made in USA weighs half as much, does a better job agitating strings, seeds, and small stuff up off of the carpet surface. The Dyson does a better job sucking dust deep from the fibers of the carpet, but looses suction if the handle exceeds 30-degrees from vertical. The rear wheels act as a lever and pick the agitator up off of the carpet at greater angles of attack on the DC07. Small objects tend to be pushed ahead of both Dyson vacuum cleaner rather than picked up. The older DC14 did better than our newer DC07. The Dyson has lots of useful attachments. But, for our next vacuum, we're going with an Oreck.

Roomba.

Man, I love my Oreck! Best vacuum I've ever used. It does a super job of cleaning my carpets, it's light, and stores easy. It's a great product.

When I bought it, I also got an Oreck mini-canister vacuum for free. It's great for getting into places that the upright can't get and cleaning the inside of my pickup truck.