Back in dental school, my friend Matt bought a $600 vacuum cleaner. Everyone thought he was crazy…read more First of all, how could he even afford such a luxury item on a student budget? He talked about it as if he had bought a new car. It was his lady - his baby - his, stars, moon and sun. It was a Miele Canister vacuum. Since then there have been generations of Dysons, which have found the "sweet spot" in the US market. I was always offended by the price for something that sucks dirt off a floor. It is a truly mundane thing. I had never paid more than $80 for a vacuum and might have gone through eight of them in as many years. Hoovers, Dirt Devils, with a bag, bagless, with a cord, cordless. You know the story - boy buys vacuum - vacuum has great suction out of box - 10 months later vacuum sucks, but in a different way - it is defunct and is left out with the trash. Six years ago I remembered Matt and his Miele. After a 5 hour Miele Google marathon, I had found the one for me - a shiny blue Miele Twist upright. She is a dead sexy filth swilling beast. The power she has is nothing short of amazing. She maneuvers well and can be laid almost completely flat to get under beds - put that in your pipe and smoke it. Yes, she has some scuffs and you must be careful not to vacuum over the cord or she will chew it up like a hungry hound chews a new rawhide toy, but she is still a thing of beauty. Once she lost power, but after a quick exam revealed she was congested with a six inch wool hairball, a simple coat hanger exorcism later, she was back with a vengeance. So today I celebrate our six year anniversary; she has officially paid for herself and now every day I spend gliding her through my domicile is proverbial gravy on my mashed potatoes.