The vacuum store I got my Riccar from also carries Miele and I believe they have several more "inexpensive" models that run about $400. When we bought our vacuum, even before our son was born, I'd done a lot of research as I kept having to replace vacuums --- that just didn't last and at the time one of the top rated ones was a panasonic; however, when I got to the store, I noticed it has a lot of plastic parts, whereas the one I ended up choosing was much sturdier. One of my coworkers did professional cleaning for awhile and swears by Belvedere (sp). As for the rainbow, they had those at the vacuum store to. My SIL had one and said while it was a nice machine, it was a beast and she was forever spilling the water. Bleah
welcome and keep posting.