Unlike others it has taken us 5 Dysons ( as we do two homes ), Panasonic, Electrolux, Hoover and Vax cleaners to finally see the light. This cleaner stands out above any of the others. To give it final justice I would like to have compared it to a Kirby but in fairness we havn,t.
As others have mentioned the Dysons are OK for the first 3-6mths or so, but as all those joints and couplings start to wear, loosen and actually break, performance drops off significantly as this happens. They also look tatty as they start to display their contents ( who wants to visually display their dirt?).
Cannot comment on the Sebos performance with pet hairs ( probably the best trials a vac can have ) but in houses where they have a mixture of smooth floor coverings, laminates and carpets, they perform as a vac should do, perfectly.
They are no more expensive than the higher model Dysons, but unlike them they certainly justify their cost.
Can only really summarise that with this Sebo, Quality dosn't actually cost, it pays.
UPDATE:
Well its 07-06-2012 and the vac is over 3 years old now. Its still performing as strong as ever, the bags last for ages and ( touch wood ) reliability has been excellent. Had to shorten the wire by about 6" due to an operator mishap, but thats about all.
It has outperformed any other vac we have owned.
Would we buy another --- CERTAINLY so buy with confidence.