I've had my Oreck for about 5 or 6 years, and have never had a problem with it. I got it after I had back surgery since it was so lightweight and easy to handle, and my old Wind Tunnel weighed a ton, and did a lousy job to boot.

It has a wood roller with good sturdy bristles and never has had to be replaced. Never had a problem with the tube clogging, except the time my DIL let the bag get too full and then it clogged, but that wasn't any fault of the vacuum. It does a great job - picks up everything in one pass, and no need to go over and over the same area. It goes from carpet to bare floor with no adjustments. I've only had it serviced once - not because it needed it, but because it was a freebie part of the warranty.

If you have an Oreck store nearby, you can go in and "test drive" one. You can also get great buys on reconditioned ones that are just like new.

Even my skeptical brother who thought they weren't worth the money, ended up buying one after I told him how good they are. There are quite a few different price ranges - the one I got was on the lower end at $300 - and that also included the portable vac with attachments. I've seen a new one advertised lately - a Pilot model I think is the name, but I imagine it's rather pricey.

Hope this helps.