Yes, I have a vacuum cleaner that's the best thing since sliced bread. It's not a traditional floor/carpet vacuum, though. It is a DeWalt DC500 shop vac. It runs from either wall power or batteries from DeWalt power tools. Some old Black & Decker batteries will run it also.

It's great for cleaning out the car, blowing (or sucking) dust and small debris off the porch, cleaning up spills of any size, and it works very well on the job, too. I can't count how many times I've needed to clean up a small puddle of water after a plumbing job, and this vacuum is right there.

A number of attachments can be had for it. There are several that can do floors and even carpet, but they don't do it quite as fast as a standard upright vacuum would.

The catch? Price. For the vacuum, two 18 volt NiCd batteries, a charger, a couple of extension poles, a spare (washable) filter, and a couple of accessories, you're looking at $300 to $350. Also if the filters get wet, they will clog until they are dry.

If you are looking for a second vacuum to use in the car or garage, though, without the need to drag a heavy upright and a cord, and you can get by the price, this is the perfect thing. It'll never replace an upright, but it does so much stuff that an upright cannot or isn't practical for.