Advice on new vacuum cleaner

My son has the largest version of the Dyson Animal which he loves but says if he bought again he'd go for a Shark.
My daughter loves her new Shark but reports it's quite heavy.
I think I'd want to feel the weight/balance personally before spending out.

I bought a Shark (corded) at the start of this year and I love it. Would never go back to Dyson now. Yes it is heavier but I soon got used to that. Suction is great and I like the fact that everything clicks on and off easily, I was never sure if the Dyson attachments were on properly. Also I can now clean the stairs easily myself, I don't have to wait for him indoors to "get round to it". I keep a GTech cordless upstairs for easy bedroom cleaning, one of the first models so it is getting a bit old now but still picks up well.

Ive got an old Miele cylinder, which is over 10 years old but still so powerful it will suck the carpet up off the underlay. I’ve also got a Shark cordless, which is very good for a quick clean round on carpets, but I disagree with those saying it’s light, as I find it heavier to use than the Miele, because the motor is mounted on the handle, so it makes my arm ache. It’s also no good on the stairs, and not brilliant on hard floors. Miele have a new cordless out, I’d look at that if money’s no object, otherwise next time I’d go for the G-Tech cordless as it’s light and also good on hard floors.

My daughter has bought a cordless Dyson. I tried it and it is certainly very light to use. Dd is pleased with it.

My daughter's Shark is cordless Lindylou. She says it's more "directional" than the animal because the weight is high up though.
I would want to check them out next to each other if I could.

I've got a Gtech cordless upright and separate handheld, you can get them as a bundle for a reasonable price. The upright is light as a feather and very efficient, empties easily with no bags to bother about. The battery life is excellent, can do the whole house on one charge.

The handheld is a bit heavier and less easy to empty, but that's not to say it's difficult. I use the handheld on the stairs and the upholstery, it's also got a couple of attachments.

I really like it, and would recommend.

I’ve had a Bosch cordless upright for 18 months. It performs well but the attachments are a pain. It involves clicking off the base and clicking on the attachment. Then carry it on a shoulder strap. Too much faffing and way too heavy to carry. I’ve only used the attachments twice as it’s too difficult.

Does anyone have a Vax glide that vacuums and washes hard floors at the same time? I would love one of them.

I have the G-tech K9, together with the K9 hand held cleaner, bought as a package when it was on offer, direct from the Gtech website. I am very pleased with it, powerful, easy to use and empty, and gets all my long hairs up off the carpet with its brush head. My daughter was a fan of the Shark cleaner she had, but it broke down just after the warantee was up, so she too has now bought a cleaner the same as mine, and uses it daily to deal with her dog hairs from her Labrador and Spaniel. I also have a Hetty, but that’s mainly for use cleaning out the cars and our caravan, where the long hoses can be very useful for reaching into very narrow Awkward gaps.