We've had our Rainbow for a month and a half and I'm grateful. It is bulky (we plan on getting the longer hose) and yes, it's expensive. But, it's 7 or so different machines in one, so that helps me ...
If you shudder at the thought of pulling your vacuum out of the closet, a robot vacuum could be the perfect solution to your cleaning woes. After setting one up, it can clean your space automatically ...