Peter, the March issue of Consumer Reports tested vacuum cleaners(probably worthwhile to copy the three page article at the library). In the bagless upright category
this Hoover ranked first(of 35)and was given a "Best Buy" rating. It was noted that there was no brush on/off control, but bare floor performance was still in the "Excellent" category.
The Panasonic 915 was ranked 17th("Good" rather than the Hoover's "Very Good"for carpets). The Hoover 70400 was ranked 31st. "Good" on carpets and, notably for you, also just Good on pet hair, while the 70120(and the Panasonic)both ranked "Excellent" on pet hair.
