12 volt vacuums.

And is the battery replaceable ? We were given some other brand a couple christmas' ago and when the rechargeable battery ran out it was like we had to chuck the whole thing out, could not believe it. Would have engineered something else if we had paid for it but it was a pretty ordinary one anyhow. Battery lasted 14 months, 2 months outside the warranty period. Dontcha hate that.

When we bought our Makita about two years ago there were two types - one had a removeable battery that was the same as the ones in certain of their drills. It was the more expensive model and we decided to go for the fixed battery type as we were not certain of the exact battery type we had in the drill. The battery in ours is still replaceable but it seems that no battery is cheap :).

They are an excellent product, we use ours around the house probably more than on the road, it is light and easy to use and sucks up an amazing amount of stuff. Great for the quick clean before visitors arrive :).

Can't answer if there are now any others that are better as we have not looked.

I had a Makita vacuum cleaner and was not all that fussed on the unit.
I only bought this Saturday a new vacuum cleaner from KMart in the auto department recommended by friends. It is 12v and 240v rechargeable, takes a standard sealed lead acid battery that is available from Jaycar for about $12.00. The unit has no bag and all the tools and hose clip on board. Goes for a full twenty minutes on one charge. Suction is good and performs well and have used it three times. Was (from memory) $72.00.