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I searched through the forums a bit and couldnt find a post with exactly what I am looking for, hope i can get some assistance!
As funny and odd as it sounds all my girlfriend wants for her birthday is a new vacuum! So we have been reading a lot online the last week and have basically become more confused than we were when we started. She has problems with her back which started when she was doing housekeeping for a large hotel, basically a constant nerve pinch caused by using the heavy vacuums there. We were looking into canister models thinking maybe that might help a bit with her situation but we have seen some comments several times about them not working well if you have a lot of carpet, which we do. An upright would be just fine but again, with her back, it needs to be lightweight yet powerful at the same time. I dont mind spending a couple hundred dollars if necessary, any help would be appreciated.
Seriously- look into having a central vac system installed. Then it's only the head and hose to drag around. If there's two floors- get two heads and hoses.
We have an Oreck XL. My wife used one years ago when she cleaned at both a hospital and dental center. She loved it. It's lightweight and powerful. So we got one, have had good luck with it, and I'm sure will get another one if this one ever wears out.
8 lb Oreck. She will love how easy it is to push. Had mine for years and it still works great and it has great suction. I love it! Plus, back when I bought my upright, I got free gifts, like their cannister vac, and the car vac.
I third the Oreck. My mom had a Kirby (TANK!!!) and hated lugging the thing up and down the stairs, etc. She got the 8 lb Oreck and vaccuming is a breeze. Not only is it easy to get around from room to room, the light weight makes it easy to bring up and down stairs, over thresholds, screened porch, and to her nextdoor neighbor's.
We have a Kirby too and rarely use it even with the power drive as it is such a heavy beast. We also have a central vac which is expensive to maintain (our motorized head and the hose constantly has problems (12 yrs old) and with new carpet, the system is just overwhelmed. My next vac will be an Oreck.
"we have seen some comments several times about them not working well if you have a lot of carpet, which we do. "
I suspect that is just carry-over from the old days. Back in the 1950s, canister vacs used a slide head on carpets and did not have a beater bar. The selling point of the uprights was the beater bar that whacked the dirt up and out of the carpet nap. Beater bar head attachments are now common on all but the cheapest and most lightweight canister vacs.
She really is going to need to go to a couple of places and test out how each unit feels. I suspect the nerve pinch might have been partly from a repetitive stroke that she used when vacuuming, so weight may be less of a factor than her ability to learn a different method of handling the vac. I've seen lots of janitors that don't switch hands periodically, or overextend to avoid walking. Both can do a number on a back.
I second/third/fourth the Oreck recommendation. They are good and powerful vaccum cleaners even though you can get a very light one. My mom has a bad back and those are the only ones she will buy.
It picks up every hair they shed w/NO problems, and IMO it's not heavy or bulky.
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