As a person with serious mobility issues and a passion for clean floors, I've been looking for a vacuum that would perform up to my expectations, handle quantities of dog hair and dust on both bare floors and area rugs, and yet be light enough that I could handle it, and not injure myself in the effort. I've tried nearly everything, and without exception, nothing up to now worked out as I'd hoped. I've had various upright vacuums, including Kirby, Bissel and Dirt Devil, but after my back injury and advancing arthritis, such machines were too heavy for me to manage, and I found the excess teenager and dog hair caused frequent belt breaking. I switched to "stick-vac" type machines and tried assorted versions. Again, the weight became an issue, plus I was not satisfied with the suction or durability of these machines. They might work fine on the wood floors, but left my area rugs still coated with hair and dust. My attempt at the Roomba was a great thought, but the Roomba was no match for my four dogs. I spent more time cleaning hair and dust out of the machine than I did getting my floors clean. I tried a manual push sweeper, and even the Swivel Sweeper. They were great in theory, but the former's wheels and brushes gummed up too easily and were hard to clean out, and the latter had similar problems, plus the "cordless" machine would not hold a charge. I was beginning to believe I was doomed to shabby floors. Then I tried one last time here at Amazon. And I found the Hoover PortaPower!
What a wonderful machine! It's so light that even gimpy and disabled me can carry it (at least for short stints). If I get tired, I can always hang the machine on my rollabout walker. It's quiet too: my husband no longer feels the need to rush out of the house when I'm vaccuming. The machine is well made and sturdy, and I love the metal wands and selection of attachments (all easy to switch out in an instant.) I don't mind that the attachments are not stored "on board". I was always knocking them off when I had them that way on other machines. Now I put them in a little bag and can carry the bag from room to room as needed. I can get between and under furniture with ease with the long wand and slim profile..and the floor/rug head swivels well. I like the hose, too. It's not so long I might step on it or get it hung up on things as I move about the room, and like the rest of the machine, it's study and durable. I also like the long heavy-duty cord; I don't have to stop and change outlets all the time. With a 33 ft. cord I can plug in at a central location and reach all of the main areas of my house: living room, den, kitchen, hall, plus my bedroom, both bathrooms and laundry room. The PortaPower does a great job on the area rugs...no more coating of hair and dust! And on the wood floors it can't be beat. The reusable cloth bag is small, but holds a lot, and is easy to clean (no more paper filters!) I also ordered the disposable bags and adapter, and am very pleased. Changing the bags is a breeze, and I appreciate the cleanliness of the disposable option (dust cups might sound like a great idea, but they really are a pain, the filters wear out quickly, and dust flies everywhere when emptying.) Storing the machine is easy, it's about the size of a briefcase. The cord is stored by winding it up in looped bundle and securing it with a little strap on the vacuum's handle. A bit unwieldy, but not a deal breaker. Oh, and speaking of handles: the "on/off" switch is within easy reach, and one can either use the shoulder strap or carry the vacuum by it's handle on top of the machine. Whatever feels more comfortable for you (remember: the machine is very light!) I really cannot say enough good things about this product. It's given me the independence to keep my floors up to my standards, and that makes me very happy. Highly recommended!Get more detail about HOOVER COMPANY Commercial Portapower Vacuum Cleaner, 8.3 lbs, Black.
