Anyone recommend an ultralightweight hoover?

Sasha

Sasha

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
My carpets haven't been hoovered for nearly a year since lockdown stopped me having help at home. My upright hoover (5kg) is too heavy for me to handle - partly the weight, partly because the suction makes it hard to move.

I've had a robot hoover before but they don't have the power of a normal hoover.

Ideally I'd like a hoover that's very, very light (2kg range); powerful enough to clean a carpet (some seem designed for hard floors) but not so powerful it gloms onto it and I can't push it; ideally has a HEPA filter; and preferably is adjustable in height.

I've seen some that have the hoover mechanism near the handle at the top, which I would have thought was a bad idea (my arms and wrist are weak).

Any recommendations?
 
We have a Dyson V10 which has been excellent. The Miele triflex might be more interesting for you though as you can put the body of the machine lower down which might make it feel lighter. Only some of the Miele machines have HEPA filters though so check carefully.

Might be worth subscribing to Which temporarily, they have a good range of reviews for vacuums.
 
We have just got a 2 point something Kg John Lewis carry around hoover (not the cheapest which is heavier). It seems pretty good. The whole mechanism is up by the handle but if you going to lift it that is the best place because you don't have a moment of inertia to cope with. Moment of inertia is at least as important as weight in terms of effort as I know from binoculars. We got fed up with something on the floor for that reason - all the leverage involved.
 
Have you thought about a canister vacuum? I just got one after having an upright vacuum. The nice thing about the canister is that you only have to push the handle back and forth and not the machine part. Even though my upright was much lighter, I'm able to do more with the canister because my arms don't get worn out quickly from all the pushing. It also helps that the new vacuum has better suction and I don't have to take multiple passes to get the floor clean.
 
Invisible Woman said:
Whatever you do don't get a Dyson upright. They are very good hoovers but the suction is so powerful as an ME patient you haven't a hope of using them without triggering PEM. We one from the Animal range - it's a few years old now & I can't use it.
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I've read a lot of Amazon reviews of hoovers now and loads are saying this about their hoovers - can't shift them because of the suction. That's also an issue with my existing hoover.
 
wingate said:
Have you thought about a canister vacuum? I just got one after having an upright vacuum. The nice thing about the canister is that you only have to push the handle back and forth and not the machine part. Even though my upright was much lighter, I'm able to do more with the canister because my arms don't get worn out quickly from all the pushing. It also helps that the new vacuum has better suction and I don't have to take multiple passes to get the floor clean.
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I'd thought it was maybe awkward to drag the canister about, but you don't think so?

I'm also a bit worried that the handle might be too short. I used a Henry once and it gave me back-ache.
 
Jonathan Edwards said:
We have just got a 2 point something Kg John Lewis carry around hoover (not the cheapest which is heavier). It seems pretty good. The whole mechanism is up by the handle but if you going to lift it that is the best place because you don't have a moment of inertia to cope with. Moment of inertia is at least as important as weight in terms of effort as I know from binoculars. We got fed up with something on the floor for that reason - all the leverage involved.
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Do you mean this kind of thing? I need something that will roll on the floor without me having to carry it. I don't have stairs so don't expect to lift it - but was put off this one exactly because the weight is all up in the handle. I thought it would make it seem heavier because I'd had to support that weight, rather than the ground supporting it.
 
Sasha said:
I'd thought it was maybe awkward to drag the canister about, but you don't think so?

I'm also a bit worried that the handle might be too short. I used a Henry once and it gave me back-ache.
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Personally, I don't find it awkward. They also have models with adjustable handle heights - that's how mine is. Unfortunately I can't recommend my specific model to you as it's quite a bit heavier than what you're looking for.

Hope you find something that works for you!
 
Thank you everyone for bearing with my while I witter through my awkward preferences! It's so difficult to choose a thing like this without being able to try it out in a shop.

Normally I'd phone John Lewis and ask for their advice because their staff always really know their stock but they're shut during lockdown!
 
I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for, but I have found this type of corded "stick" vacuum shown below to be very effective, especially in tight areas where a larger, heavier vacuum is unwieldy, like a staircase.
It's the Eureka "Quick-Up" and can be found at WalMart or Amazon for around $40-$50. The main drawback is in disposing of the lint and cleaning the filter. I use the hose on my full-size "bagged" vacuum to clean this one and it works well, even though cleaning one vacuum with another does sound kind of ridiculous. I've had 3 of these over the last 20 years, so I'd guess they last 7 years or so.

They suck up a remarkable amount of carpet lint, so they seem to do their job well. As the photo shows, you can remove the long handle if you want to.

ETA: It weighs about 2 kg (4.4 pounds).


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Invisible Woman said:
Whatever you do don't get a Dyson upright. They are very good hoovers but the suction is so powerful as an ME patient you haven't a hope of using them without triggering PEM.
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Plus, they are still incredibly noisy, aren't they, which may also be a problem for pwME? My caree couldn't stand downstairs' Dyson - she used to have to put earplugs in when they were using it.
 
NelliePledge said:
I think g tech do an electric sweeper that would probably be much lighter than a vacuum cleaner
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That's interesting - people seem very pleased with it online though some are clearly using it for easy cleaning between hooverings and it's not designed to get deep dirt out. I'd like to get dust out of the air here (I'm assuming the air here can't be all that great now!).

All this may be the art of the possible vs the ideal. The best hoover/cleaner will be one I can actually use...
 
Sasha said:
Do you mean this kind of thing? I need something that will roll on the floor without me having to carry it. I don't have stairs so don't expect to lift it - but was put off this one exactly because the weight is all up in the handle. I thought it would make it seem heavier because I'd had to support that weight, rather than the ground supporting it.
Click to expand...

We find it much easier than a canister one that rolls on the floor. Remember that if you are having to bend down and pick up a canister or lift it over a carpet a bit or bend to free a flex from a chair you are likely to be lifting up and down about 20Kg of your own body weight. The effort is far more than just holding a 2.5 Kg stick that you can keep at the same height all the time and does not catch on anything. You could probably attach a cloth sling even so that you did not need to take the weight on your arms.

The ones with canisters also take quite a lot of work bending the hose while you are trying to get to specificities areas of carpet. The carried one does not. To empty it you just pop a catch and let stuff fall in the bin, no bags or lifting out canisters.
 
What I would like is a hoover that was designed to clean stairs without bending....I can do flat bits if someone brings the hoover upstairs for me but stairs are draining ..a bit like cleaning the bathroom sink is ok, toilet not too bad but shower/bath too much. Im wondering how the ones with a stick work on stairs they look like you would have to twist/bend a bit to get them to work with the stick attached?
 
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