I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting.
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

Many are available:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?inde...ackpack+vacuum

And no way to easily compare them. I'm leaning to the first one listed, the
most popular, and shortening the 50' cord to something more reasonable for
a 20' x 48' house with plenty of outlets.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Don Wiss wrote the following:
I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting.
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

Many are available:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?inde...ackpack+vacuum

And no way to easily compare them. I'm leaning to the first one listed, the
most popular, and shortening the 50' cord to something more reasonable for
a 20' x 48' house with plenty of outlets.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).


I have a whole house vacuum so I only have to drag the hose and wand around.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

willshak wrote:

Don Wiss wrote the following:
I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting.
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

Many are available:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?inde...ackpack+vacuum

And no way to easily compare them. I'm leaning to the first one listed, the
most popular, and shortening the 50' cord to something more reasonable for
a 20' x 48' house with plenty of outlets.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).


I have a whole house vacuum so I only have to drag the hose and wand around.

Bingo! Central vac is why backpack units aren't popular for residential.
Even many hotels use central vac since it's a lot quieter than having
the cleaning staff drag around standalone units.

"Don Wiss" wrote in message
...
I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs
or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting.
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

Many are available:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?inde...ackpack+vacuum

And no way to easily compare them. I'm leaning to the first one listed,
the
most popular, and shortening the 50' cord to something more reasonable for
a 20' x 48' house with plenty of outlets.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).


Try a central vac. Have one now and in the past 3 homes. WW

"Don Wiss" wrote in message
...
I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs
or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting.
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

Many are available:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?inde...ackpack+vacuum

And no way to easily compare them. I'm leaning to the first one listed,
the
most popular, and shortening the 50' cord to something more reasonable for
a 20' x 48' house with plenty of outlets.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

I feel your pain. I use a backpack vac at work on occasion when I do drywall
work or anything else which may dirty up the offices. I can't recall the
name brand but that little thing is not only quiet, it's a powerful little
sucker. I've often thought about getting one for home since as you've
indicated, the canister vac is a PITA to move around. The backpack would be
a breeze.

On Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:49:47 -0700, "WW" wrote:

Try a central vac. Have one now and in the past 3 homes. WW

I put in a central vac when I renovated my Tribeca loft. But it is not
feasible to retrofit into an 1891 four-story row house.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:43:20 -0500, "SBH" wrote:

I feel your pain. I use a backpack vac at work on occasion when I do drywall
work or anything else which may dirty up the offices. I can't recall the
name brand but that little thing is not only quiet, it's a powerful little
sucker. I've often thought about getting one for home since as you've
indicated, the canister vac is a PITA to move around. The backpack would be
a breeze.

I guess on Tuesday you'll be back at work and can see the brand.

There aren't that many reviews for all the models at Amazon that one can't
easily read them all. In general people love them. You have to remain
conscious that it is on your back, so to not bump into doors and knock over
lamps. Some models have the hose coming straight out at the center of the
top and the hose can swivel around over the head and be annoying. A couple
consider the 50' cord to be a big plus, as they can do a couple floors
without having to switch outlets.

I want a standard 1 1/4" connection. I want a choice of attachments. I toss
any nylon brushes and buy horsehair. Some of the backpacks appears to have
proprietary attachments.

Their weights range from 9 - 11 lbs. Obviously lighter is better. 6 quart
capacity is enough. And I don't see a need for a HEPA filter.

It might be hard for me to use in some tight places, like in between my
desk and the bay window in front of it I would have trouble turning around.
But just for the four floors of hallways, and three flights of stairs, it
would be worth having one.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On 1/15/2011 1:18 PM, Don Wiss wrote:
I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting.
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

Many are available:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?inde...ackpack+vacuum

And no way to easily compare them. I'm leaning to the first one listed, the
most popular, and shortening the 50' cord to something more reasonable for
a 20' x 48' house with plenty of outlets.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Costco's business centers carry that Hoover. A bit more expensive than
Amazon, plus sales tax. Unfortunately there are no Costco business
warehouses back east. They're different than the regular Costco warehouses.

On 1/15/2011 1:18 PM, Don Wiss wrote:
I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting.
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

Too many people are into carpet where the backpack vacuums aren't useful.

On Sun, 16 Jan 2011 13:04:09 -0500, wrote:

My says they have a couple at the country club she manages. The
cleaning ladies say they are too heavy, the guys like them.

That's probably a good reason. It certainly isn't because central vacs are
superior. And I don't buy that it is because of the popularity of
carpeting, as there is a robust market for canister vacuums. I was thinking
that maybe they were prone to knocking things over.

One thing is they are hard to get on the back. I think people tend to
multi-task when they clean a room. Vacuum the floor, dust, etc. My idea of
cleaning is you simply vacuum everything (which may be a male thing).
Having the hose above you will facilitate this. Then with one on your back
you would have the incentive to finish the job and not get distracted.

I went ahead and ordered that Hoover. I searched for the Amazon seller and
found their website. It was cheaper to buy direct. I got two packages of
replacement bags included for spending the same as shown at Amazon.

After receiving it I plan to buy a bunch of attachments from he
http://www.sweetsweep.com/vaclatandto.html

Then comes how to carry around the attachments. I was thinking of a Velcro
strip strapped around the canister and companion strips around the
attachments.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:30:03 -0500, wrote:

Vacuums really don't do much on carpet unless you have the beater
brush in the head.

I've thought of that. I do have some rugs (no carpets). I will still have
my Miele canister with Turbo Brush, but I'd really prefer to not have to
pull that out. So I looked into a beater brush. I found this, which appears
to have the standard 1 1/4" connection:

Oreck XL Compact Canister 11" Turbo Brush Attachement
http://www.google.com/search?q=Oreck... sh+Attachment

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

For a beater brush, you should get one with a power supply. You will
find beater brushes that run from vacuum suction can't do a good
beating because putting pressure on them to beat the carpet slows down
the beater due to a lack of suction power.

On Sat, 22 Jan 2011 10:04:04 -0800 (PST), wrote:

For a beater brush, you should get one with a power supply. You will
find beater brushes that run from vacuum suction can't do a good
beating because putting pressure on them to beat the carpet slows down
the beater due to a lack of suction power.

But do any exist for the standard American connection?

My vac arrived this afternoon. I had ordered paper dust bags. I found out
that it comes with a reusable cloth one, and I didn't need the paper. I
started with the paper and did a test vacuum before having to run out for
an errand. All was fine, except for all the plastic and rubber outgassing.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

I've been using backpacks in my commercial cleaning business for about
16 years. They almost never break down as there are no moving parts
except for the motor. We're still using the oldest one but had to
replace the motor once. On some types of carpet (mostly cut pile) they
don't work real well and in one account we successfully use a turbo
head attachment. The only ones I've ever purchased are the Pro-Team
vacs. Pro-Team was the originator of the backpack (to my knowledge)
and are pretty much the standard in the commercial cleaning industry.
They are kind of pricey for home use, about $400.

On Jan 15, 4:18*pm, Don Wiss wrote:
I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting..
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

I can't speak for everybody, but for me the showstopper would be the
noise. I want that sucker as far away from my ears as possible.

Cindy Hamilton

In article
,
Cindy Hamilton wrote:

I want that sucker as far away from my ears as possible.

A little pun, there?

On Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 4:18:19 PM UTC-5, Don Wiss wrote:
I don't dislike vacuuming, what I dislike is the hassle of moving the
canister around my narrow row house and having to hold it for the stairs or
to vacuum high things. I'm fit with no back problems. I have no carpeting..
So a backpack unit makes sense. But they are sold for commercial
applications. What is so different?

Many are available:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?inde...ackpack+vacuum

And no way to easily compare them. I'm leaning to the first one listed, the
most popular, and shortening the 50' cord to something more reasonable for
a 20' x 48' house with plenty of outlets.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Backpacks are overall much more physically exhausting and annoying than you would imagine. Ask any commercial cleaner who is forced to use one. They almost ALL hate them(dusty smell, noise (your head is 2 feet from the motor) but even more is the uncomfortable physical aspect.

wrote in message news:579044b9-3d54-
On Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 4:18:19 PM 0-5, Don Wiss wrote:

stuff snipped

Backpacks are overall much more physically exhausting and annoying than you
would imagine. Ask any commercial cleaner who is forced to use one. They
almost ALL hate them(dusty smell, noise (your head is 2 feet from the motor)
but even more is the uncomfortable physical aspect.

True. One reason commercial cleaners use them to avoid knocking into
things with the drag-along type. Back in the day I had a cleaner plug her
vacuum into my small UPS which caused the magic smoke and a loud pop to
escape. The long cords on commercial vacs allow the cleaners to plug into
hallway outlets which can usually tolerate the load. Don could try making
a papoose-like sling for his cannister vac to experience the reality of the
weight, heat and noise of a vacuum near his head. (-: (Just funning you,
Don!)

--
Bobby G.

On Wed, 14 Oct 2015, Robert Green wrote:

True. One reason commercial cleaners use them to avoid knocking into
things with the drag-along type. Back in the day I had a cleaner plug her
vacuum into my small UPS which caused the magic smoke and a loud pop to
escape. The long cords on commercial vacs allow the cleaners to plug into
hallway outlets which can usually tolerate the load. Don could try making
a papoose-like sling for his cannister vac to experience the reality of the
weight, heat and noise of a vacuum near his head. (-: (Just funning you,
Don!)

I bought a back pack. The motor is at the bottom, so not near the head, but
at the lower back. Not objectionable.

I kept the 50 foot card. I use it for my parlor level, the four flights of
stairs, and the hall on the bottom floor, where the rental is. I have a
shop vac for my top floor, and a Miele cannister for my middle floor. Those
stay on their floor.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

"Don Wiss" wrote in message
wrote:

stuff snipped

I bought a back pack. The motor is at the bottom, so not near the head,
but
at the lower back. Not objectionable.

Good. I've had them pass me by in the halls when I was working late and it
didn't seem too loud but I suspect each model is different. The weight
could *weigh* on you after a while though. g

I use a central vac because it exhausts the air outside the building. No
backpack, no noise but a lot of hose-wrangling. I ended up getting hoses
for each floor in the house to cut down on the wrangling.

I kept the 50 foot card. I use it for my parlor level, the four flights of
stairs, and the hall on the bottom floor, where the rental is. I have a
shop vac for my top floor, and a Miele cannister for my middle floor.
Those
stay on their floor.

When I used a canister and the short 12' cord failed I replaced it with an
25' extension cord that had gone bad at the socket end. Very handy to have
a long cord.

--
Bobby G.