I'm considering buying a wet/dry vacuum cleaner, mainly to spruce up the
carpets once a year.

I'm looking at a VAX 6131 -- a friend had one of these, which I borrowed
now and again a couple of years ago, and it did the job well; she
herself was delighted with it.

Of the negative reviews on Amazon (I always look at them first), more
than one says "they don't make them like they used to". implying there's
been a loss of build quality.

Any comments, or any other recommendations?

BTW I've tried various cleaners over the years, from the dreadful "Rug
Doctor" to the latest VAX upright carpet cleaner. None was as useful as
the VAX 6131 that I used to borrow.

Another small point: I won't be using this as a dry cleaner - I have
Dyson(s) for that job.

Thanks for any views
John