Hoover Commercial Shoulder Vac Pro Backpack Bagged Vacuum Cleaner, with HEPA Media Filter, Lightweight with Extra Long Cord, Chiropractic Design, for Carpet and Hard Floors, C2401, Black

(Disclaimer: I really like vacuums. I don't really know why, and no I don't have a weird or inappropriate obsession, I just find vacuums fun). Holy guacamole! This vacuum is AWESOME. I bought this vacuum to use as part of a small cleaning operation I have going on the weekends. It has satisfied my expectations and then some.PROS:-This vacuum is powerful. I spent a good amount of time talking with one of the custodians at work about the pros and cons of different backpack vacuums. I landed on this one for its performance/price. This is not one of the high-priced commercial backpack vacuums but I feel confident that I am getting the same (if not better, in some instances) power and effectiveness out of this vacuum for ~60% of the price.-The vacuum is versatile. The many attachments, the length of the extensions, the way the head swivels, all combine to provide an incredibly easy and thorough vacuuming experience. It is just as easy to vacuum ceilings and vents as it is to vacuum hard floors. One of my favorite applications is as a duster. This vacuum makes dusting certain areas incredibly easy (and I hate dusting). It obviously does not work well for dusting shelves full of objects, but the following areas are great examples: blinds and the part that holds the blinds (don't know what it's called haha), molding, vents, certain light fixtures, under and above cabinets, on and around washer/dryer, etc.-This vacuum has changed my opinion about vacuuming stairs. Vacuuming stairs used to be a tedious, difficult, and frankly annoying job. This vacuum has taken what used to be a 10-20 minute job (depending on the staircase) and turned it into a 2 minute job.-The vacuum design is actually a rather simple one, and as such cleaning it and keeping it clean are very easy. There are no difficult nooks or crannies to work with, and most parts seemed designed to last a long time.-When worn properly, this vacuum is comfortable.CONS:-The vacuum takes some getting used to. Trying to get the vacuum on and comfortable takes time. I figure it's a matter of trial and error. For someone not familiar with using backpack vacuums, it can definitely take some time to learn to navigate smaller areas differently. After a few minutes, especially if you're wearing the vacuum correctly, you can forget that there is a relatively large object attached to your back. I have bumped into a few things this way (not a major deal, just something to think bout).-This vacuum is not designed to clean carpets, and that is obvious. It is awesome at cleaning super-low pile carpets (like those in schools and offices), but anything above that is out of the question. Carpeted applications really require a beater brush and something with wheels, which this vacuum obviously does not have.-This vacuum is NOT a wet vacuum. It is absolutely not designed to pick up liquids and they should definitely be avoided. (As a tip: the custodian I have become friends with has mentioned that pouring baking soda on liquids and then vacuuming up the baking soda works extremely well and helps to navigate around this issue).Overall, the vacuum is amazing for doing what it's intended to do! If you're looking for something to make vacuuming hard floors even easier (whether it's a commercial application or even a household application) then this is the vacuum for you. The fact that it is designed for commercial use means you can feel comfortable using it "outside" on porches, decks, garages, etc.

I used to own a cleaning company and can't imagine being without this tool. If you have hard surface floors and a lot of steps (carpeted or not) this is a must have. The price is reasonable and it's very quality made. You'll want to purchase the disposable bags that go in it to keep the cloth bag and filter clean. This product was developed with bad backs in mind. It actually makes you stand up straighter and it makes my back feel better! You can barely tell its on and it's great having your hands free and allows you to move around freely. The cord is super long. I've cleaned large commercial spaces and have only had to move the cord plug in placement once. The cord is actually an orange extension cord so would be easy to replace. The handle is very long. I wish they made a shorter accessory for it for smaller spaces, but for the most part, it's perfect. It has a strong motor and is quality made. I've used these for several years now commercially and they're still running great with no maintenance. The drop in bags are expensive but you won't go through them as fast on a residential use. You can go without them, but the cloth bag will need to be replaced more often. Filters, paper disposable bags and the cloth bag replacements are easily purchased on line. My husband demands to clean the floors now because he likes using this tool so much. You can see what is going into the bag which intrigues him and he likes how easy it is to sweep under furniture and the steps without having to bend over. If you accidentally sweep up something important, you can retrieve it easily.

For the money, this is a good vacuum cleaner.I’ve had it a month now and it’s good. Easy to use. Suction is pretty good. Good enough to get all white dog hair off everything. I throw it on my back and walk around the house looking for something to suck up…

One Year Update: My backpack vacuum is still going strong. I'm still using the HEPA bag that came with it, but I did buy a ton of the paper bags inside of it to keep it clean. If the bag breaks (it's gonna happen), you'll obviously have to dump the dirt and wash it which is easy to do. I did end up buying a different wand since the clip that allows you to break down the wand into 2 parts broke after the 1st or 2nd week of use. I bought the extendable wand that comes with Hoover's commercial battery powered backpack vacuum. It was hard to get the hose on, so I expanded the hose connector a tiny bit (with a heat gun) to fix that problem. The velcro on the waist strap will eventually wear out so I just put in 2 button snaps. Besides those small things, I still love it!I spent quite a bit of time trying to find a decent backpack vac without spending a ton. I like it way better than my pro team vac. It's lighter, smaller and has much better suction in my opinion.The band that velcros around your waist is super comfortable. With my pro team vac, I'd always get shoulder and back pain and I wore it correctly. I don't have any pain with this one. The reusable bag deal is excellent too. I will admit it's a pain in the butt to clean but better than buying new bags constantly and it takes maybe 2 mins to clean.I love the color of the extension cord (matches the vacuum) and the length of it too. My only dislike is where the power button is located though. I've got big shoulders so turning it on is kinda tough sometimes. The attachment loops are kinda useless to me but I keep the attachments in my cargo pocket when needed. I highly recommend this one over the pro team vac. It's much cheaper, easier to maintain, much lighter and does a better job at picking up stuff.