I love my Sebo!

@A D - As I wrote I am sure the Miele is a fabulous vacuum but it really is much more than I need for my very limited vacuuming needs - no pets, wood floors with a few low pile area rugs; no children etc.

And I would prefer a specific model since when I went to amazon I got completely lost in the varioius models for Shark which seems to be a brand that is reasonably good - not Miele or Dyson quality but perfectly adequate.

I am not looking for the top of the line vacuum but just an okay vacuum

My house at the beach has similar flooring needs to your condo and I really like the Miele C1 Homecare vacuum we have there. The few rugs we have are very low pile, so they don't really need an electric powerhead or big upright. The C1 canister has an air-driven turbohead that does a fine job on the rugs. Since the majority of the space is hard floors we (and the cleaning lady), prefer the very quiet, lightweight canister. It comes with three attachments and a hard floor brush so it cleans anything and everything. This model is only sold in vacuum stores but a similar model on Amazon is https://www.amazon.com/Miele-Compact-C1-Canister-Obsidian/dp/B06XHQLDJV/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3SNVDZFB0BO71&keywords=miele+c1+vacuum+cleaner&qid=1670769356&sprefix=miele+c1+vacuum+cleaner%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-10&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.c3015c4a-46bb-44b9-81a4-dc28e6d374b3

The only difference seems to be the color - mine is red and this one is black.

I have both the Miele cannister and Shark corded bagless; I prefer the Shark. The Miele is so heavy it is like pulling a tank around. It is a pain to lug up and down the stairs. The Shark has a beater bar attachment for carpets as well as a hard floor attachment, a long cord and it is very lightweight and easy to use. My husband uses the Miele :).

@shermybeagle Which model Shark do you have. I had decided a Shark brand was probably best suited to my relatively simple needs but when I went to amazon I got completely confused by all the configurations.

I own a Shark Apex Zero-M it works on everything. Though the Vertex is a wee better, but not much, for the cost.

The Apex has real brushes with powerfins, to clean thick carpets and heavy rugs. The Vertex has just powerfins, which works ok on most rugs and medium thick carpets. The vertex has a larger dirt cup, which is bulkier than Apex, but only by a little more volume, vertex cup holding tab will break when lifted by handle ( Apex will not break), over time. Also Vertex cup needs to ve hand dried after wash, else the filtration cone screen will rust. Vertex is a wee more powerful, but the main reason for better pick up is the floor nozzle. I added a Vertex floor nozzle to my Apex, for better pickup on bare floors, and hair free brush roller. Even though attachments can be swapped, the cup between the two cannot. Apex in my opinion is sturdier build with a handle light that activates with attachments. Shark dropped it on later models. Apex is much quieter than Vertex, which is odd, being Vertex is not that much more powerful.

Drawback on Apex, is hair will wrap, but easily removed with access to roller. Apex has a slightly smaller cup, and not as powerful motor. Yet both are near equals. Just Apex is more easier to manoeuvre and has a light on the handle for oversight of cleaning. Apex has weaker front rollers, which will crack and break if runing over metal thresholds and ceramic tiles, over time. A fix is to swap Hotwheels 4x4 wheels on the pins. They are easily popped out for removal from the floor nozzle. The Vertex has lined wheels that remove the shock of hard surfaces on the rollers, making them less prone to premature wear.

Both can clog at the small hose on the floor nozzle, its slightly small in diameter over other similar products by other manufacturers. Can be easily remedied by poking debris through.

Key thing to know... all sharks do not take abuse so well. Do not willy nilly vacuum areas without checking for hard objects, when using a floor nozzle. There are special teeth to allow hair to be combed out of the roller. Being plastic they will break, making more tangles prone. Do not vacuum anything bigger and heavier than a paper clip. Using any other attachment coins, small screws, and candy can be vacuumed.

Use common sense, and it will last 5 or more years, depending heavy use. The floor nozzle is made to be a consumable. So always check for wear on the brush roller, mostly with the Vertex, as the fins will fray eventually. The nozzle can be ordered on-line through Shark, around $100.00 with discount. I got mine delivered in 3 days. Much cheaper than taking your vacuum to service for new parts, which is only the parts replaced. With shark, you get a new unit that is ordered.

Keep the cup clean and check for clogs. Take notice of new operation and sound. They will give you an idea on checking for clogs and dirt build up.

@J C - Thanks for the excellent run down.

My problem is that it is my cleaning lady who uses the vacuum cleaner and so I am not sure she will not "abuse" as she managed to break the Kenmore canister which seemed to be a warrior.

Not that I am blaming her because things happen. I would like something that is essentially safe for someone to use even if they don't read the manual and take all of the care you have outlined.

She is a very zealous cleaner. When she started I told her that my copper kitchen sink was the color it was supposed to be and not to scrub it to polish it shiny and she called me over when she was leaving a few weeks ago and apologized that she hadn't been able to polish the whole sink. Luckily it is starting to "heal" and reaquire the patina. 🤣

I also have special cleaning products which are safe for my surfaces which I told her and I found her sneaking in Windex yesterday. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Maybe I am back to square one in terms of what I should get - maybe just a cheap stick vacuum? I have very minimal cleaning needs as my last cleaning lady just swiftered the floor and it was fine.

Get a good used Sebo Dart or a used Henry. Both are durable. The Sebo Dart is an upright.

I bought a miele 18 years ago when my husband was diagnosed with dust mite allergies. It is the best purchase I have ever made. Never needed service, quite, light weight canister. Our floors look cleaner with this vac than with any other because of the suction force and get HEPA filters.

🤣🤣🤣While I understand the penchant for houzzers to stray off topic in the forum, let me iterate

I AM NOT INTERESTED IN AN EXPENSIVE HIGH QUALITY VACUUM CLEANER.

Money isn't the issue. If I wanted a high quality machine I would get a top of the line Dyson or Miele with all the bells and whistles because the choice would be obvious.

I have very simple needs - let me state again I live in a relatively small condo in a high rise with wood floors and a few low pile area rugs. No children - no pets - no allergies - not particularly germphobic or fussy. No inclement stormy weather and if there were, shoes would be relatively clean by the time they got through the common area including carpeted halls.

The vacuum will be used once a week by my cleaning lady.

I am looking for a simple vacuum that my cleaning lady can operate without studying a manual. I was leaning towards a corded Shark but all of the provisos that @J C wrote gave me pause because I can not trust a cleaning lady to follow through on all of this steps.

I know you said you don't want a fancy vacuum, but I've been blown away by my new Dyson V15 Detect+. It's currently on sale on the Dyson site for $650. I bought the model with the Hepa filter which is only available on Dyson's website. 

The laser feature is incredibly useful and I can't believe how much it helps when vacuuming!! Attached are pics of what my new vacuum picked up immediately after i vacuumed the house with my old vacuum. 

If you want one with similar features but smaller/lighter, I recommend the Dyson V12 Slim+ which is what I purchased for my 78 yo mom because the V11 was too heavy for her.

I went from a Dyson V8 to the V15 and unlike my V8, the V15 can vacuum my entire 2150sf house on a single charge. We have no carpeting in our home, only hardwood, slate and tile. We also don't wear shoes inside our house. 

Dyson will send you a shipping label to return your vacuum if you don't absolutely love your vacuum. Even my husband who rarely notices such things is impressed with our new Dyson! 😆

I have two Shark NV 360 navigator lift away. One at home and one at camp bought two years apart. It has great suction. After all that is the main reason for a vacuum. Another reason I love it is because all the filters can be washed. No more ordering filters. It maneuvers easy and is only 15 lbs. It also adjusts to what your vacuuming. No bending over to change height on a dial. For $159 it is a great vacuum. The only con is the extention hose is stiff for vacuuming furniture, etc.

Do you have a local vacuum repair shop? Stop in and ask what they would recommend. I don’t think you need much more than a very basic vacuum. The brand recommended to me was one which professional office cleaners use. I think it was Sanitaire. Nothing fancy.

Also think about what you want in accessories or attachments, if needed. They need to be EASY to use. Does it need to work on the hard floors?

I use a Shark Rotator. I have a lot of carpet. Some things I like about it, some I do not. It’s the traditional love/hate relationship.

I have had my Shark Apex a few years now, and love it!!! I did quite a bit of research on upright vacuums; and chose the Apex due to rave reviews. It has fabulous suction, works great on floors too.

Helen, my Shark is more than 5 years old, I don't think they make the model anymore. One thing I will add, after reading your cleaning lady is not very careful, is that my model does fall over easily if you are not careful how you prop it up against the wall. The Sharks are great with cleaning but you may want to go look at the models in person to see if they have fixed this issue. One other comment about the Dyson-we had one in a cabin we rented this summer and I did not like the fact that you have to hold the button down all the while you are using it. My finger got very tired!

Helen, I have a Shark Rotator lift off, p;rofessional. It is a very reliable vacuum and does a great job. Since mine is about 5 or 6 yrs old now, it is a different color than the one in the link. I think it is more in line with the price you want to pay too. Its a hardworking vacuum cleaner.

https://www.amazon.com/Shark-Rotator-Professional-Lift-Away-NV500/dp/B01HE3E3LM/ref=asc_df_B01HE3E3LM/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416713647050&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1377073120475461814&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014701&hvtargid=pla-913593873537&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=93604213653&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416713647050&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1377073120475461814&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014701&hvtargid=pla-913593873537

@Helen, the Dyson V12 Slim+ is currently the only Dyson model that has a continuous on/off button (no need to constantly depress the button to use the vacuum)! It's also super light which makes it easier for my elderly mom to use. I also purchased a 3rd party docking station which holds not only the vacuum but also many of her often used accessories. Check out the many YouTube videos available online.

I have the shark vertex cordless vacuum. I love it! You should definitely be able to do your place on one battery charge. I bought a second battery because I have a lot of area to cover. I also love that it doubles as a handheld vacuum.

Thanks for the input but I am still as confused as before. Expending this much mental energy 🤣 and every vacuum cleaner seems to have some kind of flaw

Tips easily - I can imagine the carnage

Doesn't swivel or can't go under furniture or bangs up cabinets

In order to remove tangled hair you have to screw something off - I have no pets but I seem to shed my long hair which winds up as opposed to self cleaning

Doesn't seen to switch between hard surface and area rug easily or at all

Doesn't easily convert to taking the tools - hard to know whether Shark Powerlift is essential

Upright versus Stick

I am going to dive back into the quest and I am sure I will come back with more frustrating contradictory information 🤣

Maybe just look into something like the Shark Navigator or a Bissell Power Clean. I’ve had both and each was sufficient for what you describe. It’s been awhile since I had the Navigator, so I can’t remember if it tipped over easily or not. The Bissell typically doesn’t. The Navigator was the basic model (the Liftaway was more than I wanted to spend). Long hair has been problematic in all vacuums I’ve ever used, but it’s been easiest to get it off the Roomba brushes since they can easily be popped out and don’t involve dismantling the bottom or tons of screws.

Helen …. The shark vertex is excellent with long hair. Nothing gets caught in the roller. It’s one of the reasons that I got it. It’s a stick vac but even picks up well on my shag rugs.

Two suggestions...You could probably get your Kenmore fixed at a local independent vacuum dealer. That old vacuum is going to be built better than anything new.

Or ask your cleaning lady what she likes since she's the one that will be using it.

Wouldn’t trade my Meile for all the tea in China. It is lightweight and does a great job on hardwood floors and tile. I love the hepa bags and filters (no more blowing dust around). I am now the proud owner of two!

Asking your cleaning lady what she prefers sounds like a great idea.

Another approach - and I despise this idea - is to go to WalMart or BestBuy or wherever and buy a cheap vacuum cleaner with the expectation that you will have to replace it in a year. I know what it is like to have service personnel who abuse appliances because they don't take the care that you would, and it is frustrating to see something expensive get broken.

@littlegreeny The vacuum cleaner is gone. I was in a bit of a melt down because something the cleaning lady had done had also caused my Wifi to stop working - as between no Wifi and broken vacuum, the WIfi was what was causing me more panic. 🤣

So I just told the cleaning lady to take the vacuum cleaner and trash it. Whether she actually does that or brings it somewhere, who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️ but it is out of my house so that's not an option. I just wanted it gone.

I knew it was the Wifi being suddenly offline was somehow linked to something she had done because I had vacated my office when she had reached that part of the cleaning and literally had been doing some online stuff.

Wifi is working but I am still in the hell of trying to decide on which vacuum to buy since as soon as I think aha I will get this one, I start reading the reviews and there appears to be something problematic.

I have read articles on how this kind of "over choice" is actually frustrating to consumers. When I bought my last car which was Lexus I appreciated that there were very few decisions to make in terms of upgrades and options much like my first car which was a Beetle.

This is my favorite vacuum, it is light and if you prefer they have an A10 version for 150. Funny that you blame your cleaning lady for vacuum that 20y/o...

@sofikbr I am not "blaming" her except for the fact that it is the tool that brushes the floor had was somehow wrong. As I wrote, I was distracted at that moment because something she had done in the office while cleaning had caused my WIfi to go off line.

The actual motor and hoses and everything else worked fine and so logically this particular part becoming broken in some way while in use would appear to have been caused by some kind of use.

Obviously things break after a period of time. If I had "broken" it while using it I would have been more aware of what happened to cause it in terms of trouble shooting.

Since it is going to be used by a cleaning lady and not me, I added that proviso since I want something relatively simple without delicate parts and since my cleaning needs are fairly minimal, I don't need anything that cleans really well.

Thanks for the suggestion but as I wrote, I am not interested in cordless because I don't want something where the battery can need charging in the middle of her cleaning and that would depend on her making sure of the charge after she used it each time she cleaned. That is why a corded makes more sense given the logistics. I try to anticipate possible issues to make things as simple as possible.

I bought a Bissel stick vacuum several years ago for $29 at walmart. They don't carry it anymore, but it was similar to this.

https://www.amazon.com/Bissell-Featherweight-Lightweight-Bagless-2033/dp/B081HQFJWZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=CW09GV4WF1FV&keywords=bissell%2Bstick%2Bvacuum&qid=1670954899&refinements=p_89%3ABissell&rnid=2528832011&s=vacuums&sprefix=bissel%2Bstick%2Caps%2C141&sr=1-1&th=1

It picks up really well.

I would rethink an upright. I have a lot of wood flooring, tile and some low pile carpet. Even with a switch on my last upright for wood floors, it never seemed to work well to me. It seemed to push stuff around. Canisters are typically better for hard surface floors.

You can still purchase Kenmore canister vacuums. BTW--after 20 years of use it's not surprising something broke.

i have a Shark, no bag, upright. it has been great. i am sure my model is discontinued, especially since i bought at BJ's, about 3 years ago.. Sharks are mostly the same, they just upgrade them.

we have 1 dog that sheds, 2 that come over regulary, heavy foot traffic in our front door and its does the job. the have one at Costco for $249 that should def. do the job.

for you, i would be whatever one u can get on sale...i think most are same. i agree with you, i would not buy a cordless one, they don't hold their charge and it would awful if your cleaning lady cannot finish your condo. and dyson, miele while i am sure they have their fan base, for needs, a shark would be perfect. i also would not spend that kind of $$ for you minimal needs.

Good Luck!

Just bought my 3rd cordless V8 Dyson stick - deeply discounted. One for upstairs, one for downstairs and one at my lake cabin. It's kind of a Christmas present for me and my housecleaner. She loves the one I have but the charge does not last long enough to do both floors so she's stuck with the Miele canister for downstairs which is mostly carpet. There are also quite a few times I would quick run the vacuum if I didn't have to go upstairs to get it and I won't lug the Miele around anymore after using the Dyson stick.

I have 2 Shark Uplights which are no longer made but if I were to get a new one it would be the Shark Stratos. Its very similar to what I have. Works great on my wood floors. Does very well with picking up the fine dust. Works well on wall to wall carpet and lower pile rugs. The self cleaning roller is nice because I no longer have to cut hair out of the roller.

https://www.qvc.com/Shark-Stratos-PowerFins-HairPro-and-DuoClean-Vacuum-with-4-Tools.product.V46207.html?sc=NAVLIST

Stay away from the Stratos! If need be get the Vertex DuoClean lift away.
There are a number of issues with Stratos. Here are a few...

It operates not at full power unless it detects a lot of dirt. Which the whole idea of suction power is to lift tiny partials, deep in the carpet.

The wand is unique, and uses a different floor nozzle that cannot swap from other lift aways. Example Apex DuoClean Zero-M can swap with Vertex.

Bulky and heavy and noisy! The other 4 dwarfs will appear soon enough.

The PowerFins brush roller is weak on thick carpets, and will wear out sooner than Rotator or Zero-M style bristle brush rollers.

The extension hose is way too short!

I still think the Apex DuoClean Zero-M is the better of the two others I mentioned, as the Vertex has similar brush roller design and weaker dust cup holding tab, which can break after a few lifts with its top handle.

At least you can swap brush roller from Apex DuoClean Zero-M, for dojng heavy carpets.