What Makes A Backpack Vacuum Worth Looking At?

Have you heard all the noise or rather lack of noise about backpack vacuum cleaners? I'd always thought these were for commercial cleaners to clean the office or hotel and didn't really think anything more about it. The other day a friend showed me hers and I was surprised at how light and quiet they are. That got me thinking about what they are usually used for and what features they have that can make them good to have at home.

Most commercial backpack vacuums come in a range of models to suit the particular application, For instance there are special backpack vacuums to use on airplanes and for medical centers, different ones for food services, hotel, churches and construction ares. There are also different sizes to suit different people. A smaller person can get a smaller model that will fit them better than a bigger person - without being horrible about it!

What makes a backpack vacuum so useful? I guess you can get anywhere and everywhere and everything is at hand. So changing from floors to stairs is easy, changing nozzles requires a tool from your waist to swap. If you need to change from carpet to rugs it should just be the flick of a switch. You no longer have to bump into things with an upright cleaner, or pull the canister along behind you.You will have complete control be able to reach all those hard to reach places quickly and easily.

What do you need to look for in a backpack vacuum cleaner? Well here's a quick list

1. How powerful a unit do you need? Usually the more powerful the heavier the unit will be, but you will probably need a unit that has is at least 7A.

2. Do you need any special filtration? If you suffer for allergies and need a Hepa filter on your backpack vacuum cleaner, then make sure you choose a model that has that option. they are readily available as many industries and homes now require them. Standard filtration on some backpack vacuums is far superior to uprights or canisters.

3. Find out how noisy the cleaner is. It will be closer to you than a standard canister cleaner to find out,

4. Having narrowed the choice down by the first 3 points now look at the weight of the unit - always try it on and see how it fits. You have to wear it and a good fit is good for your back. Make sure the weight is supported properly on your hips/back not your shoulders, can the waist strap be adjusted properly to fit, are the shoulder straps sufficiently padded. Turn it on - how noisy is it? Can you stand it? They are usually much quieter than other types of vacuum cleaner.

5. Check out the accessories. What comes with the unit? There are some tools you will need as standard. Many backpack vacuums have numerous options to allow the commercial backpack vacuums to do a large variety of jobs. You will need a crevice tool and depending upon your needs upholstery tools or special tools for curtains or ceiling fans. If you have hard floors there are special tools to prevent flooring being scratched. Do you need any extra extension leads? You might need to think about where to store the cord?

Well cost depends upon a number of factors including size, application, power and filtration level, You can get a basic backpack vacuum for around $200, but they go up to many thousands of dollars.

I like the idea of being able to vacuum the whole house without unplugging and replugging the power cord, and also being able to easily do the stairs( I currently have an upright and stairs are not fun!) I think being able to reach the fans and dust up high without changing tools would also be a great feature.

What do you think are backpack vacuums the way to go?