Look here, sir or ma'am! This young man just called Shark and Dyson the top names. He doesn't know what a Kirby is.
For the young man, Kirby's are technically called a "rug renovator". When they put them in the tests with regular vacuums, they just obliterated them, so they made a new label.
I have a Kirby made in 1975 (Classic omega) that still works, but is more a novelty to me now. I prefer my 1984 Kirby Heritage, which I use weekly at least. Works great.
No offense, but unfortunately your budget is not enough. If he's a slob, and breaks expensive machines, this is his issue. Not your issue. I totally get it, if you spend a lot of time at his place, etc. I vote for spending time at your place. A basic shop vac might be okay, as long as there is no carpet. If you could find an old, used Kirby, that would be ideal. I've seen those on FB Marketplace, sometimes free. They might need a bit of fixing but build like a tank. Also very repairable. The downside, they feel like they weigh 100lbs. Or more if the direct drive is broken.
My Aunt has two. The old one is from Mid 1970's. The "new" one, 1992.
Can't go wrong with a cheap Kirby with that recent servicing. It'll be a bit heavy to push around (pre tech drive) but AFAIK that's the only compromise
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