Riccar - SupraLite R17 Premium Lightweight Vacuum

Loved those, I sold a ton of Riccar lightweight vacs and could toss one in as a closer on the sale when the no tools question came up

They are ok , nice light vac, my wife had one when we met, now she has me bring home riccar lightweight, super power, I see a ton in my store now since the old Oreck stores went bankrupt

yes I use riccar lightweights at home

Sounds like most of your surfaces are hardwood vs carpet. If the carpet is low pile, you might be able to get a suction-only machine with a turbo floor tool. I recommend limiting your search to bagged models, none of the bagless models will provide the HEPA filtration you need. Are you in or near a city that has a vacuum dealer? If yes, they will assess your needs and work with you (discounts, demonstrations, etc.), its possible to get an entry level upright or canister in your budget and HEPA needs (Riccar Superlite, Miele C1). Most dealers have used models they refurbished at deep discounts from new/MSRP and have HEPA technology. Riccar, Filter Queen, Rainbow, Kirby, Sebo, Miele U1 and many others will meet your budget as a refurbished option.

Big fan of the riccar supralite. I’ll take that and an old school elctrolux any day.

If you don’t need a hose the Ricaar super lights are pretty good. We have 7 of them in service for about 3 years now.

Riccar Supralite and a Mighty mite is all you need. Depending on where you are Quaility Sewing and vacuum or Redmond Vacuum. Jonathan at Redmond is one of my favorite people. Use to work at Issaquah Sewing and vacuum  25+ years cleaning professionally 

I love my Riccar Supralite for carpet and a Mighty mite for everything else

A supralite Riccar for carpet and a mighty mite for everything else. Miele is expensive and the canister is uncooperative. 

Sorry but I dont think such a thing exists. In 25+ years of cleaning. In fairness hardwood floors aren't what they use to be. I love my Riccar Supralite for carpet. You need a good brush roll for carpets. That would scratch a hardwood floor and throw everything around. Actually had it happen years ago. For every thing else I use a Mighty Mite. With the softest floor brush they make on all hard surface floors. Also great for cobwebs and dusting walls. 

I have a few ideas, I think an upright might be simpler because there is no canister to maneuver and there is no floor head to change. I think a bagged vacuum is simpler because you don't have to remember to empty it after each use and put all the filters back in. Many expensive vacuums won't close if they don't have a bag. A vacuum with no height adjustment is also one less thing to switch. I really like the Sebo Dart $649 because it's a durable vacuum has strong suction. The Sebo Felix swivels and has a suction slider so that might add complication. The Sebo Dart does not swivel and it just has an on/off switch. It looks very minimal which might reduce the visual stimulation. One downside is the brushroll switch is on the powerhead. You won't hurt the vacuum by having the brushroll on hard floors but it may fling stuff behind it. It also is top heavy and has a short hose. Simplicity S26 Allergy Upright $349, this is a new cheaper version of the Riccar R25/R27. It is an upright vacuum with less bells and whistles than the Riccar versions. It has no height adjustment knob. The one switch turns the vacuums on for carpet or hard floors (turns the brushroll off). Similarly you won't damage the vacuum if you use the carpet mode on hard floors or the hard floor mode on carpets. Oreck Elevate Command $499, this is a super lightweight upright vacuum. This version has no swivel steering and that makes it simpler to control. It has a simple 2 speed switch on the handle. The low speed is for hard floors and the high speed is for carpets. It won't hurt the vacuum if used on either speed and flooring. The biggest downside is it has no hose or tools. This makes the vacuum very simple but if you do need a hose and tools you'll need a small canister or cordless vacuum. The Oreck Hepa Upright Vacuum Cleaner $369 is the same vacuum on amazon but with a shorter warranty. The Riccar Supralite is a similar simple lightweight vacuum, it's more expensive but might be worth it if you don't have Orecks near you. Local vacuum stores sell all three of these brands, Sebo, Simplicity/Riccar, and Oreck. I highly recommend you and your wife try these in person first, they all move and feel very different. If you don't need a hose on the vacuum I think the Oreck Elevate Command will be refreshingly simple and easy to use. The Sebo Dart would be my first choice because of its higher durability and I like to have a hose and tools available. Thoughts?

We have a Riccar, which we got from the local vacuum shop. It’s a bagged model and it plugs in, but it’s fantastic. Best vacuum I’ve ever owned. It was between Riccar and Miele for us, and we preferred the Riccar. We also have a Shark stick that we use for spot cleaning. It’s definitely not as good.

Pricey but the last one you’ll buy is Riccar upright, bag. Best system out there.

I don't have the turbo or the Intuition. I have a Riccar upright and then I bought the BC4030 canister. You might send a message to Kenmore to see if the canister attachment works on the Intuition, but I'm betting it doesn't.

Not surprised about the rug. You need raw power to effectively clean a rug like that. Sebo G-series upright. Riccar upright. Etc. Almost any premium level upright will accomplish this task without issue. I prefer Sebo’s quick change rollers for dog hair homes though. Makes cleaning the brush extremely easy. Canisters will work too but most folks don’t want to deal with dragging or carrying a canister around. You tend to get a little more filtration this way. If you want cheaper box store brand, a Shark Navigator/Apex type with duoclean and powerfins. Know these are more plastic and prob won’t last as long as more premium brands. Find a vacuum dealer near you. My local shop markets with the brand name Oreck. They have lots of floor models you can try before you buy. One of the important aspects to check out is weight. Is it comfortable to whomever will be operating it?