Hi all
We have had a query through the helpline from someone looking to find a lightweight vacuum cleaner suitable for someone with RA. They have purchased lightweight vacuums before, only to find that some assembly with tools was required, which was impossible for them to do.
Does anyone have a product they can recommend from personal experience?
Many thanks
Victoria
(NRAS Helpline)
Sorry, not found one yet Victoria but would also love to hear of an upright that's lightweight & efficient for a household with pets yet the tools are easy to assemble.
One I can advise to avoid is the Dyson DC41, or rather the Dysons of that size with a ball. Whilst it cleans & turns well enough & the tools are fine to attach the suction is too good so it makes it hard work to push. I'm whacked out after vacuuming one room!
I hope this helps in some way. 
I got a Gtech air ram cordless cleaner, it is so light I can use it even when my wrists are sore and swollen, I have always used a dyson ball due to me having dogs, but when I got RA I find it too heavy for me to push. the only down side to the air ram is it doesn't have the tools, it is a bit expensive but to me it is worth every penny.
Snapandcrackle, does your Gtech cope with dog hairs well? We have 3 dogs that shed for all they're worth no matter how much we brush them & wondered before we invest in one would it be up to the job. If you could let me know I'd be most grateful.
nomoreheels I would highly recommend, look it up and check all the reviews for it.
Thanks s&c. I've had a look on Amazon & excellent reviews. Did you know they now do one, for pet owners, the K9? Can't find many reviews of that though.
I didn't know about the K9, but suppose it is like everything, they keep advancing it, so if I was going for one now I would go for the K9. good luck on what you decide.
Thanks. Doubtless I'll report back once I've made my mind up!
I've got the K9 & it works brilliantly. My lab/border collie cross is constantly moulting & this does the job. I've got the hand held for the stairs. Makes light work of them, I clean them from my stairlift. The only problem I have is that I've just realised the carpet freshener in them may be causing my dog's skin problems as they started just after I started using the gtech. Anybody know if you can use it without the freshener?
I did buy one Lindamt , the K9 direct from Gtech & agree it works brilliantly at picking up dog hairs. Yes you can use it without the air fresheners. Actually I reported back & posted about it here healthunlocked.com/nras/pos.... I was treated to the hand held a few months later, it's brilliant for the stairs & the car. I can't fault Customer Services, a fault developed in the AirRAM just before the 2 year warranty ran out, it started cutting out as if there was a loose connection & then would stop working. It was thought it might be the motor so the part was replaced (which was everything except the dust boxes, lid plus filters & battery) but the same happened, twice actually! The next time I rang it was beyond it's warranty so I questioned (being the honest person I am!) why I wasn't being charged for the replacement part. I was told that if anything that goes wrong within the warranty period it's not only replaced FOC but that the replaced part then has it's own 2 year warranty! Anyway, when I rang up a 4th time to say it had failed again the girl in Customer Services had a bright idea, she thought it may be a battery fault so sent me a new battery FOC to see. Now, considering replacement batteries are £69.95 & by this time the original battery was now out of warranty I thought this was above & beyond. Oh & yes, it was the battery that was at fault!
Hi, I have the g tech also and love it, very lightweight and easy to handle. Nomoreheels we have one dog and it copes with that no problems, wasn't so happy with the pine needles of the Xmas tree though! I researched it before I bought one, seems to be out selling dysons now, also I believe replacements are much cheaper being a brittish company 
Thank you williby, very helpful. I'd read they're British made so that's a bonus!
I can recommend the g tech too. It was recommended to me by a guy at work who specialises in dust/fume extraction products for industry, so he can bore for Britain on vacuum cleaners efficiency. Got both the upright and the hand held one and they both work great. The only draw back on the hand held one is that can be heavy to hold if you have the extension tools on it for high places, ie cobwebs on walls or curtains. Other than that the upright ticks all the boxes for general use. I did have a Dyson upright but can be heavy.
I'm psyching myself up to buy the GTech.
I'm not sure if the K9 is worth the extra. I have a moulting cat, but she doesn't leave hairs like a retriever would, for example.
I'm also wondering whether to go for the hand-held Multi. Is that useful on stairs? On balance, are you glad you had that one as well?
I'm not up to any vacuuming at the moment, but I'm thinking both of helpful friends, but also when I am more mobile again.
I have a Henry which has done well, but it's very bulky and difficult to store. It's too heavy for me to take upstairs and I'm really attracted to the G Tech's dust balls, to minimise irritation of my COPD.
Any update would be much appreciated.
Thanks, Jo
Go for it Jo, they're so easy to use, really lightweight (3.5 kg) & excellent at picking up pet hairs (3 dogs worth!) far better than the Dyson even when it was new. It was really easy to put together, we did get the K9 but didn't bother with the hand held one as my wrists & grip are rubbish & someone said it was quite heavy, pleased we didn't really because I can do the stairs with the K9. With both my Dyson & Hoover I used to do one room then rest but with the AirRAM I can do the whole of one floor then have a rest & then do the bedrooms & shower room, does tiles, carpet & laminate floor all equally well. I've found myself using it more than I did my others because it's so easy to just turn on, no faffy leads, vacuum up, job done.... the place has never been so clean! I always recharge it when the battery indicator lights get down to 2 bars because it goes quickly from 2 to 1 to stop but it will do the whole house on the one charge. There's no let up in power even so, a real advantage. Best thing (apart from the automatic car) we've bought since we came back. My f-i-l- bought one too after he tried ours & he says it's easy too. I wrote a post praising it when it arrived healthunlocked.com/nras/pos...
Ah, thanks Heels. That's the report I was looking for. I will buy it today. Probably the K9, though I'm not sure if I really need the extra suction. I'll give the Multi a miss, unless I feel it would encourage my cleaner to do bookshelves etc. she's only here 3 hrs a week, and I need to optimise that.
You are such a star; many thanks. Jo xx
No, pleased to be of service Jo! I haven't compared the two but the K9 is certainly sturdy. Living near the beach we get sand walked in (& of course have 3 dogs so that's 12 paws & our 4 feet treading it in) so mine possibly needs emptying more than normal & the first few times I used it I was going back & forth to the kitchen bin to empty the dust tray so now keep a supermarket shopping bag hand to empty the bales into as I go. I would think that your cleaner will wizz through your house with it & have plenty of time to clean your bookshelves without the need for any mechanical help! When you feel it's starting to lose suction that's the time to just take the filters out & give them a tap to get the dust out. I've only needed to change the air freshener tabs once as they last for ages. Super quick delivery, we ordered ours on a Sunday (from GTech) & it arrived next day, my h delighted in watching the despatch process online giving me frequent updates! x
Thanks, Heels. All very helpful. J x
We have the new Kirby hoover. It is now lighter and it has a button(orsomething) that takes the pressure off your hands by making it easier to push. The downside is it is a bit heavy,not as heavy as previous models thats for sure. The problem comes when you try to take it upstairs. Or you can be like us and have one up and one down which makes things a lot easier. These machines are not cheap,but boy do they do a good job of cleaning things up and yes they would be good for animal hair. xxxx
Dyson with ball is a good one. Please do Google for Dyson to get the weight details and go the lower weight then it will be easy to push along.
Good luck.
I use a light weight Miele which I can use all over the house provided someone carries it upstairs for me and from a sitting position. The part to take out the dust bag it difficult and i often have to leave that until my hands are behaving better.
Dyson DC49 their smallest lightest cylinder vac I find best, great suction, great portability.
DC 49, weight under 5kg, it is on special offer, a saving of £100.00 and it cost £ 250.00
Morhy Richards 2 in 1. Very light.
I have been researching the same thing and the product I am going to buy is the Dyson DC35 which is a lightweight one which becomes a stick/nozzle for sofas/curtains etc and has had very good write ups. Think cost is approx £230. Currys did not have this one/do not stock it as I found out this morning but they do have the lightweight Dyson "Animal" vacs.
Personally, the stick ones aggravate my elbow & shoulder pain as you need to support the weight all the time. The other Dysons can have all the various tools fitted on to do curtains, skirtings, ceilings etc.
Thanks BC for your comment. My main concern is that I want to be able to take my vac up and down stairs myself and not have to wait for someone to lift it up for me. One of the other I looked at was floors only so guess I will go do more research.
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