Lux and Riccar
Hi Christy,
Both the Riccar and Lux are good choices. If you go Riccar, get the purple Impeccable and save yourself a couple bucks unless you love that Super J-1976 gold color. The Riccar uprights are really nice. I find them clunky and loud, but stylish, well made and high quality performers. The Lux Platinum is super. The finish scratches and the metal front cover on mine suffered a ding in a crash with my 3.5 year old German Shorthair when it contacted the leg of a bar stool. I really like the Riccar unit and had that series machine when I worked for Lux in Boston. It does everything well! The Lux does too just hate those wands and hose handle and the dated power nozzle. Mine is about 5 mos old.
Suggestion: Buy one of the new NSS Pacer 12 UE uprights new in the box (commercial CRI gold cert. hospital vacuum in black and Arctic Cat green) like I did on EBAY (mine was NIB for $173.00 last month) and wait till later this year when the Sauber SI-200 Intelligence becomes avail here with the braided-remote control hose, better attachments and add the ET-1 Sebo nozzle to it. Aerus is only offering the "Classic" version of this machine (Platinum), no Swissaroma scents designed for it, true variable speed etc. See the thread discussion below and the Youtube vids of the Sauber version which is the higher-end version of this vacuum and the machine/combo Lux should be peddling. I worked for Lux 12 years part-time and my Platinum is gone the day the Sauber shows up with 2 power nozzle options and the beautiful hose that wont turn yellow due to its clear urethane coating. You will like the NSS too especially for the price of a Hoover.
Brian