What are the point of looped handles?

[amtraksebo1997]

This is something that's puzzled me for years. It seems like vacuum companies have been trying to largely do away from the conventional upright vacuum handle for decades, and replace it with "looped handles". To this day, I still can't identify a rhyme or reason for this. Like, what benefit do they provide over conventional handles? The only thing I've found them worthwhile for is hanging coat hangers and other stuff on them. I mean, I guess they don't necessarily hamper the usability of a machine, but they don't exactly aid in them either. All that I know is that I personally prefer old style handles. Looped ones look find on carpet cleaners, but not so much on uprights.

 

[blackheart]

A guess

I think they're probably more comfortable or usable for people with low grip strength. Oreck's Helping hand was, if memory serves, approved by some arthritis group which makes leads me to think that.

 

[justjunque]

That's what I was just going to chime in with, as I'm sitting here looking at one of my Orecks.
I can't speak for any other brands or shapes. But, the Helping Hand was designed to reduce stress on the user's hand and wrist. I imagine that would be even more significant for people using them in a commercial application, where they might be vacuuming for a good chunk of the day, or nearly every day.
I would guess other manufacturers' designs were intended for a similar purpose. Or, someone in the design department just liked how it looked.

 

[panasonicvac]

As what the others pointed out, pistol grip handles aren't the most comfortable for some people to grip onto really tightly. I've even noticed a difference on some vacuums like Simplicity for example, they originally started out with pistol grip handles they've copied from Panasonic then they later replaced them with the gas pump handles which in my opinion feels alot better. But there are some vacuums like Oreck for example where I prefer the pistol grip over the gas pump grip as it feels better on my hands.

 

[eurekaprince]

I like the looped handle on my Hoover Lightweight Platinum bagged upright. Depending on the situation, having that loop helps me pull the vacuum back without having to really squeeze the handle to hold on to it, especially if I’ve switched hands to my weaker left hand. The other reason I like it: sometimes when I am not in the mood to wind up the cord, the loop is a convenient place to just grab the whole cord and temporarily store the whole length of cord in the loop!

 

[amtraksebo1997]

General response.

So, I guess I' like to clarify that when I was referring to "looped" or "gas-pump" handles, I was referring to ones found on... basically anything other than those on Orecks and Dysons. I already knew that the Helping Hand handle is the shape it is because it's meant to be easier on the back for older folks. As for gas-pumps being better to grip, I mean I guess it's plausible, but I've never really had problems gripping pistol grips myself, but that's just me. Then again, I've also had no problems with gripping gas-pumps either.

I dunno. Like I said, they don't make or break a vacuum in my eyes, but I prefer my pistol-grips (except for when it comes to powerteam canisters, electric central vac hoses, and steam cleaners).