My wife and I are in our late sixties. We currently have a twenty plus year old Hoover carpet cleaner that still works great, but it is heavy to carry up and down the stairs. My wife insisted on something lighter. I was hesitant to order the light weight PowerDash, but gave in. I am absolutely stunned by how powerful this light weight machine is. It is definitely more powerful than our old unit and it's light weight makes it a snap to carry up and down the steps. Don't be fooled by the light weight. This is one fantastic carpet cleaner and I definitely recommend it! Well done Hoover.