I think I've used everything on your list, and still prefer the light weight and maneuverability of a modified 6" automotive orbital polisher/buffer. Maybe Oreck is now building a better Orbiter, but I went through two of these in under a year when I was using them, primarily for stairs. I find the modified 11" tabletop sander as sold for stair cleaning by both Challenger and CCS to be both too heavy and not very maneuverable. I devised a handle and shaft for mine, and I use it primarily as a small area orbital floor machine. It IS good if you have relatively oversized stairs to clean, as well as stair landings.
I like the Oreck for stairs because as I work my way from the top of the staircase to the bottom I can rest the handle on my one knee with both hands on the handle. This helps for better control and balance. When you come to the lip of the stair the machine will pivot with no problem at all. When you have a landing you can just run it like the challenger.
I cannot stress enough how much this machine will benefit your cleaning process. We use the brown type of fiber plus pad for encap and pre-scrubbing and follow with the synthetic thin bonnet type pad that you can order through Oreck. We have done hundreds of stair cases with this machine with no problem. If my wife says it's a good machine then it's a good machine! You can probably get the specks here at http://www.oreckcommercial.com/prod_more_info_orbiter.html.
Have a great evening gents, and thanks for all of your valuable advice.
Correction, I rest one hand on the Oreck Orbiter handle to turn the switch off/on if needed, the other hand and knee on the shaft connecting to the machine. I hope this makes sence...It just works.
Despite my reservations, the Oreck Orbiter can be purchased at my new "all orbital, all the time" website
http://www.planet-orbital.com. It is shown in the "floor machines" area, not as a stair tool.
