Surface cleaning apparatus

A hand vacuum cleaner having a front end, a rear end, an upper end and a lower end, the hand vacuum cleaner comprising:

• (a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
• (b) a cyclone comprising a cyclone chamber, a cyclone air inlet, a cyclone air outlet, a central longitudinally extending axis, the cyclone chamber having front and rear axially opposed ends, wherein when the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner is positioned above the lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner the central longitudinally extending axis is oriented generally horizontal and the cyclone has an upper end and a lower end;
• (c) a housing positioned rearward of the cyclone wherein, when the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner is positioned above the lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner, an upper end of the housing is provided at the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner;
• (d) suction motor positioned in the air flow path rearward of the cyclone chamber;
• and,
• (e) a pistol grip handle positioned rearward of the cyclone, the pistol grip handle having a hand grip portion wherein, when the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner is positioned above the lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner, the pistol grip handle is positioned below the housing and a projection of the lower end of the cyclone intersects the hand grip portion.

A hand vacuum cleaner having a front end, a rear end, an upper end and a lower end, the hand vacuum cleaner comprising:

• (a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
• (b) a cyclone comprising a cyclone chamber, a cyclone air inlet, a cyclone air outlet, a central longitudinally extending axis, the cyclone chamber having front and rear axially opposed ends, wherein when the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner is positioned above the lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner the central longitudinally extending axis is oriented generally horizontal and the cyclone has an upper end and a lower end;
• (c) a housing positioned rearward of the cyclone wherein, when the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner is positioned above the lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner, an upper end of the housing is provided at the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner;
• (d) suction motor positioned in the air flow path rearward of the cyclone chamber;
• and,
• (e) a pistol grip handle positioned rearward of the cyclone,
• wherein, when the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner is positioned above the lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner, a lower end of the housing is positioned proximate the central longitudinally extending axis.