I agree the wire at the base on my Noble has shorted twice and it is very likely what has happened to yours. I own one Nobel and two Minute Man units. My Nobel is 6 years old and has been trustworthy work horse. My Minute Man’s are 5 years and 1 year old. Both have been proven to be reliable. The Nobel is by far easier to carry especially upstairs as I usually balance it on my right thigh. The Minute Man base is longer and overall heavier and thus is a real pain to carry up and down stairs. The wheels get in the way. I think both are the same as far as bumping furniture and I would give a slight edge to the Nobel. I believe the Minute Man provides a much better professional image than the green blah looking Nobel unit. The Minute Man provides tighter positions in the handle whereby allowing you to adjust it to precisely where you want. You can even adjust the handle while the unit is in use. The Nobel has just a few “notches” to position the handle. There is no “throttle” on the Minute Man like there is on the Nobel making the Minute Man much more comfortable to maneuver. The motor on the Minute Man plugs directly into your cord and the top of the motor. You wont have to worry about a wire shorting at the base like you have on the Nobel. The Minute Man ground prong on the plug is prone to falling out.I have had to replace the plug on both units. The Minute Man arrives not assembled and the base is very heavy to move without it being assembled, however, it is very easy and quick to assemble the unit using the allen wrench that is provided. The Minute Man has a much lower profile than the Nobel. While using your Nobel I am sure you have experienced the cord getting stuck under the drive plate. With the Minute Man this is unlikely to happen given how low it sits. In summary, I believe once you “drive” a Minute Man I do not think you would ever consider a Nobel again. The Minute Man is very quiet and very very smooth so fire up the HB Store and get one ordered. 😀