Background
We had a Bissell carpet shampoo unit for many years and needed a replacement. After reading e-opinions, I decided to go for the Hoover widepath unit over the Bissell. The brush action appeared to be better on the Hoover, and at the temperature I keep my hot water tank at, the hot water temperature would approach that of the Bissell. In addition, the Hoover could clean a bigger area.

Unit Assembly
Unit assembly was fairly quick with the only tools required being a screwdriver. Total time to assemble was about 20 minutes. It probably would have been quick if no kids had been present to bother me!

Attachments/Goodies
You get plenty of attachments to clean upholstery and stair. The added “power tool” attachment is not really a power tool, but uses air to make the brush move. I have something similar to this on my miele vacuum and it works relatively well. Still, I would have preferred a power motor for decent scrubbing action. All attachments did stay on the vacuum.

Handling/Performance
The performance for cleaning was very good. I still had stubborn stains that I used a good cleaner and I had to scrub by hand to remove. This could be that I used Home Depot’s carpet cleaner for Hoover instead of the “Hoover” brand. I was impressed on the dirt that was removed from my carpets and upholstery. We do not wear shoes in our house, and it was surprising the level of dirt in the carpet. The solution tank was easier to fill and the dirty water tank was easier to clean than on my older Bissell unit. It IS a heavy unit to push and it will wear you out if you do the whole house at once (which I did). Once you are done, the hardest part is cleaning the carpet fuzzies out of the unit. Hoover did something cool by adding a plastic bendable stick to clean out the unit, but I need a better way to clean underneath the brushes. I have not tried this on my hardwood floors – not sure if I want to risk using this unit on the floors – would be happy if anyone would let me know if it is really truly safe to use on hardwood floors!

Summary
This unit is definitely worth purchasing because it does do a good job and is much cheaper than professionals – and even professionals don’t always do a good job. My deciding factor was the purchase price. Our Walmart carried these for $268. I was ready to go to Walmart to purchase this, but stopped at Home Depot first (where I do the bulk of my shopping for home improvement) and saw the same unit there for $329. After price matching the unit, plus an additional 10% back, I got his unit for $252!


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 252