A 2 Year Evaluation. Hoover self-propelled vacuum.
Written: Jun 15 '04 (Updated May 29 '05)
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Pros: Self-Propelled, good motor, bagless, 2 filters, works on hard floors.
Cons: Filters have to be replaced, loses suction over time, Loses suction when filter gets clogged.
The Bottom Line: This vacuum works great at first, but over time it shows its age. After 2 years this unit will not properly clean a carpet.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Hoover U6660-900 WindTunnel Bagless Upright Vacuu... |
Most of the Hoover vacuums are virtually identical with a few minor differences. Out of the bagless models there are a few generations. I believe this is the second generation. But this vacuum does something else the others do not, it propels itself helping the user as they vacuum. It does work, but I have issues with it listed below.
Why we got it.
My wife destroyed our first hoover wind tunnel because she failed to clean it out. When she finally complained about it I took a look and found that the unit was filthy and clogged. I proceeded to clean it out for the next hour and then I used it. The vacuum did not respond the same way as it did when it was new, and it never would. I got sick of my wife complaining and told her lets just go replace it. All I wanted was a cheap bagless vacuum, but she decided to buy the most expensive vacuum Best Buy had at the time. This was it.
Assembly.
Assembly was incredibly easy. From what I remember the hose, accessories, and filters needed to be assembled. That only takes a couple of minutes and is very easy to do.
How it Works and what are all those buttons.
It is just like any other vacuum. You turn it on, release the handle lever button, and start cleaning your carpet. The on button is on the handle itself and it is just a sliding switch.
There are two sliding switchers right above the brush on the outside. These two switches control the carpet height and hard/carpet floor mode. These need to be used when the vacuum is in the upright position. The carpet height doesn’t seem to work all that well. For me the high setting worked the best, otherwise the brush bristles would slide across the carpet and not agitate it. And our carpet is at a medium height. The hard/carpet floor switch just turns the brush off when you are vacuuming your hard floor.
Self Propelled
This is why my wife selected this vacuum. This feature is nice and it does work, but I will not pay extra for it again. It turns on when the handle is pushed or pulled. Once you get used to it you do not even notice the loose handle.
NOTE: self-propelled just helps the wheels turn a little, it does not do the pushing for you. It is not automated and will not move on its own.
Ease of Use
The vacuum is very easy to use. None of the buttons are hard to reach. The vacuum is not unusually heavy or unwieldy. It is easy to push the vacuum across your room. The on/off button is on the handle, which I think is the best place for it. Anyone that can carry a bag of groceries can use this machine.
Does it clean?
Initially it worked great, but as the filters got clogged it failed to pick up all of the dirt that was in the carpet. After I replaced the filters the machine still failed to pick up dirt effectively.
So does it clean? Not as well as it should.
Accessories
The accessories it comes with are the standard accessories most vacuums have. It has a mini-roller bar attachment (power hand tool), a wide mouth attachment (furniture nozzle), a circular mouth attachment with bristles on the end (Dusting brush), and a thin wand attachment.
Power hand tool- not really powered. The suction causes the brush bar to spin and it is not that fast or effective. I never used this because I felt the other attachments were better. This is just a selling point, nothing more
Furniture nozzle- This attachment works fine for upholstery and other fabrics. The entire think is one piece of cheap plastic, but it does the job. The mouth has little rectangular teeth that help agitate the cloth.
Dusting brush- This is the typical dusting brush and it works find. It does a good job of agitating the surface and the suction is adequate.
The wand- Another typical accessory. Works fine for getting into hard to reach areas.
Noise.
Noise level is average for this vacuum. It is not quite and you will not be able to use this if someone is watching television. It is also louder than my Dyson.
Clogging.
This unit gets clogged up fast. You have to take out the filters, take them outside, and shake/hit them to get the dust out. Even then, the filters still will not work like new. If you can deal with this issue then the vacuum is fine, but I will never buy a bagless with filters like this again.
How it handled carpet.
It handled carpet as well as could be expected. I have no real complaints other than decreased suction as it got older.
How it handled hard flooring.
The unit worked surprisingly well on hard floors. I have no real complaints about its performance on my tile floor. It even works much better than the Dyson. But the Dyson hard floor attachment works better than the Hoover hard floor setting, and Hoover does not have a hard floor accessory.
All the hard floor setting switch does is turns off the brush. So all it does is suck, in this case it is a good thing.
Cleaning the unit.
Cleaning out the unit is a pain. In order to dump out the canister you need to detach it from the unit and take it to a wide trash can. Lift the top of the lid and dump out the contents. Then you take out the main filter and shake it inside the trash can to get rid of any dust particles (or do this in the middle of your yard.) You can do the same with the canister. Every time I do this I always get dust on my clothes, even if only a little. Had I been allergic to dust, I would be in real trouble.
How much do belts and filters cost?
This vacuum has two belts, one for the brush and another for the self-propelling unit. The list price for these belts is 3.99. We have had to replace the belts about every 9 months.
The hepa filter costs19.99. This should be replaced every year or so, depends on your personal usage.
The main filter is fairly difficult to find. I paid around 30. Most stores carry the hepa filter.
Why we replaced this vacuum with a Dyson.
I was getting sick and tired of having to take the vacuum apart, try to figure out what was wrong, and fix it. It got to the point that there was a major air leak in the back, and that just decreased the suction even more (so it is pretty useless now.) My wife was happy with picking up a 50 dollar vacuum, but I wanted something that was going to last. So I picked up the Dyson at Costco.
My overall experience with Hoover
As I previously mentioned, our first hoover wind tunnel died within two years. This vacuum also failed to work properly after the one year mark. Our Hoover floormate has a bungee cord around the clean solution tank to keep it in place (review will be written shortly.) And my mother-in-laws Hoover just died this week and it too is around 2 years old.
Needless to say, I do not like the Longevity of Hoover products and I will not buy one unless I see a serious change in their products. I expect most appliances to last 5 years, not 2.
Update
My Mother-in-law has replaced her hoover bagless with a bag vacuum. She also got sick of it constantly clogging and losing suction. I would of laughed at her, but I was very close to getting a bagged vacuum also, instead of my Dyson. Can not wait for Hoover to get a clue.
Some boring stats.
-Item Weight: 28.9 pounds
-Self-propelled forward and reverse
-Powerful 12-amp motor
-15" cleaning path with edge groomers
-HEPA allergen filtration
-Twin Chamber bagless system
Summary:
The overall concept of this vacuum is good. This basic design will work with some minor tweaks. What does not work is the poor quality parts. I have seen 3 vacuum slowly fall apart and die in less than 2 year using this basic design. My advice is go out and spend the money on a vacuum with quality parts. Do not buy this product.
Other review you might be interested in.
Dyson Full Gear Vacuum.
My guide to buying a vacuum cleaner.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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