gozumm's Full Review: Hoover U5140-900 Tempo WidePath Bagged Upright Vac...
For an executive summary, read only the bolded sentences.
Bag or Bagless?
Before we even begin, for home use I'd never consider a bagless. Anyone who has owned a Dustbuster or its clones know emptying its small canister scatters dust, and cleaning its small reusable filters makes it worse. There's a technique to doing it right, but its remains messy. Further, removing a bag on an upright bag vacuum and watching the little puffs of dust come out of a bag's collar is fair warning of larger dust clouds if the bag were cut open and dumped into a trash bag, to simulate cleaning a bagless upright. On the Internet, HEPA grade Hoover bags are ~ $2 each, and standard Hoover bags are ~ $1 each. You can buy them in bulk or use non-Hoover bags to save more money, but I rarely fill a bag a month.
I've seen bagless vacs work best where bags are filled quickly and fine dust, less an issue. Woodworking and metal workshops are good examples, as most of the particles are large and heavy, and debris may take several bags or bagless dumps to clean a space.
Vacs Don't Last Forever: Hoover Legacy 750
For some time I wondered what was wrong with my Hoover Legacy 750 circa 1990. The 750 was a prototype Hoover of the 1990s, and had everything good that was Hoover at the time. It wasn't the best then, but it did the job adequately, if I recall reviews by Consumer Reports. It certainly was working oddly over the past two years. I remembered not having to go over the same areas more than once. It likely needed an overhaul and internal cleaning. Its drive belt was likely too loose, there maybe obstructions in the suction flow, the agitator brushes maybe worn, and the power cord was frayed in areas. The motor was quite vigorous, and otherwise everything else was like new.
A Google survey showed repairing the 750 ran $60 in spare parts cost, not including my labor: power cord $40, 2 belts at $5 and brushes $20. There was no guarantee the motor would hold up nor something else go wrong down the road in this 16 year old Vac. Worse yet, a quick Google survey also showed a Consumer Report top rated $60 Hoover Tempo was functionally similar to my Legacy 750.
My review compares the characteristics of the Legacy 750 to the Hoover Tempo, now 2 weeks old but a lot of cleaning behind it. This will contrast how Hoover technology has changed in 16 years.
In The Box
Amazon send the Tempo in its original box that was about 3 feet tall. It was packed well enough to ship in its original carton. Everything in the sales photos were included plus an extra Y filter bag, quick assembly instructions, users manual and registration cards.
Assembly
There was less assembly of the Tempo versus the 750. 15 minutes or less, and the Tempo was running. Alas, the Tempo has the wand hose spiraling in the rear, and this interferes with winding up the power cord. The hoses and accessories have all its storage mounts on the rear of the Tempo body, whereas the 750 has them on a separate assembly that mounted on the side of the chassis. Tempo's hose is stiffer so when twisted and yanked, the hose can detach from the Tempo, while the softer 750 hose would not.
Construction & Materials
The Tempo looks like a toy. The plastic is about half as thick as the 750, and feels cheap. The parts are not as polished in finish, and there are small tags of plastic left, like those from parts snapped off a Revell model. The 750 parts all had a polished solid feel. However, the materials make the Tempo lighter and easier to drag around.
Adding to the finish, the Tempo art work seems hurriedly done and small relative to the size of the Vac. The labels for the agitator position is not as easy to see. In contrast, the 750 labels are vibrant and very easy to see.
Accessories
Both the 750 and the Tempo has the same number of accessories. The wand hose, extender wand, crevice tool, brush tool, and couch tool. The Tempo has a second extender wand and this only compensates for its much shorter wand hoses ... otherwise it has about the same reach as the 750.
The 750 tools are far better made, but no more functional than the Tempo. However, the vacuum hose is made of a suppler material, and made the use of tools far more convenient than the Tempo because they bend and twist with less effort. The Tempo hoses felt like cheap ducting hoses found at Home Depot.
Improvements over the Legacy 750
Function & Dust Leakage
Unlike the 750, the Tempo has much stronger suction and a vigorous agitator brush, pulling itself through carpet on its own. I never recall the 750 as being that strong. There was less odor from the Tempo exhaust, and it was obvious the old 750 leaked dust during cleaning. Cleaning floors, thick carpet and bare, was very quick with the Tempo. The awkward tools made short work of dust, if you could reach it.
Dirt Indicator
A simple plastic weight on a view window moves up when the vacuum in the bag chamber reaches a critical pressure. Its not very accurate but replaced feeling the dirt on the cloth bags of the 750. Its better than nothing. Feeling the weakness of the suction on the wand is a better indicator for when to change the vacuum bag.
Bag Door
The Tempo vac bag door is hard plastic that is O ring sealed, making a tighter seal over a cloth bag. Its far easier to clean, if needed. The 750 had a cloth bag, if dust leaked, it stayed in the bag until blown out when the bag was used.
Double Filters
The Tempo reusable air filters work very well, for something so cheap. The air is clearly cleaner, and I often sneezed during some cleaning with the old 750, but not with the Tempo. Washable and easy to access, it substantially reduced dust leak from the bag. There is a car-like filter on the bag exhaust and a fine mesh-screen for the motor. In addition, Hoover's recommended vacuum bags can be HEPA grade level.
20' Tempo power cable
Is shorter than the 30' 750 cable. For most apartments, 30' was more than adequate for typical sized rooms [most homes have rooms are under a 30' radius.] 20' is just adequate, so there is more tugging.
No Agitator Off Switch
The agitator brush spins always even during tool use, and if left brushing on floors or carpets, will accelerate wear on the brushes, belt and your carpet. On the 750, a switch raised the agitator off the floor completely, so while it spun without touching the floor, it still wore down the belt. On the Tempo, this can be simulated by using the highest carpet setting, but its better to tilt the head away from the floor when using the wand tools.
Light
On all my Hoovers, this bulb blows out very quickly. I find the small light useless though its working fine on the Tempo.
Durability
While too new to tell, I've bought 2 Hoovers over 16 years ago, both still work but in need of repair. In most instances, repairs are not cost effective.
Conclusion:
Highly functional, effective and an overall upgrade from my prior upright vacuum cleaner. Its best suited for floors with occasional tool use. A heavy user of wand tools would either have a smaller hand-size vac or choose a canister vac that has a lighter powered wand.
Its clear Hoover's Mexico production was a cost saving measure, and it included more streamlining in materials and finish. Construction however, is durable enough to last the lifetime of the agitator or the power cable, replacement of both would run the same cost as a new Tempo. Given the rapid advances in technology, most appliances, not just vacuum cleaners, are now disposable once reaching their rated lifespan.
If Hoover corrected the 'cons' I mention, this cleaner would rate 5 Stars very easily.
On closing, there are some expensive consumer vacuum cleaners than are in the $300 range, and up. Consumers looking to buy such cleaners should seriously look into commercial versions of vacuum cleaners: they are better made all around, and last much longer. At this expense, they are worth repairing.
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