Beauregard's Full Review: Hoover U6630-900 WindTunnel Bagless Upright Vacuum
My old vacuum cleaner was on its last legs for quite a few months when finally it died. Having moved into a new house this past April, with 3 times the square footage as our old house, I was actually pleased to have an excuse to go vacuum shopping.
I first visited Lowes and tested out the higher end models to get a feel for at least what brand I should target. My hands on testing and my discussions with the salesperson had me narrow my search to Hoover.
I then hopped online to do some research. My requirements were quite simple: power and flexibility. My house is 3300 sq feet, mostly covered in light tan carpet and hardwood floors, with some area rugs as well. So I needed the vacuum to pick up dirt on its first pass, as well as be able to vacuum hard surfaces, and to be able to effectively clean rugs of different heights.
The WindTunnel series by Hoover were getting high ratings here at Epionions and have the highest ratings according to the American Society for Testing and Materials' (ASTM) tests #F608 and #5558. Hoover has many vacuums in their WindTunnel series, so it was just a matter of reviewing the features, power and price.
I settled on the Hoover U6630-900, the successor to the U6425. I found it for less than $110 off full price at http://www.vacuumcleanerdiscounter.com The basic features:
Self-Propelled in Forward and Reverse
New Easy-to-Use Flip-Top Lid
New No-Touch Filter Cleaning System
New Hose-to-Hose Connector
(additional hose purchased separately)
15" Cleaning Width with Dual Brush Agitator
12 Amp Motor
Front covered tool storage
Multiple height adjustment
Full One Year Warranty
Powered hand tool
Long crevice tool
Furniture nozzle
Dusting brush
2 Extension wands
Attached hose
I was so excited to open up the box when it arrived on my doorstep (I highly recommend Vacuum Cleaner Discounter to anyone). It was packed well and had very clear instructions. You need a screw driver to attach the handle, but that's it. You're ready to go after that.
The beauty of the bagless system, besides no money spent on bags, is that you can see the dirt fly into the container. Carpets that I had just vacuumed a week earlier with my old vacuum gave up so much dirt to this new powerful Hoover. I couldn't believe that what the naked eye saw as a clean carpet actually contained so much dust and dirt. It looked brand new!
Besides that dirt flying into the canister, the first thing I noticed was how easy the Hoover was to manipulate. The self-propelling feature is unbeatable. The handle is very smart, so it knows when you're pushing forward and will give you the propulsion, but when you pull it back, the propulsion stops. I weighed the vacuum and it's 22 pounds. Quite heavy when you're lugging it up stairs, but the self propelling makes it light as a feather when you're actually vacuuming.
The Hoover U6630-900 has a powerful headlight, which allows me to vacuum all corners of the room without having to go around switching on lamps. It has edge cleaners, so you can run the vacuum along the base molding and all dirt and dust comes up from the crevice. I used to have to use the hand tool to get that crevice. Time savings!
The cleaning area is 15 inches across, which makes quick work of any room. It's clear that a room has been vacuumed, because the powerful brushes really perk up the pile. I love making the professional looking patterns you see in offices and hotels from the commercial grade vacuums.
The hand tools are great too. The best one is the powered brush. So, it actually has rotating brushes just like its main system -- it's great for stairs. The other attachments are fine too -- the standard soft brush, the long crevice tool, the brushless head, etc. The tools are cleverly housed on the vacuum, both on the side and in a clear-covered case in the front. No fear of knocking any off in the course of a cleaning.
With the flip of a button on the front, I can change whether I'm vacuuming a low, medium or high-piled rug. I usually keep in on low-piled setting so its really digging into the carpet. Works great on the synthetic wall to wall carpeing and the wool textured area rugs (mostly from Pottery Barn). And, when I want to go onto the hardwood, with another simple button shift, I can turn off the rotating brushes. This keeps the dirt from being kicked around before it gets into the container. My old vacuum didn't have this feature and my ankles would be pinged with dirt whenever I brought it over the hardwood. The U6630-900 is such a smart vacuum.
When I bring the vacuum to an upright position, the brushes stop rotating too. That allows me to carry it up a few stairs and vacuum with the hand tool, without the vacuum advancing precariously around.
The cord is a full 35 feet long, allowing me to plug it in a hallway outlet and vacuum 4 rooms without taking the tedious step of unplugging and finding a new outlet. We have baby proof safety tabs on the outlets, so this would be an even more arduous task without the long cord.
Some of the downsides are it's weight. At 22 pounds, it's not easy for some people to move up and down stairs. Also, if you wait too long to empty the container, it gets quite jammed with dirt. Because the dirt cyclones in the container, any dust in there will bing togther and really lodge itself. So, instead of being able to simple pour it out, I need to use a paint stirring stick to coax it out. And, then the canister is left pretty dirty, where as if you had a bag variety, you could throw all the away and be left with a clean area.
Overall I highly recommend this vacuum. It's power will surprise you, its smarts will impress you and its looks will inspire you.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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