This is a very good vacuum cleaner
Written: Apr 20 '03
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Pros: Really does grab dirt you can't see
Cons: Heavy, and the hose is way short
The Bottom Line: Need a vacuum for a large-ish home? This unit is for you. Animals? No problem. But it's VERY heavy. We like it - it works for us.
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| rowie's Full Review: Hoover U6430-900 WindTunnel Bagged Upright Vacuum |
I've had the unit for only 2 days so far, so my comments are based on initial impressions. Previously I used a Hoover upright that was about 5 years old, and also have a no-name barrel unit that came from Australia when I moved to the US (the barrel unit was supposed to be good quality a few years ago, but use of the unit has me suspect that the sales guy in Australia was on comission!!).
The Hoover U6430-900 absolutely kills the other two units for power and flexibility. I couldn't believe how much dirt it picked up after running the older Hoover unit over our carpet first!! The acid test of a vacuum really is "does it perform it's basic task well", which is to really grab dirt up from the carpet. The answer is "you bet - in spades" - you can feel the carpet vibrating under-foot while you vacuum, which means the machine action really is getting the dirt out. In addition, with the other vacuum cleaners you usually had to cover something a couple of times to lift it up - like animal hair or even tiny pieces of paper left over from my younger daughter's artwork efforts. With this unit, one swipe and it's gone - no ifs, no buts.
The self-propelled feature, based on other reviewers comments, sounded like it might be a gimmick, but we bought the unit anyway because of the the way it reviewed for power/performance (and a 20% discount voucher for Bed, Bath & Beyond made the deal rather sweeter). Having used the unit now, I have to disagree with those that think the self-propelled feature is a waste of time and money. My wife and I believe the self-propelled feature really works - the unit is very (and I mean "buttery") smooth to use on our mid-pile carpet. I agree that the reason the unit needs it is because of the weight, so yes there is a disadvantage in taking the unit up the stairs (it truly is quite heavy), but when it's in use, man that thing really glides.
I also suffer from hayfever and asthma due to house dust and pollens, and I noticed in our living room prior to using this unit that usually I ended up with a runny nose after my wife or I had vacummed. Hopefully that is now a thing of the past - after vacuuming the room I noticed my nose was dry and the air seemed very "clean" by comparison.
The hose that the unit comes with really sorta stinks. It's flexible in a "left-right-up-down" kinda way, but it barely stretches - you can only work about 3 feet from the unit, and even that seems like you're pulling on the hose. I notice that a 20 foot extension hose is available, and for the stairs I suspect this might solve the problem, so I'm out shopping for that part right now.
The tools are essentially all plastic, but good enough quality (nothing to write home about, but not bad either). It comes with everything we can think of that we'll need, except as mentioned above a longer hose. So you're not left wanting in the tools department - you can do it all. The Power Brush attachment really does work very well, and I put this down to the fact that this unit has so much raw horsepower. The other tools are your basic crevice tools etc, and again, the horsepower is really obvious when you use these (particularly the crevice tool - watch what you swing it past, because it will grab whatever is nearby!).
The build of the unit seems sturdy enough, although there are again copious amounts of plastic on board. The door to the Power Brush seems quite poorly designed from the way it latches closed, but I guess time will tell whether it breaks. Of course if you don't want plastic, then you need to be ready to pony up 2x or more the cost, so I'm not complaining too much. Finish is quite good, I think it's in fit that Hoover has allowed high tolerances etc on the panels, doors etc., so they could do with a bit more quality in this area. This is particularly apparent in the carpet-height adjustment sliding switch. It's stiff and plasticky feeling. The engineers are Hoover need to consider how to improve the quality feel of the panels and switches (that's a comment coming from a marketing guy with an engineering background!). I think the Hoover engineers must have focused their efforts on making it work (that's a good idea!) rather than on the fit and finish (the sheer weight of the unit tells me there's a BIG motor in this thing, and you can see that it's performance matches its weight).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 239.99
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Epinions.com ID:
rowie
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 1 member
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