Is this vacuum too good? It might be wearing out my carpet!
Written: Jul 03 '02 (Updated Oct 05 '04)
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Durability:
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Pros: Incredible cleaning power. Easy to empty. Nice on-board attachments.
Cons: Bit pricey. I'm actually a bit concerned I'm wearing out my carpet.
The Bottom Line: Fantastic vacuum. Its great cleaning power actually makes a lazy husband want to vacuum. However, beware of the power - it might shorten the life of your carpet.
jal183's Full Review: Hoover U5750-900 WindTunnel Bagless Upright Vacuum
I suspect that this model I'm reviewing (Hoover WindTunnel Bagless Upright #U5750) is VERY much like the Hoover WindTunnel Upright Bagless Vacuum U5755-900 that has received over 25 reviews. The model numbers are almost identical, the pictures are the same, and the specs seem to be identical. I suspect that Hoover just has slightly different model numbers for some of their clients - in my case Target.
I got this vacuum from Target for around $210 (on sale at the time). Originally, I was looking at the non-Windtunnel design ($45 less) but decided to splurge and go all out. Ok, I didn't get the self-propelled model - a guy's gotta eat after all - but I wanted something that would clean.
When I got it home, I was FLABBERGASTED at how much dirt was getting picked up. We have two cats and there was a TON of hair, kitty litter, etc. I had to empty the cannister 3 times before I finished vacuuming our apartment completely. You might think that would bother me, but when I saw all the hair/dirt/gunk removed from the carpet, I did't mind a bit.
We've had it for a few months now and I have the following general observations:
1) It makes me want to vacuum. Seriously. I'm the husband who never cleans the house - BUT - I get such a sense of satisfaction seeing all the dirt that gets pulled out of our carpet. On the flip side, my wife will no longer vacuum. She hates all the grossness that collects in the cannister and she refuses to touch it (you don't have to touch the grossness, but it still looks gross).
2) I don't vacuum THAT often - every couple of weeks. But when I do, I have to empty the cannister a few times before I'm finished. Others don't seem to report that problem, so maybe we're just extra-specially dirty. Again, it doesn't bother me, but all the dirt could offend the squeamish.
3) The vacuum is STRONG. Seriously. I actually believe that this vacuum may be shortening the life of our carpet.
We live in a nice apartment complex, with quality plush carpeting. [Having said that, the carpet was more than two years old before I first unleashed this vacuum on it.] The first few times I used the vacuum in low traffic areas, the cannister filled up very quickly with carpet fuzz - actual carpet fiber!
I actually threw away a good 5 cannisters full of carpet fiber. Thankfully, his isn't happening any more. But, I was seriously concerned for a while that the vacuum would eventually pull all the fibers out of the carpet.
4) There are a nice selection of on-board attachments that work great. I am not as fond of the "powered" attachment as others are - it is powered by the vacuum's suction. I find that when I use the attachment and press down on a cushion, the spinning brush quickly stops spinning. In general, I have more luck with the non-powered bristled brush.
Update: after a few more uses, I realized that I was a moron and just pushing down too hard on the attachment. NOW, I LOVE it. Great for getting cat hair off the ottoman. And people say cats are fickle. :)
5) Others have done a good job describing the 2 chamber/4 stage filter system so there isn't much else to say on that topic. However, I had to put in my two cents here too.
First, I know that because I can see the dirt in the vacuum, I empty it more often. I have a hunch that this helps the vacuum work better.
Second, there's a metal screen between the two chambers. On one occasion, it got "clogged" by hair or fine gunk. I had to use an old toothbrush to remove the dirt. This isn't a frequent problem, and as I said in point 1, this doesn't bother me in the least.
6) UPDATE: I just learned about an additional feature that I LOVE. You know how you wrap the electric cord onto a vacuum cleaner - back and forth between two post things? Well, the top "post" rotates so that you can take off the whole cord in a split second - no more "unwrapping."
7) UPDATE: I have seen many vacuum's advertised lately that say it's hard or dirty to clean out this bagless vacuum. I hope I didn't give that impression. It LOOKS dirty to clean out, but is surprisingly simple. At the end of every weekly vacuum when the canister is half full(wife bumped us to weekly vacuumers :) ), unlatch the dirt container and dump it in the garbage. Takes, MAYBE 3 seconds. I've never had to reach into the vacuum to clean it out like certain vacuum manufacturers claim on television (to advertise other vacuum brands). No cloud of dust raises up. No need to go outdoors. Simple as pie. And, I'll say this again because it bears repeating. I KNOW I empty my bagless vacuum more often than I would if I had to replace an expensive bag with any frequency.
9) UPDATE: The vacuum's 2.5 year anniversary has come and gone with no problems. Still sucks great... um... in a good way. :) I read a bunch of the other reviews on this vacuum and I'm a bit perplexed. We must have gotten lucky. We haven't had any burned rubber smell, no bad belts (I wouldn't even know how to find the belts). Filters work fine. Still haven't had a need to replace the HEPA filter on the side of the vacuum (and only replaced the center "canister" filter once in the 2.5 years we've had it).
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