Customer Reviews

Hoover Commercial Shoulder Backpack Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We have been using the vacuum for 3-4 months now, and we love it! Our home is 90% hardwood floors and this vacuum is perfect. It is great on stairs, has excellent suction power, and was worth ever penny. No more tugging around our little tank vac or trying to clean the wood floors with our upright. The bag is very easy to clean and the filter seems to trap every last spec of dust. I'm not sure how well this would perform on deep carpet, but we use it on some low pile floor mats and it does great. The bottom line is after owning this we don't want any other vacuum.

I've been wanting to buy a backpack vacuum for a few years now. So this year, I decided to give it a try. Our house it 90% hardwood so a backpack vacuum makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, in actual use, it wasn't as nice as I had hoped.

PROS
- not having to drag anything around on the floor is VERY nice.
- the hose hangs down from your back so when you let go of the wand (e.g. while moving furniture), it's easy to pick the wand back up.
- the curved plastic piece at the end of the hose is handy (e.g. for cleaning the tops of baseboards).
- long extension cord.

CONS
- awkward to put on & wear. Of course, putting it on only takes a few seconds, but you still have to deal with backpack straps and a tight waist band while you're moving around.
- weight: 10 lbs doesn't seem like a lot, but it was too unwieldy for my wife and kids to use for more than a few minutes.
- heat: I tried it out in the winter and it got fairly hot. I think it would be pretty uncomfortable during hot summers.
- emptying: this model can be used with a reusable bag for bag-less operation. However, emptying the bag is a fairly unpleasant experience. I'm a long time user of Dyson vacuums and find them very easy to empty because there's no filter/bag involved. With the Hoover, dust & dirt inevitably builds up in the reusable back so to really empty it (to maintain optimum suction), you have to really shake the cloth bag and dust flies EVERYWHERE (and you end up breathing a lot). You CAN use it with disposable bags, but I decided years ago that I didn't want to pay for disposable bags (which, for this model, run about $1 per bag).

So in the end, I decided that a backpack vacuum was not for me. Perhaps if I were cleaning an office building, I would feel differently. But for a residential house -- no.

Note: there are actually two Hoover backpack models:
- C2401-010 (this model) is designed more for residential use. It includes a 1.25" hose and straight wand that fits "regular" vacuum attachments (I was able to use my Dyson attachments).
- C2401 (also available on Amazon) is designed more for commercial use. It includes a larger 1.5" hose and curved wand that doesn't work with other residential vacuum attachments. The wand & attachments are more suitable for a commercial environment.

If you have largely hard wood floors with the occasional area rug, just buy it. Don't think about it. Just buy it.
I run a cleaning business in Oregon where absolutely everyone has hardwood floors and area rugs. This thing is a breeze and makes short work of large areas. I use to have some complaints about it, but have gotten over them by making a few changes in the way I use it. Once you are nice to your vacuum, it will be nice to you.

Here is a list of why this is the greatest vacuum you will ever own and why you will want to buy it for all your friends and family:

1) small and light weight. At Green Clean Queen (my cleaning business) we are all pretty petite women. As long as you aren't stupid, wear at least the waist strap (those with large busts find the chest strap just makes things uncomfortable, but it's not that necessary anyway), and stand up straight, it will not hurt your back. Really. "W.O.W." It's on the side of the vacuum 'Wear right. Operate right. Work right."
It does have a tendency to undress you. So watch out for that. The waist strap likes to pull your shirt up and the back of the vacuum likes to push your pants down. Either deal with your crack showing a bit or wear a longer shirt and a belt, or vacuum when no one is there to watch you. Problem solved.

2) the metal wand. I accidentally bought the C2401 (NOT C2401-010) and was DEVASTATED that they were not the same thing. The metal wand on this version (C2401-010) is straight. We use this to our advantage in my company by sticking the mop in the vacuum wand so we only have to carry one thing instead of awkwardly carrying two.
Over time the friction fit has let me down, but I have learned to deal with it. The floor attachment is permanently stuck to the metal wand. That's fine by me because then it never falls off. The connection point between the two sections of the wand has become super weak and doesn't like to stay together. Not to worry, a bit of velcro and some zip ties has created a quick release strap to hold the two pieces together. Now they stay together when you want them to (vacuuming and carrying it around with a mop inside) and they easily come apart when you want to use one of the smaller attachments for upholstery, blinds, anything that is just out of your reach. It's alright on cobwebs, but if you have even a moderate cobweb problem, vacuuming them will just kill your neck, back, and hand (it's not the right angle for comfortably reaching up... perfect for down though).
I find it annoying that the attachments don't easily stick to the vacuum in anyway. Easily remedied with a plastic baggie and a binder clip... Put the attachments in the baggie and clip the bugger to the belt. Problem solved.

3) the floor attachment. I hate, hate, hate brush floor attachments. To me they are useless. They gather dust bunnies and move them around your house and they make it difficult to suck up larger things like marbles, spare change, legos, crayons, etc... The floor attachment on the C2401-010 is seriously the best option for about 75% of possible floor types. It makes a horrible irritating noise across slate and tile, but it really sucks (in the best way). It is fantastic for wood floors and laminate and maneuvers easily to get around under things without having to move heavy furniture. The trick is to get closer to the ground (so squat, but keep your back straight), twist the handle and wand so it is parallel to the floor. If you don't do this, the back wheels will be like a lever and pull the business end off the floor so it doesn't get it all. And because it doesn't have brushes on it, but instead parallel, collapsible squeegee-like stuff you can easily move from hardwoods, to under the edges of rugs, to the tops of area rugs. It does not have a beater bar so if there is a lot of weird stuff in the carpet you have to be the beater bar and quickly run it back and forth bringing the stuff to the top to be sucked up easily. It does get tiring after a while and does require both hands, but it is infinitely easier than hauling out the upright to do an 8x10 ft area.
I also love the floor attachment because it actually picks stuff up. Not just dirt and dust bunnies, but quarters and crayons and kitty litter. It only pushes around large stuff that is just a little bit too tall for it. BUT! Those are also the things on the floor that are easy to see so you just have to lift and place the vacuum to suck it up. The only thing that is has a problem with are garment tags. They seem to be everywhere and I always hope that the vacuum will get it because I don't want to bend down to pick it up. They will ALWAYS get stuck until you can suck up something big enough to dislodge it or shove your finger up there to try to fish it out because the high pitched squeal is starting to annoy you. The wand occasionally clogs if you suck up enough long rigid things like toothpicks and qtips, but it's easy enough to take apart and fix.
It does not do well with high-pile or shag carpet. If you house is mostly tall carpet, this probably isn't for you. Though it does make cleaning corners, edges, upholstery, blinds, curtains, etc into really easy work.

4) HEPA filter. Enough said. The last thing you want is to spew what you just vacuumed up back into the air to settle later. No bueno.

5) volume. It's actually pretty quiet. Maintain it, and it will not make that horrible loudness of a dying vacuum engine.

6) clear dome lid. You can see all the nastiness that you are picking up! It's gross yet satisfying. It really sucks to empty the cloth dust bag, but if you empty it into an empty, kitchen sized garbage bag OUTSIDE and DOWNWIND. You'll get use to it. Because I use this vacuum literally every single day I have to empty it a lot so I don't want to get paper bags because of cost and waste. It helps to beat the cloth bag against something like a fence or tree to get the dust out. Be mindful of the wind direction!

7) it comes with a ridiculously long cord that you can replace if necessary. When you get your vacuum, do yourself a favor and throw away that white rubber thing that holds the cord to the vacuum. Just cut it off and throw it away. Either tie a knot, or buy a $1 "S" connector at the hardware store. With the cord being so long you can get a lot done without having to unplug and replug in every room. You also have about 50' of heavy duty extension cord to get stuck under doors and around chairs and pulling itself away from the vacuum. That's annoying when it happens. So tie a knot, get use to either getting stuck and having to backtrack, or get really good at carrying the cord with you. (We work in teams so whoever is mopping after the vaccumer has to mind the cord.) Also, by throwing away the white attachment thingy you save yourself the hassle of trying to awkwardly recoil the cord so it doesn't get all knotted. We just unplug it from the vacuum, unplug it from the wall, and coil it around something (arm or plastic coily thing). It will work it's own knots out then.
Also because we have to carry a vacuum, floor attachments and mop, and buckets of cleaning supplies to and from the car all day, we invested in reusable velcro ziptip-esque things. Then we coil the flexible hose around the back and velcro the bend handle and the cord all to the top handle on the vacuum. You can also hook bags of rags and the like over the hooks on the top if you wanted.

8) TWO YEAR COMMERCIAL WARRANTY! TWO YEARS! Every other commercial vacuum only has a 1 year warranty. Not that I've ever had any problems with mine and I've been using it pretty much daily for the last 7 months.

I'm sure I could come up with more reasons why this is the greatest vacuum ever, but I feel I've written enough. I have shared my tips and tricks and feel I have made enough of a case as to why everyone in the world should buy this vacuum (NOT the C2401 or any other vacuum, but the C2401-010). I think I'm going to buy them in bulk to give as wedding presents.

I have a cleaning company (residential) and I use these in all the houses and apartments. It doesnt have a beater bar so it doesnt tear up carpets and floors. It gets in around chairs, sofas, tables, toilets, UP on ceilings, ACROSS walls, UP stairs with no hassle. I also have scoliosis so I orginally bought these for the back issue. I also use this in my own house. I have NO issues with this machine. The first one I bought 5 years ago, not off amazon but same make and I've not had to take it in once. Remember, this goes to 2 houses a day, five or six days a week, for 5 years. Amazon has it for half of what I paid for my original! YAY 2 thumbs up..5 stars all the way (think of the dream it is to use on stairs!)

I bought this vacuum cleaner for my wife's dance center. She has three dance studios, a pilates studio, an office area, and a waiting area. Approximately 4000 sq ft of floor. I needed a tool that I could use on stairs and clean about 900 sq ft in under 5 minutes (between classes).

This vacuum is perfect for what we need. The main debris is hair and dust bunnies. The suction is adequate for our requirements. The floor attachment allows us to vacuum over stuff (mats, CD cases, etc) that we don't want sucked into the cleaner.

I haven't used them, but I think I would recommend that you order the paper filter liners from Hoover. The only drawback is that the floor tool is only about 12" wide. I wish it were 18"-24".

Works just like everyone says it does. I like the backpack because now i only have to manage the cord when I'm using it. Great for dusting and cleaning areas like stairs or shelves. No more dragging the canister or upright around.

This is the vacuum cleaner you will need if you have hardwood flooring. It is the best way for it. No scratches !!! We can only recommend this unit.

We have a 2-story house with both terrazzo and quarry tile floors and a spiral staircase connecting the 2 levels. It was really tiresome banging around with a canister vac and lugging it up and down those d**n stairs, so when I saw a janitor with a backpack vac, a light went on! I did tons of research and this vacuum is so well-priced compared to some, it has simple attachments and a very long cord, reaches up to our 11-foot ceilings and you can use disposable bags if you wish. I can get around the entire floor without unplugging and can even vacuum those stairs easily. It's not the sleekest looking machine and it makes my husband laugh when I put it on but that's OK because it works like a charm and I don't bang into the furniture any more.

The vacuum is used by an assortment of people. Everyone who uses the unit appreciates the light wieght and ease of use. It does a good job and is easy to empty. It came with an extension cord that was not pictured but listed in the accessories section. Excellent value.

I've been fighting a losing battle with my 5 and 7 year old and their very hairy dog for 2 years... We have wood floors throughout our entire house and we heat all winter with a wood burning stove. My house was dusty, dirty & dog-hairy no matter how often I dusted and swept. I finally bought this out of desperation & it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. My house is clean all the time now. The suction power is amazing - I accidentally sucked up a pencil (successfully I might add). The attachments clean everything in the house - sofas, ceiling cobwebs, etc. The lead is SO LONG that I can plug it into my hallway and clean all 2700 square feet in one go in 20 minutes. It is definitely commercial grade, so don't expect any fancy booklet with cute photos, you won't need it anyway. Just take it out the box and plug it in. The disposable paper cleaning bags work really well if you don't want to clean out the reusable bag each time. If you are like me and you've wanted a "fix" for a while but you've been disappointed by other 'gadgets', then I'd go for this ... THIS THING ROCKS.