Customer Reviews

Hoover Elite Cyclonic Canister Vacuum with Power Nozzle, Bagless, S3825

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Our Hoover wind tunnel vacuum was beginning to show some wear after 6 years (power cord insulation broken) so we decided to spend a little more money and buy a Dyson DC14. As soon as it was out of the box and turned on it made a horrible grinding racket so it went right back in the box and back to the store. I was gun shy about buying another vacuum and spent a lot more time trying them out. Having owned several Hoover vacuums including a carpet cleaner that I love, I began to think I shouldn't stray from a reliable brand but I was still open-minded as I shopped and used several different brands and models at the store. I found the Hoover Elite Cyclonic to be the best that I tried. It is very simple to operate, with common sense, intuitive hookups between the canister and hose and the hose and wand. The adjustable wand is heavy duty metal and clicks quickly and easily in and out of the power nozzle. The power nozzle itself has a light and a powered, spinning brush that I like. The cyclone canister holds plenty of dust and lint and is easy to empty. I was leery about buying a canister since I have always found uprights easy to move around but I have absolutely no trouble handling the Elite Cyclonic. The adjustable handle is a plus since I am tall and my wife is shorter, and we can both vacuum comfortably. An absolute plus given my worn electrical cord problem is the automatic cord reel, which winds the cord into the canister body at the touch of a spring-loaded button. The vacuum is powerful and pulled dust, lint, and hair out of the carpet as well as the Dyson I used, but with none of the noise and flimsyness that I experienced with that brand.
The ONLY minor complaint I have about this vacuum concerns the fact that since it is bagless, there is a slight dusty mess when emptying the canister container into the wastebasket. I believe this to be true with any of the bagless vacuums currently on the market, and it empties quite like the Dyson that I tried. This messy disposal is certainly offset by the convenience and cost savings of not having to buy replacement bags. I highly recommend this vacuum cleaner!

My previous vacuum was one of the upright yellow Dyson vacuums, so I'm comparing the Hoover bagless Cyclonic to the Dyson since many people may be wondering if they should go with an upright or a canister, or whether they should buy the high-tech Dyson or a tried-and-true Hoover. (I went through the same process.)

On the plus side, it is more maneuverable than the Dyson upright. By virtue of being a canister, it reaches under furniture better than any upright. The hose is longer than the Dyson's. (I was always dragging the Dyson around to reach the corners when I had to use the hose + attachment-- a MAJOR pain.) It's easier to change attachments than a Dyson. The cord is retractable, and therefore easier to organize than the Dyson. It cleans staircases easier than an upright. It's bagless like the Dyson, and is as easy to empty. It seems to pick up much more fuzz on carpets than the Dyson did-- I was astounded at how much fuzz came up the first time I used it, and I had used the Dyson for months before. Also, the Dyson did not do a great job on wood floors-- I always ended up using the little round brush attachment; the Hoover Cyclonic Bagless does an excellent job on wood floors when you use the wide brush attachment (not the carpet-cleaner w/spinners).

On the down side, it is noisier than the Dyson. It has a high whine that I find annoying enough to wear earplugs when I vacuum. I'm pretty sensitive to noise though and even wear earplugs when I blow-dry my hair, so the proverbial grain of salt might be appropriate. And per the mfr, the HEPA filter is not lifetime like the Dyson, but I've only owned it for less than 4 months, and so far, so good.

I am very happy with the Hoover. I paid about $199 at Sears (on sale), and would definitely say it does a better job than the $400 upright yellow Dyson that I used to own. Don't waste your money on the Dyson-- buy the Hoover Cyclonic. It simply does everything better at half the price.

i don't usually like rating products so soon after purchase, but more reviews are needed on this product.

so far this unit works great. it's nice knowing how much dust this unit picks up because when you empty it you can see it. the power nozzle works great it seems to get deep into the carpet and makes it feel more plush after vacuuming. mine came with an attachment for hard surfaces and it also works quite well although it's very basic.

my wife says it's fun to use and much quieter than our old vac. she likes the long cord that retracts and she says it's easy to vacuum under beds and furniture compared to a non canister type vac.

as long as the unit holds up i would definitely recommend this vacuum.

UPDATE: After a year and a half of light use I would no longer reccommend this vac. Every time we use it now it gets really hot and the cord retracts on its own after about 2 minutes of use. I maintain this as per instructions and I expected to get at least 5 years out of a vacuum. I guess they just don't make em like they used to.

When this vacuum works as it should, it's great. However, it has serious design flaws that make it not work well or not work at all. There is a severe bend in the suction path at the handle and a connection assembly inside the handle that severely restricts the suction path. This results in clogs at the handle that are difficult to clear and cause a complete lack of suction. I've also had to clear clogs in the middle of the hose. One reviewer said that there is no suction and no clog. I suspect that there is a clog but it's not easy to find clogs in this handle/hose configuration.

A second design flaw is in the power brush head. The belt is stretched over a spindle that makes the brush turn. There is nothing that holds the belt on other than friction and it slips off easily if anything stops the brush from spinning. This may be intended to prevent the belt from breaking and it seems to fulfill this purpose. However, to get to the belt to put it back on requires removing and replacing seven screws some of which aren't easy to get to. Since the belt comes off fairly easily, it's a major inconvenience to have to disassemble the head this way. A final problem is that the retracting cord mechanism is now stuck in "retract mode"

Everything was going great with this vacuum. I loved the suction, loved the bagless feature, loved how it looked. This morning I was vacuuming my dining room rug when all of a sudden I looked down and noticed that the cyclonic thing that's usually spinning around was not. Next, the rotating brush/carpet attachment wouldn't turn on anymore. I tried and tried to get these things working again to no avail! Great at first but now I have to go all the way back to where I bought it to return it AND find a new vacuum. No fun!

Loved the compact little vacuum cleaner, but soon found out that the engineers must have made a mistake in the design. The hose continuous to clog up and it is impossible to clear. We have now assembled sticks, hangers and other tools to continue clearing it after every second usage. Sorry to say I wish I had a different vacuum.

have had this vacuum for about a month and it has performed well so far. there was a glitch at first. the motorized brush device was not working and upon inspection the belt that drives the brush was not in place. I put it in place and now works properly. I like the smaller size of the canister as well as the handle position for picking it up. it's helpful that the motorized brush can go under the bed for cleaning there. could not do that with an upright. I like the bag-less feature and that you can see into the canister how much dirt and such is there and determine whether to empty it or not. no guessing involved. in all I am please with this item. if it lasts I will be very pleased.

this is not the most amazing vacuum ever invented. but it is small, a blessing in a tiny apartment, and it gets the job done. we have had ours for 2 years and use it almost daily and have not had any problems other than me accidentally dumping the cannister on the floor... easily solved by vacuuming it up again.

This is my first canister vac and I am VERY happy with it. After a lot of looking around and researching the various features of canister vacs, I found that this is the one that had all of the features I was looking for. It has a very long retractable cord so I can vacuum multiple rooms without re-plugging, it has a variable suction feature so lightweight rugs and drapes don't get sucked up into it, you can turn the beater bar on and off with a button right on the wand handle, it is bagless so I no longer have to buy bags and it is easy to empty, the wand is expandable so you can adjust it to a comfortable place for your height, and reach high places such as corners and drapes, the beater bar attachment is very easy to put on and take off if you need to use a different attachment. It works better on my carpets than my old upright, and way better on the hardwood than the Swiffer. The only thing I wish were different is that the handle on the wand could use a little rubber grip or something to make it more comfortable in your hand, but that is very minor. I definitely recommend this vacuum.

Bought this vacuum cleaner to replace Dyson DC07(upright). Suction is way below average especially on bare floors (when the power head is turned off). Had to do a minor repair to the power head already. When I was vacuuming a rug, the power head caught some edge ornament (loose short ropes) and the brush stopped rotating. Had to open the power head and reinstall the rubber belt that came off. Also the wand is attached to the power head through a plastic tubular connector that is probably not going to last (this is the place where my previous Fanton Lightning canister vacuum broke).
Disappointed due to low suction.