Customer Reviews

Hoover F5520 SteamVac Duo Vacuum

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I never thought I would be excited enough about a steam cleaner to actually write a review. But I am, and here's why...

1. Design: The F5520 is uniquely packaged. The device is lighter than any of the other full sized vaccuums that I tested. Equally important is the colapsing arm which allows it to be stored in a small space.

2. Effectiveness: The machine features two resivours, one for solution and the other for waste water. You fill it up with hot water and detergent and get to work. There is a trigger on the handle, spray the spot and slowly roll back and forth over the carpet. The hoover blows hot air down and agitates the carpet with brushes. It really works well.

3. Fairly Quite: The Hoover is actually quieter than our vac.

4. Easy Attachments: The Hoover comes with two attachments for the wand. The hose is really easy to use and is smartly integrated into the machine (no folding or winding necessary). Because the machine is reasonably light you can actually use it on the stairs (with the wand).

5. Price: Most other comperably featured steam vac cost closer to 200 or more.

The only disadvantage that the cleaning path is 9" wide compared to 12" for most other vacs. But I really don't think that this had a measurable negative effect on our experience.

Bottome line: Stop comparison shopping and buy this vac, it is a great product.

Greg

So far, I am extremely happy with my SteamVac Duo. I cleaned two rooms, following the directions closely, and not only did the stains come out, but the heat from the SteamVac dried the carpet quickly.

Just remember to snap the two tanks (solution and receiving) into place---I first noticed this when I started my cleaning, I noticed there was no dirty water coming into the receiving tank.

I appreciate the telescope handle, making this SteamVac fold into a compact size, as I am a paraplegic (paralyzed from the waist down) and my coordination is not what it used to be.

I just used my SteamVac Duo for the first time, and I was very pleased with the results. After buying two hand-held spot cleaners and not being satisfied, we decided to bite the bullet and buy a steamer. The Duo is excellent for our fully carpeted apartment. We have two dogs and needed something for their spot creations. As gross as it might sound, being able to smell the nasty spots being infiltrated by the Duo's steam was quite rewarding in the war against doggy odors.

I had no problem with the telescoping handle being flimsy. I found it quite manageable and actually easier to handle than most vacuums. It seems almost made for a woman! The tanks were easily filled and emptied as well. No struggling with hard-to-release latches.

As far as the Duo goes, I am 100% satisfied with our purchase. No complaints in this spot-free household.

I just got my Duo in today and so far I can't say enough good about it! First of all, there is NOTHING to put together when you get it; the instructions/operation are super easy. I used it on a beige carpet with pet stains I have tried and tried to remove by hand and it worked great (I did have to do 2 passes to get the smell out, though). I'm 30 wks pregnant and it was so light and easy to move around, and I didn't have to do any bending. Next I tried it some unknown spots on my couch with also pretty good results. I love that I can use it easily for carpet or upholstery. I still have about a half tank of water/solution left and only used about 2oz of cleaner in it so it will go far. Well worth the money, in my book.

I purchased my Hoover Duo Portable Steam Cleaner today. First thing I did when I got home was too thoroughly vacuum my carpet and then I broke out the duo. First important thing to note is that there is nothing to put together! Instructions were very easy to follow and they solution they give you will go a long way.

I have two Shiba Inus and had previous tracked a lot of mud onto my carpets. We had a hard time house training our newest shiba. So since we have finally got there I figured it was time to clean our carpets really good.

I found it was very easy to use and worked very well. The Duo did a great job of picking up the set in puppy stains and the dirt that my little Bissell hand held spot cleaner couldn't get. The only true drawback was the somewhat flimsy feel to the telescoping handle. I was worried at first about the Duo's ability to handle a lot of use, but after I got though cleaning my 1000ish square feel of carpet in about 2.5 hours I totally forgot about that worry.

Great product I would highly recommend.

I got my Hoover F5520 SteamVac Duo about 6 months ago and have used it several times. Out of the package, I had it going in a few minutes with just a glance at the instruction sheet. The operation is very straightforward, and I haven't had any problems with either the clean water reservoir or the dirty water reservoir leaking or being difficult to handle. It also cleans really well - I did my entire dining room (the reason I bought the thing in the first place) the first day, and the difference in the carpet's appearance was striking. It works great on new spills, and I found the two cleaning solutions included to be very useful.

Overall, I only have 3 cautionary comments about the F5520: First, it has a very narrow face, only 8 or 9 inches wide. This means it takes a lot of passes to do a whole room, although it's okay on a small spill. Second, it is Really Loud, much louder than my regular vacuum; my ears ring after using it, so that means I don't use it as much as I might otherwise. Third, I find that when pushing it from place to place, my hand depresses the water squirter (on the underside of the handle), so that I have to go back and suck up all the water between the spots I was cleaning. This happens even with the vacuum unplugged.

In general, I would recommend the Hoover for an apartment or home where spills are small, and for occasionally doing one room at a time for overall wear. It's a good quality product for a great price, and very easy to use.

I previously wrote a glowing report on this machine, but now the honeymoon is over. I used the machine exactly twice, it is less than a year old and never tried the hand wand. Guess what it doesnt work at all and Im not the first person this happened to. the water goes from one tank to another and thats it. There are 6 other people on hsn (where they are selling the machine for 99.00) who experienced the same problem. AFter being mislead by hoover to a service center some 20 miles away (one way) that no longer exists, and driving another 20 miles in a different direction to a new service center, Im told that replacement is not an option and parts are not avail and will be weeks before unit is fixed. This is totally unacceptable. Im wondering if this is an inherent problem with this machine? Im totally dissappointed and inconvenienced and wouldnt buy it again. so there...8:(

Bought this item without doing any research & I was a lucky gal!

This machine is awesome. I pulled it out of the box, poured the cleaner and water in the tank, and started cleaning. In an hour's time I've steam cleaned approx. 900 sq. feet. The fold down feature and cool sleek design will make it easy to store. I can't wait to do the stairs, the car and the furniture. I know this machine can do it all, after the results I've seen on our two year old beige carpet. It looks brand new and with a 3 year old and many little house guests over the last two years coming and going, that is saying something! I think this product is the way to go!!!!!!!!!

Did a great job removing old stains from heavy traffic areas on carpet. Cleaned a medium living room and two small bedrooms in less that an hour. The solution and recovery tanks need filling and emptying very frequently because they are small. However I don't mind this so much because they are very quick and easy to remove and install. Also, in my case at least, the benefit of having a compact machine is easily worth the extra time needed to tend to the tanks.

I had mixed results with the hand tool. The powered hand tool seems to be powered by air flow that is created by the suction (or rather pressure differential - for all you scientists that don't believe in suction) in the hose and is therefore very weak when scrubbing almost anything. I had much better results with the old elbow grease by scrubbing my couch and padded chairs with a medium hand brush and then using the hand tool to extract any excess solution.

Overall, I am very happy with my Duo because it still does a great cleaning job on the floor carpeting and especially because I can store it away in almost any nich or corner that is available in my crowded apartment.

This was a good product at first but lasted little less then a month and then went into the garbage. I have had much better luck with it's replacement which is a Bissle product. I'd now give it no stars.