Customer Reviews

Hoover Remanufactured Empower Upright Vacuum, Bagless, Color May Vary, U5200-9RM

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First, this is a much better vacuum than a Eureka that I'd paid more than twice as much for five years ago, and finally gave away because it was so loud that it hurt my ears. The Hoover has very good suction, easy carpet adjustment, and is quite light and easy to maneuver.

The good news:
--very good power
--easy to clean filters
--clever rotary-brush gizmo that attaches to the auxiliary hose and is self-powered by the flow of vacuum air (similar principle to a turbo on a car) and is very handy for cleaning carpet on stairs
--reasonably quiet, includes soft brush and crevice tool

The bad news:
--mine came with the hose clip broken, and I couldn't be bothered to return it.
--too many switches, including "hush" setting (very little difference) and "power boost" (ditto)
--for some ergonomic reason that I haven't fully analyzed, it's very easy to spill the dust bucket when you're removing it, but then you get the hang of it.
--if you ever have to replace the belt, you have to remove about eight screws and then make sure various little plastic pieces line up when you put it back together, or you have to take it apart again to do it right (not that such a thing would ever happen to me, of course)
--most seriously, the auxiliary hose and wand extension is WAY too short for cleaning the typical eight-foot ceiling. I can reach (barely) because I'm 6'2", but the proverbial "average" person might have trouble. I'm sure you could buy an extension wand, but it would probably cost more than the vacuum.

However, if all you want is a competent vacuum at a cheap price, this is a pretty good unit.

This is a wonderful vacuum. I hadn't vacuumed in months because of my dead stick-vac, and this wonderful machine destroyed all dust particles that have ever existed in the universe! Seriously, it's a great vacuum. A few days after it removed months of accumulated dust and hair and whatnot, a mirror I had bought fell and shattered into a billion little pieces all over my carpet. Thank goodness I had this new vacuum. The glass was gone instantly.

Silent mode is also genius, especially if you live in an apartment building where sound travels easily or y'know, don't want your eardrums to explode every time you need to vacuum. Cleaning it is quite easy, too, for a filter/bagless vacuum. They will always be a pain, no matter how they try and say it's as easy as dumping out the collected dirt from the container. But, because of the double filtration system, it's not as bad as it could be. I'd say the only major draw back to this vacuum is that, if I'm not careful, it will eat my curtains and various power cords that I have strewn about the floor. It's so powerful...almost too powerful.......

The vacuum itself is actually very good. It sucked so many things out of my carpet, it made me ashamed (and annoyed) of my previous equipment. The hush mode is a nice addition, and does work as long as you move the 'power mode' out of the lock position. It is actually pretty quiet, but I think it reduces the power too, since if you the power boost it sounds almost like in normal mode. However, I cleaned in 'hush' mode and it worked wonderfully. I ended up with the yellow version of the cleaner.

The thing that did not impress me is that while many of the pieces look brand new, the actual base of the vacuum is obviously old and used and the silver plastic is 'yellowed' like it was left out in the sun or something. I guess it was good I got the yellow model, so it kind of matches. There are even squares in the yellowed area where I guess stickers were removed after the damage that shows the original silver color underneath. It is a shame, since otherwise it was in great condition. The filter, brushes, etc. looked brand new.

However, these are ultimately just cosmetic things, and the machine itself seems to work well. For the price, it is still worth it, but I just wish the base was not so ugly since that is something you cannot change. The other thing that annoyed me is that it is listed as "Re-manufactured" instead of "Re-conditioned", which I believe mine was. After researching the differences between the two terms, I found the following:

"Remanufactured equipment is virtually indistinguishable from new products in appearance, quality, and reliability. Reconditioned equipment provides a similar set of equipment deliverables without undergoing the full replacement remanufacturing process and may show wear".

I find this product being listed as re-manufactured as misleading, so if you buy this, just be prepared for possible discoloration or noticeable wear.

I love this vacuum. It is a lot quieter than my Windtunnel, lighter weight and does a fabulous job. A real buy!

Its funny that everyone gave this a good review. Now mine is a 2009, don't know if there is much difference. Basically, the only good thing about this is that its good on the carpet but not doghair. It won't pick up doghhair even if I put it into the bottom of the machine. I hate this thing. I am wondering if the type of dog fir has anything to do with it doing a good job. My dogs hair is like cotton. Also, on hardwood it spits it all around. Don't know what to buy. Consumer report gave this a good rating.

The vaccum cleaner is OK for carpets but it really sucks on floors. If used on floors it will blow all the dust onto your feet if you are standing behind it!

I bought this vacuum about a year ago when my 10 year old Dirt Devil just got too old. I read the reviews on amazon before making my selection. This was a very cheap vacuum. Here is what is wrong with it: it is quite heavy, it does not get very close to edges, the cup is very difficult to empty and you have to dig things out with your hands due to the deep,shallow cup, and the parts are easily broken. Within one year both clips that hold the tools had fallen off and now I ran over a sock and it stopped working altogether. I replaced it today with a Bissel that was $89. I just ran it and now I realize that the Hoover was not doing a good job at all. I would suggust looking online at reviews because you can find a much better vacuum for the price.

Ours only lasted 5 months. The plastic cheap attachment holder broke after 3 months. It now spits the dirt back at your ankles. The suction is horrible! Save your money! Just bought a Dyson and I love it!

My unit (was New) is about 4 years old. I have a spare filter. Filters are easy to clean with the kitchen sink hose sprayer and hot water, and it will dry in about 8-12 hours. You will need a spare.

Plus ---GREAT Suction. GREAT.
---No defects or problems with the unit which has had heavy use.

Negative----
1-LOUD , even on Hush mode. Very Loud.
2-I can't get under the bed with this vacuum like I could with my old Hoover because when folded down it is still too high.
3-The hose, which is permanently attached, and the metal coils in the hose do not stretch very well at all. And, the solid extension pole is kind of insufficient, so hang on to your existing ones since they will usually work with any vacuum.

An excellent vacuum for the price. Worth more than I paid.

At first the vacuum spewed dust all over itself, but after checking the filters and such I noticed I failed to attach the hose. As it says in the manual in at least two places: HOSE MUST BE ATTACHED FOR FLOOR CLEANING. Duh.

After that it picked up an embarrassing amount of dust.

Everything works as advertised. Hush mode is a bit less whiny. Power boost boosts the power (just be sure the switch on the handle is in neutral, not in locked position if you are not using power boost.)

Love the flip up handle. Height selector is a simple twist knob on top of vacuum base. Convenient carry handle on front and one lower down to hold the vacuum while cleaning stairs. Bright headlight on the front.

I had no problems removing the dirt cup, except when I tried to put the HEPA filter back in the wrong way. There is a hole in the back of the cup where the air and dust flows in, so be sure to tilt it forward when dumping.

My only complaint is with the awkward position of power switch (on front at base of handle.) It takes me a few seconds to remember where it is at and how to switch it off since it has three settings (up = on, center = off, and down = hush.) I'll get used to it.

Overall an excellent vacuum. A great price. The only reason I gave it four stars is because I'm hard to please. If the vacuum filtered out gold dust and deposited in a side container, I might give it five stars.