Customer Reviews

Hoover S3607 Powermax Deluxe Canister Vacuum Cleaner

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

 

 

At the time I purchased this vacuum, I was desperate for a decent vacuum cleaner, but had very limited funds. So I figure this price was lower than the others that I saw, so as long as it vacuumed, would it make much of a difference which one I got? Well, YES! It does matter! It does have it's good points and bad. The overall design was fine, it had all four of the usual essential tools, it was lightweight, sturdy, moves fairly easily, and the cord rewind was essential for me. But it just doesn't vacuum very well. The suction of the vacuum wasn't strong at all and all the hair on the carpet clogs up the roller brush and I have to pick it clean after each vacuum session. I had a Hoover vacuum 10 years ago and it was great and never had these kinds of problems, but then again it was a higher end model. It would have been nice if it had the on/off switch on the handle instead of on the canister. Also, I realized that the power/roller brush goes down too low and beats up my carpet. I can't vacuum on bare floors with the power head on. It just scatters whatever you want to vacuum all over the place. Hoover does make a higher model that does have an adjustable height carpet powerhead and the on/off switch on the handle(for a much higher cost, of course). I never realized how much I would need these things. I guess you get what you pay for. I have nothing against Hoover, every product I have used of theirs, other than this one, has been great. But I do wish I had gotten a better model, the S3607 leaves a lot to be desired. I've gone back to my old Hello Kitty vacuum until I can buy a better vacuum.

I own model S3609, which is a model above this one...I paid $299.99 plus tax for it. This is a good value .., considering the 2 features mine has over this model. My model has the on/off switch to shut the brush off when doing hard floor surfaces as well as a variable speed control on the canister to adjust the level of power, mind you, they are conveniences, but this is a good value ... Most of the time I dont even use these features, I usually detach the power head and use the wall/floor brush for hard surfaces. I love this machine. I have had for about 6 years now. The one thing you will find on the Hoover Vacuums is the brush design, it is like no other manufacturer, the brush is designed so well. If you look on any other manufacturer, the brush assembly is so inadequate, usually a cylinder of wood with a few bristles..On the Hoover models, there are full sets of brushes on the whole beater bar/roll. This is what makes the vacuum so efficient and thorough. As far as maintenance, I have done nothing but replace the filter bag as anyone would and a belt now and again for normal maintenance. This machine works very well on all surfaces. I love the convenience of all 4 attachments on the canister which are covered, you will never lose attachments again. There is a 25ft cord which rewinds back into the machine and controlled by a foot pedal, and you don't need much room for storage, as the wand/power nozzle assembly can be hooked on the canister unit and stored as one unit...I love it...Hoover is so smart. I would highly recommend this product to anyone. I own other Hoover products and would never consider any other brand of floor care products. Thank you for reading this...You will never go wrong with a Hoover...

I have two Powermax canisters one is S3603-040, this is now discontinued, and the other is the Powermax Runabout S3614. I love them both. The S3603-040 is currently discontinued. The Runabout closer relates to the S3607 because they both have the same 9.3 amp motor. The main difference is that the runabout has an on/off switch for the power nozzle (agitator) on the handle this is very convenient for cleaning floors or just moving a quick piece of furniture and not bending to turn off the whole machine. The power nozzle is very low profile and easy glides around furniture, under beds and bureas. Canisters are very convenient and are easier to manuever and push for those who have a hard time lifting and pushing. It is very quiet and since it is a canister all dirt goes straight to the bag before going through the fan like most bagged uprights. I have used Eurekas, Panasonics- they are the worst, kenmore, dirt devil and other hoover models the Powermax is by far the best. We liked our other powermax S3603 so much we got the runabout S3614 to replace another vacuum. We have one on each floor incase your wondering. We also have the hoover turbopower 5000 canister S3577 canister but both powermax's clean better. We have two dogs yellow labs that shed and a three kids. This vacuum is both energy efficient and powerful. 12 amp eureka, and kenmore canisters will not beat hoover canisters- trust me I have compared Eureka smartvac and world vac models to the hoovers. The models have excellent filtration and 4 convenient attachments. Hoover is renowned for its upholstery nozzle it has rubber fingers instead of bristles which cause static and really cleaning thoroughly. I have had the runabout for 1 year and the other for 5 both work wonderfully they even beat the hoover windtunnel unless the one I had was a lemon but it did not clean dog hair well. Besure to buy the Powermax Deluxe and not Supreme these are two different models, you can tell by reading features and looking at the powernozzles.

My Hoover upright lasted almost 30 years before the motor wore out, but my wife is an ardent fan of canister vacuum cleaners, so I bought her her first Hoover canister shortly after we were married 10 years ago.In all honesty I don't know why she likes them so much. The machine is made of flimsy plastic in the places where metal (or at least a firmer plastic) should have been used - like the little nipples on the attachments: they're always breaking off. They don't last very long either. I've bought her replacement Hoovers on an average of every 2 years or so. We've never had one last as long as 3 years. The bag lid on our latest (a model S3606) just split apart, and this one's only 13 months old!

I have had the Hoover Powermax Deluxe Canister vacuum S3607 since October 30, 2002. This vacuum is wonderful. I am a college student and bought this for my fraternity house after past experience of similar models that I use at my parents house. They are Hoover TurboPower 5000- S3577, Hoover Powermax S3603-040, and Hoover Powermax Runabout S3614. This vacuum is extremely easy to use, quiet, has good filtration, made well, and most importantly the cleaning power is superb!! I buy vacuums according to cleaning performance then I look for features- this vacuum is the best I've used and seen. I have used many different vacuum models over the years from different brands. I have used commercial vacuums from different work places in restaurants and have had a house cleaning job that I do on the side. The machine is very lightweight, has a low profile power nozzle that fits under beds, bureaus, desks, chairs and most any furniture with a 3 inch clearance. The double brush agitator is very powerful; it does an excellent job of grabbing deep down dirt for the suction to grab, grabbing pet hair and leaves carpets very well groomed.
I love the attachments- it is better to use the wall/floor brush on large areas of flooring rather than the carpet head due to the special design made for floors. If you decide to use the carpet head on floors you should unplug it from the hose so it is only suction on the floors and not a rotating brush. With any vacuum I found it is better to use straight suction on a floor and not a rotating brush. The agitators are made strictly for deep down cleaning of carpets not on hardwood or tile floors. The upholstery nozzle is phenomenal, the rubber fingers cause static on the rug causing deep down dirt to pull up better and grabs hair faster. It is very rare to see this technology on other vacuums most manufacturers use plastic or bristles on upholstery attachments.
I have noticed in other reviews of this product that people have had problems with cracked bag compartment doors. I have not had this problem with any of the four machines of this type that I have used. My recommendation is make sure the bag is installed CORRECTLY. Hoover makes many of the parts for this machine with a break-away feature- if the part is pushed back too far, it will come off. You have to make sure that you realign the hinges on both sides and push it back it in, you will hear it click into place. The bag slides into a bag holder make sure that is correctly notched into place, the bag collar is pushed forward all of the way onto the holder and all parts of the bag are below the seal where the door will shut. Also there is no need to firmly open, push, or slam any parts back into place. All of the locks open easilly and shut easilly, no hard touch is needed. I have used other vacuums that need parts practically slammed into place; not the case on the Hoover Powermax Deluxe.
I bought this vacuum as an addition to my roommates Hoover Caddyvac upright. Although the Caddyvac did a decent job, my dust allergies were still bad and needed a more powerful vacuum, that could also get into more places. The S3607 accomplished and surpassed my expectations for these tasks, and whenever my allergies perk up, I run my Powermax and it is a life saver. Also for time, it takes me 5 seconds or less to switch from vacuuming my rugs to having a dust brush on for dusting the back of my TV (an example)
2 comlaints:
1. The wheels on the machine are cheaply designed and made- the rear canister wheels have very little traction on hard surfaces, they tend to skid rather than roll because there is no rubber coating on them. The rear powernozzle wheels have axles that over time may get warped, the wheel(s) may have to pushed back on the axle.
2. The bag check indicator due to Hoover's strong suction is not very reliable- some work some do not. It is better to just open the door every so often and check the bag yourself. If it feels 2/3 full or you have vacuumed up very fine material like powder or fine dust the bag should be replaced to maintain full power.

Vacuum tip:
To maintain cleaning power of any vacuum it should be checked periodically. The agitator should be free of all strings, carpet threads, hair or anything else that may tangle around it. Bag should be checked every few uses, although the bag holds 5 quarts the power of this machine picks up a lot of dirt very quickly, this thing finds dirt that other vacuums I have used do not. The belt and power head should be checked atleast once a year, even if belt is not broken, it may be stretched, also dirt may get trapped in different areas, that should be cleaned out. Both filters should be washed or replaced every few months-dependant on usage. They are about $1.00 for the post motor filter and $.25 for the micro filter and are available from an authorized Hoover service shop.
Good luck with your Hoover Powermax I have no doubt you will love yours as much as I love my 4. Our oldest Powermax was bought on September 26, 1997, not one has had to go to the shop yet. I recommend it to anyone. I have mainly rugs and rarely use it on hard floors because I love to use a canister compared to an upright anyday.

This vacuum has excellent suction and seems to have decent filtration, but somebody at Hoover needs to sweat a few details. Ergonomics on this machine are absolutely dreadful; the ease-of-use factor is extraordinarily poor. Here's why:

The canister has two buttons on top of it; one is the on/off switch, and the other is for the cord rewind. Both are black plastic, with moulded-in markings that are absolutely unreadable. The result is that one is forever pressing the wrong button, retracting the cord when one wants to turn the machine off.

The attachment system is downright strange; all attachments insert INTO the wands instead of slipping OVER them, as is the case with every other vacuum I've ever owned or used. One must operate a lock button every time a tool is put on or taken off. The lock system holds the tool in one fixed, unchangeable position; there is no possibility whatever of swivelling a tool to get to a hard-to-reach area. The tools themselves have no swivelling capability, either, with the exception of the seldom-used hard floor brush. The angle provided for the dusting brush and upholstery tool by Hoover's design is the only one available; Hoover does not even sell upgrade tools that can swivel.

The dusting brush is especially bad; the lack of swivelling capability means you can't choose a different tool angle to readily dust, say, the tops of books while they're still in the bookcase. You have to take out a few books, dust them, return them to the bookcase, then go to the next few books. Sorry, Hoover, June Cleaver doesn't live at my house! Also, the brush's bristles are stiff plastic, not horsehair, and tend to leave fine scratches in varnished surfaces if you aren't careful. There is not a horsehair brush available as an upgrade, either.

The upholstery brush has little rubber 'fingers' that will not glide readily across fabrics; I have to use the dusting brush on my nubby-weave upholstery.

The strangest part of this vac's design is the suction control- a little plastic slide, to allow suction to be adjusted so that you don't suck curtains, etc., into the attachment you're using. The control is on the wands, not the end of the hose, as it is on most vacuums. This means you MUST use a wand when you want light suction, making vacuuming lampshades, etc., a strange, arm's-length process.

Yes, this vacuum picks up dust. But the design is so quirky and non-intuitive that I would not buy another- unless Hoover completely redesigns its tool system, and marks those darn buttons clearly.

This vacuum is worthless. It has no power, gets clogged easily and is harder to manuever than advertised. I was very dissapointed with this purchase and do not recommend it.

This vaccuum cleaner is horrible. The hose pulls out of the canister, the cord will no longer retract (after just one year!) The suction is disappointing. I have to say I will never buy another Hoover.

Worked fine for 1 year. Now it won't power up. Checked hoses, bag, cord, not sure what else to do...

After a while it just doesn't work very well. It has no oomph despite changing the filter and bags. Don't buy it!!!!