Customer Reviews

Hoover WindTunnel Canister Vacuum, Anniversary Edition, Bagged, S3670

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(46)

 

 

It's been a long road to get to this particular vacuum. About a year ago, I bought a used Filter Queen that was touted as the best canister on market. I hated it from the start, would just push objects across the carpet instead of picking them up. DREADED using it, it was so cumbersome and didnt have any modern features, such as auto cord rewind. So finally was able to sell that, even lost a few bucks on deal but just wanted it out of the house.

Then I bought what I thought I wanted, a Sears model. Have had a Sears Progressive before but the quick release feature broke on it (a piece of plastic inside tube, could not be fixed) and now it was quick releasing too quickly.....

So I thought that would be a good choice but once I got it home, it just seemed flimsy and cheap. Didn't even work so well. So back to the store it went. Seems Sears products are getting flimsier and are not the same quality as of just a few years ago.

Did a bunch of internet research and came upon this Hoover model. Was not even aware that other vacuums,other than Sears, had the quick release feature. This is my major requirement, and was pleased to find another option than Sears. All reviews I found spoke highly of this vacuum, so I ordered it sight unseen and it arrived yesterday.

Well I am most pleased!!! Just taking it out of the box the quality seemed superior to the Sears model I had just returned. Also very sharp looking, and it works great!! Super long cord, telescopic wand, really generous sized hardwood floor attachment and it also has this odd shaped onboard brush attachment , that I am in love with. It is the perfect shape to clean your baseboards and with your adjustable wand, there is no need for alot of uncomforable bending. Great for a tall gal! So I am now a very happy neat freak, finally have a vacuum I am happy with and look forward to using!!!

I purchased a Hoover carpet shampooer recently, and was very pleased with performance and quality, so naturally I looked at Hoover's line of vacuums. The price for the canister was a bit much, I thought---but I liked the idea of the freedom it offered, having had uprights for the last 10 years. My first impression was that the quality of the plastic wasn't there, so only 3 stars--for example, if you open the top to reveal the two small attachments (the other two: floor/brush and upholstery won't fit anywhere), the lid seems like it wouldn't take much pressure to accidently snap it off. Also, when it arrived, the plastic window covering wasn't attached--no problem, it snapped right in---but it left me with an unsettled feeling about my purchase. The good news is that it's pretty easy to roll, the handle is adjustable, and for the first time in ages I can actually vacuum under my bed :) I also like the way the canister secures the handle; it doesn't take much more room than the upright. The suction is good, as I haven't seen my carpet's nap in a while; it's around 5 years old. Overall, I think if it were priced a little less or the plastic was more durable, I'd feel better...but with both Hoover products, my carpet is looking more like its old 'new' self.

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From 3 Stars to 1: About 8 months to a year after the purchase, the retractable cord started to have issues, and there seemed to be a power-connection problem too. This year the handle (or wand), which was my favorite feature because it moves up and down has broken somewhere, and it won't hold a new position. Suction isn't good anymore, and the bag changing is frequent and messy. Finally, while initially I felt it gave me more freedom in ease of use, it actually is a royal pain to maneuver anywhere: frequently tips over, and pivotal hose difficult to pivot.

UPDATE Nov 2010: I purchased a Shark Navigator in October, with a Square Trade Warranty---and feel LOTS better about it. The Hoover is now my husband's choice for vacuuming out the cars.
(Knock yourself out dear :)

I was a fan of Hoover vacuums to begin with, but this one is the best I've ever used. I recently had all of my carpet replaced with Pergo laminate, and I am very concerned about keeping it clean without damaging it with the brush roll on a vacuum. I also have two cats, one of which is very long-haired.

The power on this vacuum is great. At full power, I don't even have to get near something for it to pick it up. The first day I got the vacuum, I picked a room with the least furniture in it and vacuumed it. I then went behind it with a Swiffer sweeper and checked the cloth. The cloth was almost completely clean, and the room had been very dirty and sandy from cat litter prior to that.

It is very easy to use. The video on the product page for this vacuum shows it well. Changing to one of the attachments is very easy, as is extending the handle/wand. For me, it is not simply a vacuum, but it is now my duster as well. There is no reason for me to ever use a duster that can re-spread the dust around again.

Also, I saw someone complain about the power head being too powerful and damaging a rug or coming off the floor. I did find that vacuuming a throw-rug on the floor at full power was not useful. However, turning the power down to the lowest setting and turning the brush roll on got all my rugs cleaner than my previous upright Hoover did.

I read a couple of reviews before buying this that talked about a few of the pieces being made of plastic, which concerned them. If I inspect the vacuum, I realized it has some (very thick) plastic parts. However, none of it seems the least bit flimsy or easily breakable to me.

I've only had this for a couple of weeks, but I will update this review if anything changes or I notice anything else.

I carefully selected the Hoover Windtunnel canister because I have bare floors and wanted the power head AND the floor brush. In my opinion, you need both for hard floors because the power head is too big to get into some of the small spaces.

The vacuum does a good job of vacuuming, but the hose is sooooo inflexible, that I am constantly fighting it to twist the tools into the small spaces. I have typically used the dusting brush for alot of dusting. The inflexibility of the hose along with the huge grip makes it hard to use it for dusting dressers, small objects, and base boards. In addition, the hose will fold, which stops the air flow.

Almost immediately after I got it a part fell off that protects the electrical connection on the handle. The part is now broken. Since that part is not there, the electrical connections keep working loose so the power head quits working. I think this could be a safety issue.

It is a product with great features, but some design problems that could have been discovered if they had done usability testing.

I dont recommend the Hoover Windtunnel.

This vacuum replaced our Kenmore canister vacuum. We have dogs and allergies and kids, all of which lead to the need for frequent vacuuming.

This model has a telescoping arm, a 3 filter system, and several hand tool pieces. The powered brush can be turned off with a switch on the handle. However, the vacuum has a separate on/off switch as well as a vacuum suction strength switch on the body.

The powered hand tool has a spinning brush. However, it is not directly powered. It seems to work by the vacuum suction turning the brush. So if you press too hard, or even medium hard, you will stop the rotation. The suction power also seems puny. That said, the Kenmore hand tool was similarly weak, and ours made a horrendous screech after a year of use. Also note the Hoover does not have a place to store the hand power tool so it is in a closet in our house and I am sure we will eventually lose track of it.

The Hoover is more plastic than the Kenmore and therefore feels less durable. We have had ours for about 4 months now without anything breaking, however. The cord retraction feels less durable than the Kenmore.

Our Kenmore had 2 features this does not. One is there were LED lights on the end of the nozzle. So if you disconnected the powered brush, there was still light to see what you were doing. Also, there was a dirt indicator light which would turn green when the area you were cleaning was clean. I never trusted that so it wasn't useful to me but my wife liked it.

The Hoover has 2 features the Kenmore did not. First the bags are cheaper. 6.99 for 3 Hoover bags as opposed to 8.99 for 2 Kenmore bags. The second is the exhaust is out the top of the unit not the back. So you can sit the base upright on the stairs and not obstruct the exhaust.

Finally, I think the Hoover is doing a better job cleaning. The house seems less dog hairy and dusty than with the Kenmore. It is a somewhat unfair comparison as I am comparing the end of the Kenmore life to a brand new Hoover.

We are very happy with the Hoover.

this is a very mobile, conveniently made vacuum. the suction power is good, especially on FLAT bare floors, the rotating brush cleans carpet and rugs thoroughly, and the adjustable arm is great. i wish the suction was a bit stronger and that the vacuum felt a bit more indestructible and had a bit more heft in the arm as it tends to pull it's self off the ground with suction. i have been through three vacuums in the past three years and am pretty hard on them. so far this is the one i am happiest with and i do recommend it.

I purchased this Hoover canister vacuum because of 1) the Hoover name which I believed was synonymous with 'quality' as well as 2) the evaluation and recommendation by Consumer Reports magazine. Unfortunately, the vacuum itself is very poor quality. I've had the vacuum since Halloween (approximately 6 months) and I only use it every other week. Even given this minimal use, the hose started to split at the handle on use number 5 - it's now being sealed with duct tape. Additionally, the hose is of such a material that it gets kinks in it (think of a garden hose that you twist the wrong way) while vacuuming -- I've never had this problem before, so I'm not sure if it's because the hose it made of a softer plastic or what; bottom line is that it's a real inconvenience. The latch holding the top down that contains the vacuum bag came apart in my hand the second time I changed the bag - this too is now being held together with duct tape. The wheels are so hard and so small that they do not pass over the cord whenever it gets in the way so each time the cord is in the way I have to lift the vacuum over the cord or it leaves plastic scratch marks on my floor: This is not a problem I've ever had before, but I've previously only used Kenmore vacuums, so it's my best guess that the problem is with the type and size of wheels on the Hoover. The majority of my home has laminate flooring, so I use the hard-floor attachment the most. The attachment provided by Hoover did nothing more than push the cat food, cereal, etc. across the floor. I think this is because the bristles are too hard or too long; in any event, I replaced the Hoover floor attachment with my old Kenmore attachment and it now works fine. On the plus side, Consumer Reports was correct, it does have terrific suction power - the amount of lint and dirt it picked out of my carpets compared to my old Kenmore was significant; their carpet attachment worked well. This vacuum has a 3 year warranty, however, after two emails to Hoover customer service and no replies as to how to take advantage of the warranty or even what the warranty covers, I'm still dependent on duct tape so I can utilize this $300 debacle. Guess I should have kept my Kenmore, which was a much poorer performer, but at least it didn't fall apart within 6 months of use. I'll never purchase another Hoover product.

We've experienced the exact same thing as a lot of other posters - this is the worst vacuum that I've ever purchased. The handle broke twice from the cheap plastic and then something happened with the electricals. All of this within 6 months. My wife only weighs 100lbs and we live in a 1200sqft condo, she might use it every other week but that's all. Then they make you take the vacuum to a local service center, which is not even a Hoover facility btw, and they charge you $25 to open the thing up even though it's under warranty. Go ahead and call Hoover about this - it's true! They even said that using it every other week is too much use for this vacuum - maybe that was just an opener for an upsell opportunity, but these are supposedly Hoover authorized facilities. Depending on your local service center they might nickle and dime you, and for sure will try and upsell. If you don't have your original purchase receipt they will also try and tell you that it's out of warranty - BEWARE OF THIS - The serial number actually confirms the manufacturing date so be informed and don't let them give you the run-around. Anyways, our vacuum is still in service after over 3 weeks - they claim it's not a common replacement part. Either this is true or the vacuum breaks so often that they can't keep the part in stock. Bottom line is the vacuum is sexy, but don't plan on actually using it. Hoover is off the list forever!

I just ordered this vacuum after a lot of research. I was tired of the baggless upright that I have been getting the past couple of years. Anyway, this vacuum is such a pleasure! First of all, I have a "Marley" dog who is a shedding machine. I hate dog fur more than anything, and I needed a vacuum that would pick up a Labrador Retrievers hair. They are like hairs sticking to velcro, and no other vacuum could even touch the hairs on my carpet. However, this vacuum picks up every single hair - it is unbelievable. It also blows out clean, fresh smelling air...which is such a pleasure! I love all of the attachments too! But, my favorite part is probably how easy it is to adjust the height of the vacuum. I am only 5"1 where my husband is 6'0. So, we both need different heights. It is lightweight, yet durable. I also have a combination of hardwood and carpet, so it is easy to turn the rollers off with the switch when I am moving from room to room!!

I really think this vacuum is worth the money and seems like a much more upscale vacuum then its price lets on!

The vacuum broke down after approximately 4 months of light use (1-bedroom apartment, mostly on weekends): the 'bag full' light stopped working, the brushroll stopped working and the vacuum would operate only at the lower speed only, with a highly diminished "sucking" strength.

We left it at a Hoover certified repair shop, they called us back next day and told us that the main circuit board had broken down, and that it needed to be replaced. They also said the circuit board was of a very low quality, and that because Hoover had recently been bought by some Chinese company, they had to order the replacement board through them under the warranty repair.

It's been 1 month since the repair shop has placed the order, and they still have not gotten the replacement part. We are waiting, and our apartment now is full of dust.

Don't buy buy any of Hoover vacuum cleaners if you do not want to repeat our mistake: pay an average price or above average price, and get a low-quality product with a far below average warranty service.