Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to Use Vacuum, April 19, 2007
If you're familiar with "air hockey," you can imagine how the Constellation moves. It glides on a cushion of air, and therefore moves around very easily. However, this wonderful feature has a drawback you have to get used to; if you set the Constellation down in a pile of dust, the dust in the immediate area gets blown around. The way to avoid this is to vacuum from a clean area, toward a dusty area, always keeping the vacuum behind you, in a clean area. This may sound like a pain, but I find it easy to do, and the ease with which the Constellation moves makes up for having to adopt a new cleaning method.
In 1970 I was given a 1950's vintage Constellation that had been in continuous use. I used it happily until 2004, when it finally broke down. That makes about 50 years of service. In all those years, the only maintenance was a new cord.
When I started shopping for a replacement, I was sadly disappointed. I looked at everything on the market, and found shoddy materials and hard-to-use products. I finally settled on an expensive Ghibli designed for industrial use. It has a long cord, large bags, good suction, and is sturdy. But it doesn't follow me around like the Constellation did.
So, when I saw that Hoover was once again making the Constellation, I bought myself a brand new one. I was afraid Hoover might have made negative improvements, but most features match the original, and all materials are sturdy. The one disappointment is the heaviness of the tube (wand). Luckily I had saved the attachments from my old Constellation, and was able to use my old, light-weight alluminum wands. I have only wood and tile floors, with a few throw rugs, so when I vacuum, I use only the crevice tool. By doing this, I can instantly switch from floor to furniture to cob webs, without changing the attachment. Having the light-weight alluminum wands makes it much easier to lift the wand to ceilings, light fixtures, and picture frames.
The new Constellation follows me around with zero effort. Wherever I go, it is there behind me, so I finish vacuuming a lot faster. Other vacuums I have used are constantly getting caught on furniture, forcing me to lift or move them, or tug on them, often resulting in the vacuum tipping over.
The Constellation has a long cord, so you're able to vacuum a large area without plugging it in again. It also has a rubber rim around the middle, so if you bump it against a wall or furniture, there's usually no damage. The suction is powerful, so be careful around Legos and other small toys. There's an easy-to-reach adjustment that allows reduction of suction, making it easier to clean cloth surfaces. Noise is typical of other vacuums. You have the option of using HEPA bags (more expensive) or plain paper bags.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It Sucks..... But That's What It's Made To Do!!!!, April 23, 2007
We have a Dyson for the carpets, but it's actually heavy and not easily used on stairs. The Constellation actually fulfills quite a niche. It's quiet, has very good power, well made components; and floats easily from Pergo/Wooden floors to carpet.
The Constellation is well made and is not like most cheap plastic models on sale in large box stores.
I highly recommend it!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting design but. . . ., August 29, 2007
We purchased the Constellation because we have always had reliable service from our Hoover appliances and wanted to try the Constellation's novel "floating" feature, but this did not make up for its heavy weight and awkward shape. It is especially difficult to rewind the long cord around the base for storage; a retractable cord is almost a necessity with this design. The machine does have good suction and the metal parts will probably last forever, but if the floating capacity ever gives out it will be like dragging around a canon ball. We had to return it. We finally settled on a Panasonic MC-3920 which is tiny and lightweight and does a good job on our hard-finish floors. For carpets we use a Eureka upright.
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