Hoover WindTunnel Canister Vacuum, Electronic Bagless, S3765-040
by Hoover
|
List Price: Our Price: $231.99 You Save: $118.00 (34%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Buy Used: from $119.95 (click here) Category: Home See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Hoover WindTunnel Canister Vacuum, Electronic Bagless, S3765-040
Customer Review: Great power, some problems
Summary: 3 Stars
It's hard for me to rate the performance of this vacuum cleaner, as I bought it to replace a 60-year-old Electrolux canister. Even a broom would do a better job!
Sure enough, on the first pass I was emptying the container after every room. It picked up years of gunk. I'm loving my clean carpets.
This is the first time I comparison-shopped for an item entirely online, relying solely on Amazon reviews. I think I made a good choice, but I was aware of the downsides of this machine and decided I could live with them.
Here are the cons:
* It is a dusty, dusty machine. It's not for anyone with allergies or asthma. Emptying the container is a dirty job and every part of the machine is covered in dust. (But I will do anything to avoid the hassle of buying bags. I'd just stop vacuuming when I ran out, I know it.) I wear a dust mask when emptying.
* It is awkward. The hose is stiff and gets tangled. I have to pull it out and uncoil it periodically. Both the cord and hose are too short.
* It is too wide for stairs. At least the Electrolux was narrow enough to rest on a stair while I vacuumed the ones above and below it. You have to hoist this machine up and hold it while you vacuum the middle steps. But I needed a canister as I vacuum on two levels and didn't want to haul an upright up and down steps.
* The controls are touchy. There's an electrical plug where the wand disconnects from the handle to change attachments. If it's not entirely plugged in, the power flickers. Also, I tend to hit the off switch unintentionally while vacuuming because the off switch is right where your thumb is.
* The parts are finicky. The first time I used it, the stair/furniture attachment stopped working. A piece of lint had wedged under the belt. I had to take it apart and pick out the lint with tweezers.
As I say, I have no other experience with vacuums. I'm learning to live with this one, but it isn't a "plug and play" proposition. You have to get good at troubleshooting and learn to baby the machine. But I do love having clean carpets!
Customer Review: House full of Pets and Hoover does great!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been using this Hoover for about a month now. We just moved into a home with hardwood floors and a canister vac seemed to be a must. This is the first canister we have ever used, and I have to say, I see no reason to ever own an upright again.
The suction on this thing is amazing! I LOVE that all the controls are right there on the handle and you can set the suction to high medium or low. I also LOVE the fact that vacuum is easily adjustable so even my 8 year old can manouver it easily.
We have 6 dogs and 4 cats here, so everyday vacuuming is the only option. I have yet to have any type of clogging issue that I would surely have experienced with my upright by now.
To address some of the comments about having to change the container every few days/weeks/months...I don't understand. As a personal choice, I change the container every day before vacuuming and sometimes even during a particlarly fur infested room. I have alwasy done this with my bagless vacuums. That is why you are buying a bagless...to get the most suction as possible and thus a cleaner home. If you are complaining because you have to empty the canister after 5 vacuums, than I am afraid you are not seeing the benefit of owning a bagless which is to get **rid** of the dust immediately not only for your health but to ensure you get the most bang for your buck out of your bagless.
Also, I think that as far as bagless vacuums go, the container is one of the easiest to empty. It comes out nicely, and I do not have to touch anything dirty to empty it, which is not the case with all bagless!
The only cons I see to owning this vacuum is the floor accessory tool does not stand upright on its own without careful placing and not all of the tools have a storage place on the vacuum. (I keep them in a plastic bag hanging from a doorknob) But honestly, it would only make awesome vacuum perfect and would in NO WAY prohibit me from buying this exact same model again. I love when a product delivers, and I really feel like that is the case here.
This was money well spent!
Customer Review: Hoover S3765-040 Cannister Vacuum has a serious problem
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased an S3765-040 Hoover Canister Vacuum in March 2008. It has a serious problem with the carpet and floor power nozzle. The problem is that the brush stalls when it is placed on a carpet. This happens on a very ordinary area rug with normal pile height; it is not a high, thick pile. The brush actually quits turning even though the motor still runs (you can hear the motor turning). It began to happen after using the cannister vac only 5 times, on two small carpets, one 8 x 12, and the other 4 x 8. So there was no reason to expect any worn out parts. The unit was taken to a Hoover service center and the belt was replaced. Upon using it again for less than 5 minutes the same brush stall problem reoccurred. Trying various settings of suction made no difference in performance. After calling Hoover they are sending out a new brush. I doubt that a new brush will make any difference but am willing to try it. It seems to me that the power nozzle design allows the agitator brush bristles to protrude too far through the bottom opening and contact the carpet much too aggressively so that stalling is impossible to avoid. In other words there is in my opinion either a basic design problem or the brush is manufactured with bristles which are too long. Whichever is true, the unit at present is totally unsatisfactory for carpet use. And regarding the statement in the manual that it "automatically adjusts to different carpet pile heights": the wheels and brush in the carpet power nozzle are fixed in vertical position, and there are no height adjustment provisions, either manual or automatic. So their statement about automatic adjustment is disingenuous at best.
On the positive side, the vac has excellent suction and is quiet. The powered hand tool does a very good job at picking up pet hair and dust from furniture and vehicle upholstery. The dirt cup is easy to empty. The controls and switches on the hand grip are easy to use, and the telescoping wand is great. I like the cord rewind feature also. There is a lot to like about this product and it will be a "keeper" IF the brush stalling problem can be solved.
Customer Review: Have you hoovered lately?
Summary: 5 Stars
When my Russian-born wife first came to the US I gave her a tour of our home's appliances. We came upon my Panasonic upright vacuum, and she remarked, "Oh, that's a nice looking hoover." "No," I told her, "it's a Panasonic." As it turned out, hoover means vacuum cleaner to most Europeans. What's more, hoover can be either a noun or a verb, as in, "Darling, please hoover the living room before your parents arrive."
Anyway, I digress. When the old Panasonic started breaking drive belts faster than diners break bread I scouted out some replacements, came upon this Hoover hoover, read the rave reviews, and bought it sight unseen from Amazon, albeit a little nervously. I've always liked to put my hands on tools before investing in them.
Happy to say, my worries were unfounded. This Hoover really sucks, and that's good. It removed carpet ner that the Panasonic wouldn't touch. Embedded cat fur was no problem. We live in a townhouse with 3 year old construction grade carpet, and the stuff is REALLY clean now after 4 or 5 hooverings. The hose is long enough, and the controls are conveniently located in the cleaning handle. The cleaning head itself is light enough to push around easily, and the canister oblingingly follows along on oversized wheels. Overall this Hoover is a pleasure to operate, and, as previously stated, it cleans carpets really well. It does a good job on our vinyl kitchen floor too, and the stair brush tool is nice for upholstery.
You won't find a much better hoover for $176.
There are a couple of minor drawbacks. The dirt collection bucket doesn't hold a lot, which requires frequent emptyings--but that's also a function of the jolly good suction. The HEPA filter clogs fairly quickly too and takes some effort to clean well. There's no on-board storage for the stair cleaning tool, and the cleaning handle falls too easily from the locked upright position. But these are fairly minor flaws.
We're real happy with this vacuum, and my wife is happy too because when she asks for the hoover I'll know what she's talking about.
Customer Review: It sucked; now it sucks
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this vacuum at the end of April, 2007, and at first it worked fine; exceptionally fine, in fact, according to my maid. (I can't do much manual labor due to a disability.) The only complaint was its bulkiness. In spite of, or because of, its two part design, the small (?) following portion, which contains the motor, doesn't follow well, as its wheels don't swivel, and it keeps bumping into baseboards, furniture, etc. The handle portion is bulky and heavy; its electronic controls are "sticky" and are difficult to operate. In all, the whole machine is much too heavy in combination; perhaps that's why they made it in two parts. It is just cumbersome to maneuver. Although, as I said, at first it worked fine, cleaning the carpet well, and doing everything well, about a year ago (a year after purchase), the separate power cord, attached to the handle and leading to the power head became separated. No problem, I just plugged it back in. Now, however, it apparently is not getting any power to the power head, as it only sucks, and the brushes do not spin (which is a vital part to any vacuum). The separate electrical cord, which previously I had plugged in, is not now unplugged. In spite of wiggling the cord at its two connectors, it will not work. I am taking it in to be evaluated today, but I suspect that the repair cost will exceed the value of the vacuum, and I'll just tell them to junk it (or fix it and sell it to the next "sucker" (pun intended).
In essence, if you want a vacuum which is "cute" and "novel in appearance", but is bulky, heavy, hard to maneuver, keeps bumping into things, and works well for about two years, and then gives up the ghost (in my experience), this is the one for you. Otherwise, get a standard one-piece machine which, although it may be relatively heavy and hard to maneuver (unless it's a Dyson--my next try--unless my maid is satisfied in bringing her own, in which case, I'll save my money and not buy anything), avoids the "cute" or "novel" appearance, which sticks to the old tried-and-true single piece design. You'll be happier, overall.