Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge

Steam Vac Review: Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge
The Sensei’s Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Description
The Hoover SteamVac with Clean Surge is an all purpose steam vacuum cleaner designed to clean home carpets, upholstery, and the inside of your car. Features include two spinning brush speeds, included tools, and the SpinScrub rotating brush system equipped with 5 spinning brush heads.

What the Sensei Says
This is the cheaper, better version of Hoover’s SteamVac Agility. I’m not knocking the Agility Steam Vac, it’s a great unit at a great price, but the Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge is a much cheaper unit that offers identical performance with just one minor difference. This model doesn’t include a “tool caddy”. The tool caddy is a minor convenience and allows users to remove the tools and carry them in a bundle. While some people may find it indispensable, it hardly seems worth the $30-$50 more Hoover feels it’s worth.

One of the things I really like about this Hoover is the sturdy design. It doesn’t feel wobbly when you move it along your carpet. Some steam cleaners are built with flimsy plastic and they’ll break down within a few uses, generating me a lot of business. Flimsy steam vacs are also much harder to push in a straight line, they’ll wobble and that’s frustrating when you’re trying to clean your living room carpet!

Remember, your carpets will never be dry on the first swipe and even after several thorough runs to pick up excess water your carpets are still going to feel damp. However, powerful suction on your steamvac is going to cut down on a lot of drying time so you can put your house back together quicker. The Hoover SteamVac had exceptionally powerful suction abilities and the carpet in my shop dried within 3 hours. (I always try to test drying time under similar conditions, there’s always a fan pointed down at the carpet for all my tests to account for people with spacious windows and those who actually do use fans to dry their carpets quicker after steam cleaning.)

One thing I didn’t like, and the primary reason I can’t give this steam vacuum my best rating is leakage. No, it’s no a poorly designed steam vac, but it is a little difficult to make sure that all the seals are properly closed. For the casual steam vacuum cleaner, it might be a little frustrating to learn how all the bits and pieces fit together and know the sounds each connection makes when they’re firmly sealed.

Also, is it too much to ask for a steam cleaner that can hold as much dirty water as it does clean water? Hoover, if you decide to roll out another version of the Hoover F5914-900 SteamVac with Clean Surge please, please, please design the next dual tank system to hold equal amounts of water in the clean water tank and dirty water tank. I just don’t see why I should have to empty the dirty tank twice before filling up the clean one. I would really like to be able to empty and fill them both at once!

Cool Features
5 Rotating Scrub Brushes
Includes 2 hand tools for cleaning small spaces
Clean Surge feature squirts extra detergent on high traffic areas
Includes Hoover’s special carpet cleaning detergent
Safe for some hard flooring

Specifications
Dimensions: 29.6” x 19.4” x 14.4”
Weight: 31.1 lbs.
Shipping Weight: 35 lbs.
Cleaning Hose Length: 8’
Warranty: 1 year Hoover warranty

Hoover Windtunnel Bagless Review S3765-040

Hoover WindTunnel Canister Vacuum Cleaner Review
Vacuum Rating: 3 stars out of 5 for costing too much
Price: $179.99
Buy The Hoover WindTunnel

I have a guest room 3 of my friends still insist is “their” room”. Despite their willingness to live like hobos, I keep a lot of extra stuff in there, fans I don’t use in the winter, your Sensei’s huge pile of old computers I keep saying I’m going to refurbish but probably never will, and of course it is now the perfect location for the Vacuum Sensei’s video vacuum cleaner reviews! I bring that awful mess up because I keep a canister vacuum on hand to clean between the heaps of plastic and wood. It’s easier to maneuver a canister vacuum in small spaces than it is to plow an upright through the mess. I do prefer uprights to canisters, but if you’re like me and have a lot of furniture or crowded quarters, a canister vacuum just might be the best of the two options.

Your Sensei was eager to review the Hoover Windtunnel. I had heard so many things about it from a friend who purchased one. (I told him to get a Miele, he was looking for a high end canister vacuum and Miele is the cream of the crop, super expensive, but the best out there.) What did the Vacuum Sensei find? Lots!

I touched on this in a previous review but manufacturers have been trending towards developing better hand held tools. It’s about time! They’ve basically stayed the same since the vacuum cleaner was invented it’s extremely encouraging to see some innovation in the industry. The WindTunnel by Hoover is great because it includes a handheld tool whose brush is powered by power and not by air. You get a very aggressive, strong vacuum brush by adding a little more than a few wisps of air. You can get the dust and grime that’s buried deep down in your carpets. The Sensei was impressed with the light and comfortable grip of this useful gadget as well!

Another thing your Sensei likes about this canister vacuum is the washable HEPA filter. Hoover says you should clean it out once a year, but coming from someone with allergies, I would clean it out at least every 3 months. It’s nice to know your vacuum cleaner is performing at its optimum potential.

One thing I didn’t like was removing the vacuum head. It’s kind of a pain to press down on the vacuum release nozzle. Well, it’s difficult for me; but remember, your Sensei is clumsy and always got picked last for dodgeball.

My main complaints with the Hoover WindTunnel are debris canister size and price. The debris canister is extremely small. I wouldn’t be surprised if regular vacuum users were dumping out dirt on a weekly basis. A good vacuum cleaner can last a couple weeks between debris dumps.

The Vacuum Sensei staff agreed the Hoover WindTunnel is a mediocre vacuum cleaner to own, If the Hoover WindTunnel retailed in the $150 range I might be able to give this vacuum cleaner a higher recommendation, but excessive price tag weights it down to 3 stars.

Cool Features
Self-winding power cord
Cleanable and reusable HEPA filter
Includes Hoover’s hand power tool
Large wheels make transport easy

Included Tools
Crevice Tool
Small Brush
Hard floor tool
Dusting brush
*Powered hand tool - Great pack in!

Specifications
Size: 28.1” x 15.7” x 13.5”
Weight: 13 lbs.
Amps: 12

Eureka Boss Smart-Vac 4870GZ Review

Eureka Boss Smart-Vac Upright Vacuum Cleaner Review 4870GZ
Vacuum Rating: 4 Stars out of 5 for a fair price considering performance and features
Buy the Eureka 4870GZ Vacuum Cleaner

What Your Sensei Thought
Gosh, today your Sensei was going to get even further ahead on his vacuum review cue, a rare situation, but it was just too damn hot! Your Sensei decided to call it a day and put aside his other duties and take a swim in a neighbors backyard pool. But before I indulge in the fruits of my labor I feel I owe it you my loyal readers to review one last vacuum cleaner before calling it quits. Today, I bring you a review of the Boss Smart-Vac Upright by Eureka.

At just about 25 lbs. the Eureka is one of the lighter vacuums your Sensei has to review. Don’t let this lightweight fool you like it did me, this is actually one of the sturdier vacuum cleaners on the market. Some vacuum handles are loose and wobble when you push them, in extreme cases this can ruin your posture and unstable handles indicate a poorly designed vacuum cleaner. I’ve read many emails of people complaining that they would be able to user their vacuum cleaner for the next 5 years if the handle weren’t about to fall apart!

The Eureka 4870GZ is not the most powerful vacuum cleaner I’ve encountered, but it satisfactorily completed the cleaning task. It can pick up most dust and pet hair in your carpet, but don’t expect it to be as powerful as a Dyson.

The Vacuum Sensei will never judge a vacuum cleaner for “good intentions”, I judge a company by results. Unfortunately, the Power Paw Stair Brush accessory is just that, one of Eureka’s good intentions. The agitator brush simply isn’t powerful enough to provide any practical value. You’re better off using more traditional vacuum cleaner attachments to clean crevices and couches. Oh, there’s also no place to store the Power Paw onboard, that means you’ll probably have to search every room in your house before you can use it anyway.

One of the things that irks me is a large vacuum cleaner with a small vacuum bag. Ughhh, one of the things I hate is replacing vacuum bags, (My reason for keeping a canister vacuum at home.) and the Eureka Boss Smart Vac has a very small vacuum bag compared to its size. If you live on a ranch or farm and have a very dusty floor get used to switching out the vacuum bags fairly frequently. It’s not that big of a deal, but its one factor reducing my rating of the Boss Smart Vac. It also emits more heat that your typical vacuum. It definitely detracted from my cleaning experience in this extreme summer heat, but I suspect if I get to use another one of these units in the winter I’ll be extremely grateful.

One quick note about price, the price was just right. While it’s definitely not the bargain of the century, Eureka has priced the Boss Upright very fairly.

Included Tools
Power Paw for stairs and upholstery
Crevice tool
Brush
Extension wand

Specifications
Size: 15” x 44” x 12”
Weight: 25 lbs.
Amps: 12