Call me crazy...
but I couldn't be happier with this Hoover EmPower 970, especially for $100.

This might be Hoover's most stylish model with colors ranging from sunset orange to emerald green, but we Mongols are pretty conservative when we're buying home appliances for our burnoose, so I went with the silver model.

I'll bet I read more than 30 negative reviews on this Hoover Empower before rolling the dice and bringing one home. It appears that a lot of people were unhappy with its performance and took theirs back, but I wont be one of those people. As a professional bachelor, I have some experience at vacuuming, and this Hoover outperforms all other mid-range Hoovers and Eurekas that have passed before it...and then some.

First of all, this unit is NOT self-propelled as you might read elsewhere, and its true that the "Hush" mode isn't one db quieter than the normal mode, but one feature that many have complained about that I disagree with is the "turbo/power boost" mode cause I see a significant difference in cleaning power when that function is engaged. I dont know that you get any more suction power in turbo mode, but you can see the agitator brush RPMs go up dramatically, and I get visible results when I vacuum high traffic areas using this feature.

The hand tools work as you would expect, maybe a little better from a 12amp unit, and there's even a powered hand tool that works great in tight spots. I've also seen complaints that the hand tools are in the way of the power cord, lots of people are irate about that. You know, where the hell are you people from anyway that are complaining about this HUNDRED DOLLAR vacuum cleaner? Ya'll are nuts, this is a great buy. My only complaint, is that the power cord came out of the box in a knot so I had to untie it myself, and the only other complaint is that the User Guide was not in the top of the box where it should be, but on the bottom and I'm not smart enough to turn the damn box over so I got stuck upside down in the box 3 times before I finally fished it out. haw haw

And finally, almost everybody takes issue with the emptying and cleaning of the dirt cup so here's the deal on that. Its all one molded assembly, so the filter is on one side of the cup, and the dirt and god knows what you're vacuuming up is collected into solid plastic container on the other side. Its easy to remove the filter from the housing, but as others have noted, you may want to be outside when you do this cause the dust flies when you pull the filter, but its easy to clean and replace so I dont really have a problem with it. There's a reason this and other bagless machines were designed this way. All in all a terrific tool for the money. 5 Brooms

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Horrible Transaction!!!
This sender tried to send me the wrong item, even though I emailed them several times to try to let them know of their error. I sent the item back and still there has been no response or reimbursement for this purchase. It has now been over a month and I still no answer to my emails.

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Exactly what I was Expecting, maybe a little more
We are fostering a rescue cat for a few months and need to keep it separated from our other cats, so we have a litterbox in an area we would prefer not to. Despire trying to keep the area clean, litter was getting tracked around a little bit, and would inevitably end up collecing just out of reach under the baseboard. This vacuum, with its little pointy flip-tip, gets into those kinds of nooks and crannies and sucks out the litter. It is pretty powerful for its little size, and has a nice long cord, which makes up for the fact that it isn't battery powered. I'd never expect this kind of suction from a battery powered vacuum anyway.

On top of everything I was expecting, it also comes with a brush attachment and a flexible host about 18 inches long. This really lets me get to areas I wasn't really planning, like behind appliances, toilets, etc.

I would purchase this again, or purchase it as a gift for a friend.

Dyson DC14 Full Access Refurbished Vacuum - 10 Yr Motor Warranty Shop-Vac? 9700410 Industrial Heavy-Duty Wet/Dry Vac Bissell ProHeat Arm & Hammer Bissell 7 & 8 Vacuum Filter. Odor Elimination! 62627 Dirt Devil 085570 12amp Featherlite Upright Vacuum Bissell BISSELL 6960W STEAMER BELT KIT BISSELL STYLE 1 & 7 MICRO REPL BAGS (3)PK. Bissell Style 7/9/10/12/14 Belt Craftsman Clean N Carry 4 gal. Wet-Dry Vac, 5.0 Peak hp Dyson Mini Turbine Head

Excellent carpet cleaning, poor vacuum
I was really excited about this because of the multi-function use. At the same time, I was skeptical. Our little dog likes to pee in small places on the carpet, so we needed good carpet cleaner that would deep clean these areas.

The carpet cleaner works very well. Both the large cleaner extension and the handheld spray and suction the water, which most others do not do. It was a decision between this and the Hoover Agility. The Agility does not seem to have a sprayer on the extension hose.

When it comes to the vacuum, it's not that great. The suction is only good enough for area rugs. The carpet extension has a air powered brush that stops working on normal carpet and it only cleans the top surface debris.

So, if you want something for hardwood and deep carpet cleaning this is great. Just don't try to replace a regular vacuum cleaning with this.

Dirt Devil M0100 Classic Hand Vaccum Type 1 Bissell Vacuum Cleaner Replacement Bag (3 Pack) Eureka 4700D Maxima Bagless Upright Vacuum Shop-Vac 962-14-00 Ultra Pro Wet/Dry Vacuum 14-Gallon, 5.5-HP EUKSC6001A - 12 Floor Machine Bissell 3282 Style 15 HEPA Filter Cartridge, White Eureka CV140 Yellow Jacket Compact Central Vacuum Power Unit Eureka 2999DVZ UNO Bagless Upright HEPA Vacuum Cleaner Bissell 1425B Little Green Proheat Turbo Carpet Cleaner Bissell FeatherWeight Vacuum Filters 3085, 3 Filters

So that's what color my carpets actually were...
We should really be hired to test vacuum and carpet cleaners, but even so the price of this dream clean machine gave me some pause (okay, a lot). With 2 kids, 3 dogs, and 2 cats and fairly light carpets, we put our cleaners to the test. I have gone through SEVERAL carpet cleaners (roughly 1 every 2 years) and have also had the carpets professionally cleaned. Honestly, this carpet cleaner cleaned as well if not better than the pros, and worlds better than our current Hoover F6207-900 SteamVac Lite Carpet Cleaner with Heated Cleaning.

Pros:
1) Handle can lay back fully with no strain on the hose - I mention this after replacing the hoses several times on previous Hoovers
2) You do NOT have to mix the detergent!!!! Wow - what a great feature, no waste!
3) 2 separate rollers actually scrub the carpet amazingly well
4) No fuss dial system - incredibly easy to go between standard clean, spot clean (does not pick up so you can scrub, scrub, scrub away the years of bad carpet cleaners), and rinse (the water rinse is GREAT!)
5) Easy to follow indicator lights let you know if you know when it is cleaning (detergent), rinsing (water only), or drying (neither light on)
6) Spot clean is easy to follow - actually squirts out the front so you can actually see the spot you are hitting (2 settings, spray or stream)
7) My previous Hoovers had this obnoxious detachable hose reel, and then when the clips that hold it on break, you find yourself dragging accessories around the house - this one is not detachable.
8) The hose remains attached, you don't have to plug it in, so no hose door to break and lose (yeah, I've done that too)
9) Scrubber assembly comes off easily for cleaning (but not the front roller, which might be a problem if you don't maintain it)
10) generous cord longer than previous Hoovers
11) 6 year warranty makes it cheaper than replacing 3 $200 Hoovers with 1 year warranties (just check where your service center is - ours is about 30 miles away and always very responsive)
12) Since it is clear plastic (opposed to grey or purple) it is easier to see when the water being picked up becomes fairly clear indicating you have extracted the maximum amount of dirt you can

Cons:
1) It's big - and heavy - and I have tons of stairs
2) Blue light shining on carpet - this gives me eye strain after a while
3) Waste container - there's no delicate way to dump it - it's opening is like a big bucket and it gets everywhere. I suppose it will get better with practice, and it is easier to clean this way, but I think it was a step backward
4) Very small holes to pour in the detergent and water - buy a funnel since the detergent is pricey
5) Detergent guzzler

Eh's (take 'em or leave 'em):
1) Heat - I don't think it really did much (It didn't feel substantial)
2) Waste container sensor - doesn't detect the detergent well, with the clear plastic, it's pretty obvious when they need emptying/filling
3) Blue light - why blue - simulated uv? It doesn't actually illuminate anything.
4) Carry handle - it's made of molded plastic and is in the back, so... yeah, pretty awkward hoisting it up and down the stairs. But, I really don't have a better option, so am not putting it as a con.

How did it do???
If I had known how well it would do, I would have taken pictures or video, because it is unbelievable. I cleaned my ancient 15 year old carpets (about 1600 sq. feet worth) and actually managed to get them back very near their original color. Shockingly old stains that my kidlets provided that were not removed by the pros or the old cleaners are gone. One caveat here is that I used around 64 ounces of detergent. I started with the professional grade, but used the cheap stuff in the kids' rooms (smells better anyway). Based on the amount used and lack of discernable difference, I cannot recommend the "professional" cleaner but instead Hoover 40321130 Premium Pet Formula Carpet/Upholstery Detergent, 128-Ounce, which has what I would call a lemony scent. If you are scent sensitive, then try Hoover 40321128 Deep Cleansing Carpet/Upholstery Detergent, 128-Ounce. I use the 4-for-3 to really make it a great buy. In any event, I took my time actually read the directions for once and made sure I did several dry passes. I took advantage of the spot clean followed by rinse only for high traffic areas, used the powered hand tool on the stairs, and the upholstery brush on our chairs. All works admirably providing results that made the initial investment worth it. The carpets look amazing and were dry within two hours (aided along by a hot day).

Upright Vacuum,50 Cord,6 Positions,Height Adjust.,Red Factory-Reconditioned Dyson 12446-02 DC21 Canister Vacuum Sanitaire Model Sc899 16" Wide Track With Vibra Groomer I (SC899EUR) Hoover U83519RM Reconditioned Windtunnel ll Bagless Upright, Colors May Vary Bissell Spot Lifter PowerBrush Handheld Deep Cleaner, White Dirt Devil SD20005RED Scorpion Quick Flip 7 AMP Hand Vac - RED Breeze Bagless Vacuum Bissell DigiPro Canister HEPA Vacuum Cleaner Metro DataVac Pro Series Vacuum with 1.17 PHP Motor Remanufactured Dyson DC16 Root 6 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
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