Hoover S3865 (Bagless WindTunnel Platinum Cyclonic Canister)

[tylerawells]

[COLOR=#333399; font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva; font-size: large]Last week I ordered a Hoover WindTunnel Platinum Cyclonic bagless canister (model S3865) - it arrived today, and I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with the machine. Off the bat, I found that the machine is heavy, and reasonably solid in it's construction. The WindTunnel Power Nozzle drives itself across the carpet, and the swivel neck makes getting into nooks and crannies really really easy. I found the onboard crevice tool & dusting brush got in the way being mounted on the pistol grip, and overall were a low spot (I wound up taking them off and putting them on a shelf with the TURBO tool and bare floor tool). I did find the PN height adjustment intriguing, I can't tell if its electric adjustment from the floor head or manual when you tap the height adjustment button. In a strange twist, the machine has a vibrant blue light that illuminates on the canister itself when it is plugged in, but you must use the pistol grip handle to turn the machine on. The machine is quiet - and when you turn it on it's a soft start, gradually revving up to full power, and the same when you kick the Power Nozzle on. The bright LED headlight on the neck that swivels with the cleaning head is also very bright and very effective. All in all, I feel that the machine represents a strong value and a quality product. I'll get some pictures and post later this evening. [/COLOR]

 

[dysonman1]

I have that vacuum, mine is four years old. I've used it for a full house cleaning about 20 times. It's "broke in". Very rarely do I have the occasion to vacuum my own home anymore. Tonight was the 'blue moon' occasion, and I chose my Platinum canister. After having it for so long, I thought I might share with you what you might want to consider doing from the start - if you want to avoid any problems with it in the future.

First, It's a very cool vacuum. Definitely designed for a man. The chrome hubcaps on both the canister and the power nozzle help make it a lean, mean, cleaning machine. The hood scoop on top of the power nozzle housing is inspired by automotive design.

Right from the start, be careful with the hose. Don't drop the hose handle on the floor, ever. Also, when connecting it to the vacuum itself, be very careful and gentle. Remember, there's a very expensive circuit board hooked up to those tiny electrical connections, and, a new hose is over $100. Be gentle with it right from the start.

Don't extend the wand to it's fullest length when using the power nozzle. The connections in the wand are not designed to withstand the weight of that rather heavy power nozzle. If you go 3/4 of the way out, you'll be fine always.

There's a central 'tower' in the dirt container. It's called the "umbrella tube" and it's function in the Hoover is exactly the same as in a Dyson. But it's much smaller in the Hoover - pet hair and threads (and nap from carpets) tends to wrap around it. The extra step of removing this part and cleaning it every time you empty the dirt container, is an unfortunate side effect. On the plus side, the high efficiency cyclones (there are six) are very, very good at removing fine dust before it gets to the pre-motor filter.

The neck of the Power Nozzle is the last part you REALLY need to treat well. Not only does the neck house the headlight, it also swivels in both directions. Unfortunately, the exact pivot point of the swivel neck is the weakest plastic on the, again, rather heavy power nozzle. Always take extra care to make sure the nozzle is locked in the upright position before GENTLY lifting it up. Installing a new power nozzle neck is not something you would want to ever do.

The good news is, it doesn't ever have to break. Just take really good care of it and be gentle with it when you use it, and you'll be fine. And it will have no problems. Hoover was trying to make a good bagless canister, which they did, but they didn't build in enough safeguards from the unforgiving hands of the "average" person who doesn't care a thing about their vacuums. In the hands of a collector, it should last forever. I certainly do like the way mine cleans the rug.