Hoover SH20030 Corded Cyclonic Stick Vacuum

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Avg. consumer rating = 86/100 

The Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick Vacuum (model SH20030) gets strong ratings from consumers with owner comments indicating a very high level of satisfaction with the unit's maneuverability, light weight and quiet operation.  This is a corded stick vacuum so there is no battery life or recharging issues to speak of.  It also comes with a brushbar that makes it effective on both carpets and bare floors.

Consumer ratings for this vacuum were updated in February 2016 and are still quite positive.

The Hoover Cyclonic Stick Vac is a pretty straightforward vacuum without too many bells and whistles.  It is a bagless unit and it is also corded.  Corded stick vacs are not as common as the battery driven units.  A few other corded machines that come to mind are the rather expensive (but very capable) Miele S163 and S168, the Bissell PowerEdge 81L2, and the Hoover S2220.

The Hoover SH20030 runs on 120V and uses Hoover’s WindTunnel technology which, according to Hoover engineers, is a system that uses three distinct air channels to lift and trap dirt very efficiently  without any scattering.  A more detailed explanation of Windtunnel Technology is hard to find.   This approach uses cyclonic suction that helps keep filters cleaner longer and ensures very little loss of suction (if any) over time.  The filter on this machine is washable.

The SH20030 is made for carpets, rugs and bare floors.  It comes with a brushbar that can be turned on and off (via a switch that is at your fingertips).  One generally turns the brushbar on for cleaning carpets or rugs and turns it off for bare floors cleaning.  Some machines have no brushbar and others have a brushbar with no “off” switch.  A brushbar with an on-off switch is always a good feature.  Note: Much of this machine’s marketing materials allude to it operating on “low-pile carpet” and it is likely that the vacuum works best on this length of carpet.

The vacuum is quite light at about 9 lbs and is said by owners to be very maneuverable.  Most folks like the swivel head but there are some that don’t.  The vacuum profile is quite low so it can get under low furniture and edges, and the handle can recline significantly to help reach into hard to get at areas.

Probably the area of most contention with this stick vacuum is the power cord.  It is 20 feet long and a number of owners wish it was longer.  20 feet is indeed short for a full size vacuum but for a corded stick vac this is about average.  A good length for a full size upright vacuum is about 30 feet and it appears most owners (understandably) would also like to see this in a stick vacuum.  But stick vac cords, like that on the SH20030, are generally shorter than their full size counterparts.

The dirt canister on the Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick Vacuum is clear plastic which allows one to view the dirt/dust level and decide when emptying may be necessary.  It is a bottom empty canister (empties at the push of a button) and consumer comments indicate that it is easy to remove, empty and reattach to the main vacuum body.

Other SH20030 features include non-marring wheels which ensure that floors are not scraped or scuffed and edge-cleaning that gets right up to baseboards.  The cleaning path is about 11 inches wide which is not bad for a stick vacuum and is actually the same as some full size machines (although most full size uprights have larger cleaning paths).  The Hoover Corded Cyclonic Stick Vacuum carries a 2-year limited warranty.

A review of consumer comments from quality sources yields the following common vacuum likes and dislikes (it can be seen that there are a lot of positive things said about this stick vac and few negative comments - at this time):

PROS
- Light and easy to move and maneuver
- No battery to run down
- Dirt canister is easy to empty
- Good on both carpet and bare floors
- Relatively quiet
- Strong suction
- Very small footprint (easy to store)
- Slim design makes it easy to get under and around furniture

CONS
- Short power cord
- Being a stick vac the dirt canister is not that big