Hoover U5491-900 Windtunnel Anniversary Bagged Upright Vacuum Cleaner

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Avg. consumer rating = 81/100 

The U5491-900 is a bagged upright vacuum cleaner that is not too expensive and gets quite good reviews.  It does not use a dirt-container like many of the bagless machines today, but instead uses a disposable bag. There is a long standing debate about whether bagged or bagless vacuum cleaners being better – bagged tend to make it easier to dispose of the collected dirt and it is cleaner to throw away the bag and put a new one in.  Bagless do not require purchasing and throwing away bags but it should be noted that they often have filters that need to be maintained or replaced and they rely on seals to prevent the dirt-container from leaking.

What are Consumer Saying? 

Also a review of comments on several sites indicate the following general pros and cons:

PROS
- Light and easy to maneuver
- Not too expensive
- Powerful suction
- Many folks really like the fact that it is bagged

CONS
- Loud (common complaint)
- Sometimes dirt sensor doesn’t seem to work
- The hose for the hand attachments could be a bit longer
- Hard to get under low furniture or beds
- Not as good on bare floors as it is on carpets

The Hoover U5491-900 also has HEPA filtration which is particularly popular with allergy sufferers.  HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air and is a filter that removes 99.97% of all airborne particulates of 0.3 microns or larger that pass through it.  When considering a HEPA vacuum cleaner it is important that the unit passes ALL intake air through the HEPA filter prior to exhausting it – otherwise particulate matter is bypassing the filter and being introduced back into the surrounding environment.

As the vacuum cleaner name states, the Hoover U5491-900 is an upright.  Hoover makes both upright and canister models -– like the Hoover S3765-040 for example (not to mention a host of other specialized vacuums).   Historically the upright models have been better at cleaning carpets but you have to move the entire vacuum back and forth while vacuuming and it can be difficult to vacuum under items like a bed with low clearance.  The canister vacuums have been better for hard surfaces and tend to be quieter however historically they were more expensive.  The distinction between these two types of vacuum cleaners is becoming more blurred as manufacturers attempt to bridge the gap between strengths and weaknesses.

The Hoover U5491-900 Windtunnel Anniversary Bagged Upright Vacuum Cleaner uses Hoover’s Patented WindTunnel technology which, according to Hoover engineers, is a system that lifts and traps dirt very efficiently (using three distinct air channels) without any scattering.  It comes with a complete on-board tool kit and a “dirt-finder” sensor.  The dirt finder uses a green indicator light to show that an area is clean and a red light to indicate that an area is dirty and requires additional vacuuming.  When the “dirty” area has been sufficiently vacuumed the light will turn green.  The unit also has an edge-cleaning tool (that some consumers have said works quite well), a 31 foot power cord, 8 foot stretch hose, 5 position height adjustment, headlight and a manufacturer's 3-year warranty.

A full list of specifications below:

Brushed Edge Cleaning: Y
Swivel Casters:  N
Dusting Brush:  Y
Headlight:  Y
On Board Tools:  Y
Turbo Tool:  N
Upholstery Brush: Y
Wand:   Y
Motor Amps:  12 AMP
Assembly Required: SCREWDRIVER
Brush Type:  MOTORIZED
Brushroll Shutoff: N
Color:   BLUE
Cord Length:  31 FT
Cordless:  N
Dirt Cup:  N
Filtration:  H
Full Bag Indicator: Y
Handle:   D_SHAPE
Height Adjustments: 5
Hose Type:  S
Nozzle Type:  WT
Nozzle Width:  15 IN
Powered Hand Tool: N
Replaceable Filter: Y
Self Propelled:  N
Crevice Tool:  Y

The manual for this vacuum cleaner can also be viewed at the Hoover website:
http://hoover.com/file/481/