Hoover UH50000 Windtunnel Upright Vacuum Cleaner

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Avg. consumer rating = 70/100 

According to the Hoover.com website the Hoover UH50000 TurboPower WindTunnel Anniversary-Edition Upright Vacuum Cleaner is a Consumers Digest Best Buy.  However consumer ratings and reviews (from those who have bought and experienced the vacuum) are average at best.  The Hoover Windtunnel vacuums do seem to get a lot of repeat customers however, and this may show a certain level of satisfaction with the brand and products through the years.

Consumer ratings for the UH50000 are provided in the table below.

The Hoover UH50000 is an upright vacuum that is powered by a 12 amp motor.  It utilizes Hoover’s patented Windtunnel technology.  According to Hoover engineers, Windtunnel technology is a system that uses 3 distinct air channels to lift and trap dirt very efficiently while limiting any scattering.

The UH50000 is a bagged vacuum cleaner meaning that it uses a disposable bag to collect debris.  When the bag is full it is removed, thrown away and replaced.  This differs from the “bagless” approach that uses a dirt container that is filled, emptied and re-used.  There are pros and cons to each approach and it usually comes down to a matter of personal preference.

The bags for this unit are specially designed to reduce allergens.  According to the Hoover website the bags you should use with this vacuum are the Allergen Filtration Media Type Y Disposable Filter bags.  These remove 99.97% of all particles 5 microns or larger from the airflow that passes through them.  They are described by Hoover as “designed for high filtration of common household allergens”.   It also appears that you can increase your filtration level to HEPA filtration by using Type Y HEPA bags that use three layers of Filtrete HEPA filter media.  HEPA filtration removes 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger.  See image to right. 
 
This machine is also self-propelled and this provides the ability to move and maneuver the vacuum quite easily (both forwards and backwards).  This feature can be deactivated via a button on the handle.  It is rather a heavy vacuum however (a point made be several consumers) and lifting it – to go up stairs for example – can be a chore.  The UH50000 weighs some 21.2 lbs.

A number of tools come standard with this Hoover (dusting brush, crevice tool, furniture nozzle, wands) and it also has a powered pet hair removal tool.  The pet hair tool has received good comments from consumers.  It has rotating brushes and is good for removing pet hair and dirt from upholstery, stairs and most other places as well.    The vacuum also comes with an 8 foot stretch hose.

The UH50000 has a brushbar and it can be turned on and off.  The ability to turn the brushbar off is important if you wish to use the vacuum on certain kinds of bare floors (no marring) or delicate rugs.  There are also 5 different height settings on the vacuum and these help to accommodate different surfaces.  The UH50000 comes with edge cleaning capability and it is apparently very good – there are several positive consumer comments about this feature.

Finally the power cord on this Hoover is 29 feet in length and if you’ve read any of our other reviews you will know that we usually feel a cord is too short if it is less than 30 feet.  This one is quite close so you shouldn’t be too disappointed.  There is no auto-cord rewind however. 

The Hoover TurboPower Windtunnel comes with a headlight and carries a respectable 3-year limited warranty.

Consumer comments on the UH50000 have yielded the following common likes and dislikes:

PROS
- Long power cord
- Pet hair tool works very well
- 3 year warranty
- Effective edge cleaning
- Easy and quick to assemble

CONS
- Heavy
- Leaves lines in carpet after vacuuming

Do you own this vacuum?   Would you like to share any insights with other readers?  We encourage comments!