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  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Features & Performance

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Cleaning Performance

  • Noise & Efficiency

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Features & Performance
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Cleaning Performance
  • Noise & Efficiency

Introduction

Design & Usability

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Because of some design flaws and quirky controls, this Hoover doesn't make for enduring usage.

The {{product.name}} doesn't have the best design, feeling cheap in some areas. It doesn't glide all that smoothly on carpet, with the power brush getting stuck on the long fibers; it was okay on hardwood, though. The Widepath also makes it difficult to turn around corners, so don't plan on vacuuming a room that has a lot of furniture with any real ease. We had trouble with the height adjustment controls on the base of the {{product.name}}, as well.

Don't plan on vacuuming a room that has a lot of furniture with any real ease.

When the height adjustment is working, it does help the vacuum move back and forth between floor types. The lid that holds the {{product.name}}'s bag is tough to remove and get back on, but the bag itself is good sized and comes out of the machine without issue. The {{product.name}} uses a HEPA filter bag that can be removed pretty easily. You won't need to worry too much about bringing the {{product.name}} from room to room, either, since it weighs only 15.54 pounds.

{{photo_gallery "Front Image", "Front 2 Image", "Right Image", "Left Image", "Handle Image", "Top Image", "Underside Image", "Hose Image", "Nozzle Extended Image", "Cleaning Tools 1 Image", "Cleaning Tools 2 Image", "Handling Primary Photo", "Handling Secondary Photo", "Controls 1 Image", "Controls 2 Image", "Controls 3 Image", "Filter 1 Image", "Filter 2 Image", "Power Cord 1 Image", "Power Cord 2 Image", "Dirt Container 1 Image", "Dirt Container 2 Image"}}

Features & Performance

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For under $100, you'll get decent performance with this machine.

The {{product.name}} wasn't great in any one of our dirt pickup tests, but did manage to pick up a majority of our larger debris. Carpet—both long and short—was just barely acceptable compared to other similarly priced models. It didn't do a bad job, but there are vacuums out there that do a better job with both types. As far as hardwood, well...don't even bother. You can't turn off the power brush, something which caused this vacuum to just blow dirt and dust around instead of sucking it up. Pet hair pick up wasn't great, either; you'll have to make several passes to get it all.

As far as hardwood, well...don't even bother.

The tools that came with the {{product.name}} weren't groundbreaking - a crevice tool, pet hair brush, and extra nozzle - but they're serviceable and will help out with hard-to-get areas around the house. It's great that the {{product.name}} has external tools that can be attached to its hose, but when the hose only extends three feet, those tools become less useful. At 26.5 feet, the {{product.name}}'s power cord is just above average length.

Conclusion

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Short on price, long on performance.

Don't count on the {{product.name}} ($79.99 on sale) to clean up dirt off of smooth surfaces; you're better off just sweeping it all under a rug. But it handled most of our other tests pretty well, and even outperforms some $200 to $300 machines on carpet. When you don't pay that much for a vacuum, however, there are going to be drawbacks. The machine feels a bit cheap—the power brush height adjuster got stuck during our testing—it's bulky, and its onboard tools are nothing great. The {{product.name}} isn't the be-all and end-all, and you shouldn't expect it to be. It does, however, provide solid performance without breaking the bank.

Science Introduction

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You're not going to get phenomenal cleaning power for such a low price tag. That said, this cheap little Hoover does get the job done...for the most part. See where this budget model manages to rise above its low-end competition, and where it's very clear why this vacuum is so cheap.

Cleaning Performance

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Not bad on carpet, but if you've got hardwood you might as well just buy a broom.

There are some $400-500 vacuums that are worse on high carpet than the {{product.name}}. It wasn't mind blowing on long pile carpet, picking up 40% of dirt, but you can do a lot worse than the Widepath. The highest cleaning percentage was in our short pile test, where it collected 80.9%—not bad, though, we have seen better. Because the {{product.name}}'s power brush can't be turned off, it sucked up only 37.5% of dirt in our hardwood tests. We could see the sand being spewed from its backside and the results show that the power brush was just pushing the sand instead of picking it up.

We weren't overly impressed with the it's pet hair pickup capabilities, either. You'll eventually pick up most pet hair, but it may take a few tries. Oddly enough, you can actually count on the {{product.name}} to be solid in debris pickup on both hardwood and high pile carpet, as it collected exactly 87% of debris on both surfaces. It did especially well with heavy objects, leaving only one or two coins behind in each test.

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Noise & Efficiency

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This vacuum will be rough on both your ears and your electric bill.

At nearly 80 decibels, the {{product.name}} is one of the noisiest vacuums you'll find. We'd say go buy some ear plugs, but you'll have to save that money to pay for your electric bill. The Hoover used 1364 watts during our power consumption test.

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Meet the tester

Patrick Ouellette

Patrick Ouellette

Staff Writer

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Patrick Ouellette is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

See all of Patrick Ouellette's reviews

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