Thread Number: 16628
Thumbs down on the Hoover Windtunnel 2 bagless |
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Post# 177337 , Reply# 1   4/16/2012 at 22:54 (4,364 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)   |   | |
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The way I see it is, in layman's terms the Windtunnel concept is merely providing two equal suction channels compared to one. They claim it increases better pick up - but unless the actual dual suction channels both travel to the bag or bin independently, I've never been that convinced by the claim on the basis that the suction channels just taper off into one dust channel, usually just behind the removable hose at the bottom of the machines or wherever the dust goes when its picked up from the floor head.
Whilst we don't have the same Hoover models in the UK, the new Vax Mach Air has snatched Hoover's Windtunnel name and used it as one of their features. Whether that justifies the impossible aspect I get each time I try and vacuum with the auto adjusting upright on a hard floor with the brush roll switched off and the floor head literally sticks to the floor and is impossible to move without brute force being a condition of "windtunnel" dual channels is unknown, but it certainly plays close to the concept. |
Post# 177361 , Reply# 2   4/17/2012 at 09:16 (4,363 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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I think we are missing the true intent of the WindTunnel brush cavity design:
The Hoover designers wanted to provide a "shelf of suction" at the front of the nozzle because when a bristle wipes a fibre of carpeting, dirt has a tendency to fling back in the opposite direction. A brush roll sweeping in the direction of the motor will fling a lot of dirt towards the front edge of the vacuum and when you pull back, you leave dirt behind. By segregating a separate suction channel over the brush roll and ending at the front edge of the nozzle, you can capture a lot of that dirt that has been flung forward. It actually works very well! Most vacs with a WindTunnel nozzle configuration have consistently removed dirt better than others in Consumer Reports testing - even the canister with the WindTunnel power nozzle. I have heard that TTI has been a little devious in using the word WindTunnel on Hoover vacs that actually don't have the segregated suction channel. Not sure if this is true, but buyers should check the underside of any Hoover they buy to make sure it actually has the real WindTunnel brushroll cavity with the front edge suction channel. |
Post# 177362 , Reply# 3   4/17/2012 at 09:17 (4,363 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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I think we are missing the true intent of the WindTunnel brush cavity design:
The Hoover designers wanted to provide a "shelf of suction" at the front of the nozzle because when a bristle wipes a fibre of carpeting, dirt has a tendency to fling back in the opposite direction. A brush roll sweeping in the direction of the motor will fling a lot of dirt towards the front edge of the vacuum and when you pull back, you leave dirt behind. By segregating a separate suction channel over the brush roll and ending at the front edge of the nozzle, you can capture a lot of that dirt that has been flung forward. It actually works very well! Most vacs with a WindTunnel nozzle configuration have consistently removed dirt better than others in Consumer Reports testing - even the canister with the WindTunnel power nozzle. I have heard that TTI has been a little devious in using the word WindTunnel on Hoover vacs that actually don't have the segregated suction channel. Not sure if this is true, but buyers should check the underside of any Hoover they buy to make sure it actually has the real WindTunnel brushroll cavity with the front edge suction channel. |
Post# 177367 , Reply# 4   4/17/2012 at 09:35 (4,363 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 177387 , Reply# 6   4/17/2012 at 15:10 (4,363 days old) by szymonrules (Philadelphia, PA )   |   | |
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Post# 177406 , Reply# 7   4/17/2012 at 18:10 (4,363 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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Gary -
We had a Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Bagged upright for over 10 years in my parent's apartment. The condo was covered wall-to-wall in thick plush carpeting. In all the years of checking the belt and removing the brush roll to wash the "brush-window" clean, I never, ever encountered a clog in the separate WT airpath over the brush roll. The only place that seemed to gather fibres was the small stretch of WT channel that is located at the short brush edge right next to the belt. The suction is probably weakest at that far end of the channel. I can not comment on the flaws of bagless designs, and the lack of maintenance of filters on the part of owners of bagless vacs. I prefer bagged cleaners because they are easier to maintain. I now own a Hoover Tempo Widepath that also has a WindTunnel brush cavity, and it too never has never clogged in the 2 years I've owned it. I am the first to be sceptical about manufacturer's claims, but I really think the "proof is in the pudding" here. Unlike many other people, I trust the basic parameters of test design that Consumer Reports uses to rank deep carpet cleaning ability in vacuums. Every single Hoover vac that uses the WindTunnel brush cavity has delivered excellent results in their laboratory tests ever since the design was introduced. |
Post# 177410 , Reply# 9   4/17/2012 at 19:35 (4,363 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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Consumer Reports never claims to offer the buyer information on the durability of a certain product. They can only offer information as to what may be a better performing product when new "out of the box." They will also down-grade a product that consistently comes damaged when new "out of the box." They did that with the early shipment of the Hoover Duros canisters (something about a faulty bag holder).
They indeed survey consumers to create a "Brand Reliability" ranking to give consumers some idea of the general history of repairs needed for products coming from a certain manufacturer. The basic questions for vacs are: "Which vac have you bought new in the last year? Has it had a problem that needed repair?" And indeed, Hoover is not one of the most reliable manufacturers for uprights - Kirby, Kenmore and Dyson have better repair histories for upright vacs. I think there may be other common sense factors as to why you may be seeing certain brands of vac lying in the "trade-in" pile. People who don't care to maintain the things they buy are the ones who are constantly replacing their household goods. It's faster for them to just buy a new item than to repair an old one. And though Consumer Reports will place a good-performing budget vacuum higher in the rankings than a good-performing expensive vac (to help save consumers money), there may be another factor involved here: those who spend $1000 on a Kirby will be more careful with their purchase, then those who spend only $200 on a Hoover. But that kind of influence will happen in any product category, and Consumer Reports does not include that in rating the new vacs in the stores. |
Post# 177425 , Reply# 11   4/17/2012 at 22:31 (4,363 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 177472 , Reply# 14   4/18/2012 at 04:33 (4,363 days old) by vacuumfan96 (South East Michigan )   |   | |
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I am quite positive that the Hoover Tempo has windtunnel technology as well. |
Post# 177482 , Reply# 15   4/18/2012 at 10:25 (4,362 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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Hey Gary! No offense taken! :-)
It's always valuable to have an intelligent exchange of ideas and comments on a particular vacuum cleaner, and I have enjoyed chatting with you in this thread...really! :-) I guess it all boils down to the kind of person using the vac. Some vacs are designed very simply and are built like tanks so they can withstand abuse and neglect by sloppy careless owners - even if they are not the greatest cleaners in the world, nor the easiest cleaners to use. Then there are better performing vacs that are really easy to use - but if not cared for according to the manual, will die an early death. The original bagged Hoover WindTunnel upright is an excellent series of vacuum cleaners - they just need the minimum regular maintenance to keep them running (check the bag, the belts and the brush roll every few months.) A wealthy, impatient, careless vac user, would rather work a vac "into the ground" for a year or two and exchange it for a new one. More responsible people like me who do not want to fill our landfills with perfectly good appliances would rather be careful and take care of what we own. I don't mind taking a toothpick to the WindTunnel suction slot every few weeks just to make sure nothing is clogging the air passages....takes two minutes to do. Look forward to meeting you in person one day, Gary! :-) |
Post# 177566 , Reply# 16   4/19/2012 at 05:06 (4,361 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland)   |   | |
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Note to self: Don't buy a Windtunnel 2 Bagless!
I NEVER believe anybody who says something is "lifetime". Nothing lasts forever, least of all HEPA filters! And a lifetime belt ? What were HOOVER on when they wrote that ? Rubber certainly DOES NOT last forever, as the ozone produced by the motor hardens it and eventually wears it beyond its service life. Lifetime belt my back side, and lifetime High Efficiency Particle Filter ? Yeah right! |