Thread Number: 9443
How many use this as their normal machine..? |
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Post# 103630 , Reply# 1   7/18/2010 at 14:13 (5,029 days old) by myvacsrock (USA)   |   | |
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Post# 103635 , Reply# 2   7/18/2010 at 15:01 (5,029 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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I bought an identical model in green for my parents in 2002. My Dad loved the self-propelled feature and the really long cord (he did the vacuuming in my parents' condo). When they tore out the wall-to-wall carpets and put down laminate flooring, I gave them my Kenmore Progressive ("Elegance" in Canada) green power nozzle canister in exchange for the Hoover SP WT and I used the upright in my little apartment for years. About a year ago, I gave it to a friend who had just bought a big suburban house with lots of broadloom and carpeted stairs. To me the pros are: Very powerful carpet cleaner, self-propulsion makes it easy to push and pull, lies nice and flat for getting under furniture, bright headlight, long cord, excellent filtration, and an easy to use brush off switch for floors which allows it to do decent job of picking up surface litter and hair from bare floors. The cons are: too heavy, too noisy, hose is not easy to use and it is too short and you have to fight with it as it wants to contract when the high suction flies through it, upholstery nozzle can damage delicate fabrics since there is no suction valve on the hose and most importantly - the vac tips over when you stretch the hose too far. I also don't like the dust bag set up on all the old WindTunnels - you really have to slide the bag onto the throat in the dark and you can never be sure if it is installed all the way. Much prefer the new T-Series bagged system where the bag sits in a removeable box which has a Miele like bag holder in it. All in all a great machine, and still one of the only uprights to rate an "excellent" by Consumer Reports in all three cleaning categories of "carpet cleaning", "bare floor cleaning" and "tool air flow". For many years, including 2010, this Hoover Self Propelled WindTunnel Bagged Upright has sat at the very top of the list of more than 30 uprights tested by Consumer Reports. |
Post# 103639 , Reply# 4   7/18/2010 at 15:17 (5,029 days old) by vacman117 (Chicago, IL)   |   | |
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Post# 103641 , Reply# 5   7/18/2010 at 17:36 (5,029 days old) by vintageroyal611 ()   |   | |
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I use a black WindTunnel TurboPower 6200 non-self propelled and i LOVE it |
Post# 103642 , Reply# 6   7/18/2010 at 17:42 (5,029 days old) by vintageroyal611 ()   |   | |
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My WindTunnel TurboPower 6200 |
Post# 103643 , Reply# 7   7/18/2010 at 17:43 (5,029 days old) by vintageroyal611 ()   |   | |
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Another shot that makes it look worse than it really does |
Post# 103648 , Reply# 8   7/18/2010 at 18:37 (5,029 days old) by kloveland (Tulsa)   |   | |
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The Windtunnels are great carpet cleaners. My aunt has had hers for at least six or seven years. She has the bagless model and it is a pain to empty the dirt cup and tap out the filter. When emptying the cup in the trash, the tower filter and the cap seem to roll out of the dirt cup. I know she doesn't empty the dirt cup after every use and the performance really does decline when it is full. The tool suction was really disappointing until I realized that the handle has to be upright position. |
Post# 103649 , Reply# 9   7/18/2010 at 18:45 (5,029 days old) by kloveland (Tulsa)   |   | |
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Post# 103650 , Reply# 10   7/18/2010 at 18:57 (5,029 days old) by vintageroyal611 ()   |   | |
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My WindTunnel is my favorite new vacuum besides my faithful Sanitaires. |
Post# 103652 , Reply# 11   7/18/2010 at 19:07 (5,029 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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Interesting comments about the TurboPower 6200 and the bagless WindTunnel. I don't know if you can compare Kyle's bagged Self Propelled Ultra to these other units though - they have different hose lengths and body weights and filtration systems than the Ultra. Many of the other models in the WindTunnel line do not perform as well the Ultra Self Propelled, and I even think the bagless has less suction through the hose for some reason. One thing seems to be certain: all the WindTunnels use the "windtunnel" brush chamber that provides for better pick up of dirt from carpets. The separated suction channel that diverts air to the front edge really seems to make a difference when the agitator kicks dirt toward the front of the machine. The only ironic downside is that the WindTunnel configuration results in a really deep "blank" zone of cleaning on the front edge of the nozzle - you can pick up some surface dirt hiding near a baseboard when you push the cleaner toward the baseboard, but you have to lift the nozzle off the carpet a bit to let the suction reach the baseboard. Otherwise you need to clean the baseboard by gliding the vac sideways along the wall, or by using the on board hose with the crevice tool. It would be great if TTI could figure out a way to divert some of the WindTunnel chamber's suction to the front edge of the bumper! |
Post# 103656 , Reply# 13   7/18/2010 at 19:27 (5,029 days old) by dustin (Jackson, MI)   |   | |
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I have a gray/silver self propelled with the dirt finder, made in 2006, I got it this spring at Goodwill for $9.99! I really like mine, but I dont use it very much because the switch is kind of goofed up, but when I do use it, it picks up AMAZINGLY and it is very easy to push. my biggest complaint is that the full bag indicator shows full almost immediately after the bag is changed, so you really dont know if its getting full or not! I usually change it when it shows mostly or all red, and the bag is no more than half of the way to the max line.
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Post# 103658 , Reply# 14   7/18/2010 at 19:47 (5,029 days old) by vintageroyal611 ()   |   | |
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uhhh Eurekaprince, my windtunnel has the same hose as Kyle's does (same year even) same weight roughly and the only difference in the filtration system is which one of 2 virtually useless exhaust filters |
Post# 103661 , Reply# 16   7/18/2010 at 20:27 (5,029 days old) by 1926700 ()   |   | |
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but...i stll say it not the best built machine and even more so after hoover was gone and TTI took over...im hust not a big fan of them |
Post# 103669 , Reply# 18   7/18/2010 at 21:41 (5,029 days old) by rexaird ()   |   | |
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I had one exactly like Kyle's, but let it go a couple years ago. I liked it, but my main complaints were with the bags leaking more dust than I liked, and it was just kind of awkward to use. |
Post# 103670 , Reply# 19   7/18/2010 at 21:46 (5,029 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)   |   | |
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I always thought that the reason the WT Ultra self-propelled did better than the others was because the hose was positioned with less curves than all the other WindTunnels. It seems to have a nice wide turnaround at the top and a nice "straightaway" down to the floor head. The cheaper basic WT's have cheaper hoses that are stored with tight curves. I did not know that the TurboPower had an identical hose. Also I also always thought the Self-Propelled version was heavier than the others due to the power-drive mechanism, and so I thought that the vac sat more tightly on the carpet and so did a better job of cleaning. But I stand corrected if you say the Turbopower is the same basic weight. I just think that the larger exhaust filter on the Ultra allows for better air-flow and momentum through the system, but maybe the difference is negligible. I've never actually used a TurboPower - only saw them in the Future Shop stores here in Canada when they first came out alongside the WT SP Ultra. Brian |
Post# 103674 , Reply# 20   7/18/2010 at 22:02 (5,029 days old) by bagintheback (Flagstaff, Arizona)   |   | |
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I had two Windtunnels. My frist one is the Supreme, and the other one was a Tempo. I gave the Tempo to my uncle, which I kinda miss now. The Supreme is basically my dad's now. He uses it to vacuum up kitty litter, and my parents have this thing about cat litter vacuums and carpets, so I rarely use it. It's loud but the suction is amazing. I normally try to stay with direct-air machine for carpet, but I do sometimes use them. |
Post# 103680 , Reply# 21   7/19/2010 at 02:34 (5,029 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)   |   | |
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Haven't used them much-but see too many sad looking ones in dumpsters at vac shops.Overall-think the 'ole Hoover Convertable was a FAR better machine-uses much less power and just more pleasurable to use than the clunky Windtunnels. |
Post# 103690 , Reply# 23   7/19/2010 at 08:56 (5,028 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 103878 , Reply# 30   7/21/2010 at 00:55 (5,027 days old) by bimmer740 (Long Island, New York)   |   | |
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I purchased the top of the line WindTunnel Self-Propelled Turbo Power machine a few years ago and returned it 2 weeks later. While it was not terribly expensive, it was more than most plastic big box store vacuums. While it did clean well, it sounded like I was cleaning with a jet engine (so LOUD!). It seemed to be cheaply constructed using low rate plastic parts. The tools were absolutely horrid! So cheap and not designed with performance and function in mind (I only drive German cars, If you know what its like to drive one and all their attention to minor details, form, function, and performance, you will understand my gripe with Hoover's tools). The Power Drive system seems to be the same one used in the Dial-A-Matic my grandmother had when I was little from the early 70's, extremely jerky and diffucult to modulate. My Kirby Diamond Edition in power drive mode is effortless, so intuitive, it works as though you dont even know it is self propelled, its just that seamless. I would take a self propelled Kirby over a Hoover Power Drive any day! While I do think the Hoover is a good deep cleaner, its bristles are like rocks, I would never use it on an expensive Persian rug. I was even leary of using it on our berber carpet with fear that it may damage it by ripping the loops of carpet right out. Although these machines are propably the best of the current Hoover line up, give me a Kirby any day. Ultimately the machine went back to the store and I stayed with my Ultimate G Diamond Edition, I always have believed you get what you pay for, and when it comes to comparing Hoover to Kirby, it certainly is true. Just my two cents
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Post# 103927 , Reply# 31   7/21/2010 at 17:13 (5,026 days old) by djkain2007 ()   |   | |
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i just don't like windtunnels... not a good vac in my opinion |