Vacuums Reviews

I was about to order 2 bags of these, and then saw that my total was over $12 because the shipping is >$3 for each pack of bags. You have got to be kidding me. I'll be seeking another source.

Best price around for excellent micro-filtration bags. Cannot beat ease of purchasing.

Genuine Panasonic U-6 vacuum bags from Amazon.com, easily the best price on the web, especially with a Super Saver shipping order. I don't know how they make money on these, as these shipped separately from my order from a different location via UPS. The shipping alone must've cost as much as the bags themselves, much less any profit by having the lowest price on the web.

If you have a Panasonic vac which takes U6 bags, it is important to get genuine Panasonic U6 bags, not some knock-off "U" size. The bags are an integral part of the Panasonic cleaning system, and U6's are much thicker than standard bags, offering their increased filtering ability. "U" is just a size, but the "6" (I deduce) refers to its thickness. So a Panasonic U3 bag or a knock-off "U-anything" bag will fit in a U6 vac, but you'll be doing yourself a disservice. U6-type vacs are more powerful; they need to be to pull the air through the bag (just try to blow air through a new one yourself).

There are other 3rd-party Amazon sellers selling the same bags on Amazon, but this is the best place to buy them (super saver qualifier, lowest price).

Another reason buying genuine U6 bags is important is because the "6-layer HEPA air filter" feature of Panasonic vacuums is bogus. I have owned two generations of Panasonic vacs (the newer "darth vader" type plus the more standard-looking one before it), and Panasonic's idea of "HEPA" filtering it laughable at best, and criminal at worst. With my older one, barely any air even passed through the supposed "HEPA filter" (almost all air actually passing through the cord reel hole). With the newer "Darth Vader" model, the filtrete "HEPA" filter cartridge had no real seal, so I had to make one with duct tape, but even then there was no reduction in "vacuum smell" whatsoever from the filter cartridge. What I am saying is that the bag does all the air filtering. I still like Panasonic U6-type vacs because they DO reduce the "vacuum smell" by filtering the air better, but this is ONLY due to the U6 bag and the suction/brushing behind it, NOT having anything to do with the bogus "HEPA" filters supposedly placed in the exhaust flow.

Any 3rd-party bag which displays itself as compatible with U3, even the "anti-allergen" ones, is intrinsically inferior to the genuine Panasonic U6, because the U6 is so much thicker that it can't be used in the (weaker) U3 vacs at all.

So stick with genuine Panasonic Vacuum bags. With these prices, replace your bags early and often; that's the best way to achieve clean air--not from some HEPA filter idea. Keep these in mind when you need a small item to bump you over the free Super Saver shipping minimum purchase.

I give it 3 stars because (1) very good regular suction, (2) the ease of pushing it/pulling it, (3) the electrical cord is long, (4) the filter is washable.

Now then...Hush mode? That's ridiculous. The "hush mode" sounds EXACTLY the same as the regular mode, just as loud as any regular vaccuum. The display at the store had a button that you push (not on their actual vaccuum, but on a display kit). That sound was so soft it purred. There was a picture of a sleeping baby, showing that you could vaccuum quietly when your children are asleep. That's craziness. There is no difference. That was part of the reason I purchased this.

The suction seems to be very good on the vaccuum itself. It picks up dirt that I didn't realize was there.

While vaccuuming, I can smell the dust that's being emitted back out. I think most vaccuums do this, unless they have a sealed hepa system. This doesn't have a sealed system, most of them don't anyway. But I can smell the dust smell. I don't like that.

The attachment hose does not have very good suction. It does pick up, but it leaves some behind and I'd prefer much better suction for my stairs. That's just me.

This next comment isn't about Hoover but about the bagless feature in general. If you're considering a bagless vaccuum, I'd like to say this: this is my first bagless vaccuum. I will never get another one. That's like buying a freezer that doesn't defrost itself. Why would I want to see the dust & dirt ad be exposed to that? I'd rather have it all contained in the bag, then throw that away. I shouldn't have bought this, for that reason. There is a large canister to hold the dirt, but then you have to dump it out as best as you can to throw it away. Dust starts inevitably flying and you're trying not to inhale because you know what's in that debris. Yuck.

I'm getting a bagged vaccuum that also honors company claims, not one that is completely wrong about a major feature.

I bought this vacuum at lowe's a year and a half ago and I still love it! The regular mode works well but the turbo sucks up everything! The hush mode does work! You have to make sure that your turbo mode is not LOCKED... I have three children ages three and under and you can imagine the crumbs we get on the floor....this thing sucks up dirt you cant even see... the key to keeping the suction great everytime is to empty the dirt collector after every use. I would never buy a bagged vacuum again.
I love the folding handle is awesome if you have limited storage space. the handle under the dirt collection cup is great for trying to vacuum stairs or carrying it up and down stairs. For a vacuum in the 100 dollar range I think this one far out does the competition. I would definitely recommend it. The one thing I would have liked to see on this vacuum is that when it was on the bare floor/lowest setting that the brushes did not spin so that it just used the suction because if you are vacuuming tile or hardwood and the crumbs are too big sometimes the brush makes them fly out instead of just suction but overall I cant complain... My mother in law recently bought this vacuum as well because she had used it at my house and liked it. My sister bought one for a friend for a house warming gift. I do agree that the hose is alittle short for some jobs but if it were any longer it would probably get in the way... and considering how often i use the hand tools it isnt a big issue. Also you can purchase an extender. I love my hoover empower!

I give this vacuum a full 5 stars, even though I was going to give it four stars, to offset the ignorance of those who cannot walk while chewing gum. The reason I would have given it four stars instead of five is because ours broke after vacuuming up things that shouldn't have broken it, IMHO, such as a long wire twisty-tie. Perhaps that is expecting too much of a vacuum in this day and age, so I'll let it slide this time to offset the lack of following simple directions that led other reviewers to proclaim that hush mode doesn't work.

The fact is that Hush Mode most certainly does work, if you just use your grey matter. YOU NEED TO UNLOCK POWER BOOST, PEOPLE! If you leave the power boost on, hush mode is only a bit quieter than normal mode. But if you don't leave power boost locked on, then hush mode is unquestionably the quietest of the sub-$250 vacuums available at Wal-Mart (where I tested half a dozen of them for low noise due to our newborn baby prior to purchasing this vacuum). It is pleasantly quiet, and you probably won't disturb a sleeping baby that wouldn't be disturbed by normal noise levels.

Also, it should be noted that the model numbers (U526X-XXX) prior to the hyphen only seem to indicate vacuum color. After the hyphen, it may indicate slightly different accessory packages. It might be helpful to check out the hoover website for this product at http://hoover.com/db/U5265900.asp if you need more information.

The HEPA filtration seems to work well. If you cannot afford HEPA filtration systems, vacuum regularly (and consider getting hardwood or laminate flooring), because this vacuum cleans the air while vacuuming, or so it seems. I have no way to clinically test this theory, but it seems that there is always less dust in a sunlit room after vacuuming with this vacuum. Just remember that these bagless vacuums can be less than pleasant to unload, and depending upon the level of dirt/carpet fibers loose enough to be picked up by this vacuum, it is possible to fill the vacuum up with a typical 1700 square foot carpeted area (at least with our shedding carpets!); carpets that shed less, cleaner floors, and a lack of pet hair or residents losing their hair will dramatically reduce the chance this will happen, of course. :)

I hope this review was helpful. Have a wonderful New Year!

This is my Third Foodsaver unit. First one was purchased over 15 years ago, and it still works. I gave it to my daughter when I bought my Foodsaver Professional II model. Through my own fault ( NOT THE MACHINES ) I managed to damage the strip of tape covering the heating element. Well, now it burns holes in the middle of the bags, and I lose the vacuum. Talia doesnt repair or replace the tape ( no one repairs anything anymore...silly me), but Talia offered to send me a refurbished Pro II for $50.00, and I didnt have to mail in my old one.....well.....before I called Talia, I bought their new Professional III unit. Anyway, the representative said she would keep my name on file, and I can get that refurbished unit at any time. The reason I bought the Pro III, was the fact I didnt want to be without a vacuum sealer in my kitchen...........period.
I use mine 2-3-4 times a day.....every day. Mine really gets a workout. I like the Pro II and Pro III because I can do 10-12 bags without the machine having to cool down. I own Peach and Sour Cherry trees, and vacuum seal the fruit every season. Fresh Peaches or a Cherry Pie in January??? Yes you can. Buy bulk nuts, raisins, soft candies, herbs, spices, and vacuum them. I have all sizes of Mason jars just for that purpose.
Keep the fizz in your pop, or freshness in your wine by removing the air with the attachment that comes with the Pro III
Keep your "SILVER JEWELRY" from tarnishing..just vacuum pack it.
We go fishing & camping and I vacuum pack bandages, matches, iodine & gauze to keep dry in the tackle box or in our back packs. Old family Photos wont yellow. Keep your spare printer Ink cartridges fresh from drying out. Poupouri keeps fresh after opening the package. Lace and linen's wont deteriorate or yellow. Scented candles remain "scented" if bought in bulk.
The vacuum sealer isnt just for Kitchen uses. You'll look for things to shrink wrap.
But, in the kitchen, this is a must have. Put lettuce in one of the hard containers, and it will stay crisp and fresh for WEEKS. Coffee and loose Tea stay fresh, as does cereals, crackers, bread flour, etc. Use the hard container to Marinate a pork loin roast in, or chicken wings. You can flip, twist and turn the container on it's side in the fridge, and the marinate stays air tight. Put in soup, vacuum out the air, and it's sealed for that trip to work in your car without spilling.
I buy Steaks on sale....maybe 8-10 at a time. Shrink wrap and they'll last 18 months without freezer burn. Fish filets, hanburger, pork chops.... all plainly visible through the package. You can even "boil in the bag". Need a ice pack? Seal ice cubes.
This unit really has 1001 uses. Hobbies, Crafts, Tools, Fishing, Hunting, Boating, Camping, Gardening (seeds) Keepsakes, Household items, Jewelry and finally....in your Kitchen.
Like I said, This is my third machine and I just wont have a kitchen without one. It's that good.

My husband purchased the original food saver 18 years ago from a TV ad. I thought he was nuts to spend that kind of money but he convinced me to keep it. We used it without problems for all these years. When the unit would not heat up anymore we called Tilia to get a replacement part but were told our unit was too old for parts. With trepidation I replaced it with this model as it seemed to be the closest thing to what we already had and the price was actually cheaper than lower cost models in the store. All I can say is Bravo. This unit performs as well or better than the original model that we purchased. It just doesn't make sense to buy anything else.

I purchased my Pro III, based partally on the reviews here, about 8 months ago. This is my first vacuume sealer. One of the main reasons for the purchase is cheese. We eat a lot of cheese, but it doesn't seem to last very long in the fridge. Shortly after buying the Pro III, we had a bar-b-queue for about 40 people. My wife over bought the cheese for the event and I also over bought the cheese for the event! Needless to say, without the FoodSaver Pro III, we would have lost quite a few pounds of cheese. We finally used up all that cheese and thanks to the FoodSaver Pro III not an ounce was lost!

A fabulous product.

Great little versatile vacuum. Powerful enough to pick-up most stuff from your floors. Comes with many attachments. I use it on my hardwood floors, ceramic tiles as well as the couches.I can do a surface vacumming of your carpets but you still need something more powerful to deep clean it.
Its small weight and size makes it good also for the car.

I was distraught when my little 1-gallon shop-vac died recently. My roommate and I had used it for about 10 years as our primary vacumm--lightweight, easy to carry around the house, and it sucked up all the dirt and dog hair my pooch could bring in. The one-gallon vac is no longer available, so I bought this one. This vac is much improved over the old one--quieter, slightly larger capacity, has wheels and a longer hose, and we can now use the disposable bags or still just use the "bucket". All in all, they've taken a great product and made it even better. If it lasts as long as the old one, I'll be even happier!

Easy to use. Really picks up the dirt. Haven't used it for water yet. Attachments work great.

First one I bought the "Tool activated" switch did not work i.e. the vac came on even when tool (Dewalt router, table saw or miter saw) was not on. OK, maybe a bad switch or something I thought.

Returned it, next one SAME THING! Called PC they said "we can said out a new switch" so there it remains in my garage unused. Also bags fill up VERY FAST and are $$$. Don't think about using vac w/o bags because it is a mess to clean out.

Ultimately the vac sucks, but not in the good way.

This is the quietest shop vac I have ever used. I like the power plug that allows me to run my sander or table saw and continues to suck for 15 seconds after turning off the tool. On the down side the hose is on the small side. A larger dia. hose would have been nice for sucking up debris larger than saw dust. Ten gallons is a good size when you are working in a tool cramped garage. Storing the hose is a weak point since it's compact size allows the vac to be stored under my workbench but where do you put the hose. All in all this vac does what I wanted it to do.

This vacuum cannot be beat for easy clean-up of drywall and other fine particulates. I bought for my husband after I got tired of tripping a system he rigged up with the wet dry vac for picking up drywall dust. He was convinced that no vacuum was worth $265 until he tried it. It is now a permanent fixture on every project. I recommend buying the hose adaptor and accessory pack--he uses those all the time too.

The information on the pages that pertain to this hose needs to be changed to reflect the fact that the hose DOES NOT fit Hoovers with a HEPA system. It only fits Hoovers with product #'s beginning U53.., U54.., U64.. I ordered it along with a new Windtunnel that has a Hepa system, since the product information stated that these 2 items were bought together by other people. Unfortunately, it does not state that these people (now including me) have to return the hose because it does not fit all Windtunnels. So be sure to check and doublecheck before you buy. ...

False advertising. It is only 15'-16' *fully* stretched and is only a "20' reach with wands and crevice tool" according to the tiny print on the bottom box. This is not an extension but fits as a replacement, so you are only getting 9'-10' more reach than the original 6' hose. That is still helpful, altho the quality of the tubing is 1/2 that of the original hose and will not sustain pulling or pinching with the same durability.

Ignore all those with a gripe about what it will and won't fit. It only fits bag models. Ignore those with quality issues. It's the same construction as the original hose, or at least not detectable to me. It's the same hose that will compress with the suction of the vacuum, so you still have to be careful not to pull to hard and tip over the vacuum. This really helps to get up high without having to place the vaccuum on a chair. I purchased this for $13 bucks, must have been a great sale on Amazon at the time... maybe they will change it back for you.

I have the large one tried to use it on coffee.... can't get it to work. Love the rest of the products.