Hoover Sprint QuickVac Bagless Upright

My wife and I (especially my wife) are very pleased with this lightweight Hoover Sprint QuickVac Bagless Upright UH20040.

We own several vacuum cleaners; our main ones are Eureka THE BOSS SmartVac Model 4870 Type GZ of which we've owned two units for a couple of years now. They are excellent vacuum cleaners and work very well indeed. Maintenance on them is minimal. They are, however, very heavy and that is the reason we bought two of them: one is for downstairs and one is for upstairs. (They were highly rated in "Consumer Reports" and cost about half $150.00 of what other comparably highly-rated machines did at the time.)

We also own a couple of lightweight 'stick' vacuums: a Eureka Lightweight Easy Clean Upright Vacuum Cleaner and a Bissell FeatherWeight Vacuum, Bagless, 3106B (my wife slightly prefers the Bissell to the Eureka). We use these for light touch-up vacuuming and they are excellent for that purpose.

But this new Hoover model almost combines the best of both worlds: it is lightweight (of course not as lightweight as the 'sticks') yet comparable in performance to our 'heavy-weight' Eureka 4870s.

It is so easy to put together right out of the box (no instructions are necessary for assembly) and its use is straightforward. It is helpful and desirable, of course, to read the owner's manual but figuring out this unit is almost (but not quite) a 'no-brainer.'

There is only one tool included with this machine and that's all you'll need. It is a most ingenious tool, combining a crevice tool and an upholstery tool in one compact unit. It has to be seen to be believed.

Everything snaps in place and the machine exudes an air of confidence and of high quality. It has an unusual carry handle which can be used when moving the machine (rather than carrying it awkwardly with the 'main' handle, as is the necessary case with most vacuums).

Using it on stairs is very easy, almost as easy as using a cannister vacuum.

The power cord has to be wound carefully onto its nesting place otherwise it won't fit properly. But that is easy to do. The power cord's length is adequate for our house, as long or longer than all the other vacuums we own.

My wife especially likes the foot-operated on/off switch.

On first use, she exclaimed that the suction was amazing. She said she could not believe it. After she finished vacuuming our entire upstairs with it, she asked me what it sold for. I replied that currently Amazon was charging $70.00 and it listed for $80.00. She then stated very firmly, "That's a bargain!"

Obviously, with it being so new for us, I cannot comment at this time on its longevity or ease of maintenance. Should anything untoward develop, I shall report it here.

But there is one comment I can make: at least one reviewer here states that, to access the belt, one must remove seven (7) screws. That is, in fact, what the owner's manual states.

But, if you look at the bottom of the vacuum, you will see a little chart showing the location of just six (6) screws; that is all that really need be removed. (Not that that makes a whole lot of difference.) I do recommend that you do as we do: remove the screws and put them in an egg carton. That way you are sure not to lose any of them. You will need a moderately long and thin Phillips-head ("crosshead") screwdriver to remove the screws but this should be easy. Such screwdrivers are readily available (if you don't already have one) at any hardware store (or even a dollar-store). (I have not tried removing the screws: it 'ain't' broke so why should I fix it?)

I cannot say, at this time, if this machine will replace our 'big' Eurekas as my wife's main vacuum cleaner, but, so far, she is really enamored of it. (She does most of the vacuuming and she is 'in charge' of what we buy and use in such machines.)

As I said at the beginning of this review, both I and my wife are very pleased with this vacuum cleaner. It's offers heavy-duty suction without the 'heavy-duty price' or 'heavy-duty weight.' If you buy one, I believe you will be pleased too.

Thank you for reading this review and for considering my opinions.

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Update: November 11, 2011

We've had this vacuum cleaner for a month now and, if anything, my wife likes it even more than when we first received it. Since it arrived, she has used our 'big' Eurekas only once, much preferring to use this Hoover model which she regards as being lighter in weight, easier to maneuver, and superior in deep cleaning our rugs.

Plus she says that, of all the vacuum cleaners we have ever owned, bag or bagless, this is by far the easiest and most convenient to clean.

And its price is 'right.'

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