Like a Mini Black Hole Passing Over My Carpet

Author's Rating:

Pros: Lots of features, great suction, easy to clean, easy to use.

Cons: Loud, cord whips back into the unit, dirt cup cap hard to put back on.

The Bottom Line: 
For the price, this is a steal.

Author's Review
Let's face it, nobody likes to do housework, right? That's right. And although it's not as backbreaking as some forms of cleaning, vacuuming the carpets is still housework. It's not something I want to spend more time on than I have to, and probably neither do you. That said, the Bruguru household is really and truly glad we bought a Hoover U5507-900 Elite Rewind Bagless Upright Vacuum a few months ago.

That's partly because this vacuum provides a host of great features, all at a very reasonable price. Mostly, though, it's because it does a great job cleaning our carpets, all with a minimum of effort. And isn't that what a vacuum's purpose in life, its very raison d'etre is after all?

Why We Like It

Let's start with the widepath cleaning area. Hey, I did say I don't want to spend anymore time cleaning than I have to after all, and the wide area cleaning path (over a foot long) means I can clean my carpets with fewer passes. What's more, I can adjust the height of the vacuuming area on a scale of one to seven from a handy knob located at the base of the unit. These settings range from hard floors to thick shaggy carpets, and allow for the best possible combination of easy mobility and suction. The result: I get clean carpets with a lot less effort. And it really does work well: I rarely have to make more than one pass over an area to pick up all the dirt.

There's a lot more to like about the Hoover U5507-900 Elite Rewind, however. Sure, it does a great job cleaning the carpet, but lots of vacuums do that, and some of them for less money than we spent. But the little bells and whistles make a big difference, and we've found plenty of nifty features that separate this model from the herd. The first you'll likely notice is the self rewinding cord. That's natural, since the first thing you do to operate the cleaner is plug it in.

But there are no tangled cords to deal with; you simply pull out as much cord as you need and you're on your way. When you're done, pushing down on the bright yellow cord pedal will reel the cord back in for you. Once again, less work (though be careful, the cord is wound in very quickly with an almost whip-like motion and could cause an injury).

Once you're plugged in, you're ready to fire this baby up, and you don't even have to bend over to do it. Rather than switch activation, the Hoover U5507-900 Elite Rewind uses a convenient lever that you can press with your foot. We've mentioned the ease with which the widepath cleaning feature makes quick work of dirty carpets. But wait. There's more.

Also included are three cleaning tools that allow you to easily clean your stairs, furniture, and even car. They range from a wider angled combination tool with brush best for use on furniture, a powered hand tool for use on stairs and in the car, and a thinner flat nozzle crevice wand attachment perfect for getting in tighter areas. All of the attachments clip onto the handle for ready availability.

The hose easily detaches from the main unit to use these, and is easily wielded with its convenient handle. We like the fact that the hose, which extends to a full nine feet, is of good diameter and rarely clogs, is fashioned of thick, sturdy plastic that won't puncture easily. When there is a clog or the dirt cup is full, a convenient airflow indicator on the front of the unit turns red to let you know.

Now about that dirt cup. I don't know about you, but I don't care for buying vacuum cleaner bags only to throw them away when they're full. That's wasted money, after all. No worries here, as the large-sized dirt cup quickly removes when you're done. Simply empty the contents into the trash and you're ready to go again. The cup air filter easily removes, too, for cleaning when required, as does the side mounted lifetime HEPA filter.

Durability seems strong, as the Hoover U5507-900 Elite Rewind has formidable heft and solid construction. A one-year warranty backs this up. Nice little extras include frontal mounted headlamp and soft plastic furniture guard at the base. Although this cleaner does not advertise a "vortex" action, it does have one, as you'll see if you watch the dirt and other assorted matter swirl around in the cup while you clean.

On the downside, we have noticed that the cap can sometimes be difficult to screw back onto the dirt cup. Then too, this is a very loud cleaner, and I wouldn't suggest using it while the spouse is asleep. Overall, though, we love the Hoover U5507-900 Elite Rewind. It really makes our busy lives that much easier, at least when it comes to vacuuming. And at a meager $90 (the price we paid at Costco) it's certainly a bargain, too.

Similar Products We Recommend:

For less money, the Eureka Boss is a basic cleaner that gets the job done. For smaller applications, the Dirt Devil Dynamite is worthy of consideration. And when you need to shampoo, doing it yourself with the Rug Doctor can save you big bucks.