Don't let the avocado green shade of the Hoover WindTunnel T-Series bagless vacuum fool you – this is not a relic of the '70s with clunky technology. This handy vacuum cleaner for home has great suction and cleaned most of our test messes with ease.
Right out of the box, the WindTunnel vacuum took a bit of effort to assemble, but this was not especially taxing, and it took approximately five minutes. Once we began our tests, we found it did a good job picking up cereal, though it pushed the cereal around a bit before cleaning it from hardwood floors. It struggled to clean up the flour we spread onto our test flooring, especially on the low-profile, office-style carpeting, but most of them did. It also spread out kitty litter a little before picking it up, which is not ideal. Overall, its cleaning scores were quite good, though – well above average.
The WindTunnel is a true HEPA vacuum, which means it has a specialized filter designed for catching even the smallest dust mites, allergens and other unwelcome particulates. It may lose some points with allergy sufferers, though, because it is bagless. That means there is a potential dust cloud when it is time to empty the dust container. You can minimize the impact if you empty it outside. If you prefer a bagged model, check out the Kenmore Intuition.
While in use, the vacuum cleaner was not particularly noisy, with a decibel level of 88 dB. That is above average but it didn't seem unbearable. Unfortunately, you do not get a swiveling head with this device, so it is a little difficult to maneuver around furniture.
All the tools are stored on the vacuum itself: a brush for pet hair, an upholstery brush, a wand and nozzle. The cord-rewind function works like a charm. When you want to rewind the 27-inch cord, you press a button with your foot and the cord zips back into its holder. In addition, while you are using the vacuum, a cord clip keeps the electrical cord out of the way.
Another useful feature is the vacuum hose, which can be extended to 8 feet to reach tall surfaces such as bookshelves or the tops of picture frames. This vacuum has a holder that keeps the hose firmly in place, and you must push it to release the hose, which is a pleasant change from less-than-stellar vacuums whose hoses sometimes come loose and flop around right when you are in the middle of vacuuming.
A red indicator light alerts you when you need to rinse the vacuum's filter, check for any clogs or empty the canister. That is a nice extra you don’t get with other units in our review that make you keep track of all that yourself.
The Hoover WindTunnel bagless vacuum gives you good suction to clean different types of flooring as well as accessories to clean furniture and other areas in your home. It has a bit of trouble with large bits of debris like kitty litter but otherwise cleans nicely. It is not the easiest to maneuver due to the lack of a swiveling head, but it operates well in general, and the HEPA filtration is helpful for allergy sufferers.
