Hoover WindTunnel 2 High Capacity Upright Review

This model of vacuum cleaner didn't impress us all that much with its uninspiring performance. It also cost the same or more as other models that performed significantly better in our test.

Performance Comparison

To see which vacuum cleaners came out on top and are worth your time, we bought the top models available on the market today and put them through a series of head-to-head challenges.

Carpet Cleaning

Our most important metric of the entire test, Carpet Cleaning accounts for 35% of the final score for each product. The Hoover delivered a mediocre performance, earning a 5 out of 10.

This model did slightly below average at collecting rice on the flat carpet, taking two passes to get most of the whole grains in the bin, with an additional two to get all the partial fragments and dust collected. Its performance dropped slightly on the fluffy carpet, delivering an overall performance on par with the Bissell 9595A.

The Hoover did about average at collecting flour, once again performing similarly to the Bissell 9595A. It didn't do as well on the fluffy carpet, tying for the second worst score of the entire group.

The WindTunnel continued its uninspiring performance in the final tests in our metric, failing to do particularly well at collecting cereal or oats.

It took 3-5 passes to collect the oats and tended to just pile the cereal up rather than collecting.

Ease of Use

Our second metric made up 25% of the total score, consisting of evaluations of how easily each model transitioned between floor types, how well it cleaned in close to edges and under furniture, as well as its noise level and maximum reach. The WindTunnel wasn't the easiest to adjust for different floor types, requiring you to use a knob on the front of the vacuum, compared to automatically adjusting or using a simple push button.

This model did about average at cleaning close to an edge, leaving a thin strip or rice remaining.

This vacuum did a decent job at cleaning under our fake sofa, reaching about 7" underneath. The best models made it over a foot.

The Hoover had one of the shortest reaches of the entire group.

This model was also on the louder side. In addition, it emitted a high-pitched, piercing tone that we found decently irritating.

Handling

For our Handling metric, we compared the ease at cleaning a set of stairs, maneuvering, and the effort required to push or pull the vacuum. The WindTunnel did alright, earning a 5 out of 10 for its average performance in this metric, which took responsibility for 20% of the total score.

This model could reach up 8 stairs with its accessory hose, but we weren't terribly impressed with its stair cleaning brush. This brush clogged almost immediately and would continually drop debris, meaning that it took multiple passes to successfully clean the stairs. Even more annoying, this model wasn't particularly light.

The Hoover isn't terribly maneuverable, about average for an upright vacuum. It did roll quite easily, taking minimal effort to push or pull — less than the Shark Navigator Deluxe.

Hard Surface Cleaning

For our Hard Surface Cleaning tests, the WindTunnel did an abysmal job, tying for the lowest score of the entire group with a 2 out of 10. This metric accounted for 10% of the Hoover's final score. We used the same debris as our carpet cleaning series of tests, and the Hoover didn't do well at any of them.

This vacuum flung rice everywhere, making a huge mess. There is no option to turn off the brush, so not much could be done. It didn't do much better on the flour, failing to pick most of it up, but at least failing to create an additional mess.

For the oats and cereal test, it was essentially a catastrophe. The Hoover WindTunnel through oats and Cheerios everywhere.

Pet Hair

This final metric, accounting for the remaining 10% of the total score, is the only metric that the Hoover did particularly well in. It collected 89% of the five grams of pet hair that we laid out, not too far behind the 96% of the top scoring model.

Value

This model is a poor value, costing a little too high and performing a little too poorly.

Conclusion