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Review of Hoover SteamVac Model F5912-900
I’ve sold,serviced and repaired just about every brand and model of SteamVac and carpet cleaner in the 18 years I’ve been in the floor care / vacuum cleaner business. I have to say that in my experience,there is just no such thing as a Big Box Store Carpet cleaner that will clean as effectively as a professional Steam Vac or last as long as commercial models. However,industrial quality Carpet Cleaners are priced out of the reach of most consumers so the only answer is a mass produced model. This particular Hoover SteamVac retails for aound $200.00
The Hoover SteamVac model F5912-900 is far superior to most Department Store models I’ve used. It is not indestructible. It is,after all made of plastic and you have to be reasonably careful when using it that you don’t run the front end into hard objects because you will chip the hood which will make it more difficult to suck up the water that you have sprayed down on your carpet.
It does a much better job than any Eureka or DirtDevil model I’ve used. The rotating brushes and the more even solution flow on to carpet seem to do a faster,more effective cleaning job.
When compared to the Bissell Proheat,it’s just no contest as far as frequency of maintenance is concerned. Whenever a customer brings a Bissell Proheat into our shop,saying that it’s no longer spraying,90% of the time it it due to a plugged heater. The Bissell Proheat machines,especially the 2X models,are very susceptible to clogging. The heater seems to cook the sediment present in all water systems. The heater plugs up,the sediment chunks get stuck in the tubing and it is an expensive repair bill to completely disassemble all the tubing and connections to get it working again.
The Hoover model F5912-900 does not have a heater,which in my opinion is not a negative at all. The few degrees of heat added by a heater don’t make a significant difference when compared to the inconvenience of breakdowns.
The F5912 has a much simpler design when it comes to dispensing cleaning solution. The water and detergent solution simply flows from the solution tank through a series of valves and diaphrams and tubing and is then distributed quite evenly across the top of the spinning brushes and flows onto your carpet where it is massaged into the fibers. The more than adequate suction of the main motor then picks the solution up and puts it into the dirty water tank.
The Hoover SteamVac model F5912-900 comes with an upholstery hose and Turbo Powered upholstery brush. On some Hoover SteamVac models,the upholstery hose is permanently hooked up to a port in back of the dirty water tank. Every time the handle is lowered on these models,the hose gets stretched. After a few uses,the stressed hose cracks and makes the machine unusable. You have to replace the entire hose before it can be used again. On the F5912,the upholstery hose is only hooked up when you need to use it. This method means a lot less wear and tear and longer life. The turbo powered upholstery tool is another handy tool. The brushes on it spin from the force of the suction and makes for more even distribution of the cleaning solution.
Hoover has added a feature to the F5912-900 called ‘Clean Surge’,which is just a nice sounding term for adding an additional amount of cleaning solution on heavy traffic areas. You just press the ’Clean Surge’trigger and you will get twice the amount of water and shampoo than normal.
The Solution Tanks holds a pretty good amount of cleaning solution. I’d estimate that you could shampoo a 20 x 20 room of carpet on one tank full. The solution tank cap doubles as a measuring cup. Just don’t lose the cap,they are not sold separately and you would have to buy a whole new solution tank.
The Dirty Water Tank is easy to empty. You simply rotate 2 latches and lift it off the machine. It’s really easy to operate,you just fill it up,plug it in,turn it on and pull the trigger.
All things considered,I think the F5912-900 is a cost-effective way of getting your carpets clean. When compared to other brands it’s superior in convenience and downtime. When compared to the Hoover V2 or Dual V models,it cleans just as well as these models and a much better repair history. We sell about double the amount of replacement parts for the Dual V models as we do for this series of models.
If you decide to purchase this particular model from a Big Box Store keep these recommendations in mind:Don’t buy a floor model,at any price. Floor models are always missing something,from assembly hardware,to manuals to accessories. They’ve been kicked around by other shoppers and store personnel and they just always seem to have other problems.
Also,don’t buy a remanufactured model (for instance –F5912-9RM). No one has ever been able to define that term effectively to me. Does it mean it was only cleaned up and reboxed? How long was it used before it was remanufactured? Are there internal parts that are worn? I’d just stay away from them.
That pretty well covers it. We hope you have benefitted from this review. We invite your comments on this and any other post. Especially if you have used this model,whether you agree or disagree.
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