Hoover U6439-900 Self-Propelled WindTunnel Ultra Upright Vacuum Cleaner

I have always trusted Consumer Reports, finding their reviews pretty much on the money, but despite their glowing report on this product, (quoted here by another reviewer) reality has proved far less luminous.

I have struggled with this vac for over a year now, and honestly, I wish I had never bought it! If it hadn't cost so darn much, I'd have tossed it out long ago.

On the positive side, this machine has plenty of suction - but unless you have miles of unobstructed wall-to-wall carpet and a single level home, it simply sucks! The self-propelled feature is quite helpful: more on that farther down.

The vac is too bulky to fit under/between most of my furniture. Even if the head gets under, the body does not lay flat enough to follow. I spend WAY too much time on my hands and knees struggling with the poorly placed hose, extensions and powered brush attachment to get under normal items like chairs. In addition, its wimpy "powered" brush (which spins only by suction with no motor of its own) only picks up light surface dirt anyway. Push down harder and it just stops turning. BAH!

As another reviewer mentioned, beware when using the tools on this vac. Mine also falls over all the time (timber!) and because it weighs a freaking ton, beware of falling over yourself if you have to carry it upstairs! GADS! And forget cleaning those stairs on the way up, too. I had to purchase another small, hand-held vac for that.

Other complaints: The adjusters for bare floor/carpet are very hard to move and break easily. It does not clean close to walls at all (get out that hose again!). The bags are not all that easy to change, and quite pricey. It eats belts. And why, oh WHY, does the cord (which you have to wind up yourself - no cord reel) come out on the bottom?

Did I mention it's HEAVY?? If it weren't self-propelled, it would be immobile. The vac cannot be rolled at all when turned off, making storage difficult.

In summary, unless your home resembles a hotel lobby - pass this one up.


Windtunnel stinks!   December 29, 2003
 19 out of 20 found this review helpful

My husband and I purchased this machine less than two years ago and have been totally dissatisfied w/ it! It is heavy, awkward - generally poorly designed. It is top heavy and tends to tip over easily when using the attachments. The attachments are difficult to connect and access. I honestly could not recommend this to my worst enemy. Everyone who uses it expresses the same. When I filed a complaint with Hoover and the Hoover store where I purchased it, all they could say was "sorry". I did not complain until six months ago since I thought perhaps I just needed to get used to it. Hope this is useful in another person's search for a quality vacuum!


Consumer Reports # 1 Upright for 2003   December 10, 2003
 7 out of 22 found this review helpful

Fine, full-featured model at relatively low price!

Carpet: Excellent
Bare Floor: Excellent
Tools: Excellent
Ease of Use: Good
Noise: Fair
Emissions: Excellent


YES! I LOVE IT!   December 7, 2003
 18 out of 19 found this review helpful

I love this vacuum. I researched before I purchased this vacuum 2 1/2 years ago. I have never regretted the nearly $300 I paid. It cleans so well and the on-board tools are convenient and so easy to use. I was concerned, however, about so much plastic, but have not had any problems at all. The self propelled feature is nice, but on hard surfaces it can sometimes run you over. It has an indicator that tells you when the bag is full, and althought I am not a fan of paper bag vacuums, I really don't mind since it cleans so well. I would recommend this top rated vacuum to anyone who can spend $300.


I liked this vacuum!   December 5, 2003
 4 out of 10 found this review helpful

I don't have this specific model, but I have the older model. It's a heavy machine, but works well. My maid, my nanny, and relatives who have tried it (and yes, I even use it myself!) think that the self-propelling feature is awesome. This was the #1 rated vacuum by Consumer Reports, and to the reviewer who wanted to try bagless, BEWARE, because Consumer Reports recommended against bagless.