bit-tech Shopping: Hoover SteamVac All Terrain F7452900 Floor Cleaner

• Bare Floors
• Carpets
• Upholstery

• Active Edge Cleaning
• Attachments
• Wet Cleaning

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1 Year

Strengths: Seperate hot water and solution tanks part of same assembly but have different tanks. The recovery tank is attached to the base. Great suction to recover dirty solution and leaves carpet nearly dry.

Weaknesses: The handle on the recovery tank is kept in place by plastic nipples located on the tank that snap into the handle and lock the lid in place.They broke when the machine was almost new.Hose rack broke.G

Summary: This machine cleans well and comes with upholstery attachments, hose and both carpet and hard floor scrubbing brushes. I would have liked to see the handles on both tanks secured with stainless steel hardware rather than plastic. I think this might have been a much better idea than plastic that reacts to the chemicals. I purchased this product when I bought a new dog. Puppy training isn't fun but this unit makes easy work of clean up and your would not believe the dirt it sucks out of the carpet. I had a company come in one time with their system, type that can be rented in grocery store, the Hoover has it hands down over that unit as far as sucking the dirt out and the carpet is nearly dry due to the great suction.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Days

Strengths: Excellent suction; separate water and cleaning solution containers

Weaknesses: poor hose harness

Summary: I've owned several different models of steam vacs over the past couple of decades - being a pet owner they're kind of a must have. So when the housing on my Hoover Widepath cracked I started looking for a new one and decided to try this one out. I wasn't disappointed. I haven't had chance to use the hose and hand tool yet, but it looks solid enough, but I'm not really thrilled with the way the hose loops around on the back - I may just detach it and hang it separately in the closet. I really like the clean water rinse option on this model, *very* handy. I've been quite happy with this model, it's lightweight and moves easily. I got mine with a really nice "price war" between Best Buy & Lowe's - Best Buy had it on sale and Lowe's guarantees to beat any price by 10% (*not* just the lame 10% of the price *difference* like Best Buy does) and I had already bought it from Best Buy, so they agreed to match the price that Lowe's would have sold it to me for - so I ended up saving almost $50 on it :)

Rating: 4

Time with product: 1 Year

Strengths: Cleans very well.

Weaknesses: Doesn't last long.

Summary: I purchased my machine in May '05. It was an excellent machine while it lasted. About a month after purchasing it, the rubber seal around the area where the liquid soap dispenses broke off and soap leaked everywhere. I called the company and they replaced it under warranty. Several months ago, I was cleaning my carpet and the bottom of the machine blew right off. Do not ask me how, but the plastic bottom literally blew right off. I called the company and since my 1-year warranty is expired, I am SOL. I spent close to $300 on this machine and only got about a year and a half of life out of it.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2 Days

Strengths: Separate tanks for cleaner and water, no mixing. Allows rinse mode to get soap out. This vacuum works extremely well and we are very pleased with results. 15 year old carpets look almost new again.

Weaknesses: Price, but you get what you pay for, and I highly recommend spending a little more for this model over the others.

Summary: Steam Vac is kind of misnomer, but using hot tap water yields excellent results. Still we should save plenty over a couple professional jobs, and the results may be just as good or better. I would not expect cleaner carpets from any service. We could not believe the amount of dirt in the water we dumped out. Used about three containers of cleaner for the 2500 sq ft house, and took just 4 hours to get most of the job done. Even the attachments worked very well. Overall highly recommended. Pet owners will love this thing.