U5173-900

This review is for the U5173-900. First, I will say that this is an excellent vacuum cleaner. I continue to be impressed with it's cleaning ability, even after owning it for a year. When I moved into my apartment the carpets were cleaned with a professional vacuum and carpet machine. This Hoover still picked up tons of dirt left behind! Compared to other vacuums I've used, including a commercial quality vacuum, the Hoover wins by leaps and bounds. I could not be happier with the cleaning ability of this machine. However, there are a couple of negative points -- the first being the bagless design. It is not a fun task to empty the dust compartment on this machine. I take it out on my back porch, and the dust and dirt flies everywhere, especially when shaking out the filter. If I could get the same cleaning power in a model that uses a bag, that would be ideal. The other minor complaint is that the cleaning tools do not seem to have much suction power. They're kind of wimpy. Also, the brush rotates even when using the tools, which seems totally silly to me. I still think this vacuum cleaner is great and I highly recommend it. Also, I would recommend that you replace the filter regularly. It does make a big difference.