Hoover BH52210PC Cruise Review: Another Dyson Clone at Half the Price

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery. If that’s the case then Hoover is paying homage to Dyson.

Let’s have a look at the Hoover Cruise (BH52210PC), Hoover’s brand spanking new cordless and stick vacuum that looks very much like the Dyson cordless vacuum in form and functionality.

But can this copycat beat the original?

If you look at the price, there’s an obvious difference. And that would be around a $220 difference between this and the Dyson V6 Absolute and a whopping $300++ difference when you compare it to the now top-of-the-line V8.

Despite the obvious copycat design, it isn’t necessarily bad because that means more competition and competition means better pricing.

And while these Dyson products are obviously very good, not everyone will be able to afford them.

That’s the beauty of free market.

Looking at the features, this product is versatile capable of cleaning every part of your home thanks to the interchangeable tools and extension wand.

This is the design principle that James Dyson used for their products that have made it such a hit among consumers and other manufacturers have copied this design and why not. It obviously works.

The Cruise isn’t any slouch though. It has a 22 volt lithium ion battery that will run for approximately 30 minutes (according to some reviews). This is 10 minutes longer than the V6 but 10 minutes less than the V8.

A quick look at the features

• At only 4.7 pounds – this is one of the lightest stick vacuums around
• 2-in-1 versatility – converts from a stick to a handheld and back
• Easy to maneuver thanks to the swivel steering
• Brush roll on/off
• The trigger-like mechanism locks into place that allows you to relax your fingers when cleaning larger areas
• 22-volt lithium-ion battery
• Aside from the main floor tool it also comes with a crevice, brush and upholstery tool
• Washable filter
• Wall mountable charger
• 2-year warranty

Pros

• If cannot afford a Dyson, this is one of the best options available costing just under $160
• Versatile cleaner capable of cleaning floors, upholstery, vents, basically every nook and cranny of your home
• Has a brush roll on and off feature – great feature to have on bare floor
• Has a slightly larger bin compared to the Dyson V6
• Decent 30 minute run time
• Removable battery (easy to replace)
• Lockable trigger mechanism

Cons

• Main floor tool lacks padding underneath to protect bare floors from scratching
• Agitation isn’t as good as a Dyson
• No mini-motorize brush for upholstery
• Very load – it has a high pitched loudness to it

What to expect from the Hoover Cruise and how does this compare with the Dyson V6?

It’s hard to compare this with the Dyson V8 because so far nothing in the market comes close to it in terms of feature, power and versatility so I’ll just compare it to the cheaper and less muscular V6.

Before I continue please watch this video to see what comes in the box, features and how it performs…

It comes with a varied enough tool set that allows it to clean nearly everything inside your home. What it lacks is a mini motorized brush that would have been great for picking up pet hair on upholstery.

The Hoover Cruise is Hoover’s new stick vacuum and it departs from their previous products the Hoover Linx Stick, Hoover Air Cordless and Air Cordless Lift.

Instead of using a bulky upright design that relied on a hose for above the floor cleaning, the Cruise is a total makeover that got its inspiration heavily from the Dyson brand.

Even with the different handle design, it is obvious where this product got its design cue from the dirt cup all the way down to the extension wand and floor tool.

Both the V6 Absolute and Hoover Cruise have roughly the same length and probably the same power (at least according to some reviews).

Trigger mechanism is lockable

Both of these machines have a trigger mechanism that turns on the motor when you squeeze it but Hoover added a trigger lock feature that allows you to lock it then relax your fingers. This is something that Dyson has yet to add on theirs.

What the Hoover lacks is the fluffy floor tool, soft bristled brush tool and mini-mini motorized tool found in the V6.

Brush roll on/off

But Hoover added a brush roll on/off feature that makes it possible to turn off the brush roll – something you’d want when cleaning bare floor but when you look underneath the main floor tool, Hoover might have missed something…

It didn’t add any padding underneath the floor tool, something that Dyson has that protects it from scratching particularly hardwood surfaces.

Cyclonic filtration

Here’s another similarity with the Dyson. It also uses cyclonic filtration designed to keep dust away from the filters and maintain performance. The biggest difference between the Hoover Cruise and Dyson would be the absence of cyclones that separates the latter from the pack.

Easy to Empty Bin

Bin design is similar to the Dyson where a door is present at the bottom. Emptying this is pretty simple – push a lever and the door opens, contents fall out.

Sounds simple, right? If you’re only cleaning cheerios that would be the case.

But cleaning floors would entail picking up dust and hair.

These types of debris will stick on the plastic casing and inner filter. This makes it very messy to empty.

Tools included

Aside from the main floor tool the Hoover Cruise comes with 3 additional tools that includes…

…An upholstery tool, a crevice tool and a brush tool.

The brush tool has pretty short bristles so it lacks the reach when you want to clean areas like vents.

Wall mountable

It also comes with a wall mountable bracket to help you store it away since this machine can’t be stored free standing.

However the wall bracket does not include a charger so make sure to install it near a power outlet.

Bare floor performance

The Hoover Cruise comes with a brush roll on off feature that makes it usable on bare floor. But it lacks padding underneath and this could potentially a source of scratches.

I’ve shared with you photos above comparing this and the V6 Absolute’s floor tool.

This isn’t a big issue unless you have expensive hardwood.

Carpet Performance

Again, power is pretty close to the Dyson V6 (at least on normal mode) and it has a beater bar so you’ll be able to use this on carpet.

It will not deep clean but it is capable to remove surface dirt on high traffic areas minus the cord.

In terms of agitation, it will not have the same power and it lacks bristles to compete with the V6 but it is a good alternative if you cannot afford a Dyson.

Upholstery

It does not have the mini-motorized tool which hurts it in this department. But it makes up for it somewhat with the brush-less upholstery tool that relies on plastic teeth that sticks out at the bottom.

I’m not sure how effective this is when you compare it to the tried and tested bristled beater bar but it should provide at least some agitation.

Pet Hair

Pet hair clean up shouldn’t be a problem on carpet because of the motorized brush. The bigger issue would be how this handles pet hair on upholstery. It does not have a mini-motorized tool that does it much efficiently.

If you have a lot of pets, I suggest investing in something more expensive like a V6 Absolute or V6 Animal that comes with the mini-motorized brush.

Charging time

Hoover did not specify how long it will take to charge this.

Filter cleanup

This comes with two filters. Both are washable. Main filter is located at the middle of the dirt bin. You’ll need to remove the bin itself and the mesh filter to gain access to this filter.

A second post motor filter is located behind the motor.

Warranty

Hoover backs up the BH52210PC Cruise with a 2 year warranty.

See it in Action

Here’s a video from Keith on YouTube showing how this product performs on various surfaces – tile, floor mat, carpet and some pet mattresses…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-oB2c5GSF0

Overall it did a pretty good job. I didn’t like how the head of the floor tool is tool wobbly when you lift it up – it lacks some stiffness and easily folds which makes it tricky to move around.

Product Specifications

Attachments	Upholstery tool Crevice tool Brush tool
Brush roll on/off	Yes
Battery	22v Lithium Ion
Charger	Plug-in charger
Charging time	N/A
Battery life	Approx. 30 mins
Net weight	4.7 pounds
Shipping weight	11.3 pounds
Cleaning path	9"
Overall length	45"
Battery indicator	Yes
Filter type	Lifetime washable filter
Dust capacity	0.4 liters
Air Watts	N/A
Voltage	N/A
Manufactured in	China
Warranty	2 years

Customer Reviews

Since this is a relatively new product, most of the helpful reviews you’ll are from Vine consumers. These are real customers who’ve left in-depth and helpful reviews over the years and Amazon is rewarding them for their contribution by giving them a free product to test.

Don’t take what they say as the gospel truth, in fact I encourage you to take it with a grain of salt but if you read carefully you’ll be able to decipher who’s honest and who’s not.

What do consumers like and dislike?

The obvious pro of this product is the price. Compared with the Dyson V6 – at least those with the handheld attachments, it costs around half. It has the same trigger mechanism, same designed dirt bin (but a little bit bigger) and has a removable extension wand.

In terms of power one of the consumers say that it produces as much power as the V6 at least in normal mode. Hoover did not specify how much suction power this machine has so it is easy to speculate.

There were people who weren’t happy with the performance. I’m guessing they used it on shag carpet because those who used it on bare floor and low pile carpet didn’t complain.

It is good in picking up fine dust, dander and hair on floors but the upholstery tool struggled picking up cat hair on sofas which confirms my apprehension of the upholstery tool design.

Good run time

Run time is pretty good, some have say that it lasts around 20 minutes, others say 30 so you’d have to expect this vacuum to run pretty close to that range.

It has swivel steering but some have complained it to be too soft but others liked it.

I’ve said this before but I’ll repeat it here, this vacuum may scratch your hardwood flooring because the main floor tool does not have any padding underneath…

Even if this is an obvious copycat – it still provides consumers a more affordable option.

Where can I buy this?

You can buy this Amazon for less than $130. And it’s eligible for Amazon’s 2-day free shipping if you join Prime. Amazon also offers extended warranties of up to 3 years.

To wrap up

If the Dyson V6 is too expensive for your budget then consider this alternative that will give you at least 80 to 90% of the cleaning performance at a fraction of the price.

This machine isn’t as powerful or as refined as the Dyson but it does the job well enough but it does have some quirks.

First, the main floor tool is too soft for my liking as it bends easily when you lift it off the ground which makes it pretty tricky.

Second, it lacks padding that may scratch hardwood.

Not a big deal if you don’t care about the appearance of your flooring. But if it’s a big concern, opt for something else.

If that’s the case then you better invest in something better like a V6 Absolute.

Third, the upholstery tool may not be capable of handling a lot of pet hair because of the design and the smallish opening.

Aside from these quirks expect a very decent cleaning stick and handheld vacuum at just a fraction of the price of the Dyson.