Most entry level canister vacuums aren’t equipped with a motorized brush which severely limits their effectiveness on carpet.
To be able to avail of one with such you have two choices.
Spend $200 to $300 on a high end canister with a motorized brush like the Dyson DC39 or get a mid-level variety like this Hoover WindTunnel SH40070 priced just below $160.
It won’t have the bells and whistles of higher priced canisters but for cleaning carpet it will do a good enough job without blowing the budget and you can also use it on hard surface with its brushroll on/off feature.
A quick look at the features
- Uses WindTunnel technology that uses 3 channels of suction to deep clean dirt from carpet
- Main floor tool has swivel function with makes it easier to turn on a dime
- Equipped with a motorized brush that can be turned on or off
- Multi-cyclonic feature maintains suction performance even as the dirt cup is filling up
- 11 feet reach above the floor
- 17 foot power cord with cord rewind
- Equipped with a HEPA filter to block out 99.97% of allergens from coming back out
- Dirt cup has an easy to open bottom release cup
- Main filter is washable
- 3 year warranty
Pros
- Equipped with a motorized brush that can be turned on or off which makes this effective on both carpet and bare floor surfaces
- Main floor tool can swivel
- Body has a latch where you can lock on the hose in place so it doesn’t fall
- Has HEPA filtration
- Comes with a 3-in-1 tool that you can use to clean upholstery, dusting and cleaning nooks and crannies
- Competitively priced
- Decent 3 year warranty (based on the Hoover website)
- Has cord rewind
- Great on stairs
Cons
- Short power cord
- No mini motorized tool for upholstery
- No storage for the hard floor brush tool
- Complaints about motor burning out
What to expect from the Hoover WindTunnel Air SH40070?
The WindTunnel SH40070 may not have the premium features of a Dyson DC39 or an Electrolux UltraActive but if you’re just looking for something that will get the job done without spending a lot of money look no further.
Powering this is a 12 amp motor that has enough suction to clean both bare floor and carpet. This power is augmented by a motorized brush roll that can be turned on and off.
This is a great feature to have if your home has expensive hardwood in it.
It has foot controls to turn on the machine and for the cord rewind. The motorized brush can be turned on and off using the switch located on the handle.
Bare Floor Performance
You’ll have two options cleaning bare floor surfaces.
The first option would be using the main floor attachment that has a motorized brush (which you can turn off) which would be great for normal cleaning on surfaces like hard wood or tiled flooring.
Second option would be using the hard floor brush attachment that has soft bristles which is optimal to use when you want to clean a really dusty area (e.g. under the bed).
The main floor tool can be swiveled so this will be easy to maneuver.
Carpet Performance
This will also perform well on carpet because it has a motorized brush combine that with the WindTunnel technology allows this to deep clean dirt on low to medium pile carpet.
Check out this video on how it performed on a just vacuumed carpet…
If you have carpeted stairs, you can take off the telescopic wand and attach the floor tool directly below the handle to make it easier to clean the stairs.
You’ll be handicapped a little bit though if you have a tall flight of stairs because of the short 17 foot power cord.
Upholstery Performance
It is fully capable of cleaning dirt from various types of upholstery (fabric, leather, etc.) using the versatile 3-in-1 tool that has the dusting brush, crevice and upholstery tool.
Pet Hair Removal
Cleaning pet hair on carpet won’t be a problem because of the strong suction and it has a motorized brush that will pick up pet hair that is embedded in between carpet strands.
It may struggle though with pet hair on upholstery because it lacks a mini motorized brush tool. But the upholstery tool included will work on other types of dirt.
Attachments and Accessories
It comes with 2 – a 3-in-1 dusting brush/crevice/upholstery tool and a hard floor brush tool.
You can store the 3-in-1 tool on the telescopic wand but the hard floor brush tool can’t be stored anywhere on the vacuum, you’ll have to find another storage area for it.
Cord Length
Power cord is 17 feet long and it has cord rewind functionality which is a huge time saver.
It is on the short side so you may want to consider getting a canister with a longer cord if you own a large home.
Filter Clean up
You’ll have two filters to clean up, the HEPA media filter and the main foam filter that is washable.
The main filter has to be cleaned once at least every two months for optimum performance. You can buy an extra filter just so you can still use the vacuum while drying the filter.
HEPA filter which is located on the side of the canister cannot be washed but you can still clean it by tapping it on a trash bin. This has to be done at least once every two months.
Warranty
If you look at Amazon’s product page it only indicates that it comes with a 2 year warranty but Hoover’s product page states that it has a 3 year warranty.
See it in Action
Unboxing and performance test on carpet…
Product Specifications
| Features | |
| Attachments | 3-in-1 crevice / dusting brush / upholstery tool Hard floor brush tool Telescopic Wand |
| Cord Length | 17 feet |
| Auto Cord Rewind |  |
| Motorized brush | |
| Brush on/off switch | |
| Swivel | |
| Headlight |  |
| Filter clogged indicator | |
| Full bin indicator | Dirt container is transparent so you can see if it's full |
| Bagless | |
| Multi-surface | |
| Self propelled | |
| Net weight | 13.22 pounds |
| Shipping weight | 22.6 pounds |
| Hose length | 6 feet |
| Cleaning Path | 11" |
| Overall above the floor reach | 11 feet |
| Dirt capacity | 1.98 Liters |
| Filter type | HEPA + Washable foam filter |
| Power | 12 amps |
| Voltage | 120 volts |
| Manufactured in | China |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Customer Reviews
According to consumers cleaning performance isn’t a question mark as this will clean hard floors and carpet. It may struggle on thick carpet but on thin to medium pile it should work well and be able to deep clean.
Some consumers complained that the hard floor brush tool was difficult to use and tends to push dust and dirt around.
Using the main floor tool on hard surfaces with the brush roll turned off would be a better option.
Some also find the 3-in-1 tool a little bit confusing to use but you can attach it on the telescopic wand or handle on both sides so it shouldn’t be hard to use.
The biggest complaint here would be the motor burning out. A lot of consumers who gave poor ratings in different online stores said that after a several uses that they smelled smoke, as it turned out the motor gave out.
One consumer noted that you’ll have to regularly clean the filters so that the motor does not burn out.
Other complaints include this being hard to push on carpet and the telescopic wand being hard to collapse it back down.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy this in Amazon for less than $160 and it’ll be eligible for their free 2-day shipping if you join Prime.
Extended warranties are also available of up to 3 years if you want that extra peace of mind.
To wrap up
This product would be great for people who cannot afford a top of the line canister like a Dyson but still looking for something that will be at par with it in terms of performance on carpet.
It won’t have the reach or the extra tools of the Dyson but it will clean nearly as well on low to medium pile carpet.
It has swivel capability plus it has wind tunnel technology which means it can deep clean most carpet surfaces and it weighs less than 15 pounds so it is reasonably light.
You can also clean areas above the floor like stairs, tables, chairs, sofas, etc. with the versatile 3-in-1 tool and the long telescopic wand.
Yes there are complaints about the motor burning out which is concerning but there are consumers who refute this saying that you have to do your due diligence and clean the filters regularly to prevent this from happening.
It does come with a 3 year warranty according to Hoover so there is some safety net.
