Hoover Max Extract Dual V WidePath Carpet Washer, F7411900

I will have to say that I am somewhat disgusted at what has come out of my carpet when cleaning with the Hoover MaxExtract Dual V. We cleaned them about a year ago and decided to pick this up because we have a 2 year old and 2 dogs. It actually cleans fantastically, but the brush drive is terribly designed. The cleaner has a plastic female end with a square hole and the brushes are all driven from the one drive. And, yes, you guessed it. The square pin that fits into the female side is also plastic. It failed after about 3 heavy duty uses. We sent it back and received a replacement. If this one fails, I have a plan to make a new pin out of SS keystock and engineer it myself. The cleaner is great so I don't want to get another one. If this one small pin breaks, which is on only one of the brushes, you have to purchase an aftermarket brush assembly rather than being able to buy just one brush. I think the cheapest I found them was $26. So, unless you want to pay that every so often, or are confident in your abilities to engineer a better design...I'd PASS on this cleaner.

I purchased my love shack almost 10 years ago. Over the years I've rented and used the Rug Doctor as well as borrowed a Bissel from a friend of mine. The Hoover is superior to the bissel in so many ways. Suction for the hoover is better than the bissel which means that you not only get more dirty water out of the carpet, but the carpet will be dry in less time. Cleaning the hoover is extremely simple. I've used it a few times now and it still looks brand new because I clean it after every use. The Hoover is lighter because it doesn't have a heater to keep the water hot. However, I put extremely hot water in the tank and it stays hot until I've used it all. The heater inside the bissel only causes it to weigh a great deal more. As far as the rug doctor comparison, the rug doctor does clean better. Better than either the hoover or bissel. However, the cost of the rug doctor ( assuming you'd buy one and not always rent it ) is way more than the hoover. The hoover does have better suction though so, again, your carpet will be dry soon after you've cleaned it. Renting a rug doctor is a pain cause you can't do spot cleaning or traffic area cleaning on a regular basis very easy ... you also have to go to the store to rent it and then you feel obligated to do quite a few rooms. Another thing I love about the hoover is the components that come with it. I just did my stairs using the hand held scrubber and hose attachment. Was really easy and cleaned my stairs very well. The only thing I didn't like about the hose attachment is that the suction to pull the water back up doesn't seem as strong as the base unit so my stairs stayed wet for about 3 or 4 hours ( with fans blowing on them ). All in all, my only regret is that I didn't buy this sooner. I love it and my carpets look ( and feel ) cleaner and softer.

I bought this model to replace a Bissel carpet cleaner that I'd used for many years. I own a daycare, so having a good carpet cleaner is an absolute necessity, and this model is used on a weekly basis. This cleaner works very well -- I'm a big fan of the horizontally rotating brush heads, as opposed to the roller type. For some reason, this seems to clean better. After about 3 months of use, the plastic attachment points on the dirty water tank broke off where the handle attaches to the tank. As mentioned by other reviewers, this seems to be a design flaw. As a former mechanical engineer who designed plastic parts, it's easy to see that the handle attachment points are not as sturdy as they should be. I can still use the cleaner, but the lid just sits on top of the tank and is not secured. Luckily, (so I thought) I'd purchased a warranty through Squaretrade just in case something like this happened. After contacting Squaretrade, they pointed me towards Hoover, since it's still under the 1 year manufacturer warranty. However, I just got off the phone with Hoover, and plastic molded parts are apparently not covered under the warranty, which only covers manufacturer defects. Obviously, "manufacturing defects" is very vague, and in my opinion a poorly designed part is definitely a manufacturing defect. They offered to replace the tank as a one-time "courtesy" to me at no charge, but I have a feeling in a few months, I'll be looking for a replacement again. My only hope is that Squaretrade's extended warranty will live up to the hype, otherwise I'll need to purchase new tanks on a regular basis. So, if you're looking for a carpet cleaner that only gets used every few months, and you're going to handle it very gingerly, this one works great. If you need more durability that that, I would look elsewhere.

We foster rescue dogs, not all of them housetrained, so our carpets go through more than your average wear and tear and general dirtiness. Over the years, we have hired professional carpet cleaners every 2-3 months to prevent the carpets from looking gross. They were either expensive, or did shoddy jobs, or sometimes both. I figured, if I wanted a shoddy carpet cleaning, I could do it myself. So I finally invested in the Hoover SteamVac. This was my first experience with a carpet cleaner. Why it's called a SteamVac, I have no idea as there doesn't appear to be any steam or heat generated from it. As a first time user, the machine is pretty easy to use, once I had my boyfriend read the directions and then show me how to use it. We used it to clean 1 small room the first time and loved it. I loved it when I cleaned 1 small room the 2nd time. But when I continued onto the 2nd room, that's when I started noticing problems. First, many people here have complained about a leakage. One reviewer gave a tip on how to prevent this, stating that there was 1 specific instruction in the manual that people who experienced the leakage problem probably skipped. We saw no such instruction in the manual, but were happy when we first used the cleaner and discovered no leaking. We didn't notice this problem either times when we only cleaned 1 room. However, when we moved onto the 2nd room, that's when I noticed the leak. It began as a slow drip from the bottom "clip" that holds the hose in place. The drip was so slow, I'm betting that it happens to many people but they just don't notice it since the carpets are wet from cleaning anyway. When I noticed the drip, I detached both buckets of water to make sure I hadn't attached them incorrectly. I re-attached them about 6 times but nothing stopped the leakage. As I continued to clean, moving onto the 3rd room, the drip became a more steady flow of leaking. I couldn't tell exactly where the dripping water was originating from, only that it dripped off the cleaner at the point of that "clip." I *think* it originated from the bottom of the shampoo holder because when I held the clean water bucket up, eventually I saw water dripping from the little black nozzle that sits at the bottom of the shampoo compartment. I believe the leak is stronger the lower you angle the handle of the cleaner. So if you're taller and don't need to angle it so much, maybe you won't experience so much of a leak. I'm 5'1" so the handle is angled pretty low. Also, despite vacuuming with our Dyson prior to using the carpet cleaner, there was still enough pet hair that got caught in slots surrounding the brush wheels. The manual includes directions on how to remove the brush wheels to clean which is a nice touch, but it is still extremely difficult (to the point of impossible) to clean out the slots. I can foresee over time, that pet hair will continue to accumulate around the brush heads and just clog. By the time we got to the 4th room, the mouth of the cleaner was actually LEAVING BLACK STREAKS on the carpet! I had shut the cleaner off to say something to the boyfriend, and when I moved it, there was a long solid black streak in the carpet. It did this twice (the first time I hadn't realized what had caused it). Luckily, I was able to use the cleaner to shampoo those marks out (though it required A LOT of shampooing). What was that about?? Our carpets are cleaned regularly and aren't THAT dirty! I just made sure not to leave the cleaner idle on the carpet after that. I think the more rooms you use the Hoover to clean at a time, the more issues, so maybe it's better to do them in smaller batches Overall, this cleaner is a good investment for the price. We were paying $80-$200 to have our carpets professionally cleaned, so the Hoover will save us some mullah that will allow me to continue with my borderline crazy dog rescue addiction. I'm sure it doesn't clean as well as the professional cleaners do (at least not the GOOD ones), but for the price, it's a handy gadget to have around for maintenance cleaning. Obviously it's got some problems, but at this point, we're still keeping it and will just put on a stiff upper lip regarding the leakage and mysterious black streaks. UPDATE REGARDING LEAKAGE: I took a closer look at the instructions and several times, the manual states to use HOOVER shampoo only. That's what everybody says about their appliance, isn't it, to continue to milk the cash cow? So I pretty much disregarded it and bought some Earth-Friendly shampoo. But after rereading the manual, it states "Use HOOVER shampoo only. Using other brands may result in too much foam or CAUSE LEAKAGE." So I wonder now if somehow the other brand of shampoo was the reason the Hoover started leaking. I'll have to pay close attention to this in the future and maybe switch back to the Hoover brand. UPDATE 6/2013: So we've now had this cleaner for over 2 years. My boyfriend is the one who usually shampoos the carpet and he has not had any leakage problems. So was it a fluke? Was it because I'm significantly shorter (5'1" vs his 6'1") and therefore hand to angle the cleaner lower? Was it because I didn't mix the non-Hoover concentrated shampoo properly prior to putting it in the cleaner? We'll never know (as long as I'm not the one who cleans the carpet). So I'm upgrading my star rating to 4 stars since the leakage problem does not seem to be a problem anymore.

I am really glad that this is a sturdy cleaner.It was very easy to put together because all you do is slide the handle on and screw in 2 screws. Then you push the bottom electric cord holder into the (lower)back of the machine.That's it! Everything else in the box doesn't have to be attached at all because it is a bulky hanger and hose used only for the attachment. It is very easy to use and to fill the tanks. My carpets are not really dirty,I have no pets or children and I don't wear shoes in the house. So basically I just need to clean from dust and traffic area near the patio entrance. I had one stain from tea and it did not clean this much at all. It did clean the soil from the garden patio entrance very well. Very easy to remove the brushes and wash the tank before storing.This cleaned my carpets well and was extremely maneuverable.It can fit easily under tables.The carpets took about 2 to 4 hours to dry on a very dry day. I would have given this a five if the brushes were firmer and the suction was stronger. The attachment does have a firmer bristle brush but I didn't try it yet. UPDATE:6-12-2013 I used this cleaner one time last year and I tried to use it again today and the brushes do not spin. I started using it and noticed right away odd streaks on the carpet. I looked at some of the reviews and discovered that this is a common complaint with this cleaner and all of them after one or two uses. It's definitely seized up and it was just used lightly one time. And of course now the one year warranty is up.

Purchased this over two years ago and it still works flawlessly, thanks to some great tips here from other purchasers such as: put it away CLEAN and DRY (empty out all soap or water; rinse out the dual V's by putting clean water on the floor and allow it to suck it up, and clear out the spinning brush head). I own a huge Red Golden and an American Eskimo who track in stuff and leave fur everywhere, so I give this carpet cleaner a workout. I have wool area rugs so I put a little vinegar in the rinse water to keep the colors bright. It's true that you have to empty the rinse tank fairly often but you'll be amazed how much dirt your vacuum leaves behind when you shampoo. It's a good idea to wear ear protection (small foam earplugs) because it's motor is louder than a vacuum and it takes a couple hours to finish several rooms. Also, the carpet cleaner is a bit heavier to push around than a vacuum. But it sucks up practically ALL the liquid it puts down so the rugs dry very quickly, as the motor blows heated air over the carpet as you work. You mileage may vary depending on how often you shampoo your rugs, but I have had great luck with this unit so far and highly recommend ! UPDATE: July 17, 2013: Purchased a second unit in September, 2012 to replace the first one which broke because the plastic gear wheel which turns the brush shaft wore out on the first unit. In less than a year (September 2012 to now, July 2013), with good care and maintenance, the same gear wheel wore out on the second unit. Because of the short lifespan of the unit, and no availability of replacement parts, I can no longer recommend the product. For less than what I spent on two of these "disposable" Hoovers, I could have gotten an Oreck shampooer from my local Oreck dealer, who can also repair and replace parts if necessary. This second unit is being replaced by an Oreck !

I was so excited to use this new gadget so I paid extra for 2-day shipping. My wonderful boyfriend assembled it without any problems. I filled the tank with the hot water and went to town. I immediately noticed a steady stream of water leaking from where the lower cord holder was. I removed and replaced the tanks several times just to make sure they were seated properly but it still continued to leak. I called the 1-800 number on the cleaner and after 10 minutes of cheesy elevator music, they finally answered. I explained what was wrong and the gentleman told me that it is leaking from the water pump and I will have to take it to a service center to be repaired. Lovely. I used the handheld device without any leakage problems and it worked great. I am looking forward to being able to do my carpets once the pump is fixed. *UPDATE* Hoover sent me to the wrong service center. I took it to the service center that they told me to take it to. I called the service center a few days later to see when it would be ready. The man told me, "Oh, there was a misunderstanding, Hoover was supposed to call you. You need to take it to Sears." Now I have to wait 2 weeks until it is fixed. Good thing I paid extra for the 2-day shipping. :(

I had a bissell pro-heat 2 for years that would leave the carpets soaking wet. I always wondered how come so much water was put down and how come so little water came back. I try to think back when I first got it, if it was always this way or just because it is older. Now on to my review. Before starting the cleaning, I used my vacuum and went over the room until I basically had no more pet hair or dirt coming up. This took quiet along time, but I wanted to make sure that my deep cleaner was cleaning deep stuff and not shallow dog hair and other junk. Finally when I got to that point, I pulled the machine out of the box, followed the directions for assembly, and within 10 minutes it was full of cleaner, hot water and ready to go. This thing is amazing. It cleans so deep and so well, I was amazed at the dirt that was pulled from the carpets, especially by the entry way. When I say the water was black I mean it was black and when I emptied the water from the dirty container you could actually see and feel the black sludge left over in the dirty container, it was like mud. This machine really can clean VERY deep. The second thing that amazed me was the ratio water that you put down, to what was pulled back up. I took time to measure it and it was very close with very little water left down in the carpet. Compared to the Bissell I had and the carpet companies that come over and clean and put everything up and tell you give the carpet 24 hours to dry, this Hoover is utterly astonishing. I followed the directions to a "T" with how to do the wet and dry strokes and it out performed even my best expectations. Don't think you have to empty the carpet cleaner chemical after every use, but doing so with the water is a must since this one does not have a water heater like the bissell and needs hot water. As long as the carpet chemicals do not contain any methylated chemicals, the seals will hold out just fine and you can keep it in there. What I would recommend though is that you get a water filter that you can put on your faucet that acts like those Brita filter pitchers.... that way your hot water and those minerals don't leave deposits in the dispensing system after many uses, unless you plan on running some CLR through it on occasion to make sure that those chemicals don't cause issues. I have found that in the past with other carpet cleaners that the cleaner the water the longer this equipment will last.... I remember being able to buy bottled water by the gallon that was distilled and this would be the best water(hence my filter recommendation). I would hate to have to heat up distilled water by the gallon anyways... Back to the review, this is the real deal, it cleans, and it leaves your carpets so dry I think you will be shocked that 10 minutes after you are done and the carpet is clean and you go to walk on it and to find out that its completely dry... not damp... DRY. I would give this 110% rating compared to the other machines I have used.... Rug Dr, Bissell and now this.... this wins by a country mile. ********************BIG TIP BELOW FOR DOG/PET OWNERS************************* BTW, I read the reviews about dog hair getting stuck down in the pickup and how to get it out... this may sound funny but I recommend that you pick up one of those "Turbo Snake" as seen on TV deals.. its promoted by Anthony Sullivan the partner of the late Billy Mays.... I use the sink one to go in from the accessory plug and push down and it pull that hair right out, leave the thing like brand new... So far that has been the most easy way to get 'er done. Found her on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Turbo-Snake-Original-Units-Included/dp/B002JA5R7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1268416702&sr=1-1 ******************* END DOG/PET TIP :-) ****************************