Ratings: Ease of Use, Performance: 22/25, Look & Feel: 24/25, Features 20/25, How much I enjoy 22/25
Total: 88/100
Hoover has been making vacuum cleaners since the days of sweeping carpets and that is exactly how it began. Back in 1907 Murray Spangler was sweeping carpets as a janitor and thought, “There has to be a better way to do this.”
Okay, maybe he didn’t think exactly that but he did invent the vacuum cleaner from that first “suction sweeper” along with the company’s original patent holder Sam Hoover. The company grew in leaps and bounds with a few minor but proud stops along the way. During World War II Hoover completely shut down its vacuum cleaner operations and turned all its attentions and expertise into war production, earning quite a few prestigious awards along the way.
Today Hoover is the household word in vacuum cleaners and the long tradition behind the Hoover Constellation continues with the Constellation Model s3345. The Constellation is a canister vacuum cleaner that is a round ball that floats as you whisk around the house vacuuming. The air that is normally deflected out the back or some other direction is directed at the floor to allow the canister vacuum to glide along behind you.
The gliding allows you to easily go from carpets to floors without much effort with the hose that stretches keeping the vacuum close behind you. The Hoover Constellation is a powerful 12 amp motor vacuum cleaner with plenty of suction.
Here are some main features from Hoover for the Constellation s3345:
Floats On Air-So It Glides Along With You
Turbo Power Nozzle
HEPA Filtration Bag
Twelve Foot Hose Length
Deluxe Tool Set
Twelve Inch Hard Floor Nozzle
Six Inch Upholstery Brush
Two Inch Diameter Dusting Brush
Crevice Tool
12-Amp Motor
Steel Construction
Two-year Warranty
Telescopic Handle
The Constellation comes complete with the canister vacuum, the 12 foot stretch hose, the carpet Power Nozzle, telescopic handle, several tools and two HEPA filter bags. The vacuum weighs about eleven pounds so carrying it is not a problem. The attachments clip onto a special attachment clip that can attach to the handle or the canister but they do not really attach that well. I find it easier to have them at hand by putting them into a small canvas bag that hangs in my closet.
The Constellation uses many different kinds of filter bags but the same style is used for several models of Hoover vacuums so finding bags for this one should be easy. I have found several at major department stores such as Target, Wal-Mart and Kmart so getting replacements is no problem. I have found through many different brands and models of vacuum cleaners I have used, both very expensive and relatively cheaper, that the filtering and bags are what makes or breaks a vacuum cleaner.
Of course things like powerful motor and good design are the foundation for a good vacuum. But if you don’t filter out the dust and particles from the collection they get into the motor and ruin the vacuum quickly. So having good bags and good filtration before the air gets to the motor is essential. Using good bags is a must for vacuums that use them and the two bags that came with the Constellation, HEPA Filter bags, are what I want to always use as they trap much of the dust and smaller particles. These heavy duty cloth bags are great at keeping dust and debris out of the motor as evidenced by the very clean filter it is sitting on after using it for two weeks.
I have used the Hoover Constellation through one bag and into a second by running around my house and vacuuming every surface and taking it to my wife’s day care and vacuuming there as well. The vacuum is very portable and nice to have tagging along behind you like a puppy while you’re working. The floating on air feature is a very nice and makes for a light weight job while using. The vacuum itself weighs pounds so is light enough to hold onto while vacuuming those stairs.
The tools are a very good assortment for general household cleaning and are exactly the only tools I have used for vacuuming instead of all kinds that end up in a heap in the closet. Over the years I have purchased several vacuums and many times there are several tools that I never use with it. There is a crevice tool, a dusting brush, a hardwood nozzle and an upholstery brush. There really is not much need for any more.
The vacuum uses a regular paper or cloth bag that slides onto a holder inside the top. The hose and top cover open up out of the way by unlatching the cover and opening the top that is hinged. There is a plastic mount that the bag slides onto that is stationary and the top cover closes on top of this plastic holder and the bag. The cover and the hose end that connects to the cover sets on top of the bag opening and seals to the opening with a rubber seal that is on the bag. The whole arrangement makes changing bags easy as the bag is just sitting on top of the unit when you open the cover. Just slide it out to the side and toss the mess into the garbage.
The bag is sitting on top of the filter that protects the motor and costs about $5 for two. This filter is made of cloth and is available from some stores but these may not be as easy to find as the main bag. I have several vacuum stores in the area that carry the secondary filter as the large retailers such as Wal-Mart often do not carry many of these types of filters. The main bag for the Constellation at Wal-Mart from Arm & Hammer for three bags is about $5 for the Premium Allergen bags.
As to how good the vacuum performs this is a very hard subject to approach when discussing vacuums, but I have come up with some tests to see how well it performs and how much you can count on what I am rating this vacuum as. I test the vacuum on my house just like you would. I have two dogs and one of them is a long haired Border Collie mix. I also have a shorter haired Cairn terrier that also contributes to the hair in my dwelling considerably.
I have to vacuum at least twice a week just to keep up after these two as well as the dust and such from living on a main avenue in our town. My house gets plenty of dust, pet hair and dirt so I think I have an above average home that can be a good test bed. I also vacuumed at my wife’s daycare and of course they have their own particular situation especially with pea gravel from their playground.
Vacuuming up pet hair works very well and getting those little rocks and gravel up worked great. Several of the vacuums that I have used at the day care just spit the rocks back at my feet while vacuuming but the beater bar is not so powerful to just toss the rocks around. It does a very good job going from hard wood to carpet and actually anywhere. Because the nozzle with the agitator is not powered you can safely use it on just about anything.
I really like the fact that the Turbo nozzle is not powered as more often with these types of agitators they usually just blow the dirt around or toss it back at you. The force of the suction rotates the bar and the motor sucks up the dirt and hair nicely. The bar does collect a good amount of the hair but it is easy enough to pull it off, but do let the bar stop turning. I tried to see if the bar would hurt me and I can stop the bar with my hand and not get hurt, on a power model you would probably hurt yourself doing this.
Using the Hoover Constellation is nice as the vacuum follows you around easily by the floating and getting pulled along by the stretch hose. The carpet nozzle as well as the canister is not heavy so it is not a tough job to run around the house vacuuming. Going up and down stairs as well as vacuuming them is easy with the light weight and fact that you can use the carpet nozzle on just about any surface and not have to bother changing tools often.
The Hoover Constellation Model s3345 is a very quiet, light weight vacuum cleaner that picks up pet hair, rocks and regular dirt very well. The non powered carpet nozzle does a very good job of getting up all that I could throw at it and more. I highly recommend the Hoover Constellation model s3345 as a light weight but powerful all around vacuum for the home.
