Hoover Widepath bagged upright vacuum with powerful 12 Amp motor and on board tools for complete cleaning.

• Powerful 12-amp motor; 15-inch cleaning width


• Allergen filtration system captures dust mites ragweed common pollens


• Easy-open bag door


• Onboard dusting brush furniture nozzle crevice tool 2 extension wands


• 1-year warranty

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Very good machine

If your new machine LEAKS see note #2 below. I am just amazed at how many people write that their machine leaked from day one and they returned it. It will leak if you skip a crucial one-time set-up step.



Paid $170 at Best Buy. This is my first carpet cleaner so I have nothing to compare it to except my own expectations. Even though the name is SteamVac like all the others in this class of cleaners there is no Steam to it. That's just false marketing but all the manufacturers do it so no particular knock on Hoover.



First let me say I'm ashamed to admit that our carpet hadn't been cleaned in 4 years and that we live in the country where lots of dirt gets tracked in from outside. So the carpet was pretty darn dirty. The Hoover F5914-900 did a very nice job the first time I used it - a drastically noticeable difference in the appearance of the carpet. The water in the dirty water receptacle was black. Did it return the carpet to new condition? No impossible. Did it take another treatment or two to really get it clean? Yes that is the price I pay for ignoring wet-cleaning the carpet for years. One of this cleaner's best features is the ability to dry the carpet quite thoroughly. Since the front of the machine is made of clear plastic you can see when you're vacuuming up water. If you want to dry the carpet as much as possible keep vacuuming until you no longer see water being pulled up. As time has passed the SteamVac has done an excellent job of maintaining my carpets.



My only gripe is that the dirty water container fills up too quickly and should be a little bigger. Ideally the dirty water receptacle "should" be full right as you run out of clean water. Then you shut down empty the dirty water refill the clean water and back to work. But this process gets out-of-sync with the dirty water receptacle filling up before you run out of clean water. So this can be a little inconvenient but not a show-stopper.



The machine is well constructed but it IS plastic with lots of compartments and latches and hose holders etc so one must simply be careful or those things will no doubt break off.





A few other notes:

1. If you are not the type to read manuals do read this one. Assembly and operation are easy if you sit down and read the manual through before starting. It's not like a vacuum cleaner where you just plug it in and go.



2. My machine leaked badly BUT it was my own fault. There is a one-time only setup procedure where you squeeze the trigger and push the Clean-Surge button to lock a rod into place. Push the Clean-Surge button firmly. There may be a loud SNAP which sounds like you broke something but you didn't. Until you get that snap the Clean-Surge (which releases extra water-cleaner solution) is on all the time hence the leaking. I didn't push the button hard enough initially so I had the leak problem.



EDIT December 2007

Apparently many people are assuming that without a loud snap the Clean Surge will not work. All that matters is that your machine doesn't leak. If your SteamVac doesn't leak it is assembled properly and the Clean Surge will work!!! The only reason I emphasized the "snap" was because so many people were having leak problems which are easily solved. And it's possible that Hoover has changed the design after getting so many returns from people who didn't read the instructions in the manual. So don't get hung up on the snap. If your machine does leak after assembly you know what to do.



3. ANY time it seems like there is no suction the problem is that something is not seated properly. It is easy to snap the lid onto the dirty water container without lining it up properly which causes a vacuum leak. If there is a vacuum leak there is no suction at the bottom of the machine where it is needed to suck up water from the carpet. Plus you'll see that the brushes aren't turning as they're driven by vacuum. So recheck the dirty water lid. Carefully line up the hinges at the back. The front should snap closed very easily. If you have to force it a little to snap it closed it means the back is not aligned properly and you'll get no suction.



4. If you have velvet or velvetine furniture do NOT use the powered tool use the utility tool. The powered tool is too strong for delicate fabric.



5. Like others have suggested find a cheap alternative to the Hoover brand carpet detergent. One gallon of water doesn't clean a lot of carpet and at 5 oz of soap per gallon you go thru it fast.



6. Always be sure to dry vacuum your carpet with a regular vacuum cleaner first before using this machine to wash it. Be sure to remove and clean the brushes when you're done using this machine. Otherwise hair thread and balled up carpet fibers will dry on them and between them. Then the brushes won't turn. These are not "use and put away" machines like vacuum cleaners they're "use clean and put away".



7. Here's something I do which you *might* want to try. For a very dirty carpet I fill a cheap plastic 2 gallon watering can (or smaller for a smaller carpet) with hot water and a tablespoon or 2 of Oxy Clean. I then sprinkle the carpet heavily being careful not to soak it. Then use the Hoover normally. Of course this fills up the waste water receptacle long before the soapy water container is empty but it still saves trips to the sink to load up on clean soapy water.



8. Others have suggested using boiling water. Not for me thanks. Too dangerous to handle and unnecessary unless you've spilled or tracked in grease.



After reading countless reviews here I have concluded that the problems people have encountered are from failing to properly set up the machine initially failing to seat the dirty water lid properly or failing to clean the machine after use. I recommend this Hoover. It won't perform miracles but I think if it is not abused it will last a long time and do an excellent job of maintaining a carpet.More detail ...

I LOVE IT but...

I have had every kind of pasta roller - the chrome manual kind the one that does everything (mixes extrudes) and now this. I LOVE it. I love having my hands free to hold the dough going in and coming out and not having the manual roller shift all over the place. I am amazed how thin I can make the dough - tissue paper-thin. My only complaint and I make it for the sake of completeness is the fact that it took SEVERAL batches of dough (the first of which I was willing to sacrifice) to "clean" it out. I noticed what looked like metallic deposits all over my dough especially on the edges. This was very distressing to me. I tried wiping the roller with a towel (for about an hour) I tried rubbing it with olive oil and I tried dusting it with flour all of which helped but it was ridiculous how much time I had to spend and how many batches of dough I had to waste (about four)! Overall however I am very pleased but I think they should include in the instructions a statement to the effect that you should expect to see the deposits and how to clean it or they should make sure it's cleaner before sending it out!More detail ...

I love this grill!!

I heard a commercial for this about 3 or 4 times one evening and I finally paid attention after barely listening to it the first few times. Once I saw that it had interchangeable *dishwasher-safe* plates I told my husband that I wanted it for Christmas. I popped over here to amazon and ordered it right away. It got here before Christmas but since it was my gift I had to leave it alone until afterwards ;-)



A few things attracted me to the grill. Interchangeable plates dishwasher safe and the waffle plates. I had been looking for a new wafflemaker and in fact had looked at the store the night I saw the ad for the G5. The one we've had for 11+ years is too small for our family now and I wanted something bigger. However it seemed silly to spend a lot of money on one since I don't make them that often. Imagine how happy I was to see the size of the plates on the commercial!



Let me tell you I was not disappointed with my first waffle go-round a couple of days ago. It makes 2 waffles that are each just about the size of 2 typical square freezer waffles. That's what I'm talking about! I made up a batch of Bisquick waffle batter and set to cooking. It was trial and error as far as learning cooking times. I like my waffles softer my husband likes them crispier. I would say on average they needed to cook 5-7 minutes. I pre-heated the grill as directed and poured about 1.5 ladles of batter on each side. I didn't get them perfectly full each time but close enough you know? We ate them we liked them! I didn't have any issues with them cooking unevenly; each batch turned out just fine.



Yesterday my husband made grilled cheese using the steak plate and the baking tray (upper & lower). He tells me that he flipped it over so he'd have the same design on each side *insert rolly eyes here* but otherwise it cooked just fine.



Last night I made chocolate chip cookies using the recipe from the cookbook that came with the grill. So cool! They were virtually impossible to screw up! I did cook them longer than the recipe called for after the first batch; cooking times I think are are things that will have to be judged individually for each recipe. There are guidelines in the cookbook and the instruction manual but I don't think they're hard and fast. Experiment and see what works best for you :-)



This morning my husband was at it again this time making scrambled eggs. I didn't get any (he ate them all while I was asleep!) but he says that they cooked the eggs in about 1/3 of the time as our gas stove. He was pretty happy with that.



I was pleased with the 2 drip trays and the better spatulas (also 2) that came with the grill in addition to the cleaning sponge. I don't know how often I'll use the sponge since the plates clean so easily by hand (and once again they are dishwasher-safe!) but it's nice to have. I liked the other Foreman grills but cleaning them stopped me from using them as often as I might have otherwise. They were just kind of a pain; if you've used them you know what I mean.



Get this grill :-) If you have realistic expectations and are willing to experiment to get just the right cooking times then I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm not!More detail ...

Great for all Kitchens... a must have for small kitchens

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2J25WF8LU8H8Y The Breville Smart Oven is a must-have kitchen appliance. In many/most cases it can serve as a replacement for it larger cousin the conventional oven/range. However the Smart Oven is much more energy efficient (using roughly 50% less electricity) and can fit into the smallest of kitchens



Things that we enjoy



+ Depending on the setting (Broil/Bake/Toast) you have the ability to manage the temperature zones in the oven. This helps to ensure perfect cooking depending on you individual requirements.

+ The magnetic door helps to prevent any burns (see video)

+ Door seals nicely - reducing energy waste and the unneeded heating of your home.

+ 9 programmable settings - HOWEVER - you also have the ability to tailor the settings to your individual needs.

+ Nice Stainless steel finish will look nice in all kitchens.

+ Despite being stainless steel the surface of the oven does not show too many fingerprints.

+ Three pans included - Pizza - Baking - Broiling

+ Great operating manual

+ Not just a standard toaster oven - this is also a convection oven!

+ AS A OVEN IT WORKS GREAT



Areas to improve



- The cord is a little short (less than 3 feet) - while many people may appreciate a short cord it does mean that you have to have outlet near a space where you plan to use the oven.

- You may not be able to operate other appliances on your electrical circuit - At full heat the Smart Oven will pull between 15-20 amps - make sure that you have at least a 20amp breaker on the plug that you are using.





Final Verdict.... this is an easy 5 stars - purchase with confidence.More detail ...

Has lots of options and makes very good bread

[Between 4 and 4.5 stars]

The Panasonic SD-YD250 is pretty much the state of the art in bread machine technology in mid-2003. It's one of the larger units around with a 2.5 lb. loaf capacity. This size will also eat up your counter or cupboard space: you need just under 14" of width and height and 10" of depth so keep that in mind when you order.

The bread consistency is excellent. It's even pretty good in the "rapid" mode though the results are a bit better in the standard bake mode so that's what I generally use. Also the "rapid" mode for whole wheat or multigrain bread is 3 hours (vs. 5 hours standard) so it's not like you can start the machine at the beginning of a meal and expect completed bread before you leave the table. The fastest full cycle -- "rapid" bake mode for white bread -- is 1hr 55min.

The SD-YD250 is quieter than most earlier bread makers; however you'll still hear the clicking and whirring as it mixes and kneads the dough. It's a neat idea to wake up to the smell of freshly-baked bread but the machine isn't quiet enough to run in the bedroom unless you're a VERY sound sleeper.

The options for this machine include the following:
o basic/rapid bake
o immediate start/timer delay
o white/whole wheat/multigrain
o sandwich (soft crust)
o crust color light/medium/dark
o raisin (pause and beep to add fruit or nuts)
o dough knead without bake
o bake without dough knead

Note that not all of these options can be combined. For instance: you only get crust color selection for white bread and sandwich mode for white and whole wheat; multigrain bread always has a dark tough crust (although the bread inside the crust is moist and well-textured).

The container inside really is nonstick (based on my not-so-lengthy use since I bought it) and the kneading blade does very little damage to the finished loaf. Ease of use and cleanup are both excellent.

Bread results are quite sensitive to variations in the ingredients in either weight consistency or age. Always use fresh BREAD flour and fresh yeast (bread machine yeast recommended) and the right amount of salt sugar and flour. The recipes in the included book specify flour weight in units like 16 3/4 oz. so it's HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you get a digital kitchen scale for good results. Note that this will require still more counter space.

Summary: a very good machine but you'll need a fair amount of counter space and attention to details to get the best results from it.More detail ...

GREAT bed

I bought this bed for my 3 year old for travel/vacations. He had been using a toddler travel bed but he would roll over the sides of it and end up on the floor. This bed blows up within a minute with the electric pump (enclosed) and is a breeze to deflate. This bed comes with a cover so your child isn't laying on plastic. The cover comes off for easy washing. This bed will take standard twin sheets so no expense of buying special sheets. My son loves it so much that he will ask to sleep in this instead of his regular bed.More detail ...