Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This carpet steam cleaner sucks a lot of water and is awesome! I was searching and searching for the cheapest F7452900 but they were all over $200 so I had decided that I would just go with the non package model (same thing without all the accessories) F7412900. This led me to my local Sears who had the cheapest F7412 around. Got there and saw this F7458 that I hadn't heard of on Amazon reviews. Turned out that other than the slightly different color and box it comes in, the F7458 is the Sears specific model, but is exactly the same as the F7452(I guess the legacy marketing partnership of Sears/Hoover is still in effect after all these decades). BUT IT WAS ONLY $185 BRAND NEW! *At least* $50 cheaper than the non-sears model. I highly recommend buying one at Sears. You have 90 days to return it and you have the option of a Sears maintenance plan/warranty extension.
I love this steam cleaner and I'm glad I didn't get the non accessorized model. It totally smokes the Bissell Proheat that I use to use (which just soaks the carpet and washes all the dirt DOWN, and doesn't suck up much water or dirt).
The F7458900 has a dark blue base, shades of grey everywhere else, and bright green side and main brushes. It's about 21.5 lbs without water, so just assume +7lbs more when full with a gallon of water to equal about 28. A good amount of weight for brushing and getting good suction, yet had no problems maneuvering. For anyone interested, it was pulling about 10.5 amps while running on my KillaWatt meter (I don't know why advertisements for electrical equipment don't list power usage/requirements).
These package models include the additional accessories such as floor squeegee which mounts on the machines front suction, the rotating power brush for the handheld, a crevice tool, a utility tool (smaller version of power brush without rotating brushes for using in places such as your car), hose/tool mount (which hangs on back of machine or on a hanger in the closet), hard/smooth floor machine brushes, 3 rotating scouring pads for handheld, upgraded rubber lined wheels, 16oz. of Hoover Floormate hard floor solution, 16oz. of Hoover Ultra carpet/upholstery solution, and the upgraded clear more flexible hose. It has the heater spray, but that is only for carpet spray and not the handheld spray. Hell I would buy this package over the base model just because of the upgraded hose- it is super flexible and not the cheap solid gray plastic (will surely crack) of the base model. I also like that the wheels have a slight design to them, kind of like solid spokes; unlike the base model which has the hollow "big wheel" like plastic wheels.
Operation is a snap. The clean water tank holds about a gallon of water as well as has the ~16oz. separate tank for the solution. The machine automatically proportions solution to water during operation. The tank simply snaps into the upright portion of the machine. There are little spring loaded valves for each tank at the bottom. It has a fold out carrying handle which is what snaps into place to hold the tank secure. There is a gasketed 1/4 turn fill cap for the water and solution tanks. The dirty water tank sits below that, held to the machine base by 2 quick open/close plastic latches. It also has a fold out handle, which folds forward to hold the top on the tank. The tank top has an o-ring. It has a "permanent" plastic screen filter installed in it (I recommend putting a thin piece of foam over this to protect it; although it rinses clean no problem). The dirty tank also contains a float which rises and blocks of suction when it is full (you'll hear it when it's full). To access the dirty water tank you have to tilt back the handle so that you can lift it up/out. On the handle there is an on/off switch, a rinse-only/wash switch, and the squeeze trigger for dispensing spray. There is also a non-removable filter underneath the machine which slide in/out for cleaning. A nice little feature is that the main brushes stop spinning when the handle is upright, so it can sit there and not "burn" a brush pattern into your carpet. The brushes have a manual 3 speed selector, off for cleaning spills, low for hard/smooth surfaces, and high for carpet. I just leave it in high all the time that they are always in use and will not become stuck after no use. Remember to use water no warmer than you can hold your hand under, as hot water causes plastics/rubbers to swell and causes leaks/failure over time.
The hand tool hose has 2 hoses, one for vacuum suction(into flip top snap in port on the front of the base) and one for water/solution(small snap in hose on the side of the base). The small solution hose has a clip to hold it out of the way attached to the main hose when not in use. Ensure this little hose is not kinked during storage as it will soften and then hold that kink during use and restrict water flow (mine came new out of the box kinked a bit). The hose is 8' long and the upgraded hose stretches a little. Tools just snap on/off of the hose. The trigger on the hose does not seem cheap like others I've seen. The powerbrush has two rotating brushes which spin pretty quick. The spray comes out at about a 60 degree angle.
To carpet clean you have to go over the area at least 3 times, although the manual says 4; squeeze trigger while walking forward to spray and brush the carpet, stop momentarily, keep holding trigger while backing up to brush/rinse (machine automatically stops dispensing soap/solution), and then walk forward and back again without trigger to vacuum up water. After these 4 steps the carpet if left barely damp and mine was dry in about an hour. Obviously you can go over the same area as much as you like for more cleaning/drying, and you can walk slower/faster based on how good you need to clean/brush/rinse/dry an area. A full tank of water lasted for about 1/2 of a 10x10' room for me as I push pretty slow. 4oz. of solution lasted for at least that room size.
And then of course there is cleaning the machine once you're done (unless you don't care about your machine lasting); which is also a breeze. Both tanks are removable, the front vacuum port lifts out, and the brushes pull right out. Everything rinses clean with just warm water. I fill the water and solution tanks with a little water and carpet clean and hand tool clean a little bit to flush detergent/dirt out before breaking down and rinsing parts. This will keep everything fresh and clean, especially good for seals/valves. My only gripe here is that the plastic around the brush assembly does not quickly remove for cleaning (uses 2 screws) and has to be wiped off, as well as the bottom on the base.
A few additional cons: Water and solution supply tank valves are not at the rearmost position of the tanks, and since the handle/tanks are tilted back while operating, a little bit is left that will not be usable by the machine. The tool caddy has a little bit of play in it's mounting. The squeegee has fallen out of the tool caddy during use quite a few times. The o-ring in the top of the dirty tank has tiny gaps at its ends which would cause a slight loss in available suction. There is nowhere provided to store the hardfloor brush, utility tool, and scouring pad attachments. If there were a little more clearance provided, I would not have to tilt the handle back to remove the dirty tank. The model/serial number can easily be removed/replaced by unscrupulous dealers (I had an experience with a dealer selling remanufactured machines as "new", and changing around parts to make a machine). There is no dust cover for the hose solution hose port on the base. Dirty water tank top cover could be held in a little more firmly to ensure max suction. But these are just minor issues which could be improved upon and don't really affect the awesomeness of this machine.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Hoover Widepath All Terrain Floor Cleaner with SpinScrub Brush System, Blue - F7458-900
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