mondojava's Full Review: Hoover F6212-900 / F6215-900 SteamVac Agility Up...
A friend of ours had been raving about her Agility cleaner, so we bought one at our local Lowes store for $198 in January of 2005. About 2-1/2 years later, it's still going. Near the end of this review, you'll find an update about a problem we've had with this cleaner.
The machine is fully assembled. The instruction book is well written and in less than 15 minutes you can learn what you need to know. Unpack it, raise the handle, fill the tank with hot tap water and plug it in.
A pint of detergent is included. Consider this to be a "trial size" bottle, especially if you mix it according to the instructions. If you're cleaning the whole house, you'll need to buy some extra detergent.
The Agility has 5 rotating brushes that can optionally be switched off. You can also remove them entirely if you like. The brushes are powered by the machine's suction line and not by motors. I'm not sure how much these brushes add to the cleaning power of the Agility, but having brushes is better than not having brushes, I suppose.
Attachments: For upholstery or spot cleanups, you get an 8-foot-long hose, a suction-powered rotating brush head, and another attachment with a non-moving brush that could be used for smoother surfaces or picking up liquid spills. These parts snap onto a tool caddy that can be attached to the back of the cleaner.
I originally thought the Agility's water tanks were going to be too small, but that's not the case. The clean water tank holds a gallon. That's enough solution to clean the 16x16 living room carpet without refilling, and there were a few tablespoons left when I was done. The waste tank's capacity is about a half gallon. The machine will let you know when to empty the waste tank. Both tanks are easy to handle and simply snap into place on either side of the handle.
In actual use the Agility handles like an upright vacuum, albeit slightly heavier. Push it forward while releasing the cleaning solution, then pull back to extract dirty water. You should go back and forth several times while extracting, otherwise the carpet will take longer to dry.
After you're done, empty and rinse the tanks, wipe the
machine down, and fold the handle. The brush assembly comes apart easily, and a quick rinse is usually all that's needed--even if you have pets like we do.
The first time I used the Agility, the carpet was dry enough to walk on less than 2 hours later, and that's about as good as it gets with any steam machine.
You can vacuum your carpet with the best cleaner you can find (including the venerated Dyson DC14 "Animal") and the Agility will still suck a lot of crud out of your carpets.
BEGIN UPDATE:
The rotating brushes on the machine stopped working after about a year and a half. I found out that there's a "brush turbine" gizmo inside the bottom of the cleaner. Fortunately, this part is available. If you don't mind undoing a handful of screws, you can fix it yourself like I did. The part was $35 and the repair took me about an hour. Make sure you keep track of where the screws go! I'd have been done quicker if I'd done so...
The downside is that this brush turbine thing seems prone to failure. I mean, if you can replace a $35 part and it fixes the machine, it's worth it. But the brushes only worked for one cleaning after the repair. Not good. I removed the brush attachment at that point.
Self-repair is not an activity that's sanctioned by Hoover, so don't DIY unless you're out of warranty.
I wouldn't let the brush problem stop me from buying an Agility. The machine does a fine job without the brushes anyway.
END UPDATE
Cleaning carpets isn't fun, but the hassle of renting and returning a machine isn't fun either. More than once, I've gone to rent a cleaner and there have been none available! Having the Agility sitting here and ready at a moment's notice is a great convenience.
So, I guess we won't be renting any more Rug Doctor machines. The Hoover has more than paid for itself since we've owned it. Knowing what I know, I'd buy it again.
At last, a cleaner that makes deep cleaning your carpet as easy as vacuuming. Lightweight, maneuverable and full of convenient features - like a fold...More at Amazon Marketplace
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