Saw this canister vacuum at Costco for $189. Afraid I have no clue when it comes to vacuums. Can anyone tell me if this is a decent machine?
Thanks in advance.
Fred

Hi Fred,

The S3825 is yet another bagless "import" -- metallic blue with non-WindTunnel power nozzle. I checked out the Hoover website and the manual is here -- http://www.hoover.com/pdfs/manuals/S3825.pdf

This is yet another renamed Vax canister and of what worth I cannot assess as I have not used one. Nonetheless, the manual may well help you decide your yea or nay in regard to making the purchase. At $189.00, the Costco price is nice. A quick check showed as high as $250 is being asked elsewhere for this specific model. I do not know what your budget is, but checking out Consumer Reports turned up only three canisters in the upper tier ratings at $250.00 to $300.00. Don't let that stop you from looking around at other brands AND don't let any one tell you your life will end if you don't by a machine that you see as priced beyond your budget.

Check out your local vac shops for rebuilt or used with warranty vacuums. There are several still easily repairable brands that are good performers and sturdy and that can be had at nice prices. Such deals are often far better quality-wise than many new offerings.

I'd also think on the manner by which I clean to help in deciding whether an upright or canister would suit best. Uprights are good, especially if the main part of your vacuuming is usually focused on your floors. If you also regularly concern yourself with vacuuming above floor, a good canister vacuum with a power nozzle may serve you well.

You should be aware that bagless machines require frequent emptying and regular, thorough cleaning of filters to maintain optimal performance. The same is essentially true for bagged vacuums but a michine with a reasonably sized bag allows a few weeks of cleaning before emptying is needed. Please note -- by all means do learn the cost of bags, filters and belts before you buy. If you have issues with exposure to dust you may want to consider a cleaner that has bags.

Also, if you have pets and/or kid or heavy traffic regularly happening at home you may want to think on setting aside extra from the budget for possibly a better machine whether bagged or bagless. By the way, what was the brand and model of your prior vacuum and how much of your home is carpeted versus bare floor?

Venson

Fred,

I can never recommend Chinese owned Hoover because they are primarily a knock-off company.

Canisters are great but, If interested...
On eBay (last week) I saw Dyson dealer[s] selling refurbished Dyson DC18 Slim’s for $200-$240 w/warrantees, no tax and free shipping.


DIB

Venson wrote: Thanks for the reply. Went ahead and purchased it. Price was right and I needed something now. Have a pretty good upright, but the house we're in now is better suited to a canister.
Fred

DysonInventsBig wrote:
Thanks for the reply.
Didn't know that Hoover was Chinese. Guess time will tell if the product is any good.
Fred

fredcrn wrote:
Hi Fred,

Hope the new vac works well. If you're of a mind, please get back to us later on and let us know how you rate it.

Best,

Venson

fredcrn wrote:

TTI Group owns TTI Floorcare of North America, a subsidiary, with corporate headquarters in Glenwillow, Ohio.  TTI Group's owners, Board of Directors, and executive management, reflect the same diversity of the countries in which the multi-national conglomerate operates.  Global investors own it.  TTI Floorcare of North America includes other vacuum brands in addition to HOOVER such as Royal, founded in the USA in 1905, Regina, Dirt Devil, and Vax. 

Dyson's DC18 Slim uprights were made in Malaysia [south east Asia] and sold beginning in 2006 with a 5 year limited warranty.  Dyson's Slim has been discontinued/discounted by major US retailers for months.  It's original MSRP was $469.  New with a 5 year warranty they are $349 and even less on clearance.  I would not buy a 2 year old plus refurbed/repacked DC18's for $200 from eBay sellers, even so-called dyson dealers.  At any given time, eBay has hundreds of refurbed/repacked dyson Slims.  These are either customer returns/customer trade-in's since all are still under their original warranty period, which btw is at risk [voided/shortened] unless you pay more for an extended service plan.      

Carmine D.

Speaking from experience do not buy a Dyson unless you are sure of the warranty. I've never had a problem with their warranties, but if you are our of warranty, the $$$ of repairs is significant.

lazaruspup wrote:

Same could be said of any brand.

HARDSELL wrote:

Hello HARDSELL:

While true, we are specifically talking about a dyson DC18 refurb/repack for $200 not another brand.  Dyson DC 18 Slim refurbs/repacks number in the hundreds on eBay at any given time.  The repacks/refurbs sold by so called dyson dealers do not come with the original dyson 5 year warranty.  These vacuums are essentially sold as "used."   To ensure a sellers' warranty, the buyers must be willing to pay an additional amount[s] for extended service plans.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

Appreciate feedback on Hoover S3825.

Somehow I missed the word Dyson in the title of this thread.  Don't know what I was thinking since Dyson is mentioned in all threads.  I know James is flattered to be the standard for comparison.

DysonInventsBig wrote:

HARDSELL wrote:

One poster here is "stuck on dyson" for all vacuum questions.

Carmine D.

DysonInventsBig wrote: fredcrn wrote:
... just for clarity.  Quality or performance is not my issue with Hoover.  Their blatant taking from others is.

Best,
DIB

DysonInventsBig wrote:

WRT the HOOVER S3825 and Fred's question, both quality/performance make this model a viable contender as a bagless canister.   It's heritage is VAX, a decent and reliable brand, now incorporated into TTI Floorcare of North America, the parent of HOOVER amd other American born vacuum brands.  The S3825 price of $189 is very good and COSTCO has a very liberal return policy if dissatisfied with the purchase.  Besides being bagless, a feature I don't like in full size canisters, it lacks one more feature I would prefer that it had:  The gold standard of carpet cleaning and grooming:  HOOVER WindTunnel technology.   Even at an additional $50 cost to the canister price, I would recommend the WT feature which is found on the H-S3755/S3765-040.  It makes a marked difference in time and effort of vacuuming.

Carmine D.

With regards to filtration... this fella got a good price.        DIB