Hoover BH50010CA Platinum Collection LiNX Cordless Stick Vacuum

Amazon.ca needs to get their act together. This same item at Amazon.com is now going for US$134 with free shipping.
That's $70 cheaper, and not even taking into account that the cdn$ is stronger.

Best cordless stick vacuum (with motorised brush) available. Lightweight, easy to assemble (1 screw) , 15 minutes operating time, no bags or hard to handle filters. Two thumbs up!

I was very excited about this product, as we have a very spacious apartment, and the cordless feature meant I wouldn't have to worry about the limitations of a too-short cord. With two hairy, shedding cats, the vacuum is used on a daily basis. The generous six-year warranty (plus two years for the battery), combined with all the positive reviews on Amazon made me confident it would be a great product.

We are on our second Hoover Linx cordless vacuum. The first one was exchanged after four months (at the store from which we purchased it) because the red plastic suction tube inside the canister chipped and broke.

Our second Hoover Linx has been a disaster. Less than a year later, the battery life is only about 2/3 of the short 20 minutes it was when the product was brand new. This, despite the fact that we have been very diligent in following the proper lithium-ion battery recharge protocol. I used to be able to vacuum our entire apartment, including using the roller brushes for the carpeted bedrooms. Now, I have to do the job in two phases, and it takes about two hours for the battery to recharge in between.

The same piece that broke on our first vacuum is already showing a hairline crack, so I know that's going to give any day now.

This morning, the motor started causing a burning smell whenever I turned on the roller brushes.

I have been trying to contact Hoover for warranty service all day, to no avail. Because we are past one year since the original purchase, I cannot return it to the store we bought the first one from. Now I can tell that I'm going to be in for a lengthy and inconvenient warranty repair/replace process. A six year warranty is absolutely meaningless if I can't even get through to their special dedicated customer service line that they have for this particular vacuum.

And as a final insult, I will say that the suction power on this vacuum is okay, but not spectacular. I clean the filter, dust cup AND rollers after EVERY use, and it's still not great.

It promises a lot for its very high $220 price tag, and fails to deliver.

Sadly, I've yet to find another cordless floor vac, so I guess I'm stuck with this one.

EDIT/UPDATE 12 SEPTEMBER 2012 - WARRANTY SERVICE FROM HOOVER IS HORRIBLE, THUS I HAVE DOWNGRADED MY RATING FROM TWO STARS TO ONE. After finally getting through to Hoover customer care, a rather rude customer "service" person advised me that the broken piece was not covered under warranty, because (and I quote) "the warranty only covers manufacturer's defects." To me, having the same piece break on two different units suggests a manufacturer's defect... at least in the design. She also made me go through a whole rigamarole of testing the battery and opening up the vacuum to check the belt (also not covered under warranty). Then she directed me to a vacuum repair shop. Took the vacuum in and was advised by the shop owner that turnaround for Hoover service is 3-4 weeks because that's how long it takes Hoover to send them the appropriate parts (or replacement unit) once they have inspected the vacuum. Wow.

The guy at the vacuum shop also told me that Hoover's six year warranty is complete BS, because they will only service/replace the vacuum once during the warranty period. Considering this vacuum only lasted 10 months, that doesn't bode well for us.

I will never again buy another Hoover.