Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless Advantage BH53210, REVIEW

By William | October 26, 2017

Critical Review of the Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless Advantage BH53210 Stick Vacuum!

Description

The Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless Advantage BH53210 stick vacuum was designed to offer a cordless solution for whole-house cleaning. Boasting a Rapid Charge, fade-free Lithium Battery that “delivers up to 3X Longer Runtime than the competition” and full features to enable cleaning all floor types, the Hoover React Cordless BH53210 is intended to be an alternative option to a full-size corded vacuum.

Hoover – the Company

Founded in the early 1900’s by the William Hoover (the son of Herbert Hoover) in Canton, Ohio USA, the Hoover Company has grown in size and familiarity to become an American icon.

Hoover has become an international company with manufacturing and distribution centers on multiple continents.

For generations Hoover has been reputed as a company that manufactures dependable and economically priced home appliances.

 

Features 

• Up to 30 Minutes of Runtime for whole-house cleaning
• Wide Cleaning Path gets the job done with less passes
• Powerful Suction and Motorized Brush Roll for deep cleaning carpet
• FloorSense Technology and WindTunnel Surge intuitively detects subtle changes the air vortex as the nozzle moves from one floor type to another making automatic adjustments for optimum cleaning on all flooring types including smooth and hardwood
• ONE PWR Removable Lithium Battery provides 3X Fade-Free power of leading cordless stick vacuum competitor
• 50% Larger Dirt Cup requires less dumping
• LED Headlamps
• Exclusive Hoover App lets you customize your cleaning experience
• Hoover Dashboard on the Ergo Handle gives Maintenance Alerts, Brush Roll indicator, and Power Level for optimum cleaning
• Light Weight at only 7.3 lbs. and Swivel Steering for almost effortless cleaning
• Detachable Handheld Vacuum for quick cleaning of small messes
• Accessories: Reach Wand Tool Storage Clip, Pivoting Extension Tool, Upholstery Tool, Crevice Tool, Dusting Brush, and Charger
• 3 Year Hoover Warranty (When purchased through Amazon)

 

REVIEW

As I review the Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless Advantage BH53210 stick vacuum I am reminded of how the floor care industry has been changing these last few years to meet the demands of the market. As our lives have become more busy and complex, people are seeking any kind of device, gadget, or appliance that will save them a few precious minutes or hours per month.

In most households one, two, or perhaps three rooms get the most use and therefore require cleaning the most frequent. Dragging out the heavy full-size corded vacuum means having to wrestle with the cord – that’s time spent that could be used for cleaning. This is why Cordless Upright Stick Vacuums are becoming so popular!

…a common problem

All of the Cordless Stick Vacuums I have reviewed in the last year I find the common problem is that they are generally lacking in suction power or they lack the necessary runtime to get the job done.

The most recently introduced cordless vacuums offer up to 20 minutes average runtime when used with suction alone and less while using a motor-powered floor brush. This is fully sufficient for cleaning one large room or a couple small rooms. It’s a handy option, but not a substitute for a full-size corded upright vacuum when it comes to cleaning the whole house.

Then there’s the matter of price! A good cordless upright isn’t cheap! What you’re paying for is convenience! The ultimate cordless stick vacuum should be the time saver that gives you that extra time you seek!

Hoover Cordless Vacuums are Evolving!

Hoover has introduced a variety of cordless vacuums with various levels of customer satisfaction and acceptance. For example

In some instances the designs were Hoover originals such as the the Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner, BH50010 which has been wildly successful and is currently an Amazon Choice product.

Others it seemed that they were attempting to keep up with the fierce competition by offering a similar looking model at a lower price with a couple unique features to attract your attention..

The Hoover BH52210PC Cruise Cordless is just such an example. It has the same general appearance of the popular and very expensive Dyson V8 Absolute Series, but is nearly half the price.

With the growing demand for vacuums that work well on hardwood floors Hoover developed their REACT Technology. This technology utilizes a sensor that detects when the vacuum is moved from carpet to smooth flooring and automatically reduces the rpm of the brush roll for optimum cleaning performance. The Hoover REACT CORDED Upright UH73220PC that I reviewed a few months ago was the first model to incorporate the REACT technology and has been receiving mostly positive customer reviews since its introduction.

In my opinion one of the indicators of a reputable and progressive company is one that learns from its mistakes. Or, stated a different way, a company that conscientiously strives to correct its engineering mistakes it may have made on previous products by incorporating those corrections in their newest models.

Or, better yet, do what all of the top rated home products manufactures do – test your latest model prototype both in the lab and in the real world before releasing it for sale to the public.

Build Quality

The first thing you notice when opening the shipping box is that the new Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless ADVANTAGE BH53210 appears to be well-made. The injection molded plastic parts all fit together well, giving the vacuum a solid feel as a unit.  Its clear that a lot of thought went into the appearance of this vacuum.  

The Wand snaps securely in place both to the motor unit and the floor brush unit, creating the electrical connection for the motor-powered brush roll.  However, connecting and disconnecting the wand and attachments is a bit of a struggle that causes me some concern.

The floor brush is 10.9 inches wide which is approx. the width of many corded upright vacuums. This enables the Hoover REACT BH5210 to clean more floor area with each pass.

Initial assembly is easy and should take you less than 7 minutes.

All said, the build quality of this vacuum is comparable to the more expensive Dyson V8 series or the Shark IonFlex Cordless models.

What is FloorSense™ Technology?

Hoover has taken a unique approach when it comes to designing a vacuum that will work well on multiple floor surfaces with their new Hoover REACT Series of vacuums.

When cleaning carpet, an aggressive motor-powered spinning brush is necessary to remove deep down dirt and hair from medium to high pile carpet.

Hardwood and smooth floors require a gentle approach so as not to cause damage and to prevent the slinging effect when the spinning brush encounters large debris.

The Hoover FloorSense™ Technology utilizes a sensor that detects the differences in the vacuum air flow vortex as the vacuum moves across the floor surface and automatically slows down when the vacuum encounters a smooth floor surface and speeds up for carpet.

The faster speed provides the necessary aggressive agitation to dig loose dirt and debris from carpet and the slower speed provides the gentle sweeping action to loosen dust on hardwood and smooth floors without slinging large debris all across the room.

Cleaning Performance

Carpet

Carpet presents significantly more resistance for the vacuum cleaner motor that powers the brush roll. This isn’t an issue with a corded vacuum but can put a strain on the limited power supply of a battery-operated vacuum.

When vacuuming low to medium pile carpet with the Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless Advantage BH53210 vacuum, there is no noticeable laboring of the brush roll motor. It has plenty of power and suction in the high power mode to do a good job. Pet hair is easily removed.

Runtime is slightly less than 30 minutes and I suspect that number would decrease for long pile or Ultra Plush Pile carpet. Although I don’t currently have a Dyson V8 Absolute (that I did a review of earlier this year) to compare against, the carpet cleaning performance is approximately the same!

Smooth and Hardwood Floors

As advertised, when the Hoover BH52100 vacuum is pushed from carpet to smooth flooring the REACT FloorSense sensor “reacts” almost instantly. Clingy surface dust and dirt are thoroughly cleaned and large debris like Puppy Chow is gets sucked up instead of being scattered all over the house.

Because of the minimal resistance on smooth floors you can expect about a full 30 minutes of runtime. The strong suction and the FloorSense Technology make this a good choice for hardwood floors.  Also SEE:  Best Vacuums for Hardwood Floors, Guide

 

Also SEE:   Best Cordless Vacuum for Hardwood Floors

Handling and Maneuverability

Weighing only 7.3 lbs. and with Swivel Steering the Hoover REACT BH5210 is almost effortless to operate. Despite appearing top heavy it is surprisingly well balanced although it does take getting use to.

One of the design features I appreciate is the location of the detachable battery.  Some leading competitors place the battery in the grip or adjacent to the grip and after about 10 minutes of runtime the grip can get uncomfortably warm.  The Hoover REACT BH53210 battery is located in front of the grip, completely isolating it from your hand.

To operate, simply pull the trigger and hold.  Or, for continuous operation, pull the trigger twice and the vacuum motor will run until you pull it again to stop.

For overhead cleaning it’s one of the most versatile and easy to use vacuums I have reviewed.  Dusting ceiling fan blades is easy with the Pivoting Extension Tool, Dust Brush attachment, and 10 foot of reach.

Using it in the Handheld Mode, cleaning upholstery, stairs, and other above floor areas is easy with the generous array of attachments.

The Dirt Cup needs some improving!  The capacity is sufficient at .164 gal. compared to .148 for the Dyson V8.  The problem is with emptying.  If you happen to overfill it, dust bunnies and pet hair will stick between the canister and filter and you will find yourself having to dig it out with your fingers or a stick. Yuck!

You should be able to clean for the full advertised runtime of 30 minutes without emptying unless you have pets that shed lots of hair and, of course, if you vacuum often.

 

The Hoover App and Dashboard

Nowadays, it seems like everything requires an app.  Why not a vacuum cleaner!

The Hoover App is a feature that pairs your IOS or Android smartphone via Bluetooth to the BH53210 Vacuum once you download it. From your smartphone you can preset the FloorSense feature whether you want the brush roll to spin when encountering smooth flooring or just slow down while in the Hard Floor mode. It will display Statistics while also monitoring usage levels of the filter/s.

When engaged the FloorSense feature works quite well and the output mode is displayed on the LED Dashboard located in front of the grip where it’s very easy to see while you are vacuuming.

The concept makes sense and does work after some tinkering and adjusting. Using an App to do what a simple 3 or 4 position switch would accomplish is unnecessarily gimmicky and asking for problems in my opinion.

I really like the Dashboard feature on the Hoover REACT Cordless BH53210. It’s very helpful to remind you of maintenance issues and to help you gauge how much longer you can vacuum before recharging.  And, I suspect one of the main reasons for the app is it gives you quick access to Hoover in case you want to buy something (hopefully not replacement parts.)

 

 

 

Specifications

• 24 Volt Removable Lithium Battery
• 3 hr. Charge Time
• Approx. 30 Min. Runtime
• Cleaning Path 10.9 in.
• 7.3 lbs.
• 0.62 liter Dust Cup Capacity
• Standard Foam Filtration
• 10 Ft. Reach

Summary

When compared to other top brand Cordless Stick Vacuums I have reviewed, the New Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless Advantage BH53210 is overly complex to operate and maintain.

If the Hoover design team had done their due diligence and thoroughly tested this model as a prototype, both in the lab and also in real world (or should I say real home conditions,) this had the potential to be a really great cordless vacuum and the issues noted below could have been avoided.

Pros

• FloorSense feature works well for cleaning Hardwood or smooth floors
• Good cleaning performance on low to medium pile carpet
• Long 30 minute Runtime, up-gradable with optional 2nd battery
• Versatile for Whole Home cleaning
• Removable quick charge battery

Cons

• Loses suction power frequently requiring filter cleaning.
• Dust, dirt, and hair stick in the Dust Cup when filled to recommended capacity making it difficult to empty.
• Clogs easily in the air inlet and at the air path near the floor brush.

NOTE: Hoover provides a series of VIDEOs to show how to deal with each of these issues.

Final Thoughts

This cordless vacuum has some great features but needs some refinement.

I feel that the Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless Advantage BH53210 does NOT offer good value compared to its closest competitors like the Shark IONFlex DuoClean Cordless Ultra-Light Vacuum IF201.

However, as long as you are aware of its shortcomings, and are looking for a cordless stick vacuum for light maintenance cleaning and quick-clean-ups you might be satisfied with the Hoover REACT Whole Home Cordless Advantage BH53210.

If you do decide to give it a try I highly recommend that you read the Operator’s Manual thoroughly before operating so you fully understand how everything is suppose to function.  Make certain you keep the box and your receipt and make sure you check it out before the 30 day return window expires.

I DO NOT recommend this vacuum!

(Also SEE: Best Vacuum for Pet Hair, GUIDE)