Our In-Depth Review
Design
This Hoover Platinum UH30010COM upright vacuum cleaner, comes with no hose attachment. Instead, when you purchase this combination pack, you will get a canister vacuum too.
The canister (which is much more like a handheld vacuum) has to do all the jobs a vacuum with a hose attachment would normally do.
We weren’t very impressed with the canister vacuum. To carry it around, you have to put a strap around your shoulder.
It is relatively light in weight, but it has a very small dust storage bag. It also feels hot to the touch around the exhaust area, and doesn’t perform well in certain situations.
Design For The Hoover Platinum Upright Vacuum
This is a no frills carpet cleaning machine. The Hoover Platinum UH30010COM is cleans carpeting much better than a typical lightweight upright.
With this upright machine, you only have one option for cleaning the floor because there is no hose or attachments.
We were a bit worried about this when it came to cleaning a whole floor, but it cleans the edges nicely. This is because Hoover’s Windtunnel design specifically adds suction to the edges of the vacuum head.
The other two design elements we liked were the LED headlight and the variable suction settings of HI or LO. Yes, we just spelled HI and LO incorrectly, but that is how they are printed on the handle where you can switch the power settings.
Design For Hoover Platinum Canister Vacuum
Hoover titled this a Canister Vacuum, but technically speaking this is a handheld unit. It comes with a strap that you clip onto the top of the machine. You simply toss the strap over your shoulder and carry the vacuum with you as you clean.
This unit is unlike any other handheld or canister that we have tested. It has a five foot hose that attaches to an extendable wand. We most often used the wider hard floor tool for cleaning.
A three pronged clip is at the base of the hose, so you can access the two other on board tools easily as you are working.
This “canister” vacuum is bagged too, but the bag doesn’t self seal like on the Hoover Upright. It also is a smaller bag so you won’t be able to store a lot of dust or debris in there and expect it to stay inside when you empty the bag.
Performance: Using the Hoover Platinum UH30010COM Vacuums
We were well aware of some of the positive reviews of this combination pack of vacuums, and there were certain situations where the Hoover Platinum Upright excelled, but overall there were too many elements missing to say this was a complete cleaning combination.
When you get to test a vast array of vacuums, you realize when something isn’t the way it should be. We got this sense as we tested these two machines by Hoover.
Performance on Carpets
We strongly suggest only using the lightweight upright for cleaning carpets and rugs. This is where Hoover got it right. The Hoover Platinum UH30010COM upright did a wonderful job here.
Our tests involved using different pile carpeting, as well as throwing different sized debris onto the carpet. In almost every situation the Hoover lightweight did very well.
Our first test was vacuuming a whole floor with longer pile carpet. It did a very nice job cleaning, and left the floor with that desirable carpeted pattern where you could see the vacuum tracks. One thing we did notice was the vacuum emitted a burnt plastic and dirty dust smell.
To validate our senses, we used a laser particle scanner to check the exhaust. Hoover claims that their filtration system along with the HEPA bag got rid of dust down to 0.3 microns. This is false!
The laser particle scanner, which measures down to 0.3 microns actually saw an increase in the amount of dust in the air when we held it to the exhaust. This is not an airtight sealed machine, nor should it be considered in the same class as other HEPA certified machines (Miele and Dyson).
The next test involved cleaning up small particles like flour, and larger particles like crushed up crackers. For both sizes of debris, the Hoover did excellent.
The flour was gone in one pass, even up to the edge of the carpeting. For the larger particles, some didn’t get sucked up immediately, but on the return path they were cleaned up.
The Windtunnel technology that Hoover patented involves making sure there is suction on the sides of the machine too. This is true because the Hoover Platinum cleans up to the edge without having to get out the canister and crevice tool.
Performance on Rugs
We suggest switching from HI for carpeting to LO for rugs. This is because the suction power on HI can lift the rug off the hard flooring.
It was very easy to switch settings because this power switch is right below the top of the handle. Ocne again, the Hoover Upright did a wonderful job cleaning, and fluffing up the rugs.
Large area rugs can use the HI power, but for entry rugs and other lighter, smaller sized rugs, stick with the LO setting.
Performance on Hard Floors
We don’t recommend using the Hoover Platinum UH30010COM Upright model for hard floors. Some people still use this machine, but the power brush on the Hoover Upright can’t be deactivated.
In some cases, when a power brush is on as you clean a hard floor, larger particles get kicked away instead of sucked up. The last thing you want is for your vacuum to spread debris out into unforeseen locations instead of sucked up immediately.
The Hoover Canister (once again it is more like a handheld) is what we used for hard flooring. For our tests, we threw flour on the ground to simulate fine particles like dust, and we tossed crushed crackers as a large particle test.
The canister was able to suck these things up, but we had to use a lot of finesse to clean up all of the messes we created.
The hard floor tool has bristles on the end. These bristles often pushed the debris instead of allowing it to get through to be sucked up. We would have to lift up the head of the hard floor tool and drop it right on top of the debris to totally suck it up.
Also, the flour worked its way into the bristles. This means when you clean with this, you’ll get a bunch of dust on the hard floor tool instead of having it suck the dust up.
The crevice tool did work nicely, and was able to get into tight spaces. As we were cleaning, we notice the same smell of hot dust.
We used our laser particle scanner again to test the exhaust. This machine doesn’t have an airtight filter either. More dust was being spit out of the Hoover Platinum Scanner than was in the air already.
Edge Cleaning
The crevice tool on the Hoover Canister did a great job cleaning up corners and edges. The Hoover Platinum Upright also did a very nice job up against the edge of a carpet. We were very impressed with the Windtunnel technology for edge cleaning.
We don’t recommend that you vacuum the edge of the carpet by attacking head on. Go by the side of the wall edge, and run around the perimeter of the room. There is a significant one inch gap that won’t get cleaned up if you vacuum head on with the Hoover Upright Model.
Attachments / Onboard Tools
There are no tools for the Hoover Platinum UH30010COM Upright vacuum cleaner. All the tools you will use are a part of the Hoover Platinum Canister.
The first thing to connect is the extendable wand to the hose. Then pick the attachment you want depending upon the job.
The upholstery brush isn’t very wide, but it did a good job sucking up dust on furniture and fluffing up upholstery.
The crevice tool is very narrow which makes it sound a bit loud. It does a nice job though cleaning up debris. We particularily like this tool for cleaning corners of the ceiling to get spider webs.
The tool we most often used was the hard floor brush. It didn’t do a great job though besides having a wide mouth for cleaning a larger area.
The bristles on this tool collect dust, pet hair, carpet fuzz, and human hair. We had to stop cleaning several times to pull off this debris and force it down the suction tube or throw it in the trash.
Filtration
We touched on the filtration quality of these vacuums. They are both similar because the bag acts as the filter in both units. Don’t believe the advertising claims though.
The bags are supposedly HEPA filters. They are not. Our Airborne Particle Scanner registered a lot of dust coming directly from the exhaust.
This means if you suffer from allergies from dust, dander, or pollen, this vacuum will not help your condition.
Ease of Use
Once again, we have to section the review into two parts. The Hoover Platinum UH30010COM Upright was extremely easy to use. There are only two settings, and they are right at your fingertips for HI suction or LO suction.
One very annoying thing we noticed happened on several occasions. We would be cleaning up a carpeted room and notice a cobweb or a bug on the wall.
We would have to turn the Hoover Lightweight off and go get the Hoover Canister to clean it up. This wouldn’t be an issue if there was a hose on the upright version.
The Hoover Canister is a little trickier to use. You have to put the strap over your shoulder, plug it in, and then pick the attachment you need.
Getting Started
Right out of the box there isn’t much assembly required for either unit. For the upright model, you have to insert the handle and screw it into place. They provide you with one screw and you’ll need a Phillips head screwdriver.
The canister needs a little assembly, but no tools. You have to attach the hose, wand, and clip for the on board tools. From start to finish, it will only take 5-10 minutes for both vacuums to be set up and ready to use.
Maneuverability
The biggest bonus of a lightweight upright is the fact that it is lightweight. The Hoover Platinum Upright moves easily across a carpeted floor.
We did notice some pulling as we went backwards on a long pile carpet. This is because the rotation of the power brush tends to make the vacuum pull forward.
The Hoover Platinum Canister can go anywhere you go since you carry it with you. The only thing you have to do is plug it in and unplug it when you are changing rooms or when you run out of cord.
It hangs from a strap that goes over your shoulder. The weight of the canister does begin to wear on you after a few minutes of cleaning. The outside of this canister also feels hot to the touch after about five minutes of use.
Ease of Use on Stairs
There is a handle on the back of the Hoover UH30010COM, but it is still very awkward to clean stairs with an upright.
We recommend using the canister vacuum for any type of staircase.
A wooden staircase is cleaned much easier than a carpeted staircase with the Hoover Canister Vacuum.
The hard floor brush got a lot of carpet fuzz stuck on it when we did use it for carpeting.
We also noticed it didn’t seem to have enough suction power to clean carpets effectively.
Noise
On the HI setting, the Hoover Platinum was about 75 decibels. When we switched to LO it went just under 70 decibels. Both noise levels are below average, so this is a relatively quiet upright vacuum.
The noise level of the canister vacuum was also around 75 decibels, but this number is deceiving. You hold the canister at your hip, so it seems much louder than the upright model.
Maintenance
These are both bagged units, so the maintenance will involve purchasing more vacuum bags from Hoover, and changing them when a bag gets full. The portable canister uses a Hoover Type-I Bag, AH10005
This costs around $10 per bag, but you can get them cheaper if you buy in bulk. The Hoover Platinum Upright uses a very large bag, so you won’t have to change it as much.
This Hoover Type-Q Bag, AH10000
Changing the Bag
The Hoover Upright has a very nice self sealing bag. First, you have to unzip the front of the unit to expose the bag.
At the top of the bag is a red tab you have to pull towards the left. This allows you to take the bag off by pulling up and out.
To put in a new bag, you simply slide the two tabs into place and the slide the red tab to the right.
For the Canister unit, there is a silver tab right above where the hose attaches to the unit.
Pull down on the tab to expose the bag. This Type I bag does not self seal, so be careful as you pull it out of the canister.
Value For Money
We are reluctant to recommend this vacuum combination by Hoover. It would be much better if Hoover could combine the best of both machines into one lightweight upright.
That being said, the lightweight upright performs very well on carpeting. The Hoover Canister was annoying to use, and didn’t perform well in the tests that we ran.
Final Vacuum Verdict
The Hoover Platinum UH30010COM Lightweight Bagged Upright and Canister should only be purchased by an individual with a lot of carpet and who live on only one floor.
The canister doesn’t do well cleaning stairs or hard flooring.
We are reluctant to even give this a star rating because the best way to grade this would be to give it an incomplete.
We hope that Hoover can build upon the strengths of the Hoover Platinum Upright UH30010 and make a new model with hose.
