Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It's going on 3 months since I purchased the Hoover Linx BH50010 and so far things are going fairly well. You should know that this item in not maintenance free. I recall seeing a number of reviews about how the unit worked for a while before it stopped working. I found this to be true, it happened to me. After a little investigation I found the answer. First, when you remove the dirt cup from the unit you will notice a sticker labeled "Maintenance Guide". You are instructed to inspect openings A and B. A is the little opening above the sticker in the body of the vacuum. The debris travels past the brushes, through opening A on it's way to the dirt cup. I found that the path was completely filled with dog hair and the like that had become tangled with part of a paper wrapper of the like that will lodge in the pathway and trap stuff coming through. As long as there is a blockage in this path, the vacuum will be unable to function. So, if your vacuum stops working, you should first check this opening for obstructions. Opening B is the brush assembly. I have not seen it completely clog, but I can verify that the brush rollers and the area surrounding them will accumulate dog hair, threads, and other stuff that will stick to the brushes and nearby points. So this stuff needs to be pulled from the brushes on a regular basis. Now you should check the red baffle tube that is inside the dirt cup housing. You can unscrew the baffle by opening the discharge door on the dirt cup and rotating the bottom of the baffle to remove. There is a see through hole in the dirt cup where you can see the plastic stop that holds the baffle in place. Pull the baffle out and remove the strands of hair, dog fur, and threads that may have become wound around the baffle, then replace the baffle by viewing the stops through the hole in the dirt cup. Occasionally dust and crud accumulated on the foam in the top end of the dirt cup will need to be removed. So, if you perform your maintenance check list, it will probably do the job for you. The battery life is considerably better than the Eureka stick vacs that this replaces. We shall see how long it holds up as the months pass, but at this time it gets a thumbs up for picking up stuff off my largely tiled downstairs with some minor carpeted areas. I can usually get 2 full vacuums before charging - I'm guessing between 15 - 20 minutes worth with the brushes working all time. Annoyances: You must be careful that the latch on the dirt cup is fully and soundly deployed, otherwise when you dip the vac down to go under a chair it will jar the latch and the dirt cup will fall out onto the floor. If it's latched securely, this will not happen. Also, I wish that the brush roller was easily detachable, because pulling hair and the like out of the rollers is a pain. The stuff wraps around the ends and elsewhere and at times you have quite a struggle unraveling the stuff from the roller. That's one reason why I can't give this item a 5. It is a step up from my Eureka Quick Up, especially in quality and longevity of the battery. It beats a broom all to heck. Update 4/13/2018: I bought it on 8/30/2016. It's now 20 months since my purchase and the beater brush has stopped working. The brush will work when the vac is fully upright or fully lowered to the floor- just not in the normal vacuuming angle that is used when you use the vacuum. It's weird. It is 8 months beyond a one year warranty period. Would I bite the bullet and replace it? Not sure yet.