Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Very good performance on pet hair, strong suction |
| Disadvantages: |
A bit heavy and hard to push on some carpets |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Hoover's original The One cleaner has come in for a lot of critisism, but the latest range seems to be a great improvement on the existing model with much better performance.
OLD VERSES NEW
Although very similar to the old version, the Performer uses a seperate motor to drive the agitator brush and has a toothed belt that is designed to last the life of the machine. The agitator itself has also been re-designed to include more brushes that seem stiffer than the agitator on the original One. The Performer also includes automatic flex rewind which is quite unusual on an upright cleaner and a feature you won't find on any current
Dyson uprights. I suspect other small changes have been made to address problems with the original, but they are not obvious to the average consumer. Some people have complained that the filter kept popping out on the previos version, but I have not had this problem so far.
PERFORMANCE
This is one of the most important considerations when choosing a vacuum cleaner in my opinion. It's no good having a load of fancy features if the machine doesn't pick up well, but The One Performer certainly lives up to its name.
My carpets are vacuumed frequently as we have five dogs to
clean up after and never let them go more than a day without a clean. Even though my living room carpet looked clean, I was amazed at the amount of dog hair The One Performer removed from my carpet. Not only that, there was a considerble amount of heavier dirt at the bottom of the bin that must have been missed by my old vacuum cleaner. My carpets were left clean and very well groomed.
Hard floors can be cleaned by turning off the agitator which is easy to do using the foot switch on the front of the cleaning head. A light indicates if you have the cleaner set for carpets or hard floors. On wood parquet flooring, the One Performer did a good job. Cushioned vinyl flooring was a bit problematic due to the exceptional suction power which sometimes made the cleaner stick to the floor. A suction control would help, but this machine has no form of suction control. Cleaning laminate and real wood floors would not be a problem.
CLEANING TOOL USE
The One Performer is very powerful when using the built in hose & tools and I found it had more suction power than the Dyson DC14 that I also own. The hose releases at the touch of a button and will extend up a full flight of stairs with the cleaner securely at the bottom. The end of the hose has a built in crevice tool and a dusting brush and stair/upholstery tool can be fitted to the end of the crevice tool. The hose is similar to that found on Dyson uprights and suffers from the same problem of contracting when you block the end of the hose. This should not be a problem as long as you don't use the cleaner above you, when cleaning stairs for example, but unless you have a very long flight of stairs, you should be able to clean them with the machine securely at the bottom. When cleaning upholstery, I find that it's best to have the cleaner facing you with the hose to the side of the machine which stops it from getting too close.
The Performer does a good job on upholstery, stairs and all those nooks and crannies, but the working height is a bit low as the crevice nozzle is a bit short and you have to bend or stretch sometimes to reach. This problem is solved on The One Infinity and The One Pet which have a zoom cleaning tool to provide a bit more reach. Tools attached uprights will never be as convenient to use as a cylinder cleaner, but I found The One Performer easier to use with tools than any Dyson upright I have encountered.
CONVENIENCE
To start using The One Performer, you need to pull out the flex from the rear base of the cleaner. To prevent it from getting in the way, there is a hook to hold the flex, but it could have been a bit higher in my opinion and the flex sometimes falls off the hook which can be a bit annoying. The cord is a bit longer than average at 8 metres, so you shouldn't have to keep changing sockets. To release the cleaning head to the working position, you put your foot on the right or left side of the head and pull the handle towards you. A large on/off switch is located just above the dirt container. The One Performer can be hard to push on longer pile carpets but I put this down to the powerful suction and this is a machine to avoid if you need a lightweight cleaner. The handle does go below the normal operating position, but due to the bulky head, it will not go under low furniture, but this is the same for most Dyson uprights.
Changing from carpets to hard floors is done at the touch of a foot switch which turns off the agitator. As a safety feature, the agitator automatically switches off when the cleaner is in an upright position.
EMPTYING AND CLEANING FILTERS
The dust container has a clear panel at the front so you can see how full it is. It's not as easy to tell at a glance if the bin is full as with Dyson cleaners, but I personally don't find that attractive.
If you empty the bin after each use as I do, then this won't be a problem. The bin removes from the cleaner at the touch of a button. The dirt is released by a lever at the bottom of the container. I would prefere a button at the top of the bin as it can be a bit fiddly to empty, but this is a small niggle and you soon get used to it.
The One Performer has four filters that need cleaning from time to time. The exhaust filter at the bottom of the dust container needs the least attention and should require little or no maintenence unless there is a drop in performance. At the top of the bin there's a pre motor filter and a foam filter.
Hoover recommend you wash these after five full bin empties and you must wait until they are dry before re-fitting them which can take up to 12 hours. Under the pre motor and foam filter is a pre motor screen filter that lifts out using a built in handle. This should be brushed clean after five bin empties or rinsed under the tap. It may seem a lot of trouble to go to, but that's the
price you pay for having a bagless cleaner. At least all the filters are washable and don't need replacing unless they have been damaged.
BUILD QUALITY
As I have only had this cleaner for a month, I can't comment on the longevity of this machine, but I believe if you look after it, keep the filters clean and don't try and get it to do something it's not designed to do, it should last a few years. Vacuum cleaners don't seem to last these days, with a few exceptions (Sebo for one) but that's true for most things. The One Performer seems fairly solid by today's standards, but try not to throw it down the stairs!
WHERE TO BUY
The Performer isn't as widely available as The One Touch and The One Pet, but you should have no problem finding it on the internet. I paid less than £90 for mine from Ebay seller directvacuums, but you can pay three times as much. For £90 it is exceptional value even if it only lasts a year, but I can't guarantee you will get one as cheaply. Directvacuums often have The One Pet for sale at a buy it now price of £99.99 which is great value. The One Pet is the same as The Performer but it has a much longer hose, zoom cleaning tool and a turbo brush.
Vacuum cleaners from directvacuums are classed as graded, so you have to expect slight cosmetic damage and possible signs of use, but you can get a bargain.
SUMMARY
The One Performer isn't perfect, but I have never had a vacuum cleaner that was. It's noisy, but not as noisy as a Dyson DC14, it can be hard to push on some carpets and it has a few niggling
convenience problems, but I would recommend this cleaner on performance alone. It really picks up well and is so satisfying to use.
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
