Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum single product review

Highly recommended for pet households

An estimated 70% of U.S. households have at least one pet, with around 63 million households having a dog and 40 million a cat. Caring for furry pets like dogs and cats involves dealing with the fur they shed during the year, in addition to odors and other messes they may produce.

Some regular vacuum cleaners may not be up to the task of keeping up with pet hair, dander and odor. Specialized pet vacuums have the suction power, filtration and attachments necessary to remove pet hair and reduce odor without excessive effort on the part of pet owners. The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum is a fast, powerful pet vacuum that provides a deep and thorough clean, although its size and weight may become cumbersome.

Testing the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum 

BestReviews tests products in the real world. It assembles a group of experts and testers who evaluate a product through daily use in their homes. The BestReviews Testing Lab evaluated the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum for its benefits, drawbacks and ease of use.

What is the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum?

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum is an corded upright canister vacuum cleaner from Hoover. It's specially designed to remove pet hair, dander, odor and other residues from floors and furniture. With a powerful motor, swivel head and specialized attachments, it cleaned deeply, quickly and thoroughly during testing.

For a look at how the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum compares to other models and competitors, see Best Pet Vacuums and Best Hoover Vacuums on BestReviews.

Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum price and where to buy

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum has a list price of $189.99 but can often be found for $160 on Amazon.

How to use the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum 

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum is simple and intuitive to use for anyone familiar with the operation of an upright vacuum cleaner. Setup is quick, with a minimum of parts and accessories to attach before use. The user plugs the 30-foot cord into an AC socket, sets the roll height dial to the appropriate floor surface and steps on the kick button to activate. When the dirt cup becomes full, the user simply removes it from the unit and empties it into a trash can.

Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum benefits

Power

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum has a 1,200-watt, 10-amp motor and uses cyclonic action to enhance its suction force. The BestReviews Testing team found claims of 25% more power to be believable, taking less than 5 minutes to deep clean a moderate-size room, even in areas with long-term dust buildup. It removed the most stubborn pet hair in a single pass.

Multiple floor types

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum cleaned well on hardwood, low pile rugs and medium pile carpet. All three received a deep, restorative, efficient clean, including surfaces with months of buildup.

Dirt cup

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum comes with a 3-liter dirt cup — an ample size to hold substantial amounts of dust and pet hair. It can be emptied with a button-activated door at the base. Minimal to zero touching was required to empty the cup during testing, even with copious tangles of pet hair. 

Attachments

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum comes with several accessories, including a two-in-one pet upholstery tool to remove pet hair from couches, chairs and pillows, and a pivoting dusting brush that, combined with its telescoping extension wand, can reach high shelves and difficult corners.

Filtration

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum features a built-in HEPA filter to extract dust and particulates as it works. It also boasts long-lived internal filters to extend the life of the vacuum.

Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum drawbacks

Weight

The Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum weighs 16 pounds, which is similar to other pet vacuums. Although lightweight out of the box, it feels like a heavier machine when in use and felt like a heavy-duty cleaning machine during BestReviews testing. Users who need to clean multiple-level homes may come to find its weight burdensome.

Maneuverability

Despite its swivel head, the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum is not the most maneuverable vacuum cleaner available. Its size and bulk prevent it from easily fitting in tight corners or beneath low-clearance furniture.

Cord length

As a corded vacuum cleaner, the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum is limited in the area it can cover by the length of its 30-foot cord. While it was sufficient to reach most areas of a 1,400 square foot home during testing, larger houses with larger rooms may require unplugging and replugging the vacuum as needed.

Should you get the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum?

Anyone with multiple pets should consider the Hoover MaxLife Elite Swivel XL. Its deep cleaning power makes it highly recommendable, even to households that already have a lighter stick or handheld vacuum cleaner.