Our Verdict: The Hoover Breeze Evo is a decent vacuum for the price, but it’s not one of our top recommendations. It provides reasonably good hard floor and low-pile carpet performance, but it struggles to deep clean thicker carpets. There are also some annoying design issues that knock its score down further. Still, it’s one to consider if you’re looking for a budget upright vacuum.
Hoover Breeze Evo
Pros:
- Decent performance and great value for money
- 5 settings for brush bar height allows for multi-floor cleaning
- Relatively strong suction power
- Large 3-litre dust capacity
Cons:
- Long hose is frustrating to use and often falls off
- Struggles on thick pile carpets
- Dirt often gets caught in the canister
- Not the most durable vacuum cleaner
Not sure whether to buy the Hoover Breeze Evo? Here’s our review of this popular budget vacuum cleaner.
The Hoover Breeze Evo is an affordable upright vacuum cleaner. It has a three-litre bagless dirt capacity, five brush bar settings for multi-surface cleaning, and a low-power motor to reduce energy costs.In terms of cleaning performance, we think this vacuum is fine for hard floors and provides decent suction power. It’s less effective on carpets, however, and the lack of a pet tool limits its usefulness if you have a cat or dog.
Despite these issues, is the Breeze Evo still worth buying? We’ll unpick the performance of this bargain Hoover in our in-depth review.
Overview of the Hoover Breeze Evo’s Features
- A low-cost bagless upright vacuum cleaner
- Rotating brush bar with five height settings to suit a variety of floor types
- 3 litre dirt capacity
- 4.5 metre stretch hose
- 12.5 metre cleaning radius when using the long hose attachment
- Includes non-motorised accessories with onboard storage (including a dusting brush and upholstery tool)
Hoover Breeze Evo Appearance, Features, and Design
The Hoover Breeze Evo has a basic design that’ll be familiar to anyone who’s used an upright vacuum before. Floor cleaning is simple enough, but changing accessories can be a fiddly experience that’s more hassle than it should be.
Let’s start with the appearance though. The attractive turquoise and black colour scheme of the Hoover Breeze Evo is let down by its low-grade plastic construction. While this is to be expected from a budget vacuum cleaner, the lower price results in a vacuum that feels flimsy and cheap.
The Breeze Evo is also a busy-looking vacuum, as the power cord, hoses, and tools are all stored on the back. When it’s so crowded, it’s easy for things to get in your way or fall off.
We also need to mention the two hoses included with this Hoover. You get a very short hose, along with a much longer version that stretches to 4.5m for extra reach. The longer hose wraps around the back of the vacuum for storage, but it’s annoyingly bulky and often falls off when you’re not using it.
Without the hose, the Breeze Evo has a 7-metre power cable for floor cleaning. It’s an average length, but you’ll need to swap power sockets in bigger rooms. With that said, you probably wouldn’t want the cord length much longer, as you need to manually wrap it around the back of the vacuum for storage.
At 6.4kg, the Hoover Breeze Evo also isn’t the lightest upright vacuum. For example, the Shark NV702UK is a lighter 5.2kg, and the Hoover H-Upright 500 Reach is a bit less at 6.1kg.
But at 3 litres, the Breeze Evo has a larger dirt capacity than both of these models. The Hoover H-Upright 500 Reach can hold just half of that at 1.5 litres, while the Shark NV702UK is smaller again at 1.1 litres. A larger dirt capacity means less frequent trips to the bin for emptying, which is something we always think is helpful during longer cleaning sessions.
Manoeuvrability and Ease of Use
The Hoover Breeze Evo is intuitive to use for floor cleaning. There are two foot pedals, one to recline the vacuum and another to switch it on, making it convenient to use. We also like that the Breeze has a rotary dial to adjust the height of the brush bar, allowing you to clean different surfaces with relative ease.
Despite the fairly hefty weight of the vac, it’s well-balanced and easy to push around. There’s even a clip on the back of the handle to keep the power cord out of your way when cleaning floors, which is a useful extra.
But the hose and tool setup is a flawed design that we can’t overlook. While it’s useful to have two different hoses, it’s frustrating to unclip them, swap them over, and then add your tool each time you want to use it.
Additionally, the onboard storage feels more hassle than it’s worth. The accessories fall off easily, especially the extension pipe. The long hose is also a nightmare, as it flaps around or slips off altogether. You might want to store it elsewhere and grab it when required.
Filtration
The Hoover Breeze Evo uses standard washable filters. They’re effective enough at retaining dust and dirt, but they tend to clog fairly easily and need regular maintenance to maintain suction.
As you’d expect for a vacuum in this price range, it doesn’t use HEPA filters. These are the gold standard for filters as they catch 99.97% of microparticles, like pollen and bacteria.
The lack of a HEPA filter combined with the bagless emptying means the Breeze Evo isn’t the best option if you suffer from allergies.
Emptying and Cleaning
When you fill the 3 litre capacity, emptying the bagless dirt canister is a straightforward process.
The canister is transparent plastic and there’s a “MAX” line showing when it needs emptying. One button removes the canister from the vacuum and another opens the trap door, so you can hold it in a bin bag to help stop dirt from spilling out.
It’s a basic system, as you would expect from a budget vacuum, and it works well on loose dirt and dust. But there’s no collar system to push out clumps of hair or other debris, so you’ll sometimes need to pull these out by hand.
The filters are also fiddly to access, which makes cleaning them tricky. This is frustrating, as they tend to clog quickly when cleaning carpets and hairs. In fact, you’ll need to clean the pre-motor filter at least every five bin empties and the exhaust filters monthly.
Finally, the belt that powers the brush bar is also a weak point. Be prepared to replace it or spend time reattaching it when it slips off.
Hoover Breeze Evo Tools and Accessories
Floorhead
The floorhead on the Hoover Breeze Evo provides strong performance for such an affordable cleaner. It looks basic and clunky, and there aren’t any headlights, but it’s effective for floor cleaning.
Like most upright vacuum cleaners, the floorhead has a rotating brush bar to agitate carpet fibres and loosen the pile for a deeper clean.
You can also raise or lower the brush roll depending on the floor type. The lowest setting is great for deep cleaning carpets, while raising the brush off the floor makes it suitable for delicate surfaces. It’s a simple process to change the height by twisting the rotary dial on the floorhead.
The fixed steering position of the floorhead will appeal to those who dislike balancing a swivel system. But it does make it harder to navigate the Breeze Evo around a furnished home. Especially as it’s quite a short and bulky floorhead, so it’s not ideal for getting under furniture or into tight spaces.
Other Tools and Accessories
Along with the two hoses, you get a few other basic tools with the Hoover Breeze Evo.
There’s a 2-in-1 dusting brush and furniture nozzle, an extension tube, and Hoover’s long crevice tool. The latter is a welcome addition, as crevice tools are getting shorter on a lot of recent vacuums, which limits where you can use them.
The tools are useful for above-floor cleaning. However, there isn’t a mini turbo tool included – you’ll need to buy the Hoover Breeze Evo Pets vacuum if you want one.
Hoover Breeze Evo Suction Power and Cleaning Performance
For such a low price, the Hoover Breeze Evo offers decent suction power.
It leaves floors clean, but expect to do a few more sweeps than you would with a more expensive vacuum. You’ll also need to play around with the brush bar height, as cleaning performance drops if the brushes are too high.
When it’s time to use the tools, changing the hoses and tools over is a fiddly job. You need to disconnect and reconnect hoses and attachments each time. This is our main gripe with the cleaning performance of the Breeze Evo, especially as the main floorhead doesn’t manage edges too well, so you’ll need to use tools frequently.
Also, while the longer hose gives more reach, the suction power is reduced compared with the short hose or floorhead.
Carpets
The Hoover Breeze Evo is a decent vacuum cleaner for short pile carpets. It’s less effective on thick carpets, however, which is something to keep in mind if your home has lots of plush carpeted floors.
It also struggles with larger debris on all carpets, pushing it around or flicking it across the room. You need to do quite a few sweeps to pick it all up. And, even then, it can leave bits of fluff behind on thicker piles.
The different height settings do come in useful for carpets. Increasing the height reduces the brush bar depth, but also makes the vacuum easier to push around, so it takes some time to find the right setup.
But overall, it manages fine dust and smaller debris on low pile carpets pretty well. We wouldn’t recommend it for cleaning thick rugs or long pile carpets, though.
Hard Floors
The Breeze Evo manages hard floors better than carpets. It picks up more debris in fewer sweeps and is easy to push around. You do need to find the right setting for effective cleaning on different surfaces, and larger chunks of dirt are still an issue.
The brush roll is higher in the hard floor modes, but if you have it too high, the suction power is noticeably less effective. We do like that you can have the brush roll completely off the surface for delicate floors, though.
Stair Cleaning
The 4.5 metre hose is long enough to manage a whole flight of stairs with the Hoover Breeze Evo parked at the bottom. Just be wary of stretching the hose too far, or else it can topple the vacuum over.
There also isn’t a motorised attachment, which would be handy for carpeted stairs. You have to upgrade to the Pet model of the Breeze Evo to get one of these. But the basic range of tools still helps with cleaning right into the corners.
Pet Hair
The rotating brush bar means the Hoover Breeze Evo manages pet hair on both carpets and hard floors without much hassle. The main issue is that it clogs the filters quickly, so they will need regular cleaning.
And, as we’ve already mentioned, there isn’t a motorised pet tool for cleaning areas like upholstery and pet beds. If you have animals in your home, it’s worth upgrading to the pet model to get this attachment.
Hoover Breeze Evo Price and Value for Money
The Hoover Breeze Evo is a low-cost vacuum cleaner that we think is an option to consider if you’re on a tight budget. It’s easy for users of all ages to manoeuvre, and the performance is more than sufficient for the price.
The rotating brush bar, with its variable height settings, is a good feature that makes this vacuum more versatile. It comes with a few helpful accessories, too.
As you would expect from a budget vacuum, however, the Breeze Evo feels flimsy compared to pricier vacs. You’ll also need to spend longer cleaning than you would with a vacuum with better suction.
Overall, we think the Hoover Breeze Evo provides value for money if you want a basic vacuum. But if you can stretch the budget a tiny bit further, opt for the Pet model to get the turbo tool. Even if you don’t have pets, it’s still a very useful gadget to have in your cleaning arsenal.
Comparison With Other Vacuums
Hoover Breeze Evo vs Hoover Breeze Evo Pets
In simple terms, these are the same Hoover vacuum cleaners, but with different attachments.
The Hoover Breeze Evo Pets has an extra mini motorised pet hair attachment, along with all the other accessories. This tool adds more versatility, as it allows deep cleaning on more surfaces.
There’s also a paw print sticker on the front and a slight price increase. But it’s worthwhile spending the extra if you can.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Wattage is the Hoover Breeze Evo?
The Hoover Breeze Evo has a 350W motor. The lower wattage is better for the environment and doesn’t cost as much in electricity. It does reduce suction power, although we still think the Hoover generates enough suction for basic cleaning tasks.
Is the Hoover Breeze Evo Good For Pet Hair?
The Breeze Evo provides adequate pet hair cleaning on floors, but it struggles to remove hair caught deep in carpet fibres. The lack of a motorised pet tool also means it’s not great at cleaning hair from upholstery, car interiors, and stairs.
Hoover Breeze Evo Specification
| Ninja Column 1 | Ninja Column 2 |
|---|---|
| Type | Upright |
| Bag | Bagless |
| Filter | Washable (Standard) |
| Price Range | £ |
| Power (W) | 350 |
| Cord Length (m) | 7 |
| Weight (kg) | 6.4 |
| Capacity (Litres) | 3 |
| Motorised Tool | No |
| Hose | Yes |
| Hose Length (m) | 4.5 |
Hoover Breeze Evo Review Verdict
We think the Hoover Breeze is a decent upright vacuum for the price, but only if you can overlook some significant flaws.
Firstly, the belt on the floorhead is prone to snapping or falling off, so it requires some upkeep. As do the filters, which need regular cleaning to prevent clogs.
The tool and hose setup also poses problems for everyday use. They’re bulky to store on the vacuum, often fall off, and it’s a fiddly process to change them around when needed.
Other than that, the Hoover Breeze Evo is simple to use and does an effective job if you keep on top of maintenance. It’s particularly good on hard floors, although it’s fine for short pile carpets too. Just don’t expect the same performance on thick carpets as you’d get with a premium cleaner!
Overall, the Hoover Breeze Evo is a worthwhile choice if you’re looking for a basic affordable vacuum. But it’s not the right option if you’re looking for any fancy extras, or want a deep clean on thick carpets.