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Among their many vacuums, Hoover counts a small, affordable handheld with both wet and dry capabilities: the S1120 Hand Held Wet/Dry Hand Vacuum Cleaner. Wet/dry vacuums are normally much heavier and much more expensive, though, so you might be asking yourself, how well does the S1120 really work? Luckily, we’ve found out for you.
Power
The S1120 only has 7.2 volts, which isn’t that much. It does its level best to make up for it with its design, however. Thus, this vacuum directs all of its power through a narrow channel that in certain contexts provides much more suction that you might expect.
Performance
With that very shaped field of suction, this vacuum excels in a couple areas. For dry messes, it’s best for larger debris, like spilled cereal. For wet messes, it can even get liquid out of carpet – that’s quite a feat for such a small vacuum! In the same token, for any mess that’s really spread out, it’s going to take some extra passes to clean.
Ease of Use
The S1120’s exhaust is nicely directed to the side, so you won’t get hot air in blasted in your face when you clean. You’d be surprised by how many vacuums in which that is exactly the case, so this is quite a boon. There is no switching modes from wet to dry, either, unlike many wet/dry vacuums that require extra steps.
Battery Life and Charging Time
This vacuum will take about sixteen hours to charge – it’s not a terribly long charging time, and if you attach it to its charger each time you use it, you won’t even notice that length, anyway. The S1120’s runtime is only about seven minutes. It’s true that handhelds do generally have shorter runtimes than other vacuums, but seven minutes is admittedly still on the low end of things.
Weight
Hoover has made this vacuum very light: it’s only three pounds. For a wet/dry vacuum, that’s a surprisingly light weight.
Filter
The S1120 uses a washable filter – I was talking to someone who complained that it was hard to clean, but I pointed out that if you just give it a light smack, the dust actually just pops right out (you don’t need to go trying to rub the dust out).
Dust Bin
The front of this handheld is basically also its dustbin – it’s translucent so you can see how full it is, and also washable in case you have a combination of wet and dry mess to deal with.
Included Accessories
Hoover hasn’t included any accessories with this vacuum model, but extra filters are available at a reasonable price.
Reliability
This vacuum has its general simplicity going for it in terms of reliability – less complex designs make for less breakdowns of the vacuum itself. The battery of the S1120 has been known to give out pretty quickly, however.
Warranty
The S1120 comes with a one year warranty – it’s less than the average for handheld vacuums, but considering how affordable this vacuum is, it’s more than one might expect.
Price
Speaking of, Hoover is letting the S1120 go at a very reasonable price – certainly for a handheld, but most especially for a wet/dry vacuum.
Pros
- wet/dry capability
- concentrated suction
- lightweight
- affordable
- side-directed exhaust
Cons
- shorter runtime
- unreliable battery
Conclusion
The S1120 is a pretty specialized vacuum, but if you use for a couple specific tasks it’s worth buying. It’s perfect to keep on hand in the kitchen for both spills on the counter and so it’s nearby to the dining room to use for liquid-on-carpet. This vacuum can make difference between having an unsightly stain or not on your carpet by helping you get the offending liquid out quickly without accidentally rubbing it in.
