In this economy, dropping $50 on an auto detail job seems a little extravagant. At the same time, now’s the time to really think about car maintenance to try to retain the value as long as possible. So why not save some of that maintenance money and put it into your own car care tools? You can do it yourself much more often and cheaper than the pros, and you can use the tools for a host of other purposes too.
The Hoover L2310 Garage Utility Vacuum is a really great wall-mounted garage vac that works beautiful on car interiors and does a pretty good job of keeping the rest of the garage clean as well. It’s less powerful but much quieter than a shop vac, and it has a long hose so you don’t have to drag it around. Mounting it on the wall frees up valuable floor space, and the canister pops right off for dumping – no bags needed. Not only that, but Hoover generally offers great customer service, and there’s a three-year warranty on this machine, so if something goes wrong, they’ve got you covered.
Great Multi-purpose Garage Vacuum
The Hoover L2310 GUV is just a regular dry vac, not a wet/dry vac like the Bissell Garage Pro, but the Hoover is also quite a bit cheaper. There are a few key differences that make this vacuum more convenient and easier to use than your regular wet/dry shop vac, and less expensive as well:
- Installation on the wall and off the floor
- Good for lightweight debris, but not large chunks of stuff
- Great range of accessories for almost any job
- Smaller capacity and easy to clean
Easy to install, easy to reach
The Hoover L2310 GUV is designed to be wall-mounted – there aren’t any wheels or casters – and there’s a separate bracket for the hose and the accessory bag as well. The box comes with the appropriate anchors for installing on drywall, but this vacuum is really too heavy for drywall. Your best bet is to find a stud or figure out another mounting mechanism. The motor runs a little warm, and the top of the vacuum can get toasty, so be sure to leave adequate breathing room.
Handles light to medium jobs with ease
At 10 amps with a 1 1/4″ hose, the Hoover L2310 picks up debris of any size between dust and small wood chips. It’s really not powerful enough to pick up large pieces, although you might be able to pick up some screw or nails depending on which attachment you’re using. It’s possible to use this as a dust collector with your shop tools, but be aware that this machine comes with a standard filter. There’s no fine dust filter or HEPA filter available, so if you’re working with concrete dust, drywall, or sanded finishes, you’re better off using your shop vac for your lungs’ sake.
But when this vac is at work in the car, there’s nothing to complain about. It takes care of general car dirt with ease – muddy floor mats, spilled Cheerios, little pieces of spiral notebook paper, and all the dust in your vents. It cleans the sand and pebbles out of your trunk, and most of the leaf litter out of your truck bed (although you might want to do a quick sweep first). Overall garage cleaning is a cinch, as well as quick shop clean-up. And if you stretch the hose to the kitchen, or even take the whole unit inside, this machine works as well as your regular vacuum on hard floors and carpets.
All the accessories you need
Shop vacs generally don’t come with a whole lot of accessories, but this isn’t a shop vac. Hoover knew exactly what folks would use this vacuum for – car cleaning – and they provide a range of useful accessories with the L2310 GUV. There are two crevice and corner tools to reach every square inch of your trunk, a floor tool, an upholstery tool, and a dust brush. Throw in a feather duster and you’ve got yourself a clean car. The Bissell Garage Pro has a few more car detail tools, but chances are you won’t need them. There are also two extensions for a 6-foot reach, and additional accessories are easy to order online.
Just enough capacity and easy to clean
The Hoover L2310 GUV has a 5-gallon canister that falls right in the middle of lightweight shop vac capacities. Any smaller, and you’d have to change it in the middle of a good garage cleaning. Any larger, and it’d be difficult to get the canister down to dump it. As it is, 5 gallons is the perfect size for an easily detachable bottom canister that snaps on and off for dumping – no bags needed. You can’t see how much debris is in the canister – a clear plastic window would have been nice here – but it’s really simple to just dump the canister on a regular basis.
The filter could have been designed a little better. Technically, it’s easy to pop out for cleaning. If your filter is clean, this is a breeze. If your filter is dirty, however, like it probably will be if you’re taking it out to clean it, expect a cloud of dust to accompany its extraction. It does pop out, but not without releasing some of what it’s captured. It’s also a little tricky to pop back in, so make sure you understand how it fits before you take it out. Other than that, it’s simple to tap the big particles off and vacuum off the rest.
What other customers are saying
The Hoover L2310 GUV averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and several review sites, so it’s clear that people are pretty pleased with what it can do. There are a few common complaints, but most of them are related to the fact that this vacuum is neither a wet/dry vac nor a shop vac. I’m not sure how this is Hoover’s fault… Here are some other common reports:
The good
- Great price for the power and functionality.
- Not too noisy – in the same range as the Fein Turbo III (which is a far more expensive unit).
- Quick and easy to empty.
- Nice length hose and useful accessories.
The bad
- Some machines experience electrical problems. It’s unclear if this is due to the machine, the installation, or possibly a non-grounded outlet.
- Not all attachments produce the same suction power.
- Mounting instructions are confusing, and some boxes are missing mounting parts.
- Have to wrap the filter in something before popping it out to avoid spewing dust.
All in all, it’s a great value for your money as long as you know what you’re getting. As a car vacuum and light to medium garage vacuum, you can’t beat it.
Where to get it
At the moment, Amazon has one of the lowest listed prices, and they almost always have free shipping. You might even be able to find a better deal from one of Amazon’s third-party merchants, so check it out.
