Haaga 475 Manual Triple Brush Sweeper, 30" Width

Just received the unit today (09/26/14) and used it to sweep up the back yard that was cut yesterday. It worked quite well. I'm a firm believer in push sweepers and how well they clean in comparison to a push broom. And this is my part in helping the environment (and possibly my health--I'm not breathing in fumes from a gas blower).For starters, I needed a functional push sweeper to replace an older model Kleen Sweep that I could no longer get parts for. I searched for quite a while--as I do for most big purchases--before deciding on the Haaga 475. The other issue was price. The new Kleen Sweep goes for over $700 vs about $500 for the Haaga 475. The Kleen Sweep has two brushes; one side broom, and a larger spinning brush on the rear that "sweeps" the debris forward into the hopper. The Haaga 475 has three brushes; two large brushes on both sides and a smaller rear brush that pushes the debris "overhead" into the hopper. Since I liked the way the Kleen Sweep swept the sidewalk and driveway, I knew my replacement had to have at least three brushes to satisfy my desires to have clean driveway and sidewalk in front of my house.Sorry to get sidetracked from the review and not to keep comparing the two but each sweeper has it's pros/cons. The Haaga can sweep up bigger items (bottles/can) as well as wet leaves on a variety of surfaces. It has a 4-year warranty on the brushes and a 2-year warranty on the rest of the sweeper. Plus, there are no belts to change. The Kleen Sweep is better for smooth concrete and will not pick up big items, but mainly dirt, dust, and smaller leaves/debris. The Kleen Sweep has belts that need to be periodically changed as well as rubber wheels that wear out over time (just like the rubber tires on your car, but obviously, at a much slower wear rate).Packaging: I wanted to comment on the packaging. When Fed-Ex delivered it, I discovered the factory box was the "shipping box". It would have been nice to the have it inside of a bigger box to protect the sweeper box. As it stands, the top of the box was open. The factory box has oval-shaped openings on the upper-sides that are used as "handles". To secure the box, large staples were used at the factory to seal it up. The staples were still there but had been torn away from the top of the box. They had apparently come loose at some point as it was being handled. The way the item is packaged, the black plastic lower handle pieces are stored in the upper box flaps. Only one was in place and the other had fallen deep into the box. I initially thought I had missing parts, but thankfully everything was there--and don't ask me how--along with a few wood screws and black metal washers:). This was due to the box having apparently been opened at somebody's factory (either amazon or the Haaga factory). In looking closer at the sweeper, I noticed spider webs on the bottom of he sweeper, which was more evidence that the box had been opened and probably not just from the shipping period from amazon to me. One last concern, and the biggest one; One of the wheels, which when pushed forward, causes the third brush to spin, was stuck and wouldn't move. One wheel spun freely, the other did not. I saw that one of the wheels was spaced closer on the axle. It was pretty obvious in how it sat on the axle and either it had not pushed on solidly, or perhaps, had somehow come loose. I pushed the other wheel back completely onto the axle and both wheels spun as they should. Initially after seeing the opened box, I thought about sending the unit back. After everything seemed to have been OK, I chose to keep it. These things come and go on amazon, and the wait can be several weeks if you don't get them when they are in stock.I did a test sweep and noticed that it swept pretty well without leaving much behind. I looked inside after sweeping and noticed that some of the dust had settled quite heavily on the plastic chute that helps direct the collected material into the hop per. I'm not sure if this would be an issue as there was quite a bit of material that the unit swept up. Just be aware of that and it might not be a bad idea to occasionally hose off or wipe down this dirt chute area so there's less of a chance of this debris getting back on the ground [did I mention that I like clean sidewalks:)].OK. As far as the construction of the unit, it's made mostly of plastic. It's thinner in some areas, however overall, it seems to be a pretty good unit. The wheels are plastic too, although rubber would have been nicer but that's one more maintenance item one would have to be concerned about. I liked the rubber wheels on the Kleen Sweep as it absorbs some of the bumps you can expect to encounter using a push sweeper, and the bigger reason is that the rubber is quieter so you can use it without disturbing your family or neighbors.I will update my usage of the Haaga 475 after I have used it a few times. If you have any questions, Please ask.Update--11/13/15OK, I've had the sweeper over a year and honestly, I can't recommend it. I have to downgrade my initial rating from 4 stars to 3. Here's why: The unit is large and somewhat awkward to push in a straight line. Unfortunately, it's now parked and hasn't been used in over eight months. I gave it a fair chance but it's not meeting my specific needs.I was never fond of the all plastic construction and the price (well over $500 after taxes), just made it a tad bit difficult to justify (Buyers remorse? Possibly). I think it would be reasonable to have an expensive push sweeper meet most of my needs and fulfill it's intended purpose. Unfortunately it did not. So with that said, I'm back using the Kleen Sweep as it does a much better job with fine dust, leaves and grass clippings. The Haaga is parked collecting dust :([no pun intended].As much as I like the engineering, it just doesn't fit my needs. The most important area for me is cleaning along sidewalks, and in the street next to the curb right after I cut the lawn and use a string trimmer. The Haaga, with it's short side brushes just can't get close enough to the edges to pick up debris, especially grass clippings. The Kleen Sweep on the other hand definitely excels in cleaning next to border areas with it's large single side brush (although I wish it had a second spinning brush, similar to the Haaga's smaller dual brushes). This would probably be better utilized in an industrial environment, but in my opinion, not for regular maintenance cleaning of a residential setting where sidewalks and cubs need to be cleaned. The better cleaner for me is the Kleen Sweep.So I'll be on the hunt for another push sweeper to replace the Haaga. I have no use for it but I have to re-coup at least some of the initial cost of the unit.Please feel free to comment or ask any questions.

The haaga 475 works great it picks every thing with in its reach. Leaves nothing behind an easy to store I have 3 all together

Had for about a month when the side brushes stopped working properly. Replaced a couple parts, spent more on shipping than the actual parts themselves. Then about a month later the drive gears stopped working. Contacted their customer support, they sent me a reply with a youtube video, parts list and said good luck. We were very excited when we ordered this product and it worked great for the first month. Now it just sits and takes up space in our storage room. If your looking to buy, research different options.

I have an 80x100 warehouse building that trucks and equipment routinely drive through and I was tired of a push broom kicking up dust and having to sweep and pick up and sweep and pick up so I thought I'd try a haaga. there are cheaper ones on the market but I hate buying the cheap ones and then spending the money on a more expensive version once the cheap one doesn't do what it's supposed to. does the haaga pick up dirt? yes it does. but it also flings stuff around like small rocks, cigarette butts etc. it's not a vacuum. the thing I was most disappointed with is the amount of dust it creates while sweeping. it's not any better than a push broom. it gets slightly better when I spread sweeping compound around but so does a push broom. there is still a fine layer of dust on the floor after sweeping no matter what height you adjust the brushes to. overall I'm not terribly disappointed with the haaga because I do like the collection can feature which is much easier than sweeping things into a shovel but if you want a nice clean floor with no dust this is not the sweeper you're looking for. it's a $600 push broom. it's easier to use than a push broom and employees tend to use it more often than they would a push broom but it is still just a broom.

This unit works well for picking up small debris such as gravel, leaves, dry paper trash, cellophane etc. we use this to dry sweep our CrossFit box prior to wet floor scrubbing. While it does not "vacuum" up chalk it does a pretty good job of removing all particulate matter. A walking pace is recommended as faster than that will tend to throw debris around rather then sweep it up. Overall I am satisfied with our purchase.

It doesn't pick up the fine dust at all. Also, if you walk to fast, the front brushes kick debris sideways, and then you have to turn around to get it again. (but when you turn sharp, it leaves a trail of dirt)

I purchased this sweeper to clean the paved paking lot of my self serve car wash. The sweeper works great! Picks up pretty much everything, very easy to push and the refuse container is the perfect size for me.

works fine, thought it would be cleaner,does not contain fine dust. still better than a broom