The filter media looks great and the construction is as solid as the original. The folded medium is noticeably less flexible and twistable than the original, but only time will tell how strong it is. As others have said the filters appear to be washable but there are no instructions on how to do this. They don't work with Hoover's built-in flipper to extract loose dirt between washes. Instead, you have to remove the filter and shake, tap, or blow it out. It's great to have two filters so you can use one while the other is being washed/dried. In the absence of regular filters, this seems like the best alternative.