Eureka Smart 4870DT Bagged Upright Vacuum

Pros: Powerful, quiet
Cons: Slightly heavy

I bought this vacuum to replace a bagless Dirt Devil I bought just a few months ago. I wanted a vacuum with a bag that could handle the dirt from two toddlers and a labrador. This machine is great. I filled the bag the first time I used it (shows what a great job the DD was doing). It's so quiet you can talk to someone while using it. That's not necessarily a feature I was looking for in a vacuum, but it's nice to be able to run it while the kids are asleep without worrying about waking them. It is a little heavy, but that wasn't a big concern for me since I live in a single story home (and am pretty tough). Overall, it's a good machine, is reasonably priced, does a great job cleaning and is quiet. It's a vacuum...there's only so much you can say about it!

Pros: It works as advertised
Cons: foot lever tricky, but no big deal

Ok, I have heard the good and the not so good things from other reviewers on this site. But Consumer Reports did a good job. You won't find a vac of this caliper for no less than $300 and this thing cost half that with amazing performance. As far as performance goes there are not too many vacs out there that cleans as much as this thing does; on bare floors and carpets, it just pics everything up. One reviewer gave this vac one star. Claiming the hose kept falling off and burning belts and too heavy etc. For one thing, it isn't the lightest vac, but good motors aren't generally light either. My hose stays securely in place. Burning belts? How about adjusting the roller so there isn't so much strain on it. Don't have it on the lowest setting while trying to do rugs or thick carpeting. No burning belts here and it picks up everything in sight. It's surprisingly quiet to.

Pros: Superb suction, long cord, Hepa filter, cleans both carpet and hard surfaces.
Cons: Heavy & stiff foot pedal.

This vacuum easily compares with ones twice or three times its price. It actually made our drab, old, cheap carpet look almost new - wow! I sound like a commercial, but it is really true. Definitely would recommend this for anyone who wants a thorough cleaning machine. On the down side, it is heavy, so it I wouldn't recommend it for little old ladies or frail women, but for your average healthy human, it is not a problem at all.

This is a terrific vacuum cleaner. It is well designed, very easy to push (I believe it is self propelled) has capability for hard floors and carpets at the flip of a switch, as well as a switch that changes the suction from the floor to the hose, without having to connect the hose separately like my old one does. Power switch is on the top and easy to reach, all the attachments store on board and are very easily accessible, and the motor is very powerful. This vacuum is also surprisingly quiet for one with such power. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for an affordable, easy to use vacuum cleaner.

Pros: Suction, cleaning power on hard jobs, good on the edges, wide track cord length.
Cons: Heavier than most, bags not available in a lot of discount stores (Walmart, K-Mart).

I replaced a Hoover bagless upright for this machine. What a joy it is to use. I have a German Shep that can cover the floor with her fur in part of a day, a cat that is worse (and that litter box), and a bird that gets seed all over. My Hoover could not get the hair out of one of my rugs and did a poor job on most of the carpets This has passed the "sand test" I gave it with cat litter and gets all of the pet hair without special efforts.

This baby has a lot of suck and gets the job done, even on hard wood floors. It is heaver than most but not too heavy for the average surface. It is feature rich and has a lot of whistles and bells that other manufacturers don't thing of or are too cheap to include.

My only mistake is not buying two of them. If they quit making this and I wear it out, I want a spare. Bring it on Santa!!

Pros: Inexpensive, attractive, relatively quiet, and very powerful.
Cons: Foot lever is stiff, but I've figured out a way around this.

I read many of the reviews here before buying this vacuum at Bed Bath and Beyond with one of their 20% discount coupons. The coupon doesn't work on other vacuums, Dyson for example, but you can use on the 4870. I don't want to repeat what's already been said, but I do want to address a few points that have been discussed here.

1. The stiff foot operated handle release lever. It is stiff, but I found if you do a little crossover step and use your right foot and push the handle to the right with your right hand (to counteract the tendency for the vacuum to tip to the left) it's much easier to operate.

2. Someone said in a review that it is self propelled. That is incorrect. The brush action does pull it forward, but you have to overcome that brush action when pulling it back.

3. The air output flow is great for blowing dust bunnies and such out from under furniture that you can't vacuum under. I like it.

Bottom line is that I love this vacuum after owning for about three months.

Pros: This vacuum really cleans well and glides easily!
Cons: It's a bit heavy and the handle release requires some pressure to release.

We love this vacuum and loved the price--we bought it based on Consumer's Reports. It cleans the floors and carpets equally well. The hose is long enough to use tools efficiently. Our old Sears upright would tip over any time we used the tools and this vacuum doesn't do that. It's self-propelled and is easy to push around. I like the powerpaw attachment which is great on stairs.

Pros: Cleaning power, QUIET, HEPA filtering
Cons: It weighs just over 20 lbs.

This vacuum was purchased based on the recommendations found in a Consumer Reports article (Best Buy). It's great. It cleans wonderfully and is QUIET. Since our last unit sounded a bit like a jet engine I may be a bit overly sensitive to this attribute, but it really makes a difference to me. The tools all snap onto the body of the vacuum and the controls are easy to understand and use.
So, at the risk of really sounding stupid, I really like this vacuum. Deep cleaning of the rugs, bare floors, etc. It seems to do it all pretty darn well.
It also boasts a true HEPA filter so the dust emissions are almost zero - our old unit mostly took items off the floor and launched them into the air. . .

Pros: suction beats the suction of any dyson vacuum lighter than a dyson Vacuum
Cons: not bagless too many models 4870D 4870DT 4870F 4870G and the 4870GZ

i don't understand what people are talking about this vacuum is not heavy at all. Is 21lbs really that much work for people! Geeez! I can imagine all the overweight moms complaining in the background. The vacuum has incredible suction and performs great on wooden floors i'm still trying to figure out the difference between the 4870D 4870DT 4870F 4870G and the 4870GZ ..so keep an eye out for which model you are actually buying..mine is a 4870F and it is amazing i owned a dyson for 3 years before it broke..

Pros: It can suck the spots of a leopard
Cons: seems top heavy, but worth it.

I replaced a bagless vac because of all the mess and trouble we had with it. I bought the Eureka Smart Vac for my husbands office and TV room downstairs. He's been very pleased with it. Then I ran out of bags for my Hoover in the main part of the house and used this. WOW what a difference!!! Rejuvenated my carpets, did a great job of cleaning, very noticeable. It does seem heavy, but I realized if I just kept going forward, it was almost self propelling. I just went to one end of the room and turned around..like mowing the lawn. It did most of the work.

Pros: price and works great so far
Cons: a bit heavy

Hey all :) Just got the vacuum in the mail this morning. Unpacked really easy and assembly was a snap :) Other reviewers were right, it is almost self-propelled! It is a bit heavy, but manageable for this little lady. Went from carpet to bare floor really easy. It picks up stuff well and the hose and attachments works great. The air smells good too after vacuuming, like clean! The pedal recline button is a bit tough... but once you get the hang of it it is better and seems quite simple. The hose is quite stretchy and reaches well with the attachments. And yes it takes a bit of effort to snap in the attachments, but it isn't too bad. I would give this 4 1/2 stars so far. Very nice!

Pros: Cleans...really cleans the carpet. Boy does it clean. Quiet.
Cons: Weight. Useless light.

Bought this to replace a Hoover Wind Tunnel that was losing motivation to clean carpets. The vacuum really cleans. It has a cheap plastic look and feel to it compared to the Hoover, but I paid a lot more for the Hoover too. The Eureka makes up for the cheap look in it's ability to clean the carpet. It does a fantastic job. It's also the quietest vac I ever owned.
Some folks have complained about the handle release. We push the handle forward slightly to relieve the tension before releasing with the foot pedal. Works better this way. It is a heavy to push vac, but we don't mind the effort. The light is pretty useless. Seems like a lot of manufacturers put the light on the handle, not on the base. So what happens when you tilt the handle back to vacuum? It no longer lights up the carpet in front of you.
A very good buy for the price.

Pros: GREAT, GREAT, GREAT ON DOG HAIR
Cons: THE VACUUM IS A LITTLE HEAVY AND THE HANDLE RELEASE BUTTON IS A LITTLE STIFF.

HAVE BEEN DEBATING ABOUT THIS VACUUM. CONSUMER REPORTS GAVE IT GOOD POINTS. TRIED A DYSON AND REALLY LIKED IT. THOUGHT THAT I WOULD GIVE THIS ONE A TRY AND SAVE $300.00. IT WAS ON SALE AT SHOPKO SO I THOUGHT WHY NOT. IF IT DIDN'T WORK ON THE DOG HAIR I WOULD TAKE IT BACK AND BUY THE DYSON. I AM JUST TRILLED.

Pros: I love the brush. Great on stairs. I hated to clean them, before;-}.
Cons: Heavy.

I was shocked that when I tuned it on, it just took off... it was ready to clean, and clean it did. It is WONDERFUL. I did not read reviews before I got it, but it seems like many people feel like I do. I look forward to many happy & clean days to come.

Pros: Good suction; quieter than most vacuums; HEPA filtration; good quality for the price
Cons: Heavy to lift and push; its on the wide side

I bought the Eureka Boss Smart Vac Ultra in May '05 because it was the least expensive vacuum with a Consumer Reports Best Buy rating. It was $124 on Amazon.com.

After 10 months of use I am very satisfied with it. I have a small dog that seems to shed an amazingly large amount of hair for his size. The Smart Vac sucks up the hairballs with ease.

I have a mild allergy to dust and the HEPA filter is great at keeping the dust where it belongs: the vacuum. I also like that it's a bag vacuum instead of a bagless one. I've used bagless vacuums before and always manage to get half of the contents back into the air and onto the floor by the time I'm done emptying the canister. Ah-choo!

The two complaints I have are fairly minor. It is a heavy vacuum, which may make it hard for some people to use. Also, it is wider than average, which sometimes means you have to move certain pieces of furniture to vacuum under and around them.