jierik's Full Review: Eureka 431A Optima Bagless Upright Vacuum
We've used the Eureka Optima for two months now, and we are quite pleased with our purchase. Main strengths are it's attractive price (55$), low weight, ergonomic design and good suction power. Main drawbacks are the noise, the odd placement of the "suction switch" (the one that makes the suction come from the hose or from the bottom unit) and the odd placement of the "exhaust" which sometimes blows the dirt away from the unit.
First of all, this machine is quite light and comes in a compact box that will fit in any car, or you could even pick it up per public transport. Once out of the box, it is easy to assemble, even without reading the manual. All components are well designed and fit snugly together, the quality of the materials is quite allright. I like the fact that the hose is transparent, so you can see where the obstruction is.
The first thing you'll notice when you use the machine is how easy it is to operate. First of all, the handle is very well designed; the ring shaped handle is a clever thought and allows you to hold the thing comfortably under all angles. It is very easy to hold the machine at a steep angle anyway, when you push it under a bed for example, because it is so light. That also makes it easy to handle in a staircase. Another nice thing is that the handle can be extended with great ease, so tall and short people can use it without bending. Not so nice, in ergonomy terms, is the fact that the switch that controls airflow (from hose or from "bottom unit") is placed very low, so older people or people with a handicap might find it difficult to operate. The switch turns with ease, however. Then, also, the hose is a bit short, making it a bit of a hassle to use the tool, but not by much.
The vacuum comes with an extension "tube" that you can plug onto the hose and a brush that you can attach to it, and both are well stowed away on the vac. There is only one switch on the vacuum, with three settings: off, on without brush and on with brush. I rarely use the brush, but it seems to struggle to reach its operational velocity. I mostly vacuum on hardwood, so I rarely use the brush, but the rugs we vacuum are well cleaned since the little vac has a lot of suction power. On hardwood it performs very well, although the two little wheels make me a bit nervous, they could use a rubber "lining" to prevent me from worry about scratches. And on hardwood, one of the biggest problems with the vac become apparent: The exhaust vent of the vac is directed forward and is placed right above the "mouth" of the vac, close to the floor, so some dust is being blown away before you suck it up. But is is not a major problem, and some dust that is blown away returns as in a tiny hurrican. Although it is a small and light vac, the width of the "mouth" is sufficiently large to vacuum a large room without getting blisters under your feet. But you might want to listen to your ipod while cleaning, because the vac is quite noisy.
I got caught up in the bagless hype, and now I regret it a bit. The container is reasonably large, but when it needs cleaning, you have to be careful not to generate a cloud of dust when pouring it in the dustbin. Then you have to spend some time to clean the filter, because it gets clogged rapidly. It is easy to disassemble and rassemble, however, and if you're not allergic to dust, there is nothing to worry about. Speaking of allergy, this vac has no HEPA filter.
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
The new Eureka Optima offers the power of an upright at 1/2 the weight! It also features the ONLY soft-grip looped handle that adjusts to more than 8 ...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.