luvmybigdog2's Full Review: Eureka 431A Optima Bagless Upright Vacuum
I purchased the vacuum for use on my newly refinished hardwood floors and find it excellent for that purpose. The power switch has three settings: off, vacuum and vacuum with brush roller. (You don't use a brush roller on hardwood floors.) This is great because I can switch instantly from vacuum on the hardwood floors to using the brush roller with vacuum for my throw rugs - and back again.
The vacuum is lightweight and simple to maneuver. Suction on hard floor surfaces is very good. I have two large dogs (a Lab and a Saint Bernard) that are walking fur machines. As I vacuum, I can see the dog hair being pulled across the floor to the vacuum - from inches away.
The dirt collection cylinder needs improvement. The cylinder is easily removed, but, the top is somewhat difficult to twist off - someone with arthritis or a small hand will have a more difficult time with this. Also, I'm cleaning up longer dog hair, which seems to need a little extra coaxing to come out. The design alternative would be a larger round cylinder, but then the vacuum wouldn't be the compact size it is. For me, with the excellent suction performance, it's worth the momentary effort.
The handle is nice, with the length adjustable. I'm almost 6' tall, and find it suits me just fine. My 3 year old grandson likes to help with housework and the handle can be in the lowest position for him to use without the head of the vacuum coming off the floor as with most full size models.
On board tools are great. There is a dial to switch from vacuuming through the head to tool use. I like this because it keeps the power of the vacuum where you want it - either in the head (shorter path for dirt) or the tools. It's neither good nor bad - just different.
In my opinion is vacuum is an excellent unit for hard flooring, but not carpet, unless you have a very small area. The cleaning path is quite narrow, so use for a larger room (Over 9x12) is not practical. There are no carpet depth adjustments. Also, transition from carpeting to throws rugs is awkward; there isn't enough size/weight to make the move onto/off of a throw rug easily - the throw rolls up. I don't experience this on hard flooring to throws.
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
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