In March 2007, our home was disgustingly infested by fleas. Not willing to outright poison our home, our pets and ourselves, we desperately researched alternatives online and decided to try out some "natural" flea remedies, including Only Natural Pet Store's diatomaceous earth, Flea Busters' boric acid treatment and the De Flea Natural Chemical Sprays line. The combination of these products on the furniture and carpets literally clogged up and killed our one-year-old $300 Kenmore canister vacuum within a month's time, so we had to buy another one - quickly! After further extensive online research, we settled on an equivalent (bright-red!) version of the Eureka Boss Smartvac Bagged Upright Vacuum for $149.99 and free shipping via Amazon.com (it came in three blessed days!). We are so glad that we did, and here are some of the reasons why!

Our Eureka "Anti-Flea Army" vacuum includes the following features:

12-amp motor:
You need a LOT of amps to warn the fleas who's coming for dinner, and this vacuum is unapologetically loud and proud for it. 12-amp motor, hear it roar! The suction is absolutely incredible on this vacuum, especially for the value and price. Fleas couldn't stand a chance!

HEPA filtration system:
Fantastic HEPA filtration that boasts the removal of 99.7 percent of dust, pollen, allergens - and fleas! I truly believe it. Electrostatically micro-lined vacuum bags capture bacteria (0.3 - 10.0 micron size range), pollen (10.0 - 100.0), human hair (30.0 - 200.0), dust mites (90.0 - 600.0) and sand (50.0 - 1000.0). As an added bonus, this HEPA filter is long-lasting and easily cleaned. It even stood up to a month of constantly incoming diatomaceous earth and boric acid.

Assortment of Attachments:
This vacuum comes with a handy arsenal of brushes including an upholstery nozzle and a crevice tool which of course are absolutely necessary when searching out and destroying possible flea hideouts. The attachments were nothing less than fantastic picking up powdery diatomaceous and boric acid, leaving no traces behind.

30-foot long cord:
This is, by far, the longest cord on any vacuum we have ever bought or used. Every vacuum should have a cord this long!

Affordable replacement filter bags:
At the beginning of our flea battle, we were disposing, on average, one vacuum filter bag daily after each thorough vacuum, not because the bag filled up, but because we wanted to make sure what survived in the bag, if anything, wouldn't live to return to our home again. We appreciated being able to buy the Eureka and/or equivalent generic "RR" style filter bags in bulk via Amazon Marketplace (we have yet to run out!). The filters are of a decent size, and they are very good and solid bags, never tearing once despite the varying amounts of boric acid, diatomaceous earth and dead fleas the vacuum picked up.

Downsides?:
Reading through some of the other Epinion reviews, a few of the folks here seem to have an issue with the heaviness of the vacuum (approx. 25 lbs). I disagree, however, because I personally welcome the weekly workout with an old friend! The foot release step lever also took me some practice and getting used to at first but it's no problem for me now that it's been worn in like a good pair of shoes.

In other words, if you have tons of stairs, a bad back, a bad dominant foot and/or experience trouble lifting heavy things, then common sense will agree that this vaccuum is just not the right one for you.

What's up with the fleas, and our Eureka?
Within a few weeks, (along with a few other variables at work not listed here, of course), our fleas were under control, and we haven't seen even a peep of the horrid things again since (fingers crossed!). Miraculously, our Eureka Boss Smartvac works just as reliably today as the day we bought it, with no discernable hint of ever having been in violent flea battle.

Rage Against the Fleas!:
If your vacuum has bought the farm and you're on a budget, make no mistake and go with the Eureka Boss Smartvac. Especially if you're in the midst of flea war.

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Helpful (and Hilarious) Testimonials I received from Jackie K. in Philadephia - Enjoy!:

August 17, 2008: "We ended up purchasing [a Eureka] the other day. The Eureka sucks like nobody's business; no other vacuum I've owned had that much suction. I am in love with this vacuum. I cannot believe how much it has sucked out of my carpets. It really cleans deep down. This is the most powerful vacuum I have ever owned. The suction is truly incredible, almost too strong sometimes. It is so strong that I swear it could suck paint off a wall. I really enjoy using the hose and attachments. I think that when I use the hose the suction is even more powerful. I wasn't careful yesterday and I got too close to the curtains and actually sucked one off the valance. Have you ever had anything like that happen to you? I feel much better knowing how well this machine cleans my home. My daughter calls the Eureka "Mr. Suck". LOL. We played a game where we lined up Cheerios on the tile floor and watched to see how far away from the hose they were before they got sucked in. I wouldn't trade mine in for anything else. You just can't beat the suction it produces."

August 17, 2008 (later that day): "Oh, by the way - today my daughter asked me if we could use "Mr. Suck" to take the goldfish out of his fishbowl, LOL. I had to explain to her that the Eureka and water don't go well together and also that I didn't think our pet goldfish would enjoy being sucked up either. We'll just stick to Cheerios for now."

October 14, 2008: "Hi Claire, I wanted to say thank you for posting my comments in your review. I am so happy you did. I know I may have sounded a little over-exuberant in my comments, but that's how the Eureka has made me feel. I can't imagine life without my Mr. Suck. It is still going strong as day 1. I've used it on my mattresses and completely amazed on what it sucked out. I really love the onboard tools. I can't believe how strong the hose suction is. Anything near its mouth gets sucked in instantly. I held my hand over the opening and thought it was going to suck my nail off - my old vacuum could never suck like that. My daughter saw a fly in the house and asked me to try and suck him up with it. To amuse her I gave it a try, figured I'd catch him sitting on a chair or something - no luck though, but talk about a fly catcher.. How is yours holding up? Have you tried to suck up flies with it? Hope all is well with you and thanks again. Jackie K. from Philly."

October 15, 2008 (my response): "You're welcome Jackie! Happy to hear from you again. Your comments are really humorous and well-written, and they definitely enhance the "Mr. Suck" review. Thank you for sharing them with me and the world at large. :) Well, my vac is still working reliably also. It has been a year and a half or so now since we bought the thing, but the Eureka is still working so well I can count on it to suck up even the occasional cat toy around here for sure. Definitely a sound, long-term investment for the cheap price! Hope things are going well for you too, and that you and your daughter continue to enjoy playing vacuum games once a week or more LOL. Take care, ~Claire"

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For Your Information:

Eureka: http://www.eureka.com/products/upright/boss.jsp

Thanks again: Jackie, for giving me permission to use your comments in this review.

NB: Don't forget to check out the inimitable Spudman's personal interview re: the Eureka Boss Smartvac ==> http://www1.epinions.com/content_170802712196.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 149.99