Cons: Floppy hose collapses with suction, spin duster so/so, pricy considering attachements you might need
The Bottom Line: Any one of the Eureka Bagless line is a safe bet. Choose carefully amoung the 6 or so made to avoid paying for features you'll never use or must have.
jblumb1's Full Review: Eureka 5892AVZ Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum
I admit it, I like a clean home. And after years of vacuuming with a $50 Hoover hand-me-down, it was time to upgrade and see what I was missing. I came to find out what I was really missing was a ton of dirt!
What I wanted:
I was looking for a few things in my new vacuum: I wanted something well made, that felt good in use and felt like it wouldn't fall apart in a year. Some of the really cheap units (under $70) seem quite fragile. I also wanted a machine with a switchable brush roll, since I have carpet, hardwood, vinyl and tile. Lastly, since stairs are important and I have 2 flights of them with carpet, I wanted a machine to make cleaning them easier.
Features:
This Eureka has all of those features, and really is quite impressive. My house is clean -- just me, no pets, and I don't wear shoes inside -- but you should have seen how much dirt my old vac was leaving behind. I chose the Eureka based on it's carpet performance (a friend has a similar unit), suction, and the spin duster. While the jury's still out on the spin duster's real effectiveness, it does seem to get rid of most of the dust. But I think most of it ends up on the vacuum since the bristles of the brush fan out when you place it back in it's holster. Oh well.
Attachments:
The "Power Paw" stair tool is very effective -- the built-in brush spins from the suction through the attachment, and it does work well. But it's ear-piercingly loud and hard to manuver on stairs since it spins twice the speed of light. The stairs do come out spotless though, when used with the crevice tool for corners.
No new Eureka that I looked at had a separate, non-powered tool for upholstry or stairs packaged with the cleaner, so if you want that, it must be purchased separatly. Also, the duster tool that comes with the unit (attachment for the hose) is smallish and cheap, and does not really befitt a $150 vacuum cleaner. I purchased a horsehair brush with a larger footprint from Eureka, as well as a seperate, non-powered upholstry tool for about $10. No big deal, though no place to store them onboard the vac either.
On-Board Hose:
Another issue is suction. In this case, it's so strong that it sucks the flexible on-board hose together, making it very hard to manuver. The problem is especially severe when using the "Power Paw," which I suppose in attaching it creates a restriction on the unit that makes the hose collapse. It's a big problem, especially if you like to use the vacuum hose as much as actually vacuum floors and carpets. I've purchased a separate 15-foot extension hose from an independent Eureka dealer for $20, and it seems to be made out of a more rigid material then the hose on-board. It reduces the collapsing tendancy of the built-in hose significantly, as well as allows me to clean an entire flight of stairs with the cleaner at the bottom (or top). It's also pretty good for dusting, since I can leave the cleaner in the middle of even the largest rooms and work around the room with the brush tool.
Cleaning/Filters:
As for cleaning/emptying, this is always a sore area for bagless vacuums, since they usually have multiple filters instead of a bag. This unit has a 3 stage filtration system, 4 if you count the cyclonic action. It seems to work very well, and all but the HEPA filter are washable. My friend with a similar unit and pets has had the cleaner for a year, and the HEPA is barley dirty. It's only about $20 though, and with no bags to replace, that's not so bad. The dirt cup is small, and will fill quickly, but it's so easy to empty (dirt seems to clump like cotton candy) and makes little mess, so there's no excuses not to do it after each use. Also, the vac comes with 2 foam pre-filters, so you can take a dirty one out when you're cleaning the machine to wash it off with soap & water, and put the dry spare back in and vice-versa. Very convenient.
Pretty Solid:
Overall, this is a huge step up for me. My carpets actually shine - I swear, and they retain their "fresh vacuumed" feeling when you walk on them for days. Switching off the brushes for flooring is also very nice. I'd say if you have a lot of different flooring in your home, and you want a cleaner that does them all right, to give this one a look.
Update After a few Weeks:
With all the abovementioned tools, this cleaner really works nice. Two things I've noticed that really make a difference: This thing is heavy. At least twice the weight of my old Hoover, if not more. Really hard to get up the stairs, even for me. Also, this thing really pumps out some heat when it's on. Be prepared for your house to warm up as you use it.
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