Eureka Boss Smart-Vac Upright HEPA Vacuum Cleaner, 4870MZ
by Electrolux Home Products (floorcare)
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Eureka Boss Smart-Vac Upright HEPA Vacuum Cleaner, 4870MZ
Customer Review: Great on carpets and pet hair, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
I have had my Hoover PowerMax Deluxe for about 10 years and was quite pleased with its performance on bare floors and our 1 or 2 area rugs. Around the time we moved into our new house, the vacuum's plastic housing cracked. I was going to have it replaced, but decided on a new vacuum because our new house has several carpeted rooms. The Eureka 4870MZ does a fabulous job on the carpets, even though they do not have the same pile-you can adjust for this on the machine. The carpet with the longer pile actually felt soft and new after the first use, and I could really hear how much dirt was being removed (compared with my old machine). The Power Paw attachment also does a great job removing pet hair from furniture (we have 2 cats and a dog-a shedding machine black lab).
I have 2 issues with this unit:
1) This vacuum does also work very well on bare floors, but is difficult to maneuver unless the space being cleaned is expansive and square. When I have to work around table bases, chairs, I either need another attachment or I need to stop and move everything. Also, the vacuum will not fit under the sofa like my old vacuum, so that area can't get cleaned every time I vacuum.
2)It is not easy to use on the stairs, whether carpet or wood. The unit is heavy-not a bad thing, as something this powerful would need some weight-but not easy for someone in late pregnancy, or I would imagine, someone elderly to carry. There is an additional piece to extend the hose, but it is not enough to make it up the stairs without needing to stop and carry the unit halfway up or down the stairs.
So, what this vacuum does, it does well and I am glad we bought it. I will, however, be paying to fix my old standby Hoover to use where the the Eureka falls short, instead of fixing it to sell. It is for this reason that I only gave 3 stars. It would have received 4 stars if based on carpet cleaning alone, but because it is advertised as bare floor and carpet, I can't give more than 3. Nobody should need to own 2 vacuums.
Customer Review: Had To Replace Hose After Only Light Use
Summary: 2 Stars
I am disgusted with this this vacuum and especially Eureka - buy Eureka at your own risk. I had problems with the hose almost immediately after only light usage. The plastic end tip of the hose started to chip away as if it was made of thin glass. And even worse, the hose tore where it attaches to plastic end-wand. By the time I got around to calling Eureka, my warranty had expired so they told me to go pound sand (even though this is a serious design problem).
Another problem I have experienced is, on occasion, when I turn the vac on, a huge dirt cloud is spewed from the vac (even though there are no obstructions, and the bag is fresh and properly installed). I'm not sure, but it may have been because I had accidentally had the hose/floor setting on "hose" and the brush setting on "floor". Nevertheless, this is probably a common oversight and it shouldn't cause dirt to be spewed throughout your whole house (kind of defeats the purpose of having a vacuum).
I did a duct tape repair on the hose which worked for a while, but eventually had to fork over a bunch of money for a new hose.
Unless Eureka has addressed their serious problems with this vac, and you have made the mistake of buying it, I highly recommend reinforcing the hose/wand connection with some duct tape; or you too will soon be buying a new hose.
Another maddening issue is that the hose is way too short; it should be about 3' longer - it will drive you crazy.
I have owned many vacs in the past and have never had problems like these; especially with hoses falling apart.
I will say that the vac does have excellent suction; but that doesn't help you much if your vac blows dirt all over your house and the hoses fall apart.
Eureka owes everyone a refund with interest and an apology for this pile of rubbish that they continue to push on unsuspecting consumers. My rating of two stars was too generous.
Customer Review: 2nd one we've owned
Summary: 5 Stars
We bought our first Eureka boss vac about 8 or 9 years ago. My wife informed me that our's wasn't working presently and that the plug had broken off, so I went looking through the reviews again. This time I really wanted a bagless vacuum. Well, after digging through all of the reviews, it really seemed like the only bagless vacuum with the carpet height adjustment that performed highly would be a $400 Dyson. I found the Eureka Boss was still on the market, and I found it on sale for $80. As much as I wanted a bagless, and I wanted one, I could not justify to myself paying an extra $320, or even $220 for a Dyson on sale. So, instead I bought 20 bags ,5 belts, and a couple of filters in bulk for the Eureka for about $35. That I figured would be enough to last the 5 years and would guarantee the most bang for our bucks. (Prices on bags at the grocery store are pretty high.)
After purchasing the new vac, I was going to get rid of the old Eureka when I discovered that, although it did have a broken plug, it was still more than serviceable and safe. The only other thing it needed was a new belt. When I was done with it, our 8 year old Eureka vac still worked fine!!! That's what I get for not checking first, but it was 8 or 9 years old. And the Eureka Boss does work great. It has the light, adjustment settings for carpet height (and I know Dyson has an auto one, but there are mixed reviews on how well it works), and an on off switch for the brushes, relatively quiet, and no dust in the air after vacuuming. That combination in a good performing vac is very hard to find. In fact, at $80 there was nothing I could find that would touch the Eureka Boss.
In summary, this is the best vac I've ever used, and I have used Oreck, Kirby, and a couple of cannister vacs. The Oreck was lighter though.
If you are interested in a get-er-done vac at the most affordable price, I don't think you could go wrong with the Eureka Boss.
Customer Review: You'll be sorry with this vacuum
Summary: 1 Stars
Bought this Eureka 4870MZ Boss Smart Vac about 3 months ago. I based my decision on research with Consumer Reports and the hundreds of positive reviews in this forum. From the time I got it assembled and its first use, I realized I had made a huge mistake. This is the noisiest vacuum I have ever owned. It has a constant shrill in addition to the unpleasant motor noise. It was so bad that I took it in for service to see if something was wrong. Repair shop said nothing was wrong and gave it back to me. Next, this vacuum is VERY heavy and bulky compared to others I have owned. If you have stairs to climb and/or clean consider another cleaner. Like others have mentioned on this site the foot pedal handle release is unnecessarily tricky to release. Plus, if you want to let go of the handle and walk away to move a chair or something forget it. The sweeper will fall over. You have to put the handle in the upright position which will automatically shut off the rotating brush. Then to resume vacuuming you have to reach down to the base and flip the switch to carpet. Basically every time you raise the handle and turn off the vacuum you have to reach down to the base housing and flip the switch to carpet. What a pain. My wife also complains about how hard it is to pull the sweeper back and forth as she sweeps. It moves forward easily because of the powerful motor but back and forth can be really tiring. Also, the vacuum is extra wide. Can make it difficult to get into narrow places and makes it difficult to manuver. On the positive side, this vacuum is powerful. It will get the dirt and dust older vacuums may not get. Based on my experience I would rather have a lighter, quieter, less powerful and more user friendly cleaner than this hunk. What ever you do, TRY out this vacuum BEFORE you buy it to see if you can tolerate the poor engineering that went into this cleaner.Customer Review: Does Exactly What a Vacuum Should Do
Summary: 5 Stars
This vacuum cleaner SUCKS--but in a GOOD WAY! I really wanted something powerful and effective, but I'm a careful shopper, which is why I have put off buying a new vacuum. I didn't want spend money on something only to find out that it still didn't do what I wanted nor did I want to overspend on an expensive vacuum when a less costly model would do. My husband and I recently looked into replacing our carpet that is really past its better wear but we just can't afford to do that right now so we decided to settle for a new, powerful vacuum. I wanted a vacuum so strong it would suck the darn pad out from underneath the carpet! I knit a lot and the fuzzy little hairs from my eyelash yarn (similar to pet hair) are very difficult to remove with our old vacuum and it's driving us both crazy! There are so many products out there, so I read many of the Amazon reviews and finally decided to get this one. The first time I plugged it in, I couldn't believe how well it picked up--fuzzy little hairs and all--even the birdseed that tends to accumulate near the back door disappeared in one pass! I am thrilled! It's relatively quiet, it was easily assembled, and I like the attachments. Yes, it is rather heavy; if one is petite, elderly, or needs to get this thing up stairs it could present a formidable problem. Yet heavy equals powerful in this case, I got what I was hoping for at a price I was willing to pay for it. Because Amazon's price was lower than list, I went ahead and ordered an extra belt and bags because I'm eventually going to need them. The foot lever that lowers the handle, yes, is a little annoying, but I can live with it (works better barefoot). Don't get this item if heavy is a problem for you, but if you need a vacuum that works--this sucker works! I hope it doesn't break and that I am just as happy with it six months from now.