Eureka 4870GZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright Vacuum
by Eureka
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List Price: Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Eureka 4870GZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright Vacuum
Customer Review: You get exactly what you pay for, no more BUT certainly no less
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this vacuum on the recommendation of a major consumer product review organization; while two vacuums had higher ratings, this one cost about half as much. For the most part, I am glad I did not spend the extra money.
First and foremost, it has adequate power for the job and the rotary beaters are efficient. I had used an old Hoover for over 12 years and thought I was getting my carpet clean, I was deluded. The difference in the looks of the carpet was immediately apparent. The Eureka was far more effective. Secondly, it is clean. It uses a traditional replaceable bag to collect dust but has a HEPA filter over the exhaust port to collect fine particulate. There was no fine dust in the air or dust smell. The accessories mount on the body of the vacuum, but while convenient they are not completely secured. The brush falls off occasionally. It is very easy to shift from floor cleaning to the hose attachments; you simply turn the handle of a valve on the upper body of the vacuum. The extensions are long enough to reach an 11 ft ceiling. Shifting to different carpet pile heights is also easy and convenient.
The consumer organization gave two reasons for not giving this vacuum a top rating. First they said it was not the as easy to maneuver as it might be. This is true; other vacuums are easier to shove about and this one is not power assisted. They also dinged it for being noisier than the two more expensive vacuums. While this is probably true, after the ol' Hoover I was delighted at how quite it was. Also making it quieter would affect the price. The plastic of the body could be a bit more rugged but again this would increase the price. My home is small; if you really spend a lot of time behind a vacuum, you probably want to spend a bit more. This lack of rugged construction probably explains the huge variability in the product reviews. Caveat emptor - the instructions advise calling Eureka customer service and NOT taking the machine back to the place where you purchased it if it is defective. This could be a problem. And - some assembly required.
All-in-all, good vacuum, value for money.
Customer Review: Eureka 4870GZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright Vacuum
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned 3 Fantom's along with various other brands. Having been disappointed in these I did my research before making this purchase. I also read the Consumer Report article and numerous customer reviews. In my honest opinion I found this to be an excellent cleaner. I have never owned a vacuum with as much suction. When others claim their carpets look new that is not an exaggeration. It is so powerful it literally pulls up the nap. The best test was moving furniture and noting that 2 slow passes would take out the indentations from the couch.
To address the weight of the vacuum, I find it to be no heavier than the ones I have previously owned. I have a two story house and find no problems getting it up the stairs. Please do not find this misleading, it does have weight to it.
I have not had problems with tools falling off the machine. I read the directions and made certain I put them into their proper place so this has not been an issue for me.
I have had no difficulty depressing the floor lever to allow the handle to drop down. It was a little stiff but I have noticed it loosened with time. I place my foot over the entire lever and it comes down with ease.
There is a cord lock at the top of the handle that will hold the cord up and away from the floor that I find very useful.
I was opposed to using bags but have found them to be much quicker, cleaner and easier to change as opposed to emptying the canister.
I found the bags at several locations but Wal-Mart has the best price.
The performance from carpet to bare floors has been great. Again I made certain to follow directions from carpets to floors. Also when using the proper height setting it makes the job so much easier.
The only thing I wish they would improve upon is the length of the hose. It is much too short. The cord is very generous in length.
Given I have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars of other vacuums I have to rate this one high. If this vacuum lasts 2-3 years I will be thrilled. I would go back and buy another one.
Customer Review: small annoyances = great payoff ( 4 1/2 stars, actually )
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this vacuum based on the Consumer Reports review, got it at a GREAT price through Amazon... even with the few annoying traits it has shown, it's a keeper. In my experience, it has been easy to assemble, easy to understand how to operate and change modes of operation, unbelievable suction (visible dirt is sucked into the vacuum from the carpet even before the front of the vacuum reaches it!),almost feels self-propelled. Came with an unexpected Power Paw hand vacuuming attachment that works wonderfully for upholstery and pet hair. No more having to haul out the Dirt Devil for the furniture!
On the annoyances list: it IS heavy if you have to pick it up and carry it, but not to the point of unmanageable for me. I imagine an elderly person would have an awful time if they had to get this upstairs.
The handle release foot latch is very stiff to operate, can be painful to push on with a bare foot. I recommend getting down near the latch and observing what kind of motion you actually need to apply for it to release- more of an outward push than a downward one. I've found it easier to release with my hand than with my foot. Also if I stand NEXT TO the vacuum, with my left foot next to the switch, then using that left heel to release the switch while the vacuum and I are facing in opposite directions... it seems to give me more leverage with less effort. If you are standing facing the same direction that the vacuum is facing, use your right heel rather than your left. It'll help you make the correct motion somewhat. They really do need to address this one, though.
Any other annoyances are so rare and minor: the hose flops off it's holder, the plug falls out of the wall, the cord needs to be handled a lot- all of these things happen when i am working aggressively (perhaps Eureka is trying to teach me to relax my cleaning style a bit???!)
For me, the pros outweigh the cons. Just like with the husband.
If only the company would monitor these review sites and tweak what they have given us so Review: Don't Buy It!!
Summary: 1 Stars I spent hours researching vacuums before deciding on the Eureka Smar-Vac. It was rated #4 on Consumer reports and the majority of reviews on Amazon gave it a thumbs up. I should have listened to the negative reviews... they were all right.
It is a chore just to get the pedal pushed down to lower the vac from the upgright position. Another "chore" is trying to flip the switch from carpet to bare floor.... u need two hands to do this while laying the handle against your body and bending over. The hose is rather short as also stated in other reviews. When using the carpet height adjustment, I could see no difference from low to high. I used it once and it started making a squelling noise and then stopped picking up.
Very disgusted with this product. I immediately packed it up and returned. 1 star on this product... 5 stars to AMAZON for their no-nonsense easy return policy. I requested a return on a Sunday and UPS was at my door the next day... thank you Amazon.
My advice.. go to Walmart and actually look and "play" with the vacuums. Get an idea of the weight, how easy is the pedal to push down, how hard is it to empty the bag or dirt cup, what tools does it come with, etc. Then go online and find the best price.
I ended up buying a Hoover Mach 5 Multi-Chamber Cyclonic Upright. I put it together yesterday (easily) and gave it a "test run". The rug had been vacuumed earlier that day with my old vac. I couldn't believe the amount of dog hair this thing sucked up as well as dirt after being vacuumed only a few hours earlier. It has a brush on/off button that is easy to use, u can see the carpet level adjustment actually does move/work, the pedal easily works and it comes with all the necessary attachments which fit nicely onto the unit. It is relatively quit - it a passed the "dog test"... i.e. my dog did not freak out and run in the other room.
5+ stars to Mom for suggesting the Hoover, she said she has always owned Hoovers and never had a problem... I should have listened to her in the first place.
Customer Review: Great deal for the $$
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had my Eureka Boss 4870GZ vacuum for a week and my carpets are now nice and clean. This Vac is replacing an old Hoover bagless that did nothing but spit out just about everytning it sucked up. I have a dog and a cat and whenever I emptied the messy dust cup on that old Hoover my eyes would tear up and I'd sneeze about a half dozen times. I opted to go back to a bag vac since I've had better luck with them in the past, and a bag vac never sent me into fits of sneezing. My boyfriend let me borrow his fancy Dyson until the Eureka Boss 4870GZ arrived, and the Dyson was VERY NICE but as a college student, I just don't have the $400+ to spend on a vacuum. 1st impression of the Eureka, is that it has way more gadgets and attachments than than anything I've owned in the past, but on the downside, the rotating tool for pet hair has no place to snap onto the vacuum. Also, 1 of the other attachments tends to fall off whenever you undo the 30 ft power cord. Now for the good stuff...Has just as much if not MORE suction than my boyfriend's Dyson, it's relatively quiet, and as far as weight goes, I've come to the conclusion that this vac isn't any heavier than others when it is turned off, but when it is ON watch out the suction is STRONG making it feel heavy, even though the actual machine isn't. Kudos for whomever put the handy handle on the back of the Eureka, making it easier to lug up and down stairs! It comes with 1 bag installed, 1 extra bag, 1 hepa filter installed, 1 extra belt, 1 installed. So far I'm very happy with my purchase, especially for the $119.99 price which included free shipping from Amazon.com I read the other reviews + took into consideration that it got a best buy designation from Consumer Reports. It pays to do your research! I'd give it 4 out of five stars. I'm subtracting 1 due to the fact that the 1 tool falls off from time to time, and also the pet hair tool has no place to clip onto the vac.It comes with a 1yr warranty and Eureka has good product support (you actually get a real live human being to talk to not just recordings!)