Eureka 4870GZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright Vacuum
by Eureka
|
List Price: Category: Home See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Eureka 4870GZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright Vacuum
Customer Review: Love it!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this vacuum because it was, and is, a Consumer Reports "Best Buy"!! I am the type to do a ton of research before I buy, and this was my choice. Overall it is great. Some of the best features I will detail.
1 - The brush turns off when the vacuum is upright (like when you are using the hose). I didn't think this was such a big deal until using a different vacuum at a friends house and it did not turn off the beater brushes while I used the hose. The vacuum kind of slid over to where the cord was, and ate off the rubber and insultation on the wire, to expose the hot wire! Then, I realized how important it is to get a vacuum where the beater brushes turn off when you are using the hose, etc.
Plus - you can turn the brushes off by switching to "bare floor" option anytime you want.
2 - The hose is SO easy to use. Just turn the nob to switch from regular vacuum to hose, and grab hose. Want to go back to the regular vacuum? Just turn the nob back! It's great to easily switch back and forth to get in a corner, etc. Plus there are extension pieces, and different attachments that are all just a matter of grabbing them off the back of the vacuum, and sliding them onto the extension hose.
3 - Filters. This vacuum has a HEPA filter, which should be essential to allergy sufferers, and great for everyone else. I am allergic to dust, mold, dust mites, etc. and this is a great filter to have. It uses bags, which I prefer because there is nothing worse then dumping out a canister and watching that dust go everywhere! An allergy sufferers nightmare! These bags are easy to change, no hassle. And it works great with pet hair, which we have a big of!
The only con, if I had to come up with one, would be that it is a little heavier than most vacuums. For me, I am happy knowing that extra weight just means it's working that much better!! :)
Customer Review: I will resist the temptation to use the most obvious of titles for this product
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought the Eureka 4870 Boss Smart-Vac in 2004 and perhaps refinements have since been made to this model which now has the designation of 4870GZ. If you are planning to buy this vacuum, consider these criticisms that may or may not have been addressed by Eureka in the current product. This review is an excerpt from a complaint that I sent to Eureka's consumer affairs office.
The 4870 Boss Smart-Vac is one of the worst consumer products that I have owned (and that's saying something, considering that I once owned a Corvair). It is inconceivable to me that we put a man on the moon nearly 40 years ago and such poorly designed consumer products as this are manufactured. Its shortcomings include:
1) Substantial resistance to being pushed and pulled which requires an unreasonable amount of strength. As a polio survivor, this is a significant issue, although I believe even the able-bodied would find this vacuum a challenge to use;
2) A handle release that requires a substantial "stomp" rather than the mere "step" that the instructions suggest;
3) Low placement of the power cord which requires bending over whenever rewinding -- an exercise that is particularly frustrating because the cord unravels at every opportunity because of a poorly designed cord hook;
4) Poorly designed hose retainers that do not work -- the hose flops off at the slightest bump;
5) Poor pickup on hard services which seems to be the result of excessive turbulence (pickup on carpet is excellent). And, yes, I am aware that "Consumer Reports" rated this vacuum a "Best Buy," which doesn't reflect well on that magazine.
I had several opportunities to sell or give this vacuum to young friends who were going to college, but could not bring myself to foist this piece of work on them.
Customer Review: Carpet to bare floor switch does not work among other problems
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased the Eureka The Boss Smart Vac vacuum cleaner based on the review on Consumer reports and many reviews on this site. After using this product only once I am extremely disappointed. I used in on my carpet and it seemed to clean fine. However, the button or switch that you push to go from carpet to bare floor (which disengages the roller brush) does not stay in the bare floor position, so I did not try it on the bare floor fearing that I might break it.
I have other concerns with this machine. The lever that you press with your foot to lower the handle is very difficult to use. It is supposed to slide to the left when you push it, however, it feels like I am going to break it. I had to push the vacuum cleaner up against the wall, depress the lever with my foot, and pull very hard to get the handle in the correct position. I have never had this problem with other uprights.
I also feel that it is very cheaply made. When I assembled it, there are three screws used to hold the handle in place. Even after tightening these all the way, the handle is still not snugly fit onto the body. There is a gap between the handle and the body. Very cheap design.
It is also hard to pull back. It goes forward fine, but pulling it back requires some strength. I would not recommend this product for people with lower back problems.
I cannot believe that all the people that have purchased this product had such great things to say about it and nobody mentioned that it seemed very fragile. I do not think it is too much to ask for things to be made properly and work correctly out of the box. I emailed Eureka customer service about these issues, but I have not received a response yet. I am contemplating just returning it. I would definitely not recommend this product.
Customer Review: I hate this appliance with a dull, resigned loathing
Summary: 2 Stars
My husband chose this vacuum after reviewing Consumer Reports write-ups, and all I can say is that the man was suckered by bad reports. He tried, he really did, but this vacuum is heavy, clunky and fails to deliver a decent cleaning.
The good things: the hose attachment is easy to use and very long and nicely stretchy. The extender tubes enable users to reach up into those difficult high corners with relative ease.
The bad things: pretty much everything else. The best cleaning comes right after you change the bag, and even then this appliance fails to pick up a huge amount of the debris that comes with pets. It leaves behind pet hair, fine dust-bunny dust, and pretty much anything heavier than a paperclip. It handles medium-pile carpets and bare floor okay, but does a poor job on flat-woven rugs. I end up having to sweep everything before AND after vacuuming because it fails to pick up larger stuff and then leaves the fine stuff behind.
And let's see, other annoyances include the ease with which the brush attachment falls off the holder; the fragility of the sweeper belt; the fact that it's a beast to try to maneuver around the house; and oh yeah, the fact that it doesn't do the job it's designed to do.
I hate this Eureka model. Hate it. And I am ordering a bagless Bissell to replace it. You may not consider this a helpful review because of the depth of my dislike for this unwieldy clunker, but at least let this be a warning that Consumer Reports doesn't know everything. They're testing new vacuums against each other; not living with a single vacuum over the long-term. And while the Eureka The Boss Smart-Vac might perform great right out of the box, it's still absurdly heavy and unwieldy and its performance goes steadily and disappointingly downhill with each use.
Customer Review: I love my power vacuum
Summary: 5 Stars
I researched vacuums for a couple weeks before making my purchase. I was looking for something under $200. That was very powerful and could remove embedded pet hair on upholstery. The Eureka 4870 fit the bill. I've got two 50lb dogs that shed a ton of hair everyday. The dog hair tends to get everywhere. What I love most about this Eureka is when I turn on the attachment hose. By flipping the suction switch to the attachment all the power gets diverted to the hose. Then I attach the Power Claw and I'm ready to go. The suction from the machine spins the brushes in the attachment to warp speed. I remember the first time I turned it on I thought it sounded like an airplane prop before take off. Prior to the purchase of this Eureka my other vacuums just didn't cut it when it came to using the hose attachments on the upholstery on my couch and chairs. Now I go over an area once and it's hair free. Two other bonuses for me are the hard-floor switch and the HEPA filter. In the past when I tried vacuuming over my hardwoods the vacuuming would pickup some of the hair and debris but the brushes would push a little either in front or to the side. Now I switch the selector to hard surfaces and the brushes deactivate. The dog hair get sucked into the vacuum instead of being pushed away. Finally the HEPA filter. I've noticed that after I vacuum my entire house smells much cleaner.
Two small and inconsequential observations. Both the flip switch to activate the hard surface mode and the large floor button to rotate the body of the vacuum prior to use are difficult to use. You have to really press down on both to use. This could be a problem for someone with arthritis or and older person.
I love my vacuum and I'd recommend this purchase to anyone.