Eureka 4870HZ Boss SmartVac Upright Vacuum, Blue
by Eureka
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List Price: Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Eureka 4870HZ Boss SmartVac Upright Vacuum, Blue
Customer Review: This Report After Four Years of Use
Summary: 4 Stars
We've owned this vac about 4 or 5 years so perhaps we're even in a better position to rate it than Consumer Reports ;)
We purchased it because of the CR ratings and because it was inexpensive. Previous to this we had one of Sears most expensive uprights so that is what I'm comparing it to.
Pluses :::
Inexpensive for the power.
Power. The beaters pull it across the floor nicely. This isn't available for hardwoods, of course, but there isn't alot of drag on smooth surfaces.
As far as suction, it's great. I've no complaints and I haven't noticed any reduction in power over the years. The tools function well and you switch between floor-level suction and handtools with a single dial.
The HEPA filter works fairly well, though you have to replace the filters often if you want the best results.
I haven't seen it scratch our wood floors.
Negatives :::
The foot-level controls are difficult to use. You have to have strong fingers to turn the beaters off, for example.
You also have to put the Vac in the upright position to adjust the level for flat surfaces and various levels of carpet.
I've also apparently used the tools often enough that the plastic on the final tube attachment has terminally weakened and begun to break off in large chips. Imo the manufacturer should have used a stronger plastic.
The one feature that I find missing is that this Eureka doesn't have suction at the sides. Something which is really helpful in gathering up crumbs under cabinets.
OVERALL, this is an economical vacuum cleaner that you shouldn't be afraid to buy. It's not perfect, but it does perform well for the money. The suction power is similar to the very expensive Sear's vac that we owned.
Pam T
Mom and Reviewer-at-large
Customer Review: Great Vacuum, Great Value
Summary: 5 Stars
After bringing 2 large dogs into the family and seeing that my old vacuum couldn't keep up with all the pet hair, I decided to shop around for the best vacuum I could afford that was also picked up pet hair well. After researching reviews, I chose this vacuum and have not been disappointed.
My wife laughs at how happy I was the first time I used it. It was amazing to me, the first couple times I vacuumed with it, how much grit and sand tracked in the front door that it was sucking out of the carpets that my old vacuum cleaner had left behind. Additionally, after using this vacuum my carpets felt more plush and stood up again, something that my old vacuum didn't do. A side benefit was that it was much quieter than my previous vacuum.
The best features of Boss Smart Vac include:
1) The suction performance - getting all the hair and grit out of the carpets
2) The 30' cord - its so nice to plug in to one outlet to clean the entire level of my house
3) The flexible hose and attachments - they make stopping to clean a corner or windowsill a snap
4) The price - this vacuum competes with others that cost 3X more
I have had the vacuum for 9 months now and have not had anything break or quit working as some reviews warn. I clean the beater bar after each vacuuming (takes under a minute) and empty the bags when they get 2/3 full (a carpet cleaner once told me thats the best way to extend the life of a vacuum). I couldn't be happier with this purchase!
***UPDATE***
I have now had this vacuum for over 3 years and it still works as good as new. I replaced the belt with the replacement that came with the vacuum and gave it a thorough cleaning after year 2, and it made it just like new. I am super pleased with the reliability and the sustained suction power. Keep changing the bags regularly and change the filter annually.
Customer Review: A Good Solid Vacuum
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good, solid vacuum for a decent price. It works much better than our 3-year old, 12 amp Hoover, which still functions but hardly picks up anything anymore. We have long haired cats & we used to have to pick up all the larger clumps of cat hair before vacuuming because our old vacuum wouldn't pick them up. No more! Now we just roll over them with the Eureka & it actually picks them up. The first time we vacuumed with it we realized how bad our old one really was; it looked like we had our carpets cleaned!
The vacuum is a little heavy; heavier than our old Hoover, but it also works 10x better so, maybe there's something to be said there. This vacuum isn't advertised as having a self-propel feature but it definitely does, so that helps some with the weight. I'll agree with some other reviews that the foot pedal is pretty hard to operate, but if I'm wearing shoes or just use my heel to step on the pedal, it's do-able. You get the hang of it eventually. The hose attachment does fall off pretty regularly, which is kind of annoying. A simple rubber band fixed that for us though. All of the other attachments stay on fine. Also, the power paw is a really nice feature; it works great on stairs & it's easy, which is key. There's also a little clip on the handle to keep the cord out of the way while vacuuming, which is a handy feature too. We've had the vacuum for 6 months now & I'm still very happy with it. I haven't had to unclog hairs from the brush roller yet, which is unbelievable since I used to have to do it every other time I vacuumed with our old one.
I'm sure you could get a nicer vacuum for more money, but this one is a great solid model with a few nicer features. Definitely worth the money.
Customer Review: This vacuum cleaner should never have left the factory
Summary: 1 Stars
Over the years, my wife and I have owned every vacuum cleaner from a Kirby to an Electrolux, Rainbow, in addition to Hoover and Eureka. After reading all of the excellent reviews on this particular Eureka model both in Consumer Reports and at various different web sites (including this site), we were both anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 4870HZ.
Well, maybe we got the proverbial 'lemon', but all I can say is that when we try to vacuum any thickness carpet in our home, the beater bar does not turn.
It turns when going over hard wood floors or ceramic tile, but not on carpet. Our carpet is not all that thick, either, so this should not be an issue. If I lift the vacuum up off the carpet while running, the beater bar will start spinning away. But it's impossible to clean a carpet with the vacuum not touching it.
We have read and re-read the manual and noted the comments of others regarding the difficultly some have with the foot switch on the left side, but I've been able to overcome the switch problem.
So the problem is that you can't adjust the 4870HZ low enough to engage the beater bar. You would literally have to be about 3 feet tall in order for the handle to be in the correct position for things to work correctly.
The end result is that the motor gives off a burning smell (I guess from the beater bar not turning on carpet) that really stinks and could be potentially a fire starter. This is in complete contradiction to other reviews on this product that say some people use it simply to clean the air in their home. Unless you like the smell of something burning, I can't see this ever happening. This is why this unit gets very low marks.
Customer Review: DO NOT BUY THIS VACUUM!!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
Listen to the repairman's advice. I thought the vacuum was great the first time I used it BUT by the third time I used it the brush wouldn't work unless you held the vacuum up off the floor. The carpet/floor switch does not work. I tried changing the belt but that did not help. I finally had to drive one hour to the nearest repair center. I had to fight with Eureka when I took it for repair the first time even though it was shortly after purchasing the piece of junk. It worked pretty good for awhile and then the same problem surfaced again. I refuse to have it repaired again because I can go buy another vacuum for the same amount it would cost to have it repaired (AGAIN)!! I bought the vacuum because I read the great reviews given by consumer review websites. There were just a couple of bad reveiws out of the 25+ reviews. So I thought the two bad reviews were probably from the kind of people that you just can't make happy no matter what you do for them. Well, now I wish I had listened because the exact problem they addressed is the same problem that I'm now having with my vacuum. Don't waste your money!!!! I'm still trying to find a vacuum that I can depend on to work well.