Eureka 4870DT Upright Vacuum
Equipped with a true HEPA filter, this 1,440-watt upright vacuum cleans a 15-inch path illuminated by a headlight and keeps the dust down at the same time. The HEPA filter is at least 99.97 percent effective at trapping particles as small as 0.3 microns. Another filter protects the motor. The vacuum has a stretch hose that gives tangle-free reach to its onboard tools (an upholstery nozzle, a dusting brush, and a crevice tool). Seven height settings adjust its brush roll for different carpets and rugs, as well as for a bare floor. The vacuum has a 30-foot power cord, weighs 21 pounds, and stands 45 inches high. It assembles quickly and easily with three screws (included) and comes with a one-year warranty against defects. --Fred Brack
- Powerful upright vacuum with 15-inch cleaning path and headlight
- Equipped with true HEPA filter to trap extremely small particles
- Onboard tools: upholstery nozzle, dusting brush, and crevice tool
- Brush-roll adjusts to seven heights, including bare-floor
- 30-foot power cord; stretch hose
Customer Test
Cleans Acres of Carpet and Mile after Mile of Tile / Report
I'll admit that I'm one of the worst when it comes to sweeping the floor with a broom. No matter how hard I try, there always seems to be some elusive dustbunny that resists all efforts to corral it in the dustpan. So, when my wife and I went shopping for a vacuum cleaner, we zeroed in on models that were capable of vacuuming the acres of wall-to-wall carpeting in our home and sweeping the tile and vinyl that make up the rest of our floors. A HEPA filter and disposable dust bags were necessities because of her allergies (your allergist will tell you that bagless cleaners are an exercise in futility unless you take the cleaner completely out of the house and shut the door behind you when emptying the dirt container).
After we pared down the list, we consulted the leading consumer reporting magazine and bought the highest rated model we could afford. And that's how we came to own this cleaner.
I vaguely remember reading that Eureka's engineers cobbled together the prototype for The Boss SmartVac series by actually mounting a classic "torpedo" canister cleaner and its motorized carpet brush on a wheeled rig with a handle. Once they determined that it COULD be done, they refined the design into a unit that really does combine the suction power of a canister with the carpet cleaning ability and easy mobility of an upright, with the added convenience of having the cleaning tools along for the ride. You can see the "canister cleaner on wheels" inspiration in the larger photo here on Amazon.com.
In operation, the cleaner is surprisingly quiet, producing a breathy drone that still permits conversation. Though not self-propelled, the cleaner's brush roller turns so rapidly, it almost propels the cleaner for you. A headlight helps you spot obstacles in the cleaner's path.
The 15-inch wide cleaning path shortens your vacuuming time and offers right-up-to-the-baseboard edge cleaning ability. For more stubborn debris, you can put together the extension wand and attach the crevice tool. The upholstery tool does an admirable job on carpeting under, say, a bed that can't be moved. One notable feature: When the handle is returned to the fully upright position, as when cleaning with tools, the brush roller stops, preventing worn spots on your carpet. A brush roller switch lets you turn off the brush roller at other times for sweeping bare floors.
A few engineering features are worth mentioning. The cleaner's motor is completely isolated from the suction path and protected by its own final stage filter, meaning small hard objects like coins, nutshells and buttons won't damage the fan blades or jam the motor. The micron filtration dust bag, motor filter and HEPA filter equal 3 stages of filtration before the air is expelled. The brush roller belt follows a twist-free path, extending its life and reducing the risk of belt breakage. Should debris actually clog the suction path, all of the hoses can be detached and cleared. If a particularly nasty item has damaged the hose or pipe, the parts can be easily replaced by the consumer.
After vacuuming the carpet in the master bedroom and some of the living room, we already noticed a measurable level of dirt in the first bag, an indication of the dirt left behind by our aging Hoover Decade 80 upright. We expect bags in the future to last a tad longer.
If you expect to use the cleaner a lot, you can upgrade the disposable HEPA filter to a washable CleanStream HEPA filter.
Consumer Reports rates it as a Best Buy! / Report June 25, 2006
So glad I read Consumer Reports reviews and other Amazon customer reviews before I purchased another vacuum. It came with an extra six bags and one extra belt. One reviewer said she had never seen such a flimsy vacuum belt which is true, but it seems to do the job! A vacuum repairman once told me that vacuum belts should be changed every 3 to 6 months instead of waiting until they break.
I love this vacuum because it has such power, with the necessary attachments, and it is very quiet compared to other vacuums I have owned with much less power.
The Eureka 3870DT is a great buy. The bags are easy to change and the instructions are easy to understand...so save those instructions!
One warning to those with any physical limitations or lots of stairs! This is a very heavy vacuum! Another style of vacuum would perhaps be a better choice.
Go for it if you want a quiet and powerful vacuum that performs well.
got great reviews, but it's a terrible vacuum surprisingly / Report June 22, 2006
I bought this vacuum after reading so many great reviews of it.. sure it is powerful and big, it is very very heavy and the button to release it so it will vacuum sticks often and doesn't depress easily. It is not worth the price in my opinion I wish I had gotten an Oreck XL as I had been considering and --perhaps I got a lemon, but I can't return it to Eureka either for some reason which I still don't get since I bought it less than a year ago.
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