Eureka 4870 Bagged Upright Vacuum

Pros: Great suction
Cons: Uses bags, Release button (from upright position) sticks

We just bought this vacuum after wasting money on countless models. It really is worth the money. We were spoiled for a long time with a Dyson (borrowed from my mother when we needed to vacuum) and the Smart Vac can hold its own. We have brand new, very thick carpet and it has no problem with suction or blockage.


Also, I don't think that it is heavy at all, and we have had no problem moving it around to use on stairs. Works well on hardwood floors.

Great vacuum, especially for the price!

Pros: Pros- good suction, bags are good
Cons: too heavy, belts overheat break easily, plastic part at end of hose broken

Had this for about two and 1/2 years. Good suction good floor tool with beater brush. But I have experienced all the problems mentioned in other negative reviews
- too heavy especially for stairs (I work out regularly so can handle heavy objects but this is annoying)
- belts overheat and break easily, partly i believe because the bare floor setting (which does need to be set when power off and doesnt always hold brush from turning)) puts too much pressure on it (maybe deep carpet does too? because sometimes hard to push and other times brush wont turn)
- the plastic part at end of hose where attachments are connected is cracked, seems like poor design

Surprised that a consumer reports best buy would have so many basic flaws like hard to push, cheap belts, difficulty using

Pros: It vacuums.
Cons: VERY VERY HEAVY!

VERY DIFFICULT TO RELEASE HANDLE

I WOULD NOT BUY THIS AGAIN OR RECOMMEND IT

Seems like a very dumb design.  It is very heavy, especially top heavy.  You cannot have the handle released without it tipping over, so always needs to be in the upright position when off. 

Very difficult to release the handle from the upright position.  There are not multiple levels for it to be positioned at.  It's either up - or down and very heavy to hold as you are vacuuming.  Seems that the motor may be at the top?  DUMB!

Not liking this vacuum.  : (

Yeah, it vacuums, but it's supposed to do that!

Pros: Good suction power, bag and filter easy to change
Cons: Heavy to push, cleaning hose falls off when vacuuming, bags not available in many stores

I bought this vacuum for my 2500 sq. ft. house.  We have a golden retreiver who sheds 365 days/year, so I wanted a lot of suction power.  I did get the suction, but with a very heavy machine that only lasted ONE YEAR!  The hose for the cleaning tools got a hole in it after about 8 months of use.  Now that I can't use it (because I haven't replaced it yet) it doesn't even stay on the unit, it constantly falls off, getting in the way of my vacuuming.  I don't believe I stretched it out too much--a vacuum cleaner hose should be able to do the stairs (half from the top and half from the bottom).  I am very disappointed with this unit and will look for something other than Eureka next time.

Pros: Great suction, got my money's worth
Cons: Flimsy attachments, hard to carry on stairs, not a very long hose

I bought this vacuum 3 years ago and have never been more excited to get rid of a vacuum.  From the beginning, the attachments chipped easily (made of cheap plastic), and the power paw that was supposed to make vacuuming stairs a charm, never worked very well at all.  I did like the brush control that allowed me to turn off the brush when I was using the hose.  I have changed the belt on this vacuum more times than I can count.  Sometimes I was changing the belt more frequently than the bag!!  The belt was also hard to find at the store--maybe other consumers were having the same problem and the store couldn't keep them in stock.  I bought the Eureka 4870 Boss Smartvac because Consumer Reports rated it very high and it seemed like a good buy for the money. 

Now I'm looking to replace the vacuum since it no longer has suction as I use the main part of the vacuum unless I have the handle level with the floor.  The hose still works great, but I will be happy to part ways.