Quiet Brute
Written: Feb 24 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Ease of Cleaning: |
|
|
| Style: |
|
|
|
Pros: Quiet, powerful, HEPA filtration, wide swath, easy hose usage.
Cons: very stiff pedal release, very heavy, requires genius to mount upholstery tool
The Bottom Line: This vacuum has its shortcomings for sure, but it cleans very well. It is quiet and versatile. A top value in its class
|
|
|
| sw2727's Full Review: Eureka Smart 4870DT Bagged Upright Vacuum |
I got this vacuum on the recommendation of Consumer Reports. It wasn't the highest rated vacuum, but it received a "CR Best Buy" rating. I checked some opinions and found reports of belts breaking soon after starting usage, but another opinion stated that others were setting the carpet height too low.
I ordered the vacuum from Amazon.com for 149.99. It arrived shortly afterwards. It was easy to assemble, with a large plastic upper handle. There was a HEPA filter already in place, although my curious hands soon found that taking the filter out was followed by a somewhat perplexing process of putting it back in place and closing the fenestrated clear plastic door. The hardest part was figuring out how to put the plastic upholstery tool attachment into its place on the molded plastic holders. After playing with it for about 5 minutes, I figured out you have to compress the flared mouth of the tool to click it into place. I was amused to find that my wife had similar problems, then was stymied once again replacing the tool for her.
Design:
The Boss Smart Pro is a hefty green machine with clear plastic panels that allow glimpses at the agitator brush and the HEPA filter. It has a large, curved hairpin loop of a handle that allows easy handling. No sharp edges or tools hanging out the sides to catch on furniture. The 15" wide cleaning swath is an improvement over my old, tiny Hoover. The headlight illuminates dark corners.
The cord can be manually looped around a locking catch. The catch handle feels cheap and swivels loosely.
The whole assembly weighs 21 lbs but feels heavier.
Cleaning:
This is where the Eureka really shines. The agitator brush is very strong and even pulls the vacuum forward. The carpet is agitated very nicely for an even fluffed path. I've used it only flat closed loop carpet, cut nylon pile, cut olefin pile, and woven rugs. All are equally cleaned. One thing that's annoying is that runner rugs tend to bunch up when you pull the vacuum backwards. Quiet and powerful, a few passes are all that are needed to clean a wide area. The agitator brush remains off until you release the handle arm, but the yellow release footpedal is very stiff, requiring you to put some weight into the left sided handle. The pedal also actions towards the left side, so pushing it forward does nothing (everyone's first unsuccessful trial).
Hose attachments:
To switch from floor to hose, a large yellow countersunk knob must be turned. This was confusing to my wife, who had vacuumed with the switch turned to hose for some time before I realized she wasn't doing anything and told her. Otherwise, the suction is very strong. The extension wands for the hose come in a nested pair that can extend to about 4 ft. Included are the brush, the crevice, and the upholstery nozzle. As I mentioned, replacing the upholstery nozzle is a pain. When the suction is on, the machine makes a high pitched slurp.
Bags and belts
I have not yet changed the bags or belts.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 149.99
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
sw2727
|
|
Location: Chicago, IL
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
I like booze, nature, cigars, gourmet cooking (and eating), orchids, photography, music, computers.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.