Customer Reviews

Eureka 431BXZ Optima Lightweight Upright Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

The Eureka Optima is a lightweight vacuum that functions reasonably well. It does have SIGNIFICANT drawbacks. These drawbacks convinced me to buy a new vacuum after having this unit for over a year, although I still keep this one for certain chores given that it's lightweight and because it's reasonably effective on low pile carpet.

The unit was usable out of the box. Apart from attaching some tools it was ready to go. Controls are accessible and easy to use and the unit is lightweight and easy to push.

CARPET:
The unit had reasonable performance on low pile carpet. The major test case for the unit is angora rabbit hair. In shedding seasons, the rabbit sheds fine, downy hair that is not easily removable. The unit did a reasonable job of removing the rabbit hair. The Optima did have problems vacuuming small, flat pieces of paper but generally did a good job. No major issues with small area rugs. On higher pile carpet, the lack of any carpet height adjustment did cause problems and the unit was almost unusable.

The narrow head is both a blessing and a curse. It allows you to get into small corners but also means that you don't cover much breadth when you vacuum. There is little if any side suction, so that you don't quite completely vacuum on the sides when you are close to a wall. In order to get these areas you need to use the hose. Given its light weight it's easy to use on stairs. The unit leans back generously and maintains good clearance for getting under beds and other furniture.

HARD FLOORS:
The unit is virtually useless on hardwood floors without switching to the hose. The front exhaust vent blows dirt away before you can vacuum it. Sadly, to vacuum on hard floors you need to use the hose and keep the base unit facing away from any dust.

HOSE:
It's easy to switch between the upright unit and the hose. However the hose is short in length and there is only a minimal extension with the added hard tubing. The suction is quite good, however the reach is poor. When you vacuum the floor, you have to bend over and to vacuum up high you need to raise the vacuum with one hand. The tools are standard and work reasonably well. As with every Eureka I have owned, the tools do not secure so well in the unit and are usually loose. The hose also flops off its holder on occasion (when you use the unit as an upright) which is only a minor frustration.

MAJOR ISSUES:
1) THE FILTER: The DCF-10 filter is both expensive and clogs easily. This is really a poor design. The filter is aptly named for as it clogs, the unit gets louder and louder like a DC-10 jet taking off at the airport. These filters are $21 dollars apiece at my local brick and mortar stores and are not easy to find (even in stores that sell the vacuum). On line, I was able to buy a set of 3 for a low of $9.99 per filter + shipping. Unless you want to spend a lot of money, you will be cleaning these things out frequently (pretty much after one to three uses).

With the filter clogged, the suction goes to pot and the noise level gets intolerable, so there's really no choice. Mine may clog more often than most, given heavy use of the vacuum (I have small children) and rabbit hair... If you're like me you will be cleaning the filter often--I use a child's medium bristle toothbrush. On a suggestion from a reader of this review, I was able to drastically decrease the headache of cleaning the filter by hosing it off with water and letting it dry. Cleaning the filter off with the help of water is less time consuming than cleaning it in a dry fashion and it dries completely overnight. I now have two filters, so there's no waiting. On the positive side, the filter is rather robust, and tolerates multiple cleanings without breaking. The filter factor alone, however, is enough to make me swear that I'll never buy a bagless vacuum again. However, this is a matter of personal preference--some people would rather clean filters than worry about having to constantly have a supply of vacuum bags. Although the filter is costly and bags are individually cheap, given the robust nature of the DCF-10, there is probably a cost savings in washing the filters over the life of the vacuum.

2) THE CANISTER: The size of the canister is a bit deceptive. It may be as large as a full sized vacuum, but it needs to be emptied when it reaches the ˝ full point to avoid loss of suction. It does easily detach from the machine. In a fit of poor design, the filter is located just under the top to the unit that you must twist off. You then remove the filter in order to pour out the contents of the canister. Care must be taken when removing the filter, which should also be removed over a garbage can. Dust that doesn't lodge inside the filter vents adheres to it loosely and this must be shaken off before emptying the canister. Twisting off the top of the canister can be a bit of a challenge but it's not too difficult once you get the hang of it. Emptying the canister is not difficult, but there's really no way to avoid at least a small dust cloud. Folks with allergies should steer clear of bagless vacuums...

The combination of major issues 1 and 2 convinced me to NEVER buy a bagless vacuum again. Bags are far less expensive than filters. Bags are also easy to dispose of and don't kick up dust when doing so. Although I need a constant supply of backup bags, I'm now more than happy to have them.

3) NOISE: This is quite a noisy unit at baseline but is REALLY noisy when the filter clogs. You may not want to use this after hours in an apartment complex...

CONCLUSIONS:
It works but it's not the best choice. I finally opted to buy the ~$140 Eureka 4870GZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright Vacuum, also sold by Amazon. In comparison the 4870GZ has far lower noise, excellent cleaning power on both carpet (all types) and hard floors, uses bags, and given better suction and a better brush roll makes the carpets look almost new after usage. (It too has its liabilities, but so far functions much better than the Optima.)

On the positive side, the Optima still works as well as it did the day I bought it and shows no signs of wear. Given its light weight I will keep it for use on stairs and small jobs (the 4870GZ is heavy as an elephant in comparison) but I can't really recommend the Optima given all the problems as noted above. I would read the negative reviews on Amazon, take them to heart, and reconsider purchasing this one... There are better models out there.

PROS:
Lightweight
Good suction
Handle extends
Inexpensive
Tilts back far to get under furniture



CONS:
Filter clogs quickly, needs to be cleaned frequently and is costly (Major issue)
Canister requires frequent emptying (Major issue)
Very noisy (Major issue)
Small hose
Tools/hose do not secure tightly in unit
Low capacity
Minimal side suction
No carpet height adjuster
Exhaust on front kicks up dust

I have 437axz version of this (got it from Costco) which adds hepa filter & motorized brushroll. I needed a light & powerful vacuum because I was tired of lugging around our very heavy hover windtunnel up & down our 3 story house.

This does the job but here are the drawbacks:

1. Cord is a bit short at 20 ft, I wish it was 25 or 30 ft.
2. The exhaust is in the front & center, which on hard floors blows dust out of the way as you vacuum (works fine on carpet), it would have been nice to exhaust to the side.
3. This vacuum is not designed for very plush carpet, it's hard to move on a plush rug I have, but works fine on regular carpet & berber.

The best part about this vacuum is it's very light and I don't get tired of pushing it back & forth like used to with my heavy Hoover, also I like that the handle is height adjustable and it large loop handle is easy to grip and very egronomic. The motorized brushroll of the 437axz is great for stairs & the hepa is a nice added touch as well. Also the price is good, I think it was $68.99 at costco for the 437axz. I think the next step up for a light vacuum would be the $300-$400 oreck xl.

The only reason I didn't rate this little baby 5 stars, is because of the way the filter grabs hold of the lint and lighter fluffy stuff, which actually requires emptying more often than most bagless canisters. I much prefer vacuum bags, as then I don't have to touch the dirt at all and would have given this cleaner a 10 star rating if it had bags instead of the bagless canister. I place the filter into a very large green garbage back and bang it against a hard surface but still have to actually brush stuff out of the filter, so yes....if you have allergies this vacuum may not work for you. As far as the short hose and the exhaust blowing out the front...not a real problem for me, as I don't use the vacuum for anything but floors, and the vacuum does a great job on carpet, wood and tile and eventually does catch all the "runaway" dust bunnies! The best part of this cleaner is why I'm buying a second one - I have severe fibromyalgia, and this vacuum is not only the lightest weight I've ever seen or used, it also does a bang-up job of getting into tight spaces and in and around furniture. I live in a two story town house and have 2 vacuum cleaners now, this one, and a Dirt Devil, but I am buying a second one of these to replace the Dirt Devil, which does use bags and isn't a bad sweeper, but not nearly as good as this one.

I bought this vacuum last year and it has been nothing but a pain in the rear since. First, it gets clogged quickly and overheats before you even know whats happening, and then even after you unclog it, it wont turn back on for at least 45 minutes.

Second, the filters cost 10 dollars and need to be replaced very frequently-and you cant even purchase them at WalMart, so you end up paying shipping for them too.

Third, the handle has come off. I'm not abusive with my vacuum, but all of the sudden one day the top part of the handle just popped off in the middle of vacuuming! This has happened every time I tried to vacuum with it.

And fourth, the cord is super short. This meant that even in my small house I had to unplug the vacuum and move it from room to room to use instead of just plugging it in the hallway until I was done with the house as I can do with other vacuums.

After reading the reviews of other vacuums and asking friends what they have, I went out and bought a Bissell Power Force. Its only a few dollars more and it has washable filters. My advice is to spend the 10-20 extra dollars and get a vacuum that is actually worth something.

This vacuum is the best one I have ever owned (20 years of cleaning experience!) I researched to find a good vacuum with good suction for the dust and dog hair that is everywhere in my home. I finally decided on this one although I was leary of the size and cheap price. Well!!! I have only had it for 3 days and I have vacuumed every day, I really like it! Before my house was lucky if I vacuumed once every two weeks. It works great, easy to use and very small, but works so much better than my other full size uprights (which are now to the curb waiting for the garbage man) I am buying another one for my downstairs! I highly reccommend this!

WOW! I got my vacuum last weekend, and I love it! I was really afraid that the only good thing about this vacuum was going to be the price, but the power of the Eureka Optima is amazing! AMAZIIIIINNNNNGGGG! I was able to put it together in about five minutes with no tools and was happy to find an extra filter came in the box. The Optima is so light and cute, and the looped handle is very comfortable for pushing and pulling. The attachments are so easy to use and the suction power is not lost when using them. The best thing about this vacuum is the on/off switch, it's right at the top and makes it very easy to go from carpet to bare floor.

I was so surprised by this machine... I actually saw the color of my carpet change while I was vacuuming (I know, it sounds gross, but it wasn't like changing from brown to white...more like beige to bright cream). I had no idea all that dirt was just sitting there under my bare feet, and my old vacuum didn't pick up any of it! I was able to do my whole apartment in one go (probably 90% carpeted and about 700 square feet), and I didn't have to empty the canister until I was finished. I have a cat, so I thought for sure I would have to empty the cup several times but no! I even did my furniture, and it looked almost brand new afterwards, and not a shed of cat hair was left on it.

My carpet looks better and even smells better now, and I owe it all to my lean, green, cleaning machine! Thanks, Eureka!

Buy it! You won't be disappointed!!!

This vacuum has a major design flaw in that the exhaust vent is in the front, which blows all the dirt or hair away from the vacuum! This is a huge problem with hard floors. I get my cardio excersize in while vacuuming, trying to outrun the dust bunnies, only to be stopped dead by the too short cord!
I must say the suction is great & it's wonderful on rugs or carpet, but useless on hard floors.

I've owned this vacuum about 6 months.
If I had read the reviews about the filter needing to be cleaned frequently, I probably wouldn't have bought it.
After using it, I would buy it again. It is very powerful. For the price--it is worth it.

I use it on carpet, thin and thick area rugs, sealed hardwood floors as well as a laminate floor.

It has a switch that allows you to turn off the brushes, which is what I do as I transition from carpet to hard floor. It hasn't scratched the hardwood or laminate floors.

It has a hose (with two attachments- a brush and a corner attachment)
When you need to do stairs or a small area, you just pull out the hose and flip a switch, and it switches the suction over to the hose. It is very powerful.

pros: so powerful it pulls hair, lint, dust bunnies into it about a foot away from the vacuum! Lightweight, small, which makes it easy to get around furniture and into smaller areas, around chairs. You can actually lay it flat on the ground and go under chairs, furniture. Works great on hard floors as well as carpets. Gets pet hair off of my area rugs.

Con: the filter, accumulates a lot of lightweight hair & dust. Each time I empty the canister, I have to scrape away this flotsom from the filter. Sometimes I go outdoors and just bang the filter unit on the inside of the trash can, and all of it usually comes loose.
I also wish the cord was longer, but then I'd have to put more cord away!

This vacuum has 2 MAJOR problems:
1. The cord is far too short! I can't even vacuum my average sized bedroom without switching to another wall plug. I could probably live with this, given the great suction, BUT,

2. This thing blows dust bunnies in the air before you can get to them! We have a corner of our bedroom where dust bunnies like to live, and they were flying in the air as I tried to suck them up! Now I have to get out my dusting supplies and clean all the junk that landed on my dresser.

I pictured myself like a warrior, holding the vacuum over my head, sucking dust and cat hair out of the air, and quickly returned this monster for a refund. I guess it would be fine for carpets, but beware if you have hardwoods or tile - you'll be online for either an air cleaner or allergy meds.

DON'T BUY IT.

This vacuum cleaner has plastic wheels held in place with JUST 2 molded plastic tabs. So even if 1 tab breaks, the wheels can no longer stay in place. On mine, 1 came off in 3 months, other in 2 more months of regular usage. So 5 months later, I have a light weight, bagless, powerful vacuum cleaner with NO WHEELS. $60 down the drain.

I have no idea why they couldn't add more tabs, say 4, or a design a stronger mechanism for the wheels, given that the wheels experience all the rolling, twisting and dragging while in use. Seems like something designed by the finance department rather than the engineering department.