Customer Reviews

Eureka 5740A Litespeed Bagless Genesis Upright Vacuum

5 star:		(138)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I've been using this vacuum for a few weeks now, having upgraded from a ten year old basic Hoover. Some thoughts:

PROS:
1.) This vacuum is powerful; due to the see-through container, I can witness how much so as I vacuum. I H-A-T-E to vacuum, but with this cleaner it is actually kind of fun to see how much I can get out of the carpet as I go along. You'll be amazed at what this vacuum is pulling from your carpet even when used everyday.

2.) This vacuum glides so easily, it is almost as if it is propelling itself.

3.) The hose attachment is easy to use. Instead of having to take a hose off of it's storage and plug it into a special place (as was the case with my old Hoover), this hose stays plugged into the main mechanism at one end at all times, ready for use. When I need to use the hose, I simply pull the suction end of the hose out, which diverts the suction from the floor to the hose automatically.

4.) The extension wand for the hose is neat. There are actually two extension wands; one nested inside another for compact storage. One of them is 16" long with a regular round end and the other is 14" long with a narrow crevice tool end for tight spaces. I can use either one of the wands alone or put them together for one longer extension.

5.) The foot lever that you step on once to unlock the vacuum from an upright position can be stepped on a second time to enable the vacuum handle to go all the way to the floor (so that the vacuum will lay flat in order to clean under beds, etc.).

6.) The cord is approximately 30' long; far longer than my old Hoover model. This obviously equates to time saved by not needing to change outlets as often.

7.) There is a light on it, which I was hoping for but do not remember reading in Amazon's description.

8.) It is much more affordable than most other Hepa filter vacuums on the market, and as I can yet tell, the power does not suffer because of it.

CONS:
1.) Although being bagless has its advantages, this vacuum has three different filters, two of which must be replaced now and then and are far more expensive than vacuum bags. Dumping the canister after each use is easy, but kicks up a bit of the dust that was just collected (not fun when you are the person doing the dumping). To prolong it's life, the canister filter can be rinsed if particularly grimy, but it's very difficult to get into the tiny crevices of this filter to do so properly.

2.) The hose is made out of what seems to be cheap plastic. It kinks very easily even in light use. If you buy this vacuum, keep in mind that the hose may well need to be replaced sooner than you might like.

3.) There are not many attachments with it; just the aforementioned extension wand and a very small brush attachment. There is no attachment for surfaces such as sofas or stair treads.

4.) (this one is a biggie, in my opinion). This vacuum is not designed well at all for stair use. Due to it's lack of attachments, cheap hose, and it's size, it is incredibly cumbersome trying to maneuver this vacuum on a staircase. There is simply no way to do it well enough for it to do any good. Trust me, I gave it my every effort to figure out a way before I came to this conclusion. So, fair warning: If you have carpeted stairs, you'll probably still need whatever you were using before to vacuum them.

Of the few cons I found, most are not significant enough to pass up this purchase, in my opinion. For the money, I definitely consider this vacuum a great buy.

If you take the time to check (for what it is worth) you'll notice I only review things I really, really respect and like.

Well, I LOVE this vacuum.

Please allow me to tell you why:

In the past (2) years I have purchased two--count them-- TWO Dirt Devil Swivel Glide vacuums. The first one did a really good job-- then fritzed. I somehow convinced myself it was my fault. (I'm a guy. I'm hard on shoes, prescription glasses and I fling vacuums around like sledgehammers... to name a few faults.)

So after a year-- with the first machine dying a slow devilish death-- I bought another Dirt Devil. 9 months pass and the second one starts wheezing and emitting a very uncomfortable burning smell. It was a different, yet still ignoble, death.

I was about to go out and buy another one when Common Sense decided to make a rare visit: I vacuum a 1100 sq. ft. space once --and no more than twice-- a week. At (2) times a week that means I only vacuum this relatively small space (that is mostly covered by furniture) no more than 104 times a year... But yet I'm replacing these vacuums like I own Dirt Devil stock.

So I go on Amazon.com. I read and read all these different reviews and I find out about the Eureka Litespeed. I'm impressed. A few reviews are negative-- but negative in a way that I felt I had to totally discount their views on the machine.

One reviewer said something like, "I had to empty the dustcup twice before I even finished vacuuming the first time!" Gee, the dust cup on this vacuum is REALLY BIG. Did it ever strike you that it pulled so much CRUD out of your carpet that having to empty the cup--even twice-- was a GOOD THING?!?

Another person wrote that the vacuum started getting louder as time went on. Well, I've had this vacuum for (4) months and it is a little louder than when I first got it. But guess what-- I didn't buy the thing to lull myself to sleep. I bought it to VACUUM my carpet and the ever so slightest change in volume doesn't faze me at all.

Here's my experiences with the Eureka, bottom line:

1) The first time I vacuumed, I had to empty the cup twice too. The second time I vacuumed, I had to empty the cup twice. Now, some four months later-- I have to empty the cup every other time I vacuum. (Not because the cup is completely full... Just because I prefer to do it that way.)

I was one of those people who could NOT conceive of buying a BAGLESS vacuum. Too messy, too cumbersome, too whatever.

Is the large refuse cup hard to empty? No. It's EASY. Frankly, most bottles of wine take longer to open... and NOT having to buy BAGS is extra special charming.

2) This vacuum has been performing FAR beyond even my highest expectations. NO performance drop off at all and it still LOOKS almost exactly the same as the day I bought it.

3) It is effortless to push (the old Devils and their long forgotten ilk where much harder to maneuver).

4) I started using this machine on apartment carpet that was at least (3) years old. [And please remember, I had been using "top of the line" Dirt Devils on the SAME carpet for almost (2) years.]

The very first day, the very first use-- the Eureka LIFTED the nap and fluffed up my carpet and made it look BRAND NEW! Think of the first time you've ever walked into a newly carpeted room or apartment... That's what this vacuum makes your carpet look like EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU USE IT... And the Eureka has been making my carpet look brand new EVERY use since.

5) And finally-- I almost hate to make this embarassing admission-- but this is how much I love this machine:

I was standing in Target the other day and I saw this complete stranger staring at all the vacuums lined against the wall. I watched her for a while until she picked up a Bissel (that had been very poorly reviewed on this site) and started putting it into her cart.

Trying not to act like a complete nutjob-- I walked up to her and asked why she picked that vacuum. She said she had been looking at all of them for 30 minutes and had just decided for some inexplicable reason to buy the Bissel.

I told her if she was just looking at boxes and pictures that-- based on my experiences-- she had to get this Eureka Litespeed. I then showed her the vacuum's more than adequate features, etc... Basically, I turned into instant Super Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Salesman.

Much to my surprise-- the young lady didn't actually slink away from me in horror... She actually THANKED me for all my help and said she couldn't believe a complete stranger would actually stop to help her with something like this-- especially in this day and age.

Then she bought the Eureka vacuum!

I walked out of the store, still red in the face... realizing that I needed to get over this obsession with my Eureka vacuum and get a real life.

So that's why I decided to write this review.

I figured if I could help people find a SUPERB low cost vacuum on such a huge site like Amazon.com then maybe I could also rid myself of the need to walk up to complete strangers in Target stores and sell them this vacuum. (Especially since I get no payment from Eureka for my efforts.)

The first lady was nice. I might not be so lucky the second time. :-)

I'm the vacuumer in the family and before, I'd rather do ANYTHING besides vacuum.

When our old Panasonic Bag Vac.(REALLY cruddy vac.) bit the dust, we went to amazon.com to look for a bagless and affordable vacuum. We found it in Eureka! ...I betcha my mom was happy she didn't have to fork over[so much]for a vac.

NOISE LEVEL - I can talk over it without yelling..so fairly good. Think of it as a loud, but not irritating, humm.

SUCTION - The main vacuum is great. The hose suction is lacking though and really flimsy. It snapped off a couple times, while I tried to get some cobwebs. You shouldn't expect the hose to do much, if at all.

CORNERS - It does leave about 1cm of the corner unvacuumed...better than the Panasonic though.

MOVABILITY - GREAT! I'm 100 pounds and this thing pratically glides even when set at the lowest level.

CLEANING - The filter is difficult since dirt and dust can easily get into the tiny grooves. The dust cup is a breeze. It's like pouring a glass of lemonade, except itz not heavy.

CONCLUSION - I will NEVER like vacuuming, but the Eureka has made it less of a chore. It's actually kinda fun now to watch the dust swirl around and see how much you can get. The Hepa Filter panel can get heated, but it's not burning. You can put your fingers on it, but keep away from lil kids. And it will leave your carpet so cushion-y! It pratically lifts up any bent over fibers AKA vacuum lines. Hope I help!

If your family is anything like ours, you put off buying a household appliance until it is an absolute necessity. We can always find other ways to spend our money, but D-Day eventually comes. Our D-Day might better be called C-Day (the day a cat adopted us), which was the day we knew a new vacuum cleaner was certainly needed.

Our old tank type cleaner had served us well for, I think, almost ten years. But that tank met its Waterloo with cat hairs on a dark green carpet. After shopping around we decided on this upright Eureka, and we could not have made a better choice. Not only are our carpets cleaner than clean, all of our surfaces are spotless. The crevice tool is a gem, instantly removing dust particles (and a paper clip or two) from those mysterious sofa spaces that attract everything.

There are so many features about this Eureka that we enjoy - I'll just mention a few. No more bags! Have you ever gone to your supermarket to find they're no longer carrying the dust bag you need for your vacuum? Those days are gone forever as those bothersome dust bags are replaced by a streamlined dust cup that collects your cleaning debris. Simply remove dust cup to empty and clean the filter.

A height setting allows you to adjust the cleaner base to suit the floor surface you want to clean, whether it be a hardwood floor or carpet. And, there is a headlight so you don't miss anything. There is also wand and brush storage on the vacuum, as well as an easy step on handle release.

About the only thing this Eureka doesn't do is make our morning coffee.

- Gail Cooke

We just got this vacuum today and couldn't wait to put it to the test. We have 3 cats and 1 dog. I could see that there was cat hair on the carpet, but I was really shocked at how much was sucked up in the canister. I had just vacuumed recently with my other cleaner. After using this vacuum cleaner, the carpet looks brand new and even feels softer. It is actually a rather quiet vacuum cleaner in my opinion and practically pushes itself. I like the carpet height adjustment feature too. It was easy to put together, only takes 2 screws. The canister is not hard to empty and I didn't feel that it was especially messy to empty either. I highly recommend this vacuum for anyone that has pets.

First off let me try to reassure you that this is a real review from a normal working guy on a budget. I purchased this vacuum cleaner based on the reviews here but I have to say the ridiculous enthusiasm here made me wonder if this was some kind of marketing ploy by Eureka. I was very close to purchasing a Hoover I had tried out but opted for this because of the price/reputation.

For my money, the most important thing I'm interested in when buying a vacuum is suction power and this thing has plenty. I used a very cheap Eureka Boss model prior to this that had horrible suction. I was getting tired of having to handpick stuff from the carpet to get it clean so I finally decided to buy a new vacuum. This new vacuum does the job nicely on just about anything my carpet can throw at it. Very seldom do I ever have to make 2 swipes over one area to get something I missed. My wife and I own a cat and it picks up hair and the like with ease. We can vacuum our 3 bedroom home in minimal amount of time.

I would say the other feature I love about the vacuum is no more bags. I hated changing bags in the past and emptying the container on this is a snap. I'm surprised there are some reviewers who complain about the mess of emptying it, actually it's not bad at all. Just empty it as you're taking out the trash and you don't have to worry about getting the dirt back into your home.

There are 3 things that I wanted in vacuum, good suction power, bagless chamber, and a decent price. This vacuum met those expecations and then some. I'll admit I have high standards but I haven't been this pleased about a purchase in a while and if you're in the market for a vacuum it's hard to go wrong with this model. I doubt there is another vacuum on the market that will give you this much value for your money.

I needed to replace my 7 year old Fantom Thunder vacuum, the first bagless I had owned. I was prepared to spend another $300+, as I had on the Fantom, but read the reviews of the Eureka Whirlwind and decided to give it a try...I'm glad I did.

We have nine cats living in our house which means a lot of shedding. We humans aren't particularly careful of the carpets, either. I need to vacuum multiple times per week. This means I need something which is light, powerful, easy to empty and picks up pet hair and mountains of Carpet Fresh.

The major design improvement of the Eureka over the Fantom (which was a fantastic machine) is the dirt cup. I'm not sure about other bagless makes, but the Fantom was difficult to empty without redepositing debris on the floor (I always emptied it in the kitchen so I could sweep up the remains from the vinyl floor). The Eureka's cup is akin to a travel mug - it's a large cup with a handle and a lid which screws on. This keeps the dirt trapped inside the cup when removing it from the vacuum itself. This is a HUGE plus.

The Eureka also picks up dirt easily against baseboards; the sweep is wide and reduces the need for using the hose to clean outside the vacuum path. Which is a good thing, because the one major drawback, IMO, to the Eureka is its rather wimpy hose. This hose is okay for vacuuming up cookie crumbs from under sofa cushions or sucking up cobwebs, but don't expect any powerful cleaning from it. It seems to be more of an afterthought than an integral part of the system (the Fantom had an excellent hose, one thing I do miss on the Eureka). The lack of a good hose is what made me subtract a star from my rating.

Overall, I would say the Eureka is easy to use, light, quiet, easy to empty and so far picks up cat hair and the usual dirt just fine. For the price it is a very good value. If you need a second vacuum (say, so you don't have to drag one upstairs all the time) this would be a fantastic choice. If you use the wand/hose attachment a lot for cleaning upholstery or draperies, skip this one and go for a more feature-rich model. As a basic vacuum for everyday cleaning though, you can't get much more bang for your buck than this Eureka.

After reading Consumer Reports and reviews, I decided this vacuum was exactly what I needed for our household and I am amazed at its capabilities.

We own one very hairy dog and a cat. The dog is a sweetie, but the amount of fur she leaves behind is enough to make an entire new floor covering. I was in desperate need of a machine that would pick up ALL the hair. I went over our carpet ONE time with this Eureka and then I got down on my hands and knees and couldn't find a single hair in sight! We even took a dark colored sweatshirt and rubbed it on the floor and it came up clean! I ran the vacuum in front of the litter box and after one sweep all the scattered litter was gone! (YAY!)

I also found that this vacuum cleans up to the edges of the walls very nicely and has all the major attachments I personally need. It is EXTREMELY easy to empty the container and the filter will need replacement fairly often after cleaning my carpets but there are several ways to keep the filter clean without a lot of elbow-grease. Just tap it out and/or run it under water.

There are only two things I liked about my old vacuum better. This vacuum does tilt back to reach hard to get to areas, but the base is thick so it doesn't get very far under beds. Also, the cord has to be wound up by hand, but that is a very minor complaint. Mostly I'm just spoiled to the old one's retracting cord feature. No worries though.

I've only just purchased this vacuum, so I can't yet comment on durability, but for the low price I definitely feel like I'm going to get my money's worth even if it only lasts five years. I hope it will last longer with good care. (If you have a [place] near you, you may consider going to the store to pick it up and save on shipping costs!)

I'm very satisfied with our purchase. I recommend this vacuum to anyone that needs extra help with pet hair or anything else that is difficult to clean.

I must admit when I first saw the Eureka 5740A in person I was not impressed. I typically would have passed right by this vacuum based on the low price and the 13" width. I checked out all the other vacuums on the aisle before I decided to stick with the plan and put this one in my cart.

When I got home my son put it together within minutes (he couldn't wait to see what kind of disgusting filth was going to appear in the canister... he didn't have long to wait). Within seconds the canister was a dusty haze. Within minutes there was easily 1/2 cup of fluffy filth... and he had only vacuumed 1/4 of my master bedroom. Then he reluctantly let me vacuum the master bath. It picked the knap right up. I love the solid feel of this unit and the sound is no worse than my expensive Sharp. Best of all I could see the results! I also love having onboard attachments and even got my favorite old baseboard brush to fit the wand and found a place for it onboard. The 13" width doesn't bother me at all... in fact, it's wonderful for getting between the legs of my end tables!

We had new carpeting installed 18 months ago and I was really beginning to get annoyed with the way it is wearing. Now I know the problem was my old vacuum.

For the price I don't know how you can possibly beat this vacuum. It does have filters that need replacing, but I figure I can make them last a little longer by blowing them out with the air compressor (like I do the a/c filters). Even if you used this unit once to clean your whole house from top to bottom and threw it away you'd still pay less than a cleaning service would charge you for one visit.

While I have been writing this my son has cleaned all the carpeted floors in the house and shown me the results along the way. I really, really like this vacuum.

With three filters, this is a great vacuum anyway...but
at this price?.... it's amazing! We could afford to get TWO !
One for each floor! No more lugging a vacuum up the stairs ! Hooray!

I was thrilled with how it picked up the dirt, our rug hasn't looked
or felt this good in years . Also the canister comes off the machine
and that makes emptying alot easier. We are very happy with this product!