Customer Reviews

Eureka 96 B Quick Up Upright Cordless Stick Vacuum

5 star:		(223)
4 star:		(78)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

Before I tell you how to increase the suction and pickup of this little gem I'll tell you I believe in taking advantage of return policies of Target, Walmart, Sears, etc. I have tried almost every cordless stick vac readily available even making side by side comparisons and the Eureka 96D is the best! Suction is only half the equation! The Black And Decker (most powerful stick vac) is sturdier and has about 50-70% more suction but it loses it because of bad head design on the floor. The Eureka (best head design of all) picks up all the cat sand even from the grooves in my wood floor! The most powerful sick vac (Black And Decker) couldn't do it! Great for hard floor and throw rugs! Remember, not a replacement for regular vac (unless you have all hard floor) but the best for light to medium work and in-between major vacuuming. Handle could be sturdier so don't "man-handle" it. Two batteries is best (15-25 minutes per charge). NOW, take the filter case off the vac and you'll see the hole where the suction fan is with the plastic grid in front (obstruction for safety). CUT THE PLASTIC GRID OUT thereby removing safety obstruction! Screw the safety! You just incresed fan speed and suction by 20-30%!!! I have 2 of these vacs and I compared the difference and was blown away! Literally! Now the cat sand is sucked in from the front and sides! You can feel AND SEE the difference!

Length:: 3:21 Mins

I compared this to a Dirt Devil 14.4V (model # 083414). They offer similar suction (adequate) and battery life (15 minutes).

The Eureka uses only 6V (i.e. more efficient motor and system) and can swap batteries. An extra battery is included in this EUK96DZ model (from my local Sears), all for $36, a better value than the DD (about $50).

The DD can stand up by itself, very handy, while the Eureka is best to be used without its telescopic handle. If you'll clean multiple rooms at a time, go Eureka for you can swap batteries. If you need to clean in narrow areas such as cars and stairs, you also want to go Eureka for you can remove the long handle.

This ends my search for the best cordless vacuums and what I end up is:

An iRobot Roomba 530 for routine room cleaning ($250).
A Shark SV736 for random spot cleaning and for cars and computers etc ($36).
Optional Eureka EUK96DZ for even more convenience ($36).

So convenient and much less noisy. Farewell to cords!

As always, go to youtube to watch the video for better quality.

A tip: when searching for a cordless vac, don't just look at the voltage. Higher voltage marking does not necessarily mean more suction, as is in this case: the Eureka uses only 6V, less than half of the 14.4V of DD! What rules is a good system design and good parts used in the product.

I was waiting to get this vacuum at Target because it was $39.99 but they never had it in stock - after going to 4 diff. Targets so I just ordered it online. I am so happy with it. I use it mainly to vacuum dog hair throughout our hardwood floor house and on the couches. I use the suction portion for the hardwood floors and then switch to "carpet" mode for the courches where the brushes roll and pick up the hair off our microsuede couch.

I'm surprised at how well the vacuum works, especially given that it's cordless. I mounted it on the side wall in our kitchen and it's a great daily/mid-week cleaner for our floors. Very light and easy to use.

So much better than the Shark cordless that I had to return after it didn't work at all.

We bought this when our first child learned to crawl and we had to clean crumbs, etc off the floor before she ate them. Now we're again finding it indispensable for number two and three (now ages 1, 3, and 5)

I like it for:

1) Handle installs and removes quickly and easily.
2) vacuum hangs easy on the charger - some other ones we've had are tricky to pop into the charger correctly if you want it to be installed vertically.
3) Power roller bar - really sucks up those cheerios quickly, even on hard floors.
4) Easily removable battery - charger has a second battery charging slot so you can swap out.


When I bought this the cashier at Target told me that this was what they used to clean up spills in the store. It's now almost 3 years old and the battery is starting to show it's age (It's easily removable so I'll be buying a spare soon)

UPDATE: The original battery is still going strong. To eliminate the "Memory" I just ran down the battery between charges rather than keeping it on the charger "topping off" all the time. Works great now, as good as new!

UPDATE2 - after 5-1/2 years the original battery is finally dead. OEM replacement part cost me $19.99 including shipping, good as new!!!!

TIP: When emptying I find it handy to use a full size vacuum cleaner to get the filter extra clean.

If you've found this review helpful, please let me know!

We have had our original Boss vacuum over 3 years and found it to be a really great addition to using a regular vacuum. It doesn't pick up like a standard vacuum but because it is so easy to use, the house gets vacuumed more often (and therefor stays cleaner). I can do almost the entire main living area of our house on a single charge and bought an additional battery pack when a single battery isn't enough. Ours get used 3 to 7 times a week and we have 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 3 boys to clean up after.

After 3 years here's the "good and not so good":

Good:
-- Lighweight, manuverable, and mechanically reliable
-- Battery life is acceptable and replacement batteries are relatively cheap
-- Dirt container is easy to empty and clean

Could be better:
-- Battery connection to unit is cheap and corrodes after time (we found that what we thought was weak batteries was just poor connection -- it's easy to clean but not the best design)
-- Dog and cat hair poses an issue with the rollers on the bottom of the unit - it clogs the rollers and is difficult to clean out without dismantling the vacuum brush head
-- The roller design is cheap and is the only mechanical item on the unit to fail -- the shafts supporting the rollers broke their mounts and came off

As mentioned above -- we use this unit ALOT and I figure for over 3 years of use the $29 purchase price is well worth it so I came back to purchase another one.

Ok. Bought this, for my 1 bedroom apt. Thought not much 'bout it. Here's what my observations are:
a) Quiet - not at all loud.
b) Picks up everything, literally everything. I esp. spilled some paper/sugar - picked it up in 3 to 4 Go's. Well, I know there are others which pick it up in 1 go. Agreed but let's look at the reasoning. Those who pick up in 1 go: COSTLY or NOISY. Period. I know Shark does a good job, but did you folks HEAR it?
c) i use this vacuum EVERYDAY. Why? Because it's battery suffices me for my 900 sq. ft. flat COMPLETELY and use the carpet-mode and because it's SO LIGHT.
d) i have been using for 2+ yrs. now, no issues.
e) BEST PART -> The vacuum gets cleaned COMPLETELY. the entire filter comes off, can be soap-washed and is AS GOOD as NEW.

Not to border on the ridiculous, but this vacuum cleaner has changed my life! I have a three year old son, a one year old daughter, a large (very hairy) dog & two cats. And for the first time since my son was old enough to feed himself I can go barefooted in my on home! I use this little vacuum everyday in my kitchen, family room, sun room, and dining room. And it works great! Crushed cheerios, glitter, and pet hair are no problem. We have very uneven Mexican tile, hardwood floors, and oriental rugs- and it works wonderfully on all three. The proof is there every time I empty it. I have never had the battery life fail in mid-vacuum, but I have never tried (nor would I) to vacuum the entire house with it. My only complaint is that I didn't buy it sooner.

This is not for deep cleaning, or for sand in outdoor spaces as mentioned below, it's for quick superficial pickups of hair, cat litter, dry dirt, crumbs, and lint. In 45 seconds or less every day, my bathroom floor is clean and ready for guests. Great for kitchen dry spills as well. Better than a hand vac (dustbuster) if bending down isn't easy for you. Some other hand vacs are more powerful though, and I've kept one of those for tougher jobs (such as sucking dirt out of exhaust fan grids).

This dirt cup has to emptied every 2-3 uses or so and the filter wiped to keep it working properly.That all takes 1-2 minutes. You can order replacement filters. The more you use this on carpeting, the more fibers it will suck up (which doesn't happen on bare floors), leading to more frequent filter wiping. This is a great little machine at a great price, and I'm thinking of buying it for friends who are pressed for time to do housework. Noise level is very reasonable; the charge lasts up to 15 minutes or so of continuous use. If I had a bigger home, I'd keep at least one on each floor.

I bought this as a replacement for another cordless vac. Very pleased with the suction, works well on carpet and hardwood. The proof is in the dirt cup each time I use it!

This vacuum keeps everything clean! Use it on furniture, floors, hearth and car. Charge has outlasted any of my cleaning fits. Picks up cat hair, pine needles and common dirt. Up-right handle is good height, no more crawling on hands and knees with a short dust-sucker.