Customer Reviews

Eureka Optima Lightweight Upright Vacuum. 437AZ

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(79)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

We have four vacuum cleaners, and it's not because we're neat freaks. It's exactly the opposite. We keep hoping for the one vacuum that will clean our house with the least effort. Each succession of vacuum cleaner gets smaller and smaller, especially after we discovered we can pay our 5-year old 50 cents to clean the carpet. Between this and the Eureka "The Boss Superlite", they're our favorites. Here are some of the real pluses of the system, followed by the negatives:

PROS:

Great suction, especially on fine dust

Very lightweight, our kid (5 years old) can operate it

Retractable handle makes it easy to carry around (we're short people)

Retractable handle makes it easy to store

Inexpensive

CONS:

The HEPA filter attracts dust very quickly and needs to be cleaned each time (is this a plus or a minus?) Anyhow, it's a messy job.

The front face could be a fraction smaller to get under furniture better

Overall, it's a really good vac. I wouldn't use this for a whole house, but for a small upstairs or downstairs, or a two bedroom (or smaller) apartment.

The narrow cleaning path is great for going in between tight spaces w/o moving everything around. The 12 amp motor is powerful and has great suction for under $100.

It is constructed pretty well, except for the cheap plastic wheels that feel flimsy and squeak right out of the box.

As with ANY bagless vac, to keep suction strong at all times, you have to clean the filter every single time you use it (especially with pets). If you don't want to be bothered cleaning it every time, then be fair, dont buy this machine and don't give it poor ratings. Get a bagged vac ... or a maid.

For those reviewers who say it died 3 or 4 times - it is not dieing. It is overheating because the filter is not clean. The filter needs to be cleaned every one or two uses, not when the dust bin fills up to the max. The reason it works again is because the motor cooled down.

PROS:

Powerful suction in Floor or Hose mode

Easy to clean

Long stretch hose

Will not tip over when hose is stretched too far

Replacement parts available on Eureka web-site

Filter cleaning every 2 or 3 uses if secondary vac

CONS:

Hose feels flimsy when stretched to full-length

Cleaning the filter is messy - do it outside

Filter must be cleaned frequently if used as primary vac

Front exhaust blows debris in front of cleaner - tilt down

Pros: Saction power, light weight, good performance on different surfaces (hardwood, tile, carpet, carpetted stair), great value!

Cons: Dirty and cumbersome to clean the filter, noisy

I have 3 vacuum cleaners--large and heavy upright for carpet, cordless stick vac for picker-upper, and Eureka Optima for all-round cleaning. This has the best saction and versatility among all, and for the first time, I feel I can stop my pursuit of a good vac cleaner.

After trying so many cleaners, I now have realistic expectation. Even a good vac has some shorcomings, and you need to know what your priority is. In this case, cleaning the waste bin and filter is very messy and cumbersome. Because Eureka Optima has very good saction, the filter catches so much fine dust very quickly. I need to dust if off almost everytime I vacuum, and it is not fun. However, for me, can-vacuum-anywhere versatility and light weight make up for it.

I recommend Eureka Optima even if this dies on me within one year (which it does not yet). This is not a perfect cleaner, and there is not a perfect cleaner, but a great value for solid performance.

I have had this vacuum for a few months. I usually vacuum the whole house (600 sq. feet) once a month, and vacuum small areas a few times a week.

My criteria for a vacuum were that it needed to be small (due to the lack of storage space), upright, it needed to have a hose, and a motor driven brush (to remove pet hair). This vacuum fits the bill, and works mostly well. The suction is excellent, the brush pics the pet hair very well, and the turbo brush attachment is wonderful for the furniture and hard to get places. The hose is just long enough to pick the spiders at the ceiling level.

The problems:
1. forward facing exhaust. The easy solution is simply tilting the vacuum back a little more. If it's at 45 degrees it will not blow the dust in front of it.
2. The dust sticks to the filter and blocks it. This can be mitigated by putting a piece of pantyhose over the filter (I have uploaded pictures). $2 pair of pantyhose from Walgreens last me a few months, and made it easy to remove the dust from the filter.

Otherwise I like the vacuum very much, and it makes an excellent job of keeping our little house clean and dust free.

This machine really sucks. :-) Balls of cat fur an inch ahead of the machine are pulled right in. The discharge of air ahead of the machine is an advantage; those onion skins and dust balls up against the baseboards that used to require a broom to loosen get blown out onto the floor and then sucked up into the machine. I have nothing but praise for this product.

See also multiple reviews for similar 431AXZ--the 437AZ costs $20 more, adds HEPA filter and $20 remarkable turbo powered brush for the hose.

This upright bagless vacuum cleaner by Eureka is excellent at picking up dirt and dust on hardwood floors, laminate flooring, carpeting and rugs. The vacuum has strong suction and it runs smoothly across the floor. It switches effortlessly between hardwood floor and carpet; all you have to do is turn a small knob at the base of the vacuum cleaner and away you go!

Assembly has a few minor drawbacks: there's an instruction booklet for putting together the attachments but the booklet doesn't always make clear sense. One or two of the parts were a little tight to attach but I got through it all right.

The vacuum cleaner, as I said, runs smoothly across the floor. One huge help is that the circular handle you hold onto to guide the machine can be adjusted downward at such an angle that you will find this to be quite easy to hold onto. On the other hand, the machine moves so smoothly over the floor it sometimes seems to feel as if the machine was constantly on the verge of running away from me. This is actually a heavier vacuum than the older one I used (which was a tiny canister).

The bagless system has its plusses and minuses, too. As others note, you do have to clean it out more often than most people would like to; but then again this vacuum cleaner does indeed pick up a lot of dirt. The HEPA filter does seem to do a very good job of making sure that the exhaust comes out as clean as possible--great!

Overall, this Eureka lightweight upright vacuum cleaner is a great, budget oriented choice for those of us who want a bagless vacuum with good amounts of suction. You have to clean it out more often than I'd like but this is a relatively minor complaint.

This vacuum is absolutely the best available ! For years & years we have tried and fried many many vacuum's (because of the abundant pet hair our dogs donate) . About two months ago , a family member offered this vacuum to us . Well ,regardless of being a little leary because of its size and thaught perhaps they were just ridding the closet of unwanted junk , we accepted the gift ! WOW ! the best gift we have ever received !This vacuum can suck the hair from off the dogs when they're on another floor ! ( Ok , so it seems ! ) I mean it , this thing is so wonderful I've recently bought another just in case (god forbid) anything would happen to this one . It is amazing what it picks up , even after a Dyson! The only downfall is its small canister, you do have to empty it quite often. Well , we do because of pet hair ! I , and anyone else who tries this vac would agree , It is WELL WORTH frequent emptying in trade for the pleasure of easy and thorough vacuuming of this wonderful vac . You will be absolutely satisfied with this purchase , especially if you have pet hair bunnies running around your home , like we did . Even on hard floors , this thing will suck the hair out from under furniture ! ok , I better quit rambling , BUY IT ! YOU WONT BE SORRY ! iTS LIGHT , EASIER TO USE THAN ANY VAC AND FITS UNDER LOW OBJECTS BECAUSE OF LOW PROFILE ok I'm done ! Thank you for reading my book ! LOL

On my seconded one. Excellent vacuum: very lightweight and nice features such as great suction, suction-only option for hardwood floors, and simple maintenance of filters. But the plastic rear wheels break after only about 6 months of service (used almost daily to pick-up dog hair from primarily hardwood floors). Bought second one thinking that perhaps it was a fluke since I have never had wheels break with other vacuums; within about 3 months the wheels are starting to break-off. Only two little plastic tabs keep the wheels on. Think twice about buying this product if you are a heavy user. Hope Eureka reads these reviews and redesigns their wheel assembly to be more robust. Excellent product otherwise.

For the size and price, this vacuum has amazing suction power. Even my professional painter, bragged that instead of his full size Wet-Vac, they preferred to use this little red vacuum, after sanding my walls.
However, I personally feel the dust cup needs emptying 2 or even 3 times during vacuuming a home with a lot of short pet hair that weaves into carpets. Especially when our furry friends blow their coats in Summer heat, the hair is bad. (but this vacuum WILL SUCK THE HAIR RIGHT OUT OF THE CARPET FIBERS, unlike some more expensive vacuums I've had. One other minor flaw, is in the dust cup attachment design. Removing dust bunnies behind the grey coupling assembly to the disposable pleated filter, where it seats, is often needed, but not hard to do. You need either a straw or (pointy) barbecue wooden stick, in order to get between the filter and the screw-on top to remove the trapped solid dust matter. I may be a bit over zealous. It seems, when my husband vacuums, he tolerates the dust cup filled a lot further than I do, before emptying it..lol He'll do the entire up and downstairs without emptying the cup at all. But like most other bagless vacuums in this price range, I've noticed this dirt/dust collection issue, is a common one; it doesn't affect suction too much in this vacuum but others it almost cuts it off completely. I've seen this same buildup problem, as a drawback with all 3 of my other bagless vacuums too. (All different vendors: Hoover, Eurkea,& Dirt Devil) The dust accumulates wherever suction is greatest. That's why I feel, it should be emptied a couple of times during each vacuuming . Also, when emptying the cup, I tap out the dirt from the pleated filter too. I just use a small tack hammer or a husband's heavy shoe, take it outdoors to gently bang out the smaller dust particles from the pleated filter, into a small grocery bag. I think it prevents the fine particles from being thrown back into the room air if its cleaned out often. But that's just my preference; I like to start with a completely cleaned out cup and filter each time start to vacuum.
As a "seasoned" nurse and a little quirky about dirt, dust, hand washing & infections--it's probably not really necessary to clean the filter as often as I do. I do find the filter doesn't need replacement as often if I keep it cleaned between vacuumings. But I change it every 3 months anyway.
Overall, in my opinion, if you want a vacuum that has excellent suction power, is light-weight, has an adjustable handle so easy for storage AND what I think is really neat, this vacuum has a separate SMALLER STAIR BEATER BAR attachment, that works great--then this is an excellent product. Oh yeah, I almost forgot another feature I really like, it's got a circular selector on the back where the cord is stored. You select full suction flow to either the main FLOOR beater bar or, to the hose, other attachments and full steps attachments. I don't know about the physics of suction, but I bet, that's how the designers were able to achieve an higher pull, to each selection, i.e. floor or hose. By diverting the suction COMPLETELY to one device or the other, there's no loss or sharing of suction, once the selection is made.
In summary, aside from the small cup and a bit of dust trapping at the cup/filter attachment, this is an amazing, easy to handle mighty powerful vacuum for its size, weight and price.
For the effectiveness, price and ease, I'd give it a 9.5 on a 10 point scale.
P.S. I even bought a second one for our Summer home, where picking up a LOT OF BEACH SAND and assorted dead bugs over the winter, is NO problem for this convenient little vacuum cleaner. Small but mighty.

I've got a fully carpeted, 2 bedroom apartment with no pets and I vacuum probably twice a month. I previously owned the Eureka 431BXZ (green model) before purchasing the 437AZ and I absolutely loved it. I had to buy this new vacuum because a neighbor of mine borrowed my previous one and has yet to return it. Needless to say, I'm extremely content with the 437AZ.

I've had the vacuum for 3 months now and just recently emptied the dust cannister and cleaned the filter. It's true that there is an extremely large amount of dust that collects around the filter but I've found it farely easy to clean. I disconnect the filter from the dust cannister and place it in a large garbage bag while brushing off the excess dust. It takes around 5 minutes and I don't imagine myself cleaning the filter more than 3-4 times a year. Obviously, people who have pets and live with more than 2 people in a space larger than a 2 bedroom apartment might find this vacuum unsuitable to their needs.

What I love most is the suction power and the extended hose option. I use the hose to clean hard to reach corners on floors, tight closet spaces, and the small crevices in my couch and sofa. The vacuum itself is pretty light weight and easy to store anywhere. It sounds too good to be true but I don't really have any substantial complaints about this unit. I've had no problems with it and I would definitely recommend this item to my friends. As a matter a fact, I'm planning on sending one to both my mother and my sister for Christmas.