Customer Reviews

Refurbished Eureka Boss Upright Vacuum, R4870G

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I received vacuum within 1 day of ordering. Good. I used it for about 20 minutes when I switched from Floor to Hose suction...motor stopped immediately and never restarted. I waited 1/2 hour and tried again.. lights come on but motor appears to be seized and shuts off right away after dimming lights in house. I took machine to Eureka authorized service center noted on their website.....they refused to honor warrantee and service the product and advised returning it to Amazon.

This vacuum was highly rated by Consumer Reports and at $99.00( reconditioned )seemed a good buy. It arrived by U.S. Mail very poorly packed with chunks of styrofoam all over the inside of the box. Upon assembling I noticed it was missing the attachment tubes and when turned on the brushroll didn't work. In addition, the finish was marred and smudged. I sent it back and ordered a Hoover Windtunnel 2. It works well and appears to be of higher quality.

I received this refurbished vacuum like new in its original box just a few days after ordering, Thanks Amazon.

It seems to work quite well and I am pleased enough with its performance, considerations taken.


Just a couple quirks mentioned in other reviews I though I might clear up.

1) The handle release works a bit different than most. You must push down AND OUT for it to release, and it does require some effort. Once you get used to it it is tolerable.

2) The brush roll switch works quite hard and requires alot of effort to engage however it will not break. Just keep pushing until you hear it click.

3) Make sure the front of the sweeper is lifted off the floor before using the carpet height adjuster.


Now for a few of my own con's:

1) It doesn't seem to vacuum bare floors as well as my Hoover and must be adjusted down very close to the floor.

2) On all floors the unit seems to have weaker suction on the left side, because the vacuum hose comes to the brush area on the right side.

3) When you tilt the front of the sweeper up it seems to lose suction power entirely. It needs to be close to the floor for the floor to seal the vacuum area. Again I beleive this is because the vacuum hose to the brush area is on the right side. And again my old Hoover didn't exhibit this behavior, perhaps from having the source of suction in the center.

4) The three above cons all seem to relate to keeping the front of the sweeper close to the floor surface you are sweeping. The sweeper is very dependant on using the "floor" as a the final part of the vacuum chamber so proper height adjustment and contact to the floor is critical for this sweeper. Why should a sweeper have vacuum when it's not on the floor? Well I am in the habit of lifting the front at the walls to "grab" those little mess' that are up the baseboard a little. My old Hoover grabs them right up. This vacuum doesn't even seem like it is turned on. Also at the transistion of carpet to hard floor there is that ridge at the edge of the carpet that gathers dirt. My Hoover would pick up all but the most stubborn (adhered) dirt there in any direction. This sweeper, as it rolls off the edge of the carpeting loses all suction and is useless here. You have to turn it around and approach these areas form the hard floor side. And then you must go to the hard floor routine with the height adjusted down very close to the floor for adeqaute suction.

5) The sweeper uses a wide brush roll belt which leaves a noticable streak, stripe or blank spot on your carpet to the left side. It seem to me it kind of narrows the "wide path" feature of this vacuum as I have to overlap the path on the next pass to "cover" this streak. And again my old Hoover used a narrower much less intrusive belt that I couldn't "see" in the carpet. And it never broke.

6) The extension hose assembly it difficult to figure out. I suppose time will help here.

7) As I started this review with, the brush roll switch and handle release are indeed to hard to operate.

8) The upolstery noozle does not store securely and has already fallen out of its holder a few times on me.

9) The bag is too small, probably less than half the size of my Hoover. Looks like frequent changes.

10) The HEPA filter discharge blows hair and other light debris "away" from the front of the sweeper before it has a chance to reach the vacuum chamber. There are times you have to "chase" these this type of debris.


Now for the pro's:

1) When the height adjuster is properly adjusted the sweeper does seem to brush my carpet much more vigorously than my Hoover. It does pick up more hair and other hard to pickup items on the carpet. This I think is this sweepers strongest attribute as I don't think the suction is any stonger, if as strong, than my Hoover. I would say that overall it does do a better job of cleaning. It does do a nice job of "grooming" (note con #5).

2) The floor/hose control and the power/on/off switch right up top where they are easy to reach.

3) You can use the hose without the sweeper having to be locked in the upright posisition.

4) You can "meter" the floor/hose control to reduce suction to either the floor or hose.

5) The hose is always attached in place and ready to vacuum, all you need to do is turn the floor/hose vacuum knob. I had to insert this hose into my Hoover.

6) HEPA filter my Hoover didn't have.

7) You can turn the brush off for delicate floors, my Hoover didn't have that option.


One thing I have found in looking at many, if not all, vacuum sweepers is that none are even close to adquate. All having many more con's than pro's, and yes including the likes of Dyson. All you can do is choose one that has the pro's most important to you and con's you can live with. I am really puzzled as to why in todays high tech world no one makes a much more user friendly vacuum. I understand trade-offs, comprimise and such but none of the user design flaws I have seen in vacuum sweepers are necessary. Just some common sense from the designer/s should have averted the vast majority of them. These people need to bring that engineering mind home with them and clean house!

To close, maybe the #1 pro of this sweeper is it's price which has to be considered. And to me at this price I consider this sweeper is a very good performing product that I can live with until someone comes up with that now absent user friendly sweeper.

Don't think of buying this vacuum. It is a lemon in every respect. It is overweight, difficult to maneuver, and loud. The controls for floor and rug height don't work. In fact, nothing works as well as it should.

It comes with a 1 year warranty.
It comes with only one bag, no spares.
It does NOT come with the power paw stair brush.

I believe the only difference between the 4870GZ and the 4870DT is the power paw stair brush, and the color. So, make your buying choice appropriately.

That being said, it seems like a good vacuum. I just got it today. I tried it out on a freshly vacuumed oriental rug, and I was pleasantly supprised to find the bag already 1/5 full. The previous vacuum is a more expensive canister vac. I got this vac because I have dust allergies, and I think I did well. All in all, my experience reflects the numerous positive reviews that are already posted on Amazon. Not so much the negative... The documentation for the vacuum is also excelent.

This vacuum is awesome. However, I'm a bit disappointed that I went with the refurbished one because the plastic "button" that holds the vacuum upright popped off right away. It clicked right back in only to be unseated again when the vacuum went into the use position. Without the "button" the vacuum doesn't stay upright and you can't pick it up without the bottom half going straight down limp. I'd definately purchase this vacuum again, but it wouldn't be a refurbished one.

I've had this vac only three months and suddenly, the roller brush stopped working and the motor heated up. I shut it off, removed the plate, and found that the belt was loose and melted in places. I would not recommend a refurbished Boss Upright . . . it had great suction for the few times I used it, but I'm looking at a major repair now, much more than a belt.

My wife & I purchased this refurbished vacuum after reading over some of the product reviews on Amazon. Similar to most others, we checked out Consumer Reports and conducted some add'l due diligence (like asking friends about the vacuums they owned)...then we pulled the trigger and ordered on from Amazon.

The product arrived in the original box, and we couldn't wait to put it to use because our carpeting trapping everything our 13 month old daughter would drop on it (and smush into it!). The Eureka has worked great, and the carpet literally changed colors (it's dark blue, and where it was covered with dust/pollen, it was a lighter shade of blue) - and both of us were amazed.

Although it doesn't official self propel itself, the suction is strong enough that if you push it forward - it rolls ahead with ease. (Pulling it back will reequire a little bit of gusto, but it gets easier over time b/c you get used to it.)

So your biggest question may be about purchasing a refurb. unit. I can't complain b/c we love it. The only true signs that it's not new are a few surface flaws on the back part of the vacuum (towards the floor). They are very minor, and we will undoubtedly add to the scuffs ourselves over the coming years. Performance has been outstanding, the sound is fine (ALL vacuums make noise - I doubt see what all the hoopla is about), and for the price difference compared to a new unit (or a Dyson, or other expensive vacuums) - you CANNOT beat the value!!

Pull the trigger and buy one. You'll be as satisfied as the vast majority of the people who have also bought one off amazon.

I received a battered, well used vacuum that upon being plugged in immediately made a loud wining noise, smelled like burnt rubber and would not pick up much of anything off the floor.

I have 2 dogs and pet hair is always an issue. I've tried several vacuums specifically for pet hair and none of them has been as good as this one. The attachments are perfect, it works well on both hardwoods and carpet, and I'm completely sold on it. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a vacuum, regardless of whether or not they have pets.