Eureka 4870DT Upright Vacuum
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Eureka 4870DT Upright Vacuum
Customer Review: A good value
Summary: 4 Stars
I selected this vacuum after consulting Consumer Reports and looking at several in person. I felt that it had the features I wanted at a good price. In particular, I wanted the hard floor cleaning, because we have only one carpeted room, and two area rugs. The rest is hardwood that needs cleaned frequently because of our dogs. The vacuum is somewhat heavy compared to others but not significantly so. The release pedal to begin vacuuming is stiff, but I expect it to loosen with use. The vacuum is much quieter than my old one, which I appreciate.The only problem I had was the switch to turn off the roller to clean hard floors would not engage. I thought it was a defect, and exchanged it for another, which had the same problem. At this point, I emailed customer service and received a response within 48 hours. They indicated I should release the vacuum as if to begin sweeping (power off), then depress the hard floors switch very firmly. I did so and it did engage. I then switched it back and forth several times with no problems. It is unfortunate that I likely returned a perfectly good vacuum as defective.
I would recommend this vacuum highly, as well as Eureka's online customer service. I would like to see their manual and online information improved. Either could mention the simple solution to this problem.
Customer Review: A great vacuum at any price. An excellent buy!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Eureka 4870 has proven to be an excellent choice. It does all its cleaning chores easily and effectively and costs half as much as some competing cleaners with similar features or capability. There are a few gripes, but they are minor.The 4870 comes in a box with the handle disassembled. Assembly is an easy matter of attaching the handle onto the unit with screws. The included user's manual is well illustrated with numbered step-by-step instructions. The hose, tools and wands store on the back of the vacuum. A bag and filters are already installed.
The long cord will allow you to clean one or more rooms without having to unplug. When you are done, you store the cord on the back of the cleaner. Though the instructions show the cord wound in a circle around the hooks on the back of the unit, I recommend winding it around the hooks in a figure 8 pattern to keep from twisting the cord. I did have a problem with the plug coming out of the wall outlet too easily. I solved this by using a small screwdriver to spread the flat sections of each plug prong to make them fatter.
I find the shape of the handle to be comfortable in my hand. I would have liked the power switch to be mounted up on the handle rather than on the unit to make it easier to reach while using the vacuum. I also would prefer having the cord hook higher on the handle to reduce the tendency of running over the cord when you pull the unit backwards. The handle curves back and down into a closed loop making it easy to pull the cleaner. This is good since this is not a self-propelled model. Though the spinning brush makes pushing the cleaner quite easy, it does take a bit more force to pull the cleaner back. The curved handle, as well as a built-in grip on the back of the unit, is helpful when you have to pick up and carry the 22-pound cleaner. Another grip on the front, just below the HEPA filter, can be used to lift the cleaner up stairs.
The first thing you notice when you use the 4870 is that it is relatively quiet. The motor and suction make a low rushing sound and the beater brush makes a moderate hum. You can carry on a conversation while vacuuming. Carpet cleaning is first-rate and, according to consumer magazine tests, as good as, or better than, any other vacuum cleaner. Pushing the vacuum over plush carpeting will leave some slight lines in the pile, while pulling it leaves a nice smooth finish. So, I end each stroke with pulling. From the base of the unit the dirt runs up through a clear plastic tube that can be easily removed to clear a clog.
To vacuum a hard floor, you flip a small lever to turn off the beater brush, then set the cleaning height to the hard floor setting. In a surprising departure from good design, the lever to turn off the brush takes about 10 pounds of force to move to the hard floor setting. I thought the unit was defective at first, but it just takes more force than you would expect to move the lever. Another lever that is hard to push is the footswitch that releases the handle from the upright position. If you aren't wearing shoes, you will have to use your heel to push the lever.
The 15-inch wide cleaning width speeds up the vacuuming chore, but prevents you from getting between spaces that a narrower cleaner would fit. Though I didn't find a specific reference to it in the instructions, continuing to press the handle release footswitch while lowering the handle will allow you to drop the unit to totally horizontal, which allows the cleaner to roll under areas as low as nine inches high. That really helps in floor cleaning under furniture.
In addition to floor cleaning, you can easily switch the suction to the onboard hose and use the tools to clean any surface. The suction from the hose is very strong. Unlike many other vacuum cleaners, when the 4870's handle is placed in the upright position, the beater brush turns off. This feature allows you to use the hose while the unit stays in one place without worrying about a spinning brush abrading the floor under the unit. An onboard set of nested wands can be assembled and placed on the end of the hose, though the symbols to assist you in proper wand assembly are hard to see. I recommend buying the 15-ft extension hose from the Eureka web site. With it, you can place the cleaner in the center of a large room, or at the bottom of stairs, and reach a long distance.
Though the cord, hose, wands, crevice tool and dusting brush can all be easily removed from and replaced in their mountings, the upholstery tool cannot. In another departure from good design, the upholstery tool takes a lot of positioning and pressing to get it to click into place and it can pop off it not set exactly right. Eureka needs to redesign the clips.
What sets the 4870 apart from many other cleaners is the fact that it has a fully-sealed "True HEPA" vacuum system which means allergy causing dust particles are not recirculated back into the room. The replaceable HEPA filter that comes with the unit should be replaced every six bag changes.
Filters, belts and bags are not readily found at local department stores, but you can order them from online vacuum retailers or directly from Eureka.
Customer Review: A little heavy, but besides that it is EXCELLENT
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this vacuum after reading all the reviews here. They were truly helpful. As mentioned on previous reviews, the vacuum was a little heavy to carry around. However, the cleaning power was second to none. This was the first vacuum that did not blow dust around as I vacuum. Because of HEPA, air seemed cleaner than before. Again, absolutely no dust in the air! It was amazing. Strongly recommend this product!!Customer Review: A lot of power.
Summary: 4 Stars
The reviews I read about this vacuum before I bought it are absolutely correct about its characteristics. It does produce a lot of air in front of it, the plug does come out easily, and the handle release works hard (at first).
The handle release works easier with each use, and now I can even operate it in my bare feet. I solved the problem with the plug coming out by buying an adapter for the electrical outlet where I plug the vacuum most often. It's made of a softer plastic, and it provides a little more friction than the outlet alone, so the plug stays in.
I can't be sure whether or not the HEPA filter actually does anything, but this vacuum does a great job of cleaning.
Customer Review: A quality vacuum - never buy a cheapie!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned this vacuum for months now, after owning a less expensive Eureka ($70-80) that we swore at daily. The previous Eureka had so many problems and as of late starting smelling like rubber, was burning and not sucking up dirt anymore...so it's in the garbage. We ordered this Eureka 4870DT and are quite impressed! Took a while to receive it, but I was patient because I got a super promotion that totalled only $120.94, brand new off Amazon!Positives of vacuum:
- Wider path cleans your home MUCH faster.
- Sucks up grime and dirt much better and thoroughly than previous Eureka.
- Don't have to go over the same spot a billion times to get it clean.
- The power button is on TOP, before we had to use a foot-controlled release and it really was a true hassle!!
- It has a headlight - need I say more?
- Bagless are nice, but we don't want to touch our dirt...comes with many bags too!
- Looks attractive and expensive over previous cheapie model.
Negatives:
- Heavier than we thought it'd be, I wouldn't lug it upstairs on a daily basis.
- Be careful moving it, don't let it bang around too much, we broke a belt that way. Thankfully another one was included in the box, but they are cheap anyways. It's just a hassle when belts break (the vacuum won't suck, but it'll make noise), that means your belt has broken...easy to replace.
I don't think there's any more negatives so far.
Overall, I'd rate in an A-, compared to our last Eureka nighmare A++++++.
P.S. the first thing I thought when I got it out of the box was, "this vacuum looks like a lawn mower"...it has a yellow/green color scheme, it's a fun vacuum and gets the job done at an exceptional price!
Good