There are many things in my life that I'm thankful for, but today, I'm most thankful for the most reliable vacuum I have owned, the Eureka Smart Vacuum 4870MZ.
I guess you could say I'm hard on vacuums.
It seems like I've owned a different vacuum cleaner every year & a half! I've had a dinosaur bag vac, an expensive bag vac, inexpensive bagless vacuums, a very expensive bagless, and now back to a moderately priced bag vacuum.
As an unofficial consumer expert on vacuums, my top 5, all-time, most important qualities in a vacuum cleaner are as follows: 1.
Power! 2.
Cord length 3.
Hose extension 4.
Does it make me sneeze? 5.
Did it break the bank? Power is a given.
If it doesn't have enough juice to suck up a measly dust bunny, why even both.
My current vacuum of choice, Eureka Smart Vac 4870MZ, is a work horse with 12 amps of power.
It makes my carpet look as if it were brand new! Just like my previous, expensive bagless vacuum.
As for the power cord, anything 25 feet and above is essential.
My Eureka Smart Vac 4870MZ has a 30 feet power cord.
Unless you want to be interrupted in mid-vacuuming because you turned a corner & lost power, longer power cord is important! I've broken a prong off my first bagged vacuum because of coming up short repeatedly.
The best part of my dearly departed expensive bagless vacuum, the hose reached a majority of the stairs.
My Eureka Smart Vac 4870MZ gets good grades on that mark too.
The hose is pretty versatile with having 8 feet of extension, plus it comes with the standard attachments and the Power Paw(TM) for upholstery cleaning.
Does it make me sneeze? The answer, if it's a bagless vacuum, then yes.
The beauty of a bagless vacuum is there is no need to buy replacement bags.
Despite being a very nice feature, it's really not for people with allergies.
I believe I'm not alone when I say that emptying the dust cup is pretty nasty.
The cloud of dust that poufs up from the garbage can is a sneeze waiting to happen.
I used to take my canister outside, slip a grocery bag over the end, and then look away while I emptied my canister.
I didn't mind so much, until it got cold outside.
I'm sure there are better ways to manage the dirty task of emptying the dust cup or canister, but for me, I decided to go back to the bag.
Dirt is contained and never to be breathed in again.
The sealed HEPA filtration system is another really important factor, especially for an allergy or asthma sufferer.
As the carpets and floors get cleaned, so does the air you breathe.
Isn't that refreshing? Did it break the bank? The old saying, "You get what you pay for" is true, but to an extent.
There are obvious differences between cheap and expensive vacuums.
Depending on your level of need and use, inexpensive may work for you.
There are some features I can't live without.
An On/Off switch for the beater bar/brushroll is one of them.
If you have hardwoods or other bare floors, this can be a really important factor.
Unfortunately, this feature is usually present on more expensive vacuum cleaners.
The beater bar/brushroll control switch is a feature of both my departed bagless expensive and my current Eureka Smart Vac 4870MZ.
I've had vacuums that offer a bare floor selection on the height adjustment.
This works well in vacuums with good suction.
Ever get dirt kicked back at you? Plus, when you use the hose attachment, the beater bar is still rolling.
This can cause damage to your flooring, especially if the brushroll is low enough to catch the carpet.
For a 1/3 of the price of a bagless expensive vacuum cleaner, the Eureka Smart Vac 4870MZ performs well & has a lot of bells and whistles required to be a worthy, versatile vacuum cleaner.
So, if you're in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, I hope you remember the Top 5.
For a moderate price of under $150, the Eureka Smart Vac 4870MZ is an excellent choice.