Vacuum Cleaner Reviews

I own a small home and figured a little canister would be perfect. This vacuum has excellent suction on hard floors, but make sure you pre-sweep. The opening on the hard floor attachment is large but narrows to a steep bend only a couple centimeters wide. This means anything bigger than light debris will get stuck and choke the vacuum. This is not a practicle idea for those with kids. (Never seen a kid to make a 'light' mess with 'small particles'. I have three, so I *know*). I can sum the carpet cleaning abilities in one word... UUUUGHHHHH! The brush is *air* powered, not electronicly driven. This creates a huge problem. I own a Newfoundland (130lb shaggy black dog) that constantly sheds. The brush is not strong enought to fully pick up the hair, which then clogs the little plastic turbine that powers it. This can take hours to clean. The canister has a 'trap door' release that works great at first, but after a couple of large loads gets stuck and forces you to manually remove the contents of the canister. GROSS! Recently my vacuum has aquired a smell of coroded batteries after ~10 min. of cleaning, and three COMPLETE (removal of filters, scrubbing, etc.) cleanings have not done away with it. Overall, I am glad I bought this thing on sale. It is a waste of money for anyone even with *minimal* carpeting (like me). I won't be buying anymore Euro-Pro Products!!

After waking up another morning barely able to breathe (welcome to Texas!), I got a little obsessive and decided it was time for a new vacuum. After reading hundreds of online reviews, I decided my top 3 choices were... the Dyson Animal (2 cats) the Westinghouse 1551 (the original Fantom), and the Shark Pursuit. I eliminated the Dyson based on price and looked everywhere for the westinghouse... unfortunately I couldn't find any retailers who carried the product. I didn't want to order online because I wanted to be able to return the product if I didn't like it. so that left the Pursuit. Let me clarify...as far as I can tell, the Pursuit and the Stealth are the same product. I brought my little canister home and started on the living room... I had to empty the canister at least 3 times! I was soooo pleased! :) The amount of hair I picked up was literally disgusting. But I was also encouraged and couldn't stop sucking up cat hair! It actually brought back the bright navy color in my fiance's couch! We had been talking about having it reupholstered but now it looks so much better I think we can put it off for a while... And I'm SURE we picked up hair from the previous owners' two dogs... we have been here 2 years. (!!!) I was disappointed, however, in how it worked on the floors... I wasn't altogether pleased with the floor tools. So I brought home the Pursuit upright and the Ultimate Roadster upright... both were great for the floors, but I couldn't get under the furniture and when I tried to clean the upholstery the hoses would contract and pull the main unit up against me. I guess it shows how great the suction is, but it's NOT exactly easy to use this way. SOOO... after even more searching, I found the greatest thing!!! Linen's and Things www.LNT.com carries this product in their stores and online for $129.. WITH a MOTORIZED power head!!! it's GREAT!!! well worth the extra $30!!! NOW the floors get REALLY clean, and I can suck all the junk out of the upholstery too! YAY!!! So, here are the specifics for the model I'm keeping-- The Shark Pursuit canister, model number EP724M... The main unit is 10.3 amps and the power head (the floor brush) is 1.7 amps... still a total of 12 amps for cleaning the floors, slightly less for the above floor stuff, but I can't really tell the difference, and it's probably a good thing considering the suction power.

pros: -Cleans great! good little sucker, especially for the price!

-easy to maneuver

-my house smelled much fresher after using it, so I guess the HEPA filter is doing it's job....

-FABULOUS for cleaning upholstery, etc... I even sucked cat hair off the curtains (be careful!)

-the air powered turbobrush did get clogged alot, but since I bought the motorized powerhead I don't have to worry about that.

Cons-- I agree with everyone else, the filter is very difficult to clean... the dispenser somehow traps all the hair around the filter, so you have to reach in and pull everything out. I'm considering trying a few things, like waxing the inside of the canister, etc... to see if I can't get this resolved. I also plan on buying a second hepa filter at the suggestion of another reviewer and switching out so I'll always have a clean one. I also have been vacuuming the filter with my old hoover upright and that seems to help alot, too. PLUS, my upright uses hepa bags so the mites and yuck stay where they belong. (this vac was good for sucking dust, but not much else)

The cord is quite short, but I have lots of outlets so it's not a huge problem for me.

Doesn't come with the little pet hair turbobrush, but I found them to be incredibly noisy-painful even- I'm going to order one from another company (about $30)to see if theirs works better.

Somewhat inconsistent product quality-- I recommend buying local and if you have a problem with one exchange it for another one before you give up entirely. of the four I tried, one smelled funny when I turned it on... If I had decided on that one, I would have exchanged it.

OH! by the way... I started this project on Sunday, and Monday morning woke up much less congested..(even though we have a HEPA air purifier in the bedroom) Tuesday morning even better... looks like it's working! I think I'm going to vacuum the mattress again..... ;) byebye dust mites!!!

I am glad that I bought the Shark Stealth canister which ended my canister vacuum research. I bought two other lightweight canisters (Bissell and Sanyo) recently and had to return them due to the malfunctioned parts and lack of suction/no suction power. Here are the pros and cons of Shark Stealth:

Pros:
- Comes with turbo brush which helps pick up dust underneath the carpet and pet hair.
- Best suction among many canisters that I've tried.
- Light weight and easy to maneuver. The main unit basically follows me everywhere I vacuum without much pulling, a very amazing design compared with other canisters.
- Perfect brush size and rotating connector which allow me to vacuum underneath the bed and around almost all my furniture without having to move them.
- Easy to empty dust cup
- Retractable cord and on board attachments
- Easy to assemble (took just a minute from the time I opened the box to the time I started vacuuming)

Cons:
- Cord is a bit short
- HEPA filter requires some effort to clean. (I used the attachment on my upright Hoover with bag to suck up the dust in the HEPA filter.)

From reading the other reviews, I gather I was lucky that I didn't see the infomercial before buying my EuroPro Shark Bagless Stick Broom. I didn't see this little guy picking up any safes or bowling balls, so my expectations didn't get all out of whack.

I bought this because we just moved into a house that has mostly bare floors and two flights of stairs. I knew going into my purchase that electric brooms aren't really made for carpets and handheld vacuum cleaners have less power than than big ol' uprights. But I knew I wanted the portability of both the electric broom and a handheld vac, and this fit the bill.

And I've gotta say that I'm pleased with how it does what I bought it to do. It does a fine job of cleaning my hardwood and tile floors and it gets the stairs done, too. The flight of stairs with a carpeted runner took a little work, but I'm willing to go over the same spot 2-3 times if it means I don't have to lug a massive machine up and down the steps. It also did a fine job on some of my small area rugs. But I agree that when it comes to carpets with any pile height at all, the Shark isn't the best choice.

So I don't think I'm going to give up my full size vacuum; it has its place--cleaning my two carpeted rooms, when my mother-in-law visits, etc. But for quick sweeping, I think my Shark will do just fine.

This vac had one problem in 3 years; the insulation where the cord attaches to the unit is cracking. A little electrical tape fixed it.
I can just imagine the low ratings being doled out by inept mongoloids grunting and smashing their vacuums into a mess in an attempt to clean the carpet.
Let me tell you, the Euro-pro stick vac picked up a ton of stuff left behind by my expensive Eureka upright. That one had expensive HEPA filters and shot dirt around the room. When I vacuumed hillbilly style, the dirt would sting my bare feet.
The shark has no whirling brush to shoot dirt or become entangled in hair. If you press it against the carpet and pass back and forth a couple times, you'll have carpets cleaner than new. It's best for small homes and apartments with hard floors and sucks up everything. I no longer have to stop every few minutes to clean the rollers or floor attachment. Don't use nozzle attachments to clean carpets, use the floor piece and put a little muscle into it. It's incredible for it's size!
It's obviously not for cleaning the whole house, it's much too small. But on area rugs, stairs and in cars, this thing is a dream.
It doesn't take a genius to empty the thing outdoors, where the dust won't get reintroduced into the house. Also, if you're a freak with a pituitary disorder, it will be painful to hunch over this thing. Get a full size euro pro instead.
You can avoid burning up the motor by a simple procedure I call "emptying the dust bin". I'm so smart; I empty it after every use! The tap clean filter traps the tiniest dust particles. Piles of skin cells and little hairs were extracted from what I thought was a clean mattress.
Impressive! Most impressive! Obey Wan taught this vacuum well.

I have 2 dogs and a house with all hardwood floor with the exception of a couple of rugs. While my regular upright works fine on the carpet it is terrible on barefloors. I was using a shopvac to vacuum the hardwood floor...but who wants to lug a huge and noisy machine? I wanted something to do a good job on the floor but was small and not over $100. PROS: Lightweight; small head fits under beds and in tight corners; no bags to mess with (and I like that you can actually see what you have sucked up!); good suction; easy to store and has all the tools on board so you won't lose them; handle extends to various heights; easy to assemble and disassemble CONS: Doesn't replace a regular full size vacuum for doing carpet; collection cup for dust has to be emptied frequently; head seems a little bit flimsy...but will probably be okay I would recommend to anyone who needs a product to clean their hardwood floors!

I purchased this sweeper 9 months ago & it no longer has the suction that it should have. I called the Euro-Pro technical support line & was told to clean the filters and remove the beater brush and clean it as well. As expected, this did not solve the problem. The only satisfaction possible from this worthless company is to send the sweeper back to them--DON'T FORGET TO SEND THEM $16.99 & PAY FOR SHIPPING CHARGES!!! THEY ALSO INFORM YOU THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE THE REPAIRED SWEEPER BACK IN 4-6 WEEKS!!! I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THIS COMPANY AGAIN!!!

I had purchased this vacuum less than a year ago and boy do I regret it! I have a small living room and the thing overheats and shuts down before I can manage to finish the floor. It's messy to clean to say the least. The hose clogs frequently, the filter more frequently. Granted, it has good sucking power...when it's new and with it's first use after that it's a piece of crap. Customer service reps should all be smacked if anyone can ever find them because they're so hard to get a hold of. Do yourself a favor, spend your money on a well known quality vacuum.

I just bought this vacuum last week and after using it, I'm 100% satisfied with the purchase. It is significantly better than other vacuums I've owned (ShopVac and Kenmore) and the HEPA filter is awesome! It was able to pick up all the cat hair (i have two cats that shed a lot!!) on the first try, and was extremely easy to empty out and clean.

Although I have only used this a few times, my initial review is: DEFINITELY GET THIS. I wasn't looking to spend more than $$$ on a vacuum since I have a small studio, and I'm very happy with this vacuum!

We'll have to see how it holds up over time, of course...

DON'T BUY THIS VACUUM!!! I had it less than 3 months before it stopped working. I took it to a vacuum repair place and they changed the belt (it had broken) but it still doesn't work. Like the other reviews say, it shuts itself off after 5 minutes and doesn't pick up anything in the canister!

This is the crappiest vacuum cleaner I have ever bought! It turns off by itself, clogs on the bottom, just carpet fibers of all things, without even reaching the cup. I've cleaned it, cleaned the hoses, checked the belt, everything, it works sometimes, and within 5 minutes it turns off, like if it's over heating and clogging. Where can I complain to the company at?

This vacuum is horrible. The filters constantly clog. The smallest amount of dirt in the cup cuts down the sunction incredibly. No floor brush is included and the hose and cord are both too short. I don't know what it was designed for, but certainly not for effortless vacuuming.

This Vac stops working after a few month, the Vac is loud and battery life is extremely short. On a full charge, it can only vac for a few minutes, very disappointing.

Initialy the suction was strong but within six months the battery life was down to 2 minutes. The dust cup is a mess to clean out. The unit is heavy, and it does not fit well on the charger base. It is going into the trash!

I have to admit that I love this vacuum, but I,too, have had lots of problems with the battery packs. I called the company and they sent me a new battery pack, but the connectors were made out of what looked like lead foil and in the process of installing the battery (no easy feat) it twisted and broke one of the connections. I will need to either solder this one or buy another if I am going to continue to use this vacuum. I use it basically to pick up dry pet food and cat litter, but also use it for small pickups around the house. I had an old Black and Decker DustBuster which lasted for years, (Approx. 15) but the new ones I bought were terrible. I tried a Bissel rechargable vac and it too did not work well, wouldn't even pick up spilled cat chow, so I bought a Hoover Rechargable vac and had the same problem. I have a EuroPro canister vacuum that I use in combination with my upright vacuum and had been very satisfied with that so I decided to try this cordless. Vacuum is great-power packs are frustrating at best. I now have 3 cordless vacuums and none of them work well. By the way. I tossed the new Black and Decker DustBusters that I bought, they were nothing like the early model for performance.

I purchased a Euro-Pro Shark Spectra (UV-204) about 1 year ago. In this time, I have had to change the belt that drives the agitator about 8 times. I do NOT vacuum excessively (once / 2 weeks at most); I also have hardwood floors!

The drive belt is always in very good condition when I replace it, except it appears to have been worn in 1 or 2 spots, causing it to break. It is almost as if the drive spindle melts the belt somehow.

I am EXTREMELY unsatisfied with this purchase. My idea of a good vacuum is NOT one where I have to replace a part every third use. Also, it is very difficult to take the cover off and replace the belts - the cord holder is in the way and hard to remove, and due to the "stylish" design, you have to bend the plastic cover around the bag area.

I came to Amazon because i have 2 broken Shark vaccum's not the widepath but the thinner ones and they both have broken beater(roller) brushes on them. Against any BETTER judgement, my husband said he wanted another one, and bought the widepath. We took it home and it worked for vaccumming the whole house and then just stopped running. I changed plugs and moved in around the house and nothing happened. I took it back and what a surprise the store we bought it at only had the floor model left and didn't have plans on ordering anymore. Sounds to me like this may be discontined. On another swift note for Shark, i bought the hand held steam cleaner and when you let go of the handle the steam keeps coming out. NO MORE Shark products for this girl or my household. They sure do advertise well but need to hire more experienced people to assemble thier products!!!!

I bought this vaccuum about 4 months ago. After 2 months the motor started to make a horrific noise, so i called the shark people. The 1800 # was constantly busy for days so i actually had to call them directly in canada and was on hold forever.Finally got thru and explained problem. lady was rude and told me was the belt which i knew it was not considering i had already inspecked the dang thing myself. She ended up hanging up on me because she did not want to hear my explanation.So she sent me belts hat arrived 1 month later. What do you know, it wasnt the belts.took it to vaccuum shop and told me was roller brush.so i called long distance again and they told me they would send me a roller brush which its been 3 weeks now. Dont even want roller brush anymore, got new vaccuum since shark didnt want to refund money. Just glad that i dont have to deal with that company anymore. As for my shark, i have junked it and will never buy one again. The darn thing didnt even work but for 2 months.

This vacuum cleaner overheats and shuts down after 5 minutes of use. It takes me hours to complete vacuuming my apartment ( I can't even imagine having to vacuum a whole house with this useless contraption ). I dread having to use it and have to plan times when I can vacuum a few feet (or until it overheats) and then go back to it later. The belt just broke and now I'm having a hard time finding replacement belts to buy...they don't sell them on their website. I will NEVER buy a Shark product again. I'm surprised these people are still in business!!!

I've had the vacuum 6 months, three of which is worked and three of which I've been waiting for a replacement of the spinning brush. It's currently on backorder which means that a lot of people are having the same problem. The website is impossible to find and if you call them they are absolutely helpless! We finally broke down and bought another vacuum. Try Eureka, they're excellent.

My belt broke also and i bought a sears brand replacement belt for a kenmore vac. It is belt number 5287 for upright vacs. You will have to pull a little to fit it on but it works just like new. You get two belts for $4 and some change. You can buy it from sears.com also.

I bought this vacuum recently at Best Buy because I saw the advertisements on TV that made it seem great. It turned out to be opposite of the commercials. This vacuum is poorly built and appears to be fragile, not made to last. When the agitator is turned on, it makes a very loud sound that over powers the sound of the vacuum motor itself. Within minutes of the 1st use, it began to make a strong burning plastic smell. I returned it within 24 hours of purchase and bought a Eureka 4885 which is far superior. Overall, this Euro-Pro is not even worth twenty bucks. Vacuums that cost $60 will easily out perform this vacuum. Stay away from it unless you want to deal with the hassle of returning it.