Eureka 431BXZ Optima Lightweight Upright Vacuum Cleaner

Great little vacuum!
Well, I don't know about dirt, rocks or some of these other items people are trying to pick up with this $50 broom, but we have a virtual carpet of pet hair at home thanks to our dog, and after using this broom we can finally see our floors again. We'd tried mops and those swiffer products to no avail, but this baby picks everything up in a heartbeat with little effort, and cleanup is a snap (the reviewer that said it was cumbersome - what are you doing? press the button, bottom comes off, empty and snap back on. done.)

Now, will it work as well as a serious vacuum? Of course not. "Everything" does not mean every single thing. It's a $50 broom-vac combo, come on - not a $500 Dyson model. It sounds like some people expect all vacuums to work alike.

For basic dust, papers, and certainly lots and lots of pet hair, this puppy more than gets my vote.

Shop-Vac 925-63-10 12-Gallon 6 HP Tool-Start Wet/Dry Vacuum BISSELL Vacuum STYLE 8 HEPA FILTERS 3750-2 Dyson DC14 Total Clean Upright Factory Serviced Bissell Cleanview II Bagless Upright Vacuum Bissell 499A Little green Formula 32oz. Bissell Deep Cleaner Pump Motor Emer Usa 908000 1350w Hercules Upright Vacuum Blue/grey Eureka 431F Optima Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner Woolite 850B Rug Stick Carpet & Rug Cleaner Replacement Bissell Style 7 Belts (2 Pack)

Good for limited purposes
I have purchased two of these vacuums. Both work very well on bare floors and area rugs. But they will overheat and cut out temporarily if using the power nozzle in dwellings with wall to wall carpet. I have called the company to report the problem and was advised that they are not meant to clean entire houses or apartments, or even entire rooms of any size with wall to wall carpeting. The company says they are meant for "touch-up" cleaning in small areas. Nevertheless, as I said, they have worked well cleaning an entire small house with bare floors (and not using the power nozzle). It ia using the nozzle for extended periods of time that apparently causes the overheating.

Bissell 2031093 BELT -2PK POWERFORCE , REPL Dirt Devil Kone Vacuum Pink BISSELL VACUUM MOTOR BAGLESS VAC UPRIGHT Bissell 3990 Total Floors Velocity Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner Hoover S3825 Elite Cyclonic Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner with Power Nozzle Bissell User's Guide Little Green Portable Deep Cleaner (Series 1720 & 1725) Metro Vacuum, Data-Vac, 2BA, Pro Series, 120V, 60Hz Bissell Pet Odor and Soil Removal Formula - 128 oz. Filtrete Bissell 7 and 9 Filter, 1 Filter Per Pack Sanitaire Commercial Three-Speed Air Mover with Built-On Dolly

Some good points, some bad points...
This vacuum came today and since my house has not been vacuumed for about 2 weeks, I got it right out and started cleaning.

What I like:

It's very quiet considering the power that it has. You can actually have a conversation while it's operating. Also, the fact that the hose can rotate all the way around is great, the old one did not and that got to be a hassle. The hose is very long, much longer than one's I've used in the past. That comes in handy for doing shelves, picture frames, tops of doors, door frames, windows, curtain tops, you name it. It's very light and is easy to move from room to room. The power head has a light, and while I know that's been a feature on vacuums for the last 25 years, it's new to me since the vacuum I had was about that old. I like the fact that you can turn it off at the handle instead of on the machine part. I LOVE that you can amp up the speed via a power rheostat. That kind of control is unheard of on a vacuum. I like the air bag assembly, seems easy to use, but to be honest, I am not done with the first bag yet. I like the foot-controlled release on the power head to switch to the wood floor attachment quickly. I like the color a lot and the big wheels can go over the cord without getting stuck. Seems to steer fairly well. I like some aspects of the power paw, the fact that it can do curtains and some upholstery.

What I don't like:

Both the body of the machine and the power head have no rubber bumpers. I have some nice furniture and now have to be pretty careful on corners. The power head seems to rotate to the right and this is, I'm assuming, for ease on pulling backwards on it during use. But why doesn't it rotate to the left as well? Odd. There's no caddy (unless you count the odd one that attaches to the tube) for the attachments, especially the power paw. It seems that they could have easily made one for this machine. The power paw itself is somewhat misleading. There is actually zero electric power to it, it's driven by suction which makes the brush turn. However, if you are working on a semi-flat surface, that suction stops and thus so does the mechanism. Why didn't they just electrify it? I was pretty disappointed about that because it's one of the main reasons I bought this for 50 dollars more than the competition. So, Wind Paw? Yes. Power Paw? No. I found that the power head does not have nearly the cleaning power of my old one and I feel this is due to NOT having beater bars on the rotating cleaning brush. I'm hoping the better suction makes up for this but we'll see. The other attachments are just OK, but the crevice tool is not as long as my old one and the brush is not nearly as soft or nice, somewhat stiff, cheap plastic bristles. So, I'm keeping the old ones since they fit this vacuum. (Sears Kenmore Vacuum, circa 1979,for those interested.) I don't like the fact that they ship this vacuum with ONE bag and force you to immediately buy bags which, (as others have stated) are hard to find. Without the internet, I'd be sunk. I don't like the wood floor attachment as it is almost too wide and can't fit into any smaller spaces.

All in all, I'm happy with this and will get used to it's shortcomings. I guess they just don't make ANYTHING like they used to. I'd give it 3.5 stars if that was possible, so I guess you could say I like it more than I don't. At least now my house is vacuumed.

Shop Vac Two-stage 2.0 HP Peak; 6 gallon lightweight poly tank w/ power nozzle Sure Vac Ventury Vac Kit Dirt Devil 0871X Scorpion Quick-Flip Handheld Vacuum Cleaner and Inflator Extreme Power Wet/Dry Hand Vac Sanitaire by Electcrolux S782AT Lightweight Vauum Cleaner (Sanitaire 782, Sanitaire S 782 AT) BISSELL MODEL 35301 BELTS BISSELL Vacuum BELT REPL 3065 BISSELL 3065 FILTER BISSELL VAC ACCESSORIES ZING FILTER & BAG KIT BISSELL STNLSS STEEL CLEANER

Could not have my dog without it
I love this blower. I just bought a second one for my weekend house. I blow off my furry dog every other day and dry him with this after baths or rainy walks. He gets dusty after a few days, but this blower ends that. This would be great for people who are allergic to dog dander. Just blow it away. I just wish my wife's cats would keep still so I could blow off their loose fur ;-) My dog actually looks forward to me using this on him. He runs to me when I turn it on.
I even use it to blow the dust out of the car seats. When my wife is away, I use it to dust the house! They sell the same blower as a motorcycle dryer.

Bissell 14005 Little Green Compact Carpet Cleaner Dirt Devil Stick Broom Kruz Cordless Floor Glider Bissell BISSELL 32115 VACUUM BAGS Dirt Devil M08210 Scorpion Turbo Bagless Hand Vacuum Singer Vacuum Bags, 3 Bags Bissell BISSELL 555-9020 TIP,ASSY,HOSE Dirt Devil Power Reach HEPA Hand Vac Dyson - Slim DC18 All Floors HEPA Bagless Upright Vacuum - Iron/Titanium/Yellow Bissell 9200 ProHeat 2X Upright Deep Carpet Cleaner Dyson Vacuum Cleaner

Don't Buy This One
Heats up fast, but be prepared to don your gas mask or only use outside as the pungent odor emitted from the flexible hose is enough to send you gasping for fresh air within the first 60 seconds of use.

Bissell 799APet Odor and Stain Removal Formula 32oz. Eureka C2132A Heavy Duty Commercial Bagless - Dirt Cup Upright Vacuum Cleaner Remanufactured Dyson 09331-11 DC15 All Floors Remanufactured Dyson 09332-09 DC15 All Floors Upright Vacuum Cleaner Bissell Multi-Allergen Removal Formula Electrolux Home Care EL5035A Oxygen3 Upright Vacuum HOOVER HEPA FILTER BAGLESS WASHABLE 43611-042, #40140201 Honeywell H31002 Bissell Style 2 Replacement Belt Type 2 Bissell Vacuum Cleaner Replacement Bag (3 Pack) Eureka 6510A WhirlWind XL 12-Amp Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner