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| Brand: Eureka
Category: Kitchen
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $37.99
You Save: $22.00 (37%)
New (14) Used (1) from $37.99
Rating:  364 reviews
Sales Rank: 42
Color: Sunflower Yellow
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 6.9
Dimensions (in): 15 x 7 x 7
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 34529
Model: 71B
UPC: 023169117174
EAN: 0023169117174
ASIN: B0006HUYGM
Release Date: June 27, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Eureka 71B Hand Held Vacuum - Few Alternatives But Far From Perfect - Review Your Options October 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In my search for a hand held vacuum that is powerful and useful, the EUR 71B crossed my path. I was quite impressed by the high marks the vacuum has received. Unfortunately, I believe those high marks may be the result of one of two things: either people's expectations of a hand vacuum were lower two years ago when most of those rave reviews were written, or people's expectations of a hand vacuum are much lower than mine. Don't get me wrong, this vacuum is pretty good and has a lot going for it. But as far as my search for the perfect hand vacuum, the search continues.
The main disappointment I have with this unit can be summed up with one simple statement: the basic design is nothing special, and in fact is quite similar to the handheld black and decker hand-vac I remember from the late 80s. There's a small motor that drives the dirt into a plastic catch area behind a filter. The filter get's very dirty quickly and even with careful cleaning and maintenance it will have to be replaced regularly. And the intake is nothing more than a plastic flap that is opened by air flow and never quite closed firmly. Not to mention, the dust bin compartment, while conveniently detachable, is quite small and an absolute mess to clean.
Now the replacement filter is sold here, which is nice. But the list price of this bad boy is quite high for such a basic design. I have no doubt that the motor in this unit is stronger than the B&D hand helds I used 20 years ago. Still, like all such designs even with regular maintenance, cleaning, and changing of filters, the motor will eventually fail.
In some ways, even with all the negatives this might still be one of your better options. It does have a few positives going for it. The list price may be high, but it's still less than the corresponding Dyson hand-held. And the power is, like I said, noticeably stronger than hand-helds of the past. And the sliding front guard and aggressive brush make this design much better than most at cleaning stair risers. Still, there is a lot that could be improved upon. I willingly admit that this vacuum performs better than some others, but I still expected a little more for the money.
I wanted something powerful but I didn't want to spend Dyson prices on a hand-held vacuum. In the end, I may end up getting that model after all. While I'm not quite convinced it will be better, I have to do some testing to find out.
Review your options. This may fit your needs, but if you feel you found a better alternative please post some info for me in the comments section.
Pros
+ The internal motor is more powerful than older hand-held vacuums I remember
+ The brush is also somewhat more aggressive, and the sliding front guard is perfect for cleaning stair risers
+ The vacuum captures plenty of dirt
+ The cord rewinds conveniently around the base
+ The rotating front guard is great for stair risers
+ The motor is less noisy than some hand-held vacuums
Cons
- The design is pretty old fashioned considering the list price
- The corded power makes it impractical for mobile auto cleaning
- A small bin and an aggressive brush means you will have to empty it often
- The dust filter is messy and requires frequent cleaning, maintenance and replacement
- Emptying is messy, not good for those with dust allergies
- The brush catches hair and is not well designed for hair removal
- The detail attachment seems impractical with such a short hose
- The bright yellow color won't please everybody
- The bin release button is poorly located
Those with a larger budget may want to try the newer Dyson model. I can't vouch for it yet, but it's worth a try. However, if you are price-sensitive you may still opt to put up with the shortcomings of this unit to save a few bucks.
Enjoy.
 It was great until it began to smoke October 20, 2008
I am disappointed with the warranty service provided by the manufacturer. I purchased the Eureka hand-held vacuum after reading the Amazon reviews. I use it infrequently, maybe once over month or two months since it's only used to pick up the dust on wood floor that isn't picked up by the broom or even the Swiffer. It worked just fine for the application. However, I've barely had it two years, when one day when using it for five minutes, it began smoking and the burning smells emanated from the machine. I quickly turned it off, unplugged the unit and let it cool off. A couple of days later, after cleaning out the nearly-empty dust tray, I turned it on again and, again, it began to smoke. I wrote to the manufacture and they replied three weeks later that because the unit was past the one year warranty, I would have to pay for any repairs. In other words, it doesn't matter the malfunction was likely because of how they made the product; I was still stuck with the cost of fixing it. It would be cheaper to just buy a new one. I understand the warranty policy, but as I mentioned, I rarely used this machine and when it is used, it's to pick up the loose dust and dust bunnies, not large-sized particles and other junk some people may use it for. It's a pity that they couldn't take the courtesy to examine this machine (given its' light usage) to check to see if it needs to be recalled for this burning and smoking issue. Instead, they said a 1-year warranty is all they honor. So be careful in case this product begins to burn and smoke one day when you're using it. Hopefully, you haven't had it for over a year because this manufacturer will not honor the cost of getting it fixed. I'm very disappointed in their attitude and as a matter of principle, will not purchase from them again.
 Eureka! October 19, 2008
This is a great little vacuum. I believe it would suck the skin off an elephant! The only complaint I have is that is LOUD!! But, I have two cats, so I needed something powerful, and I got it!
 Eureka! I found it! October 15, 2008
With two dogs we have a lot of dog hair on our area rugs and upholstery--and our black lab's fur sticks like glue on upholstery. We've tried almost every lint/dog hair remover on the market and nothing has worked (going through reams of that sticky roller tape is expensive). Even our upright vacuum upholstery attachments failed to do the job. We went shopping.
The Amazon reviews for the Eureka hand-held vacuum were good, the price was right, so we took the plunge and bought it. Received it in just a couple of days. The results were amazing. This is a powerful machine and the suction is perfect. The dog hair problem is no longer a problem. It also does an amazing job cleaning our area rugs, and it usually takes everything up with only one pass. The dirt cup is evidence that it works! It's easy to operate and the crevice tool fits neatly in the back for easy access. It also does a nice job on car upholstery, too.
Cons: It's noisy, it's a little heavy
It totally sucks! October 11, 2008
I use this vacuum exclusively for cleaning my truck, and at no time do I doubt my purchase; I'm consistently amazed at the amount of dust and dirt that I empty out of the dust cup, even after going over carpet that appears to be clean.
Some of the other reviewers are noting that the vacuum is a bit heavy, and I'll admit that after two hours of cleaning (I'm extremely meticulous) it does begin to make the arms tired. When I switch it on, the torque of the motors (there are two!) activating cause it to jolt in my hand. And I can definitely feel the power as the crevice tool will really yank any junk out of whatever it's cleaning, in addition to the fantastic sucking power of the main brush.
The only real problems I have with the vacuum are that (1) After a while, it can get very warm and sometimes too hot to touch. NOTE that this has never caused a problem with the vacuum itself; I just shut it down for a minute, then continue. (2) Twice, the suction hose has started sliding out of it's slot (I don't mean the slot you're supposed to pull it out of to clean with the crevice tool; I mean the slot that it's meant to be continually connected to, which leads into the dust cup), although I simply push it back in, and no worries. (3) The suction hose length itself is a little on the short side. (4) This is specific to me, as I doubt everybody will experience this: After cleaning my truck, I notice that a very large amount of the junk in the dust cup is actually carpet from my truck, which has lead me to believe that the vacuum may be a little TOO powerful for some jobs. FYI, my truck is a 1990 Suburban, and while the 18 year old carpet has been treated very gently, there's so doubt that it is starting to fall apart; hence my explaining that the vacuum pulling out carpet probably won't be experienced by most of the people buying it.
PROS/CONS:
PROS
-Two motors to handle the load
-Massive sucking power, for that really dug-in junk
-Very good at picking up EVERYTHING on the first pass
-Great power cord length
-Easy to empty the dust cup
-Riser-Visor
CONS
-Suction hose has nearly come out of socket twice
-Suction hose COULD be longer
-Can be a little rough with [fragile/old] carpet
-Over-heating
SUMMARY
Despite minor issues I've had with, I nevertheless recommend it to anybody who has something they want clean. Great value for the money; it completely sucks!
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