Eureka SuctionSeal Pet Bagless Upright Vacuum, AS1104A

So what's a guy doing rating a vacuum cleaner? I'm retired and have taken over some/most of the house cleaning chores so my wife doesn't have to clean on her days off. I refer to myself as my wife's trophy husband.We've had several hoover vacuums over the years with the most recent one being a Wind Tunnel T Series Pet Bag-less which worked OK for almost 3 years. It cleaned OK; I replaced a few belts and the turbo head but it was never a vacuum that you could say "I really like this vacuum cleaner"! It was kind of like driving a nondescript Buick or Chevy; it would get you there but the ride and style were missing. Being in a rut, I thought I would buy another Hoover BUT, after reading the reviews, there is a significant percentage of motors failing and many reviewers had the same complaints that I had noticed but lived with. The Hoover I had ran hot; I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.The hunt was on for a new and different vacuum cleaner. I like to read through the different Amazon reviews but like anything else, you have to weed out the non-issues like, "it's too noisy" or "I keep running over the cord" when you know that most vacuums come with a cord hook. Noisy? Try working around jet aircraft for awhile.I found a nicely rated lower end Eureka but it didn't have a agitator switch or a manual carpet height adjustment not to mention a turbo wand which is a must if you have pets. I visited the Eureka website and found everything I wanted in this model. But, when I came back to Amazon, I notice a 4 out of 5 star rating. After reading through the reviews of this vacuum and others brands, I still settled on this model as it has everything I want in a vacuum.When the vacuum arrived, I quickly assembled it after reading through the instructions thoroughly. I never could get the handle to "snap" into place but it's held in place by a locking cam. I had the same problem as a few other reviewers in that the tool holder fell off which is because the locking cam failed to engage. I re-assembled it and it hasn't given me any more problems. The turbo wand is held in place by a magnet rather than snapping in place like a hoover. I haven't had trouble with it falling off like other reviewers but I make sure it's seated before it clicks into place via the magnet.OK, how does it clean? I've used it for 2 weeks and find that: - Everything works as advertised. I especially like the positive Suctionseal which literally pulls the rug up off the floor as you pass the vacuum over the rug. When vacuuming tile or wood flooring, the Suctionseal feature puts the vacuum close to floor surface; it does a great job! - The hose is much longer than the Hoover and is more handy to use "on the fly". If you unwrap the hose off the top and bottom rails, there is less likelihood of pulling the vacuum over as you stretch out the hose. - This model comes with rubber wheels that really make a difference when vacuuming tile or wood flooring. I think the Buick/Chevy analogy can be used here as the vacuum is much more responsive to steering in and around furniture. This model weighs a few more pounds than some vacuums but my petite wife used it this weekend with no problems. - I like the foot controls especially the agitator on/off. The agitator also stays off when the vacuum is in the upright position. I think this is a great feature that allows you to use the hose and tools as you pass by furniture. - There is a large clear plastic window for the agitator so you can see if it's turning/working. You can also see if any string is wound around the agitator. - There is also a large clear plastic window on the cord rewind spool. If you wind too much cord up in one area of the spool and it won't fully retract, you can pull some cord out and redirect the cord so it winds correctly and allows the cord to retract fully. I had to guess on the Hoover. -The noise level is much better than our past 2 Hoovers. The Eureka has a deeper, less shrill whine. - One of the largest differences between this vacuum and the Hoover is a tool/floor rotating vacuum switch. This switch is much more effective in directing the airflow to either the hose or to the vacuum head. But, you have to remember to switch it back to floor after using the hose setting! Since I suffer from CRS syndrome that so many older Americans suffer from, I have found myself re-vacuuming areas after I suddenly remembered to switch back to the floor setting. - The last nice feature is the clear bumpers located around the vacuum head. The Hoover had black bumpers that left black marks on the wall and moldings. The vacuum head is also thinner than the Hoover so it slides under some of our furniture better. - My wife emptied the canister easily enough. I use to clean and wash the Hoover canister each week as the holes around the cyclonic insert would clog up with hair and dirt. I've noticed that the Eureka cyclonic insert holes haven't clogged up so I haven't felt the need to wash it out. The plastic on the inside of the canister doesn't seem to attract and hold dirt the way the Hoover did. Perhaps this is because it's new? Time will tell.As I've been thinking of all the many attributes that I like about this vacuum, I could think of only one negative. This model didn't come with a headlight like the Hoover. It was kind of nice to light your way down a hallway especially in the winter when the lighting was poor. Certainly not a deal breaker. All in all, I recommend this vacuum and gave it 5 stars.3/15/2014 Update:After about 6 months, the roller/belt system failed. At first, I thought it was a broken belt. After taking it apart and replacing the belt, the roller still wouldn't turn. I took it apart again (4 screws) and saw that one of two belt pulleys had stripped on a metal shaft. I contacted Eureka Customer Service via email and described the problem. They returned my email within 24 hours and directed me to call and talk to a Customer Service Rep. The Rep said that Eureka would replace the vacuum in kind and would not require me to return the old machine - sweet! I peeled the manufacturing label off the old machine and mailed it to a Eureka dealer in Illinois. A week and some later, I got a new 1105A model which is basically the same machine but an upgrade. So, to recap, I still think the 1104A vacuum merits a 5 star rating eventhough there is a design flaw in the roller drive system (plastic pulleys on a metal shaft). I also think Eureka Customer Service merits a 5 star rating for accepting the fact that their vacuum had a design flaw and making it fairly painless for the customer (me) to get a replacement. How many other companies would have required the old machine be boxed up and sent to a repair center for a lengthy period of time?In a few weeks/months, I'll rate the 1105A that I got as a replacement.

We got this after the power cord of our previous Eureka shorted out and started sending out sparks. :)Happy with the suction--we have two German Shepherd/Chow mixes, so we have a lot dog hair around. This vacuum works great on our tile and laminate wood floors. We have one area rug and it works great getting all the hair off of that as well.Pros:-Cord rewind (works almost every time)-Having controls that you can toggle by using your foot (power, brush roll)-Very light (very easy to move around the house and to pick up when I need to reach something higher)-Great suction (see above)-Bagless (easy to empty canister, as long as trash can is not full--you need room to tap the canister against the sides of the trash can so all the dirt/hair will fall out)-Washable filter (I've never replaced a vacuum filter in my old vacuums, but I like I don't have to with this one)-Minimized and flat-shape (the vacuum can go under our couch and bed by 2-4 inches, which helps minimize the dust that can be seen from across the room)-Very easy to put together (no tools were required, took me 5-10 minutes; and it seems very sturdy even with being made from very lightweight plastic)Cons:-Did not come with a wand extender (We have 10 foot ceilings so this is a must for me; I bought hoping my old Eureka wands would work but this newer model has a wand that clicks into place. I am temporarily using my nested wand set from my old Eureka but it does not fit snugly so the wands come apart often. I called Eureka to buy a wand extender--you have to buy the nested set, you can't just buy the extender. I determined the extra cost (about $20 including shipping) was worth it for me because of how often I have to vacuum and because of our high ceilings)-Brush roll on/off (the brush roll turns on if you vacuum over thresholds, bump a wall, turn a corner; annoying but not a big deal)-Vent (There's a vent on the back of the vacuum about midway up that in the winter will you keep you warm, but right now it's a little bothersome, especially if I'm knelt down using an attachment to get underneath furniture)-Turbo roller (this is attached by a magnet, and it's been knocked off a few times while in the course of vacuuming. I may just take it off as I have yet to use it)-Dusting attachment (doesn't work as well as the duster on my old eureka, when I dust tables there's smudges of dust left behind. Also the shape of the attachment doesn't allow you to get into tight corners or very near objects, for example I can't get within a 1/2 inch of speakers on a console--and I don't like to move things when I dust.)-Cord (previous reviewer discussed how you had to get used to stepping around the cord because it is at the bottom of the vacuum--there's actually a little clip at the top of the handle where you can push in the cord. This keeps you from tripping over while you move around. But while it is in the clip, it's very difficult to use the hose and attachments, so you have to take it out and then put it back in when you're done using hose)-Hose (the way it wraps around, there's a place at the bottom that it has to fit into, so when using the hose--if you want full extension--you have to bend down and push it out of the "holder" and then when you're done bend down to push it back in and wrap around. Not a big deal, but when a vacuum seems to be made so that you can use your feet to operate most of it, it seems odd that there would be these little annoyances that work against that.)Overall, happy with my purchase. I've never had a vacuum just be absolutely perfect, so the negatives I mentioned above are not enough for me to be unhappy, but still kept me from giving a full five stars.

First and foremost, for the price this is unbeatable.Works like a vacuum that should be priced much higher.I have very sensitive environmental allergies and in the weeks leading up to this purchase and arrival I was waking up every morning sneezing, congested and with watery eyes.Used it the first time and could not believe how much dust and dirt it accumulated. I awoke the next morning for the first time in months without any symptoms.It's so easy to use that you will actually vacuum more often than before.Absolutely recommend this fantastic product.

Es un producto eficaz para lo cual fue diseñado, cumple con las tareas asignadas sin problema, silenciosa en termino medio, y un mes de uso sin ningún problema, recomiendo ampliamente el producto. El embalaje perfecto perola entrega fue un poco lenta por el transportista pero al final fue realizada, aquí se califica el producto no al transportista si esta evaluación fuera por el la calificación sería de dos estrellas.

I wanted/ needed a vacuum and I found it, solid, well built, and enough power to suck anyone up into vacuum heaven.