Product Reviews for Ultra Whirlwind/Ultra LiteSpeed |
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Ultra Whirlwind/Ultra LiteSpeed
Model No: 4885AT/BT
Manufacturer: Eureka
Avg. Price: $256 |
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admin
Joined: Nov 29, 2004
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The Miele SEB-236 power nozzle is Miele's newest upgraded nozzle. It's offered with several improvements over their older SEB226 nozzle. The first thing one will notice is it lost it's polished exterior finish. It now comes in a flat black finish and will no longer show scuffs and scratches nearly as easily as the SEB226 did. The next feature noticed is the bright fluorescent head lamp which was a long over due needed feature. I also enjoy its ability to now turn itself off when parked in the upright position. One of the best features is its improved maneuverability just like their smaller SEB217 nozzle. It now steers and lays completely flat on the floor to easily get under tight areas and furnishings.
Some people may think Miele cheapened this nozzle up a bit because they now use plastic for both the sole plate and the one piece brush roller. The brush strips are no longer replaceable, so the entire roller will need replacement when it wears down. The new brushes appear to be a bit less dense and not quite a stiff but still do an excellent job of cleaning and grooming the carpet. This nozzle also now uses a cogged belt for improved performance and durability. The nozzle opening is now also wider, similar the the Cen-Tecs design.
One nice benefit of the new brush/roller design is the ability to easily remove hair and threads that happen to wind around the roller. The roller now incorporates two sets of grooves, 180 degrees apart from each other. These grooves allow the user to insert the tip of a pair of scissors and cut the debris loose. The debris then comes off easily the next time you vacuum from centrifugal force and the suction of the vacuum.
The only thing I'm not too happy with is its lack of serviceability. The average consumer will not be able to replace the belt or roller when the time comes. I'm not sure what Miele was thinking when they designed this into the nozzle other than possibly job security for it's servicers.
In any event, this nozzle does an outstanding job of cleaning and the belt and roller should last many years before service is required.
-Moved from previous site by administrators.
Date Purchased:
Price Paid: $219
Recommend: Yes |
Pros:
Easy Maneuverability
Auto Off In Park Position
6 Position Manual Adjustment
Excellent Cleaning Performance
Head Light
Quiet
Cons:
Difficult Serviceability |
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admin
Joined: Nov 29, 2004
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The Eureka 4885 has been an excellent vacuum for me. I have used and abused it (cleaned cobwebs in garage, ashes in fireplace, garage floor, piles of dog hair) in addition to using it 2-3 times a week to vacuum my floors. (My wife and I also use an Electrolux canister vacuum a couple times a week as well. Ginger our sheltie mix provides more than enough hair to keep both vacuums busy.)
I clean the premotor filter monthly. I'm still using the original HEPA filter. I did remove the HEPA filter and noticed some carbon build up, but I'm still awaiting the dummy light to say that its time to change the filter. The outside of the HEPA filter is still snow white. The air flow is more than adequate for my needs. The brush roll is agressive enough to beat out the embedded dirt in the rug.
Although this vacuum may be a copy of a Dyson, it rather surprisingly received a better recommendation from a leading consumer magazine. I believe it is more user friendly than a Dyson and has a superior brush roll.
The dirt container is easy to disassemble, empty and clean. Although the second cyclone may not spin as fast as a Dysons - the Eureka 4885 maintians excellent air flow in between pre-motor filter cleanings. (On the rare occasions when I pick up oily fire place ashes or spider webs, I clean the premotor filter immediately after use.)
The brush roll is fairly large in diameter - I have not had any trouble with hair wrapping around the brush roll. I would recommend this vacuum for households with pets. If you have serious allergies, forget about it. As with all bagless vacuums, there is some contact with dust.
When I purchased this vacuum, the Dyson was not yet available. The Eureka 4885 can be purchased for about $225 versus $400 for the Yellow Dyson.
The Eureka may be a bargain in comparison - until more Dyson reliability data is available, we won't know.
-Moved from previous site by administrators.
Date Purchased:
Price Paid: $250
Recommend: Yes |
Pros:
Nice bagless vacuum design.
Good air flow and suction.
Manual height adjustment.
Large diameter hose to limit clogs.
Beater brush can be turned off for bare floors.
Cons:
Occasionally lint clings to separator.
can't go under furniture.
Lack of good attachments.
Lever to turn off brush roll for bare floor cleaning is awkward. |
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admin
Joined: Nov 29, 2004
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The Eureka Ultra Whirlwind is the first non-Fantom vacuum cleaner in the U.S to employ Dual Cyclonic technology. The Dual Cyclone system consistes of 2 cyclones, a fast one for larger debris/a small one for dust particles, to seperate dirt and dust out of the airstream rather than relying on pleated filters. Because of the fact that cyclones are used to filter out dust instead of a pleated filter, the suction can remain constant for a very long time. Unfortunately, the dual cyclone system on the Eureka Ultra Whirlwind 4885AT/BT isn't nearly as effective. With the way the original dual cyclone system was designed, the carpet debris would enter the clear bin where the slower cyclone that traps larger debris, like paper and hair, is located. The air carrying the dust with it flows into the second cyclone that is cone shaped. The cone shape increases the cyclones speed to well over 700 mph. The intense g-forces of the second cyclone traps the dust, allowing the air to flow through the prefilter and motor virtually dust free. Now with the Eureka dual cyclone, its ultimate downfall is the way the second cyclone chamber is designed, which is more of a cylindrical shape. Since the second cyclone is not cone shaped, it spins as fast as the first cyclone (100 mph,still very slow), thus, it does not keep all of the dust it brings in. The amount of dust that escapes the second cyclone ends up on the motor pre filter. The poorly designed pre-filter(rough cloth wrapped on a breatheable tube) does a very poor job holding the dust back from traveling through the motor. The dust ends up bypassing the pre-filter, and travels through the motor and ending up on the exhaust filter. Dust is not a healthy element to a motor, and with the amount of dust the pre filter allows to pass through, motor performance will greatly decrease within 3 years. I've had my Ultra Whirlwind for alittle over a year and already I've started to notice a change in pitch of the motor.
The fact that dust can bypass the pre-filter and travel through the motor and decreace motor performance contradicts the concept of the dual cyclone system, let alone, have poor enough second cyclone dust seperation to require the pre-filter to be cleaned once a week. The prefilter on the Dyson DC04 and DC07 multi-cyclonic vacuums need only to be rinsed out once every SIX MONTHS. Not to mention that the HEPA exhaust filters used on any Dyson is a lifetime filter. At the rate that my Eurekas' HEPA exhaust filter is gathering dust, I'll have to replace it in a little over a month.
Other bad attributes about the Eureka Ultra Whirlwind that I can inform you of is that the belt tensioner that keeps the brush roll from spinning when the handle is in the upright position will fail after one month of use. I took my vacuum to the shop to have it repaired under warranty, but the repair was a failure. The section of the hose near the nozzle started to tear just 2 weeks ago. Duct tape will seal the tear pretty good, but I'm dissapointed that my 1 year old, $300 vacuum cleaner is starting to look and work like something I picked up from the thrift store for $25. Also, emptying the dirt/dust bin is messy and your hands will get dusty. I also would recommend against emptying it indoors.
However, I can inform you of some good qualities of the Eureka Ultra Whirlwind. For one, the suction on this model is outstanding compared to most other uprights. The ability for this model to deep clean is great, considering that this model uses a larger brush roll. There is a set of sensors that are on board this machine that tells you when you are picking up dirt, when to clean your pre-filter, and when to clean/replace your HEPA exhaust filter. The cord is pretty long, allowing you to clean more rooms before having to unplug and plug in elsewhere. The belt tensioner also allows you to turn off the brush roll for bare floor cleaning, which is much more thorough and convenient than using a broom and dust pan.
At a time when every bagless vacuum used expensive pleated filters, the idea of a non-Fantom dual cylonic Eureka Whirlwind sounded promising. But now, after owning this model for a little over a year, I think that the Ultra Boss Smart Vac, or even the new Whirlwind LiteSpeed models would have better suited me and would have much less problems. In the end, the Eureka Ultra Whirlwind is nothing but a cheap knock off of a proven design that is too overpriced, and has too little durability. In a couple of months, I'll probably get the Dyson DC07 and retire my Ultra Whirlwind, but until then, I'll have to deal with the inconvenience that is the Ultra Whirlwind.
-Moved from previous site by administrators.
Date Purchased:
Price Paid: $299
Recommend: No |
Pros:
- Outstanding suction for an upright!
- Deep Cleans Very Well
- Sensors tell you when to restore filters
- Great cord length
- Bare Floor Cleaning ability
Cons:
- Major dust bypass
- Poorly designed pre-motor filter
- Debris cups messy to empty out
- End section of the hose WILL tear
- Brushroll freespins even when upright(when it isn't supposed to) |
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