I wanted an inexpensive but reliable vacuum cleaner with decent suction power. Eventually I bought the Eureka Maxima Bagless vacuum cleaner. Buying something cheap, and hoping that it performs as promised, is usually only going to end in disappointment. Well, buying the Eureka Maxima vacuum didn't end in disappointment, although there are some disappointments with it.

Well, seeing the Eureka 4700A for the first time was a little disappointing. It looked exactly like what it was supposed to be; a fairly average looking inexpensive vacuum cleaner. Still, I chose it, not the other way round.

It's cheap but you do get some accessories; brush, cleaning wand, combination wand/crevice tool, and the suction hose which is attached to the unit. The hose is only about 6 feet long though you can stretch it a little further than that, but since it is all plastic, I would not take it too far.

The Eureka Maxima vacuum cleaner does have some real plus points. First off, it is a very lightweight vacuum, weighing in at only 13.5 lbs. It's light but it still comes with a 12 amp motor ? the same size as the very expensive Electrolux Oxygen 3 upright vacuum cleaner. Some people really hate bagless vacuum cleaners as they say that emptying the dust cup releases a plume of dirt back into the house. I find such thoughts a little tedious; why not simply empty the dust cup outside? The big advantages of a bagless vacuum cleaner like the Eureka Maxima is that the duct cup is larger than bags ? 3 quarts compared to 2 quarts, so it needs less emptying; you save on the cost of buying new bags (not to mention the hassle of finding the correct ones for your vacuum); and your helping to save the environment (no trees need die to make more disposable vacuum bags).

Because of the size of the motor, I found the suction power of the Eureka Maxima to be more than adequate for my house; I have a mixture of low-pile fitted carpet and tiled floors. So, I can't say I've tested it on anything arduous but for most floor types the Maxima copes easily.

Now, for some more gripes.

I don't like how the power cord winds up on the machine. The cord wraps around about a 1-foot area on the lower part of the handle, stuffed in between the suction hose. This is a little awkward. One redeeming feature though is the quick-release lever for the power cord; one flip and you don't have to unwind it!

Also, there's the problem of the suction hose: it's routed quite tightly up around the top of the handle and seems to be made of thin plastic (only time will tell if it goes the distance). It does seem to me that the power cord should be at the top of the handle with the suction hose being housed lower down.

I had no other complaints with my Eureka Maxima vacuum cleaner, until that is, I called round my friends? house and saw them use their Electrolux Aptitude vacuum cleaner. The Aptitude was much, much quieter than my Eureka Maxima. I've since consoled myself with the thought that their Electrolux vacuum cleaner was also much, much more expensive, than my inexpensive, reliable, light, Eureka Maxima vacuum cleaner.