Eureka 96 Boss Lite Cordless Vac - A great tool for the cleaning phobic

I bought the Eureka 96 "Boss Lite" Cordless Vac after I killed my beloved Hoover lightweight vac by accidentally feeding it a metal screw. A word of advice to all light vacuum users - inhaling metal objects will destroy your vacuum's engine. Avoid them at all costs. I would have bought another Hoover, but there were no comparable models at my local stores (and I looked everywhere). The Eureka 96 was the closest thing I could find to it.

Ready to use after 30 minutes charge time

The Eureka 96 has been a worthy replacement. For a person like me who finds housecleaning to be an annoying, objectionable, but still necessary activity, this lightweight vac makes light work of the floor cleaning task. After an initial overnight charging, it was ready to go for as long as I needed it, which was about 30 minutes.

I prefer a cordless vac because it is easier to maneuver around the house. No cord means no getting the cord caught on furniture or stuck under doors and no running out of operating room without plugging in at a different outlet. I can go through the whole house pushing it in front of me. I prefer a bagless vac because I don't like having to buy bags and being unable to vac because they are not on hand. The Eureka 96 is both cordless and bagless, so it fits both criteria.

Easy to use, works on wood and carpet

The light weight of the Eureka 96 makes it easy to handle. I find larger vacs hard to use. The small size means it can be stored in a small space when not in use.

My house has both wood floors and carpet. The Eureka 96 adapts well to both, with a switch to push down a beater bar when on carpet. I find the suction adequate for my needs. Despite the small size, it is not necessary to push down on the vac to get it to work. Just let it ride across the floor. It does a great job on sandy dirt, dust bunnies, and small debris and even picks up thread, which is the gold standard in vacs for me. I have not tried to pick up any metal objects and would caution against doing so (see first paragraph). If that's the type of thing you need to do, you would probably prefer a shop vac.

Another thing I like about the Eureka 96 is how easy it is to use it to vacuum under beds and sofas. The vac handle can be moved so the unit is almost flat to the ground so it slides right under these large, low riding pieces of furniture.

Since I usually do my cleaning in small spurts, it is only necessary to charge the Eureka 96 about once a week. I find it holds its power adequately for the way I use it.

Dirt cup dumping is messy

Perhaps the only down side of this vac is dumping the dirt cup. It is nearly impossible to do this without getting some dirt and dust on my hands. I also find dirty dust bunnies clinging to the filter and even tapping the filter against the side of the garbage can does not completely dislodge them. Still, it's not really any messier than changing the bags of a bag type vac and it's a whole lot cheaper than buying replacement bags.

I've had the Eureka 96 for several years and am still quite pleased with its performance. It has not needed any repairs during this time. If it does bite the dust someday, I'd happily buy another one. I recommend it.