Eureka 71A Review

What the reviewers like:
The Eureka 71A corded handheld vacuum features a motorized brush that gets rave reviews from pet owners who say it does an excellent job of extracting cat and dog hair from carpet and upholstery. Users say the stretch hose, crevice tool, and 20-foot power cord make the Eureka a good choice for cleaning car interiors.

What the reviewers don't like:
Like most handheld vacuums, the Eureka 71A gets some complaints about quality, with a few owners saying their units have broken down during or just after the 1-year warranty period. A few users also say they wish the Eureka was a bit lighter in weight.

Eureka 71A review highlights

Tied for top spot among handheld vacuums on both Amazon.com and Epinions, the Eureka 71A gets perfect scores in the large majority of owner-written reviews. The Eureka hand vac isn't cordless, so you'll be tethered to a cord, but you don't have to worry about charging batteries, and you won't run out of juice in the middle of a job. If you prefer a cordless model, an alternative is the highly rated Black & Decker: the PHV1800 Pivot Vac (*est. $70). Among other corded hand vacs, the Black & Decker HV9010P Retriever Pet-Series (*est. $30) comes in a close second to the Eureka.

Amazon.com is the best source of information on the corded Eureka 71A handheld vacuum. Well over 250 owner-written reviews provide a balanced perspective and detailed descriptions of this model's pros and cons. Epinions has only a handful of posts, but the useful format makes these reviews worth a glance. Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping and other magazines have not yet tested the Eureka 71A hand vac.

Also see full report: Handheld Vacuums

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. Amazon.com
Eureka 71A Hand-Held Vacuum Reviews
Contributors to Amazon.com

With well over 250 individual user reviews of this model, Amazon.com has the most complete and balanced coverage of the Eureka 71A. Scores for the Eureka hand vaccum are nearly perfect, with particularly enthusiastic recommendations from pet owners who use it for daily removal of cat and dog hair.

2. Epinions
Eureka 71AV Bagless Handheld Vacuum Reviews
Contributors to Epinions

Although it includes only a handful of posts on the Eureka 71AV, Epinions has an especially useful review format. Users here give the Eureka a perfect score, but they don't gloss over features they think could be improved.

3. Vacuum-Cleaner-Advisor.com
Eureka 71A Hand Held Vacuum
Editors of Vacuum Cleaner Advisor
Feb. 22, 2008

Although this article is more a description than a review, it does go into some useful detail about the Eureka 71A's features. While the tone is overwhelmingly positive, there's at least some mention of negatives. A summary of ratings on Amazon.com and Epinions boosts this article's credibility somewhat.

4. Vacuum Cleaner Reviews
Eureka 71A Hand Held Vacuum
Anonymous

This detailed post in praise of the Eureka 71A is written from the owner's personal experience with a refurbished model. Besides reflecting only one anonymous person's experience, it's also suspiciously positive, comparing the Eureka handheld vacuum to a full-size Dyson.

Also see full report: Handheld Vacuums

Eureka 71A Review