Eureka LightSpeed 4700D

Click to see on Amazon

Avg. consumer rating = 65/100 

This bagless upright is fairly popular but that is likely because it is inexpensive.  It can be found online for between $50 and $70.  Consumers do not give this vacuum cleaner very high grades.  Many owners feel that, despite the low price, it still isn’t worth the money, and they cite the need to frequently clean the filter, the short hose, and the small dust canister as reasons.

Over 400 owner ratings were found at several online retailers and websites and they are shown in the table below.  These generate an average score of 65 out of a possible 100.  When compared with other uprights on our site this is rather low.  You can check out all the upright vacuum ratings here.  Granted that this machine is inexpensive but you may be better off buying something on our best vacuums under $100 list – which you can find here.  Or, if you are a Eureka fan then see the scores for all the Eureka vacuums we have investigated here.

You can take a look at some of the customer reviews on Amazon regarding the 4700D if you wish - click here (will open new window). 

A review of consumer comments provides the following common likes and dislikes.

PROS
- Not too expensive
- Fairly lightweight
- Easy to maneuver
- Filter is easy to remove for cleaning
- Easy to assemble

CONS
- Loud
- Short hose and sometimes detaches from machine while you are cleaning
- Many comments about things breaking/falling-off/sticking/etc.
- Small dust canister
- Motor heats up too easily and trips thermal cutoff switch
- Filter needs very frequent cleaning
- Exhausts out the front and blows debris around cleaning path
- Short power cord

This is a bagless upright powered by a 12 amp motor.  The motor is protected by a thermal cutoff switch that turns the motor off if it gets too hot.  Should this occur you have to wait for the vacuum to cool before turning it back on.  A number of owners indicate that this switch is activated (and the machine turns itself off) too easily.  The thermal cutoff switch is a good feature but one doesn’t expect it to activate frequently.

The Eureka LightSpeed 4700D is quite lightweight at about 13 lbs (most websites indicate that the machine is 14 lbs but the official Eureka website states 13 lbs).  It is lightweight for an upright although it is not a large machine and it really shouldn’t weigh more than this. The weight helps the vacuum with manueverability and a number of owners report that the vacuum is indeed easy to move.  It can also lie almost horizontally which makes it easier to get under furniture.

Hose, wand, dusting brush

The dust canister is easy to empty (bottom empty) but is has a small capacity of 2.2 quarts and even the vacuum manual indicates you should probably empty it after each use.  Like any bagless machine the dust canister can be messy to empty.  There are complaints about this but this is an issue with most bagless machines.

The 4700D comes with a few tools:
- Crevice Tool
- Dusting Brush
- Extension Wand

These all attach to the end of the hose, and the crevice tool and dusting brush can also attach to the end of the wand.  The hose is only 5 feet in length however which is quite short.  Consumers have highlighted this in several instances.  The hose is detachable which makes it easy to deal with potential clogs however it sometimes detaches unintentionally when you are cleaning.

The filter on the vacuum needs to be cleaned/washed frequently to ensure that it continues to work well and that it doesn’t impede the vacuum suction.  Most folks report they need to clean it after each use.   And even though the filter is washable, Eureka indicates that it should be replaced about every 6 months.  The LightSpeed 4700D provides what Eureka call “micro filtration” or “allergen filtration”.  No figures are attached to these terms but this is not HEPA level filtration and this vacuum does not include a HEPA filter.

The on/off switch is located on the base of the vacuum and it is a foot controlled switch – press it once to turn the vacuum on and again to turn it off.  The brushbar unfortunately has no on/off switch (although it is motorized) so it stays on while the vacuum is on.  Some folks like to turn a brushbar off when cleaning bare floors.

Additional vacuum features include height adjustment, a 25 foot power cord (quite short) and a 13 inch wide cleaning path.  The vacuum is also UL listed.  UL stands for Underwriters' Laboratories who are a non-profit, independent product safety certification organization in the United States.  The Eureka LightSpeed 4700D carries a 1-year warranty.

Vacuum Manual
The Eureka website provides the following PDF format manual for this vacuum cleaner.  See it here.

	Nigel Russco has been writing for Vacuum Cleaner Advisor for years and has a background in business and engineering, as well as a keen interest in anything related to vacuum cleaners. Connect with Nigel on Google+