Upright Vacuums Reviews

I really feel like giving the EP750H one star, but am giving it two because it does work well out of the box with a freshly charged battery, as the person who gives it five stars notes. *However,* the HEPA filter this hand vac requires for operation must be replaced every 3 to 6 months, according to the instruction manual (p. 7), and the replacement HEPA filter is unavailable, even from Shark: I just got off the phone with someone at Shark corporate headquarters after being unable to find it at their web site, and when the replacement filter is available, it will, "Probably," be priced along the lines of the replacement filter for the EP033 hand vac, $12.95 plus $5.99 s/h. Having ongoing costs of $38. or more each year in my book makes the EP750H deserve one star.

Before I continue, the part number for the replacement HEPA filter is: XFH750H

The people at Shark corporate headquarters are far more helpful than personnel at the customer service number in the product manual. If anyone either owns this model or decides to buy one, the corporate number is: 1-866-694-6401. When I first called the manual's c.s. number, the woman merely said replacement filters for the EP750H were unavailable. She tried to sell me replacement batteries [to be discussed farther down] at a special, one-time offer price of $4.95 plus s/h, despite my protests that I wasn't interested in batteries, only filters. The two people I next spoke with at headquarter were pleasant and did their best to obtain information for me (My second call was because I had forgotten to enquire about s/h charges).

What I learned from corporate headquarter people is that the replacement filter does show in their list of items, but has not as yet been priced. Until it is priced, the filter will remain unavailable and not even show as an accessory for the EP750H on their web site. The current price list was updated two weeks ago and will not be updated for a few more weeks. It is possible, but not definite, that the HEPA filter required for this hand vac will be priced in a few weeks. No other model hand vac HEPA filter currently available [I asked about that for the EP033] will work in the EP750H.

I discussed what I think is a major flaw with the filter system and the woman I spoke with said she totally agreed. Over the HEPA filter is a basket with plastic mesh. It basically looks the same as the, "Euro-Pro HEPA filter for Shark EP033," here at Amazon. The openings between the mesh are large enough that _all_ dust and tiny particles go directly into the HEPA filter. She agreed that a cloth bag over the HEPA filter would have been far superior in catching dust/little dirt and prolonging the useful life of the (tiny) HEPA filter. Some other Shark hand vacs that use HEPA filters do have optional cloth dust cup filters, but there are none for the EP750H. I asked and she said none of the other model cloth dust cup filters will fit the EP750H.

The woman I spoke with mentioned one problem I had never considered when using a HEPA filter hand vac: One has to be careful not to suck-up food or other smelly things (I had mentioned using mine to clean up around my kitty litter pan). She said the HEPA filter will absorb odors which will be difficult to remove, even via filter rinsing.

People here at Amazon give Shark hand vacs very low ratings for battery life. This hand vac uses battery XB75018 and has a regular replacement price of $19.95 (plus $5.99 s/h). From one review I read for another model, confirmed during my conversation with someone at Shark today, the big problem is that people are not charging the battery properly. The other Amazon reviewer shared information someone at Shark technical support gave him when he had to buy a replacement battery. In my opinion, most people are not properly charging the battery due to unclear manual instructions. The manual has battery notes on page 5. Shark should add another note warning people not to charge the hand vac until the current charge is almost drained.

To keep the battery in tip-top shape, so it holds a maximum charge, it should only be placed in the charger when the hand vac loses it's charge. By placing it in the charger after each use, which might just be for a few minutes at a time, the battery gets an imprint (right term?) so that over time it will run less and less time before requiring a recharge. The charger is also the hand vac and attachments stand, so it does become a pain in the neck making sure the power plug adapter is only plugged into an electrical socket when someone wants to charge the vac.

In closing, I shall update this review later, when replacement parts for the EP750H become available. Right now, I'm sorry I didn't buy a highly rated 14.4-Volt, non-HEPA DustBuster [the 15.6-Volt one has a $9.99 HEPA filter]. The motorized brush on the EP750H is the main reason I bought this model rather than the DustBuster. It works pretty well but can not compete with the power nozzle (same as motorized brush) on the Hoover S2220 stick vaccum I purchased in December.

After a few months your battery capacity will drop dramatically, like down to 2-3 minutes of usage. Replacement is $20 plus shipping. Check the reviews on older versions of the euro-pro- I wish I had.

I am pleasantly pleased with this product. the extender is awesome if you have back problems and makes it easier than stooping down. A great little vac for those spills, unlike most hand vacs, dirt leaving the unit is minimized.
In case you are not aware, HEPA filters are supposed to be replaced every 3 months. I expect the manufacturer will release replacement filters. Overall I give it 4 stars for those who don't want to pull out the dyson during the week!

I don't understand the good reviews for this vacuum. I bought this here on Amazon based on the positive feedback. Man, did I make a mistake. This vacuum was a huge disappointment! I have two cats, and expect a vacuum to work properly and suck up the hairs around the house. The main part did not work well. I had to use the hose the whole time. Also, cleaning this vacuum is a dusty nightmare. Buyers Beware!!!!

I just had one replaced recently from Bissell. My first one worked okay a few times then it got really hot and started to smell like something was burning. I had it for less than 6 months. I replaced the belt, which was not that easy to get to.
Cleaning all of the filters are somewhat of a hassle, especially when the main one in front gets stuck and you can't get the canister out. The dust will shoot out of the back, regardless so you go over and over the same spot and the indicator light never comes on to let you know that area is clean.
It is bulky, hard to maneuver, quite heavy and the long cord can be a deterent instead of an asset.
Considering I got mine on sale after Christmas and seeing the price here, I would never have bought this unit or this brand.
But the people at Bissell are nice and they do work with you.

I got the order much faster than they had quoted.

Its a good price and it has a lot of power.

The only downside I could say it has is that you really need to clean out the filters (there are three) about every 2-3 times you use the vacuum. This wasnt a big deal to me though...

Lightweight, cool attachments.

The vac is great for wood floors. I cleaned over a thousand square feet of dusty wood floor and suction was great beginning to end.
The attachments however are nothing to brag about. Two cheap looking things I don't think I'll ever use. Attachments from older machines did not fit on this unit. The main attachment does not click into the tube that connects to the hose (The hose does click into the machine). This tube is actually two tubes that don't click together either. They seem tight when the machine is running but after some time do loosen. Luckily they are very light weight so when they did come apart and fall onto my foot it didn't hurt much.
The filter is easy to clean.
For the price this machine does a very good job. Better attachments would drive up the price so it's a fair compromise.

For hardwood floors, it does a good job. On carpet it'll clean up light spills and it's convenient on stairs. For what it costs, and without the expectation that it will do the same as a "regular" vacuum cleaner, it serves its purpose well. To me, it's basically a Dustbuster with a motorized brush. I think the Dustbuster "Dirtbuster" vacuum is better and has a stronger vacuum, although the Dustbuster doesn't have the motorized head.

We got this to use in our 32 ft. motorhome. It does the job on the small carpet areas and gets in between the furniture easily with its small head. I use a small brush to remove the dust and fuzz from the catcher area when I empty it.
This doesn't take much storage space which was important to us.
Minor complaint: the catch that slides up and down to remove and replace the dust catching chamber is difficult to move.

These little vacuums are the greatest thing since sliced bread. For people like me who can no longer lift heavy things it is just ideal for doing my cleaning.' I am amazed at the pick-up power it has. I highly recommend it for anybody with sore shoulders and neck or sore legs and knees. It makes vacuuming so much easier and it is just as efficient as by big heavy Electrolux!!

We recently purchased this vacuum from Bed, Bath and Beyond. While we were a little uneasy about paying this kind of money a 20% coupon helped lower the cost to make it a little more reasonable. We have a shedding labrador and were amazed at the amount of hair that we picked up the first time that we vacuumed. The Dyson offers instant gratification in that you can see the dirt and hair going into the bin. It also offers a no-mess emptying that works at the touch of a buttom and emptys all of the dirt into the trash.

The various attachments work great and the vacuum works well on all floors. The pet hair tool is of great use on our cloth couch which is a magnet for our dog's hair.

We were torn between the regular animal model and the ball version but decided to go with the ball version since it has a much smaller head assembly and fits beneath chairs and cabinets easier. The ball makes vacuuming almost fun in that just a flip of the wrist allows you to steer it into all areas and make tight turns. We strongly recommend this model if you have pets in your home.

Without a doubt this is the best vacuum we've ever owned. It picks up much more that any other. It's also easy to move through tight spaces.

Exceptional quality and performance. Upon opening the box you can see the quality of the machine and with only a few minor assembly steps you are on your way. Even though I had just cleaned my house I had to "test drive" it's performance. I was amazed at the dust and hair it picked up! The new ball design made turning around furniture and getting into tight spots easy. Well worth the price tag.

I think this product is good. It serves it's purpose and lasts a long time.

We purchased these bags for the first time in May 2001. I installed a bag and thought it worked OK. (I did not throw the former bags, not Hoover bags, out.) The next time the bag needed changing the lady who cleans the house (unbeknown to us) installed the bag we had been using previously. My wife who is very sensitive to house dust recognized the difference. After a very short time my wife said she could smell the dust when the vacuum cleaner was in use. I changed the bag in our vacuum back to a Hoover bag and the probem was cured. While not very scientific, it convinced us. I have thrown the other bags away.
Additional Comment:
Because of the small particles that are trapped in the bag, I take the vacuum outside to remove the filled bag. This prevents these particles from escaping back into the air in the house.

THIS BAG WILL CUT DOWN ON YOUR HOUSEWORK, SNEEZING AND ASTHMA ATTACKS (IF APPLICABLE.)IT DOES THIS BY CONTAINING THE MATERIAL THAT THE VACUUM PICKS UP INSTEAD OF BLOWING THE FINER PARTICLES AROUND YOUR HOUSE. THIS MATERIAL CAN BE DUST, DIRT, POLLEN, PET HAIR, FLEAS, TICKS, DUSTMITES AND THEIR SKIN AND FECES. SOUNDS GROSS I KNOW. THESE BAGS COMBINED WITH A GOOD QUALITY AIR FILTER ON THE A/C FURNACE HAS REDUCED DUSTING TO A MINIMUN. IT STILL COLLECTS AROUND THE TELEVISION! BE CAREFUL MANY ARE SELLING NON-HOOVER BRANDS AS HOOVER. MANY ARE JUST AS GOOD BUT THEY SHOULD BE SOLD AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE

I bought this vac with high expectations. Unfortunately, it did not live up to them. I have brand new thick carpet. If you turn the unit on and just let it sit in one place for a few seconds, the beater bar bogs down and trips a ratcheting sound that resembles the noise of a cat getting sucked in tail first. I can repeat the problem over and over with ease. Initially, I thought it was a defective unit. But I have come to believe it just can't handle the thick pile. It works fine on every other floor.

After sending it back, I had opportunity to visit a Dyson dealer who also sells other brands. We threw salt, sand, rice and coins onto a big patch of his ceramic tile and store carpet and ground them in with our boots. Then I took the Dyson (DC 14 and DC 15 Ball), an Electrolux Commercial, Kirby G5, Oreck XL21, Eureka Sanitaire, and Riccar Radiance, and put them through their paces in a side by side test. The salesman didn't have to do much selling since the vacs had a chance to speak for themselves. While all the vacs got the stuff off the carpet, all but the Riccar took multiple passes (four on average). I also noticed that almost all of the vacs (except the Riccar) were strong on the right side but weak on the left. Both Dyson products beater bar seemed extremely underpowered on heavier carpet (we tried them on two weights of carpet) as did the Oreck. When we moved to the tile floor, the Dyson took the sand and salt off of the tile but left it in the cracks of the grout. Unacceptable to me.

In all honesty, when I finished the test, the Dyson products felt like plastic toys compared to some of the other products. They did a mediocre job but were incapable of dealing with the heavy carpet. Just pushing them through it was a labor, wearing my wife out after one large living room's worth of vacuuming. The Riccar, on the other hand, almost crept forward on its own. The Dysons would probably have faired much better on lower pile carpet. Had I not done the side by side test I would never have known how they all compared

I will buy a Riccar Radiance, the hands down winner in my tests. It is a little more expensive than the Dyson but far less than the Kirby. And it was the clear winner on the floor. The salesman didn't have to say anything at all. The Vacs did all the talking.

Bought this vacuum since my earlier Hoover vacuum just stopped working (in less than a year). So thought might as well invest in a good vacuum. Thus got the Dyson. So far it has been excellent. It removes lot of dust and is less noisy compared to the old Hoover.

OK. So I just got it and only used it to vac my upstairs (without moving furniture... just a quick test) and it took me barely 10-minutes for about 1200 sq ft of hard floor. It cleans great! It's extremely quiet, which makes me think it might be broken since Consumer Reports (and some reviewers of the DC 14 all-floors) said it was noisy. But after using a Hoover canister for the past 20-years, this thing is fantastic. Don't let anybody tell you that it doesn't do hard flooring. I highly recommend this vaccuum. I'll give a futhher review after a few weeks of use (and when I've had a chance to use all the tools). Consumer reports also gave it a lower rating for ease of use, but I put it together and got it going easily without reading the manual (don't tell Dyson!).
p.s., the cat was scared, but nowhere nearly as freightened as he is with the LOUD Hoover.