Eureka Mighty Mite Review

The Mighty Mite punches well above its class, effectively cleaning most surfaces with ease. It is very lightweight at 9.4 pounds, so if you need a machine you can carry around, this one is worth considering. We love how easily it sucks in pet hair, especially on the tricky high-pile carpet.

Performance Comparison

Carpet Performance

To test how well the Mighty Mite could clean carpet, we dumped a cup and a half of mixed debris, including Cheerios, rice, and sand on our test surfaces. We started with low-pile carpet, then made our way to high-pile. We vacuumed each for 24 seconds, weighing how much we picked up at the end. We repeated this test to get an average for both carpet heights. We consider low-pile carpet anything below half an inch, while anything above is high pile.

Low Pile

On low-pile carpet, the Eureka was just about average, picking up 87.6% of the mess. Our primary concern was with how much didn't make it into the bag on our first run. Roughly 9% of this was within the inner cavity of the vacuum between the plastic canister and the cardboard opening of the bag. This meant we had another mess to clean up within the vacuum, unfortunately. We jostled with the bag and got a better seal for our next trial runs, but we were unimpressed with how finicky this seal is. Otherwise, we had an impressive turnaround, with our next trials finishing over 90%.

High Pile

High-pile carpet is tough for almost every canister vacuum. The Mighty Mite was one we wouldn't recommend on this type of carpet. It only picked up 49.1% of our mess. It primarily picked up the Cheerios, leaving the sand and rice behind. If you have a substantial amount of carpet that needs vacuuming, this isn't the strongest contender. However, its hardwood and pet hair performance blew us away, so don't run away quite yet.

Hardwood Performance

To test the hardwood performance, we conducted a very similar test as with the carpet. We dumped a cup and a half of our mix over a hard floor surface, and proceeded to clean it up over 24 seconds. We then measured the amount picked up.

During our hardwood cleaning test, we were able to clean up 99.3% of the debris spilled on the floor. The Mighty Mite has a very strong suction that picks up just about everything it glides over.

Hard flooring can sometimes have small gaps between the boards or grout for tiling. We wanted to see how well these vacuums could clean out crevices, so we placed 21 grams of bright red sand in a slot of a bamboo mat. We then passed over it, seeing how much we could collect and how easy it was to do so. Lastly, we scattered two tablespoons of coffee grounds along the base of a wall. We approached it head on and then along the wall, noting how effectively it cleaned the grounds.

In our crevice test, it was able to clean out 98.1% out of the slot. It sucked up the bright red sand very quickly and easily. And in our edge tests, it was the best of the bunch. It left nothing behind regardless of the direction from which we approached it. If you have a substantial amount of hard flooring, you can't go wrong with the Mighty Mite.

Ease of Use

Our ease of use test was divided into three subtests: maneuverability, ease of cleaning, and upholstery and attachments. While the Mighty Mite is easy to use in some ways, it struggles in other ways. Below, we break it down into each subtest.

Maneruverability

We appreciate how light the Eureka is, at just 9.4 pounds. It feels light in hand and is an excellent choice for heading up and down stairs. It also has a long 20-foot cord. While canister vacuums usually have shorter cords, this one is longer as it doesn't coil within the machine. However, that means you will have to roll it up. As you move around the room, it gently slides behind thanks to the three wheels. However, our primary concern is with how easily the handle falls of during use. Additionally, it is very easy to bump open the suction valve on the handle, which we did during our tests a few times.

Ease of Cleaning

Here, we were looking at how easy it is to clean the vacuum itself. We replaced the bags noting how simple it was to do so. During our carpet cleaning tests, we had a decent amount of debris not make it in the bag, so we had extra cleaning to do. This could have been due to some challenges in changing the bag. We had trouble getting it securely in place between the lid and the interior edge of the canister. The vacuum bags act as a filter for this machine, so there are no additional filter that need to be switched out.

Upholstery and Attachments

The Mighty Mite only has three tools: the crevice tool, the combination tool, and the floor tool. While there are certainly other machines with extensive tools, we liked the simplicity of these three tools. The combination tool has one side of long bristles, while the other is a hard plastic. The bristle side was effective as an upholstery tool. The bristles are long and soft, so it doesn't create a suction cup effect on soft surfaces. When we tested this on our throw pillow covered in coffee grounds, we were able to get it clean with just this combination tool, as the coffee grounds could easily make their way through the bristles.

Pet Hair

We massaged pet hair into both low and high-pile carpets. Like the other tests in our lineup, we weighed how much was sucked up. The Mighty Mite performed well here. It has very strong suction and doesn't include a brush roll for hair to get wrapped up in. We used the floor tool with the bristles exposed, which effectively brushed out the hair to get sucked in by the vacuum.

On low-pile carpet, the Eureka Mighty Mite cleaned 86% of the hair on the rug. What was left behind wasn't overly noticeable. With more time, we are confident we could get even more. Impressively, the high-pile performance was even better. We were able to clean up 94% of the pet hair off our shag rug. Like previously mentioned, the bristles somewhat brush out the hair, then allowing it to be sucked up by its strong suction.

Filtration and Suction

For our final test, we looked at the filtration and suction capabilities of the Mighty Mite. As we have mentioned, the suction is exceptionally strong. However, the filtration doesn't have the same promising results. Below we break this down.

Filtration

To test filtration, we employed two Dylos particle counters held closely to the machine. Our goal was to see how much small and large debris was spit back out of the machine and into the air. The Mighty Mite had an average peak of particles at 335, which is quite a bit. For larger particles, it has an impressive average peak of 12. What this means is that small particles have no trouble making their way out of the machine and into the air, but large particles get trapped within the canister.

Suction

We tested the unsealed suction of each vacuum as it is more realistic for how the machine performs on actual flooring. We created a testing surface with a hold in the center, which is connected to a monometer. As we passed over the hold, the suction power can be assessed. This translated to 1767 Pa for the Mite, among the strongest in our lineup. It is no shock to us, as the strong suction is what makes this vacuum so effective on hardwood floors and picking up pet hair.

Should You Buy the Eureka Mighty Mite?

The Eureka Mighty Mite punches above its class, performing alongside the best. We recommend this for those who have shedding pets or a substantial amount of hard flooring. If you have a lot of carpet, this might not be the best choice. However, it is available at a fraction of the price of other top models, so we think this is worth your consideration.

What Other Canister Vacuums Should You Consider?

Looking for something that can tackle carpet, or more specifically, high-pile carpet? The Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly Canister is the best option on the market for this, but will cost quite a bit more. If you are concerned about filtration, the Miele Classic C1 Pure Suction Powerline has one of the best filtration results in our lineup. If you specifically want a HEPA filter, check out the pricey Miele Complete C3 Calima PowerLine.