Eureka AirSpeed NEU100 Review

For an ultra-budget model, the Eureka AirSpeed doesn't provide many unique features to boast, but does have a large 1.7-liter dustbin for those who hate the trips to the trash.

Carpet Performance

The Eureka AirSpeed plowed through the rice and Cheerios, a common condition we see with vacuum heads that are not designed well. During our cleaning routines, we found it quite difficult to push across the carpet as well. The double down of negatives made this an unfavorable experience.

Before Testing After Testing

During the first trial run, it seemed to erupt like a volcano, with debris spraying on a reverse pass. However, it behaved better in the next two tests, although it did not collect significantly more material.

As we pushed this machine around, we marveled at how well it achieved good suction on the shaggy carpet and sucked up both the surface and embedded sand. The high-pile carpet suction was far better than the sticky feeling on low-pile carpet. Given more time, we think this little budget vacuum could do a good job on high-pile carpet.

Hardwood Performance

During testing on hard surfaces, sand and rice shot out from under the cleaner head at us. It produced one of the worst outcomes we've experienced yet, a horrendous job that spread the mess around more than what we started with.

The chaos spreads across any part of vinyl flooring or hard surface, not just open swatches, so don't rely on this vacuum to help you out with corners or hallways.

With good high-pile carpet cleaning capabilities, it would have been great to match with hard surfaces so that someone living in mostly vinyl-filled homes with larger carpets would have benefited, but this vacuum simply is not designed for this flooring type.

Pet Hair

We were surprised by how easily this vacuum rolled right over pet hair, leaving it seemingly untouched on low-pile carpet. On the high pile, it was harder to push than it was during the high pile debris test, and it even back-pushed some hair and left a small blockage at the edge of the carpet.

We were stunned. Usually, brush rollers with tall bristles collect and clump a lot of hair, but it felt like this vacuum was built by an evil genius who dislikes pets and wants to sow discord in pet-loving homes.

Before Testing After Testing

Filtration

Even though the AirSpeed doesn't have a HEPA filter, this vacuum is unlikely to exacerbate sensitivities to pet dander, pollen, or dust for allergy sufferers.

Ease of Use

We found this vacuum hard to push on carpet, and because it doesn't have a swivel head design, we struggled to turn it, often having to walk all the way around just to change direction instead of making a simple twist of the wrist. Those extra moves add up when you're working your way around the whole house.

One major drawback of this machine is the brush roller, which is a hassle to clean, common among budget vacuums with bristle rollers. Since it's not removable, you have to manually pull out tangled pet hair and human hair, which can be quite frustrating. While cleaning floors can be rewarding, dealing with hair stuck in the vacuum isn't nearly as enjoyable.

The brush tool was too raised and spread out to be effective at cleaning dirt on upholstery. We had to make several passes over the coffee, which smeared some of it into the pillow.

Should You Buy the Eureka AirSpeed?

We're not particularly impressed by the Eureka AirSpeed at its full list price, since other similarly priced vacuums perform much better across the board. While the minimal design features may seem appealing for their simplicity, we found them less user-friendly in practice. This isn't a vacuum you'll want to use on hardwood either. As our testing shows, it's best to look elsewhere.

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