Eureka NEC122A Powerplush Cordless 2-in-1 Stick Vacuum, REVIEW

By William | April 24, 2018

A Detailed Review of the Eureka NEC122A PowerPlush Cordless 2-in-1 Lightweight Stick Vacuum!

Description

The Eureka NEC122A Powerplush Cordless 2-in-1 Lightweight Stick is a bagless upright Vacuum designed to offer the advantages of cord-free operation at a moderate price. The Eureka NEC122A was designed especially for smooth and hardwood floor cleaning as well as low-pile carpet.  And to fill the gap of the $300 to $500 vacs and the el cheapos.

About Eureka, the Company

Eureka® was founded in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1909 and manufactures a diverse line of Upright, Canister, Stick, Handheld, and Cordless vacuum cleaners.

Eureka has a solid track record of offering well-designed vacuums that consistently receive high customer satisfaction ratings at economic prices.

 

 

Features

• Removable 21.6 Volt Lithium-Ion Battery provides powerful suction
• Up to 20 minutes of Runtime at full power
• Plush Motorized Brushroll for excellent performance on hardwood floors, picks up cereal and pet food as well as fine dust
• 2-in-1 Cordless Handheld Vacuum for cleaning above floor areas
• Dual Mode Dust Cup Emptying
• Dual Anti-Allergen Filtration System
• One Touch Power Button for easier operation
• Extremely Light Weight at only 5.5 lbs
• Wide 9.5 Inch Floor Nozzle for faster cleaning
• Includes: Crevice Tool, Upholstery Tool, and Wall Mount Charging Station
• 2 Year Manufactures Warranty on vacuum, 1 Year on battery

Take a Look at this Detailed In-Home Customer VIDEO Review!

 

REVIEW

When I ponder how the vacuum cleaner industry has changed over the years it almost makes my head spin. For decades the public was pretty much limited to either an upright or a canister vacuum. Life was so much simpler 40 years ago but as our lives have become more complicated and busy the vacuum manufactures have been scrambling to keep up with the demands of the public, offering clever design features to accommodate just about every cleaning need, and also taste, imaginable. Why some vacuum models remind me of the familiar Swiss Army Knife – with a dozen features that look great but don’t work all that well in the real world.

Lately, the trend has been toward Cordless Vacuums because of the potential convenience of being able to clean our homes without having to deal with power cords. The latest battery technology made that a reality to some extent.

A Cordless Vacuum Can Save you Time!

No, battery-powered vacuums do not have the same cleaning potential as a well-designed corded vacuum that runs off of 120v household current with a motor that weighs 3 times as much as a whole cordless vacuum. But, if a cordless vacuum can save you 20 or 30 minutes per week or month cleaning your home, that’s time you can spend with the kids or watching the Simpsons without feeling guilty.

When reviewing cordless vacuums I have learned to be cautiously optimistic of the manufacture’s promises. I tend to evaluate a vacuum more on its utility and usefulness rather than any glitzy features that are mostly to attract buyers, but contribute little to the overall value and function of the vacuum.

 

The new Eureka NEC122A Powerplush Cordless 2-in-1 Lightweight Stick Vacuum caught my eye for exactly those reasons. Admittedly, it is a very attractive vacuum displaying the trendy “weed wacker” or motorhead configuration made popular by Dyson. And although this interesting vacuum doesn’t boast some of the latest outer space technology passed on by some extraterrestrials, it does offer a couple of very significant features that make this vacuum worthy of serious examination.

 Cleaning Performance

Hardwood and Smooth Floors

Since most newer homes feature a large percentage of hardwood floors the Plush Motorized Brushroll located in the floor nozzle is designed to solve an age old problem encountered when vacuuming hardwood floors.

When you push the typical Corded Upright vacuum across a smooth floor with its spinning stiff-bristled brushroll and encounter large debris such as Cheerios or Kibble-n-Bits they get scattered all over the room instead of getting sucked into the vacuum cleaner. The Plush Brushroll solves that problem! Instead of wisking it across the floor it engulfs it like rolling a fluffy pillow over it, to roll it into the suction zone. Problem solved!

When it comes to fine dust, it’s like going over it with a dry mop, removing all the dust and giving the floor surface a just buffed look. This vacuum has non-scratch wheels on the floor brush and felt pads so it Will Not Scratch your hardwood floors!

The Plush Brushroll concept is not just theory; it really works and works well.

Also READ: Best Cordless Vacuum for Hardwood Floors

Carpet 

The Eureka NEC122A Powerplush Cordless was designed primarily for hard smooth floors and even tile, but it also does an acceptable job of cleaning low-pile carpeting and mats. To be effective on medium to plush pile carpet the brushroll would need to have stiff bristles to agitate and loosen the embedded dirt. There are other cordless vacs that are equipped with dual brushrolls such as the Shark DuoClean Series but expect to pay a premium price.

Pet Hair Pickup

This vacuum does an impressive job of picking up pet or human hair from smooth floors but don’t expect any miracles when used on carpet. If your pet has short fur it will probably do a good job but if you share your home with a Goldie you will be disappointed.  (SEE: Best Cordless Vacuums for Pet Hair)

Emptying the Dust Cup

This is where a lot of Cordless Stick Vacuums come up short. Because of the limited power that can be generated by a 1 ½ lb Lithium-Ion battery vacuum cleaner they are limited to narrower air channels and smaller capacity dirt cups in order to generate higher velocity to make up for the lack of power. This can make a cordless vacuum prone to clogging if the dirt cup and cyclone separator apparatus are not carefully designed.

Eureka designed their NEC122A Powerplush to be easy to empty with a Dual Emptying System that gives you the choice of getting rid of your dirt by tripping the trap door (like most bagless vacs.) This works great but it can create a dust cloud of the dust you are trying to rid yourself of. This is not good if you are an allergy suffer.

Or, you can opt to twist off the whole dirt cup which allows you lower it into the trash container and gently empty it which eliminates or minimizes any dust cloud. Way to go Eureka!

Above Floor Cleaning

Like most of the top-rated Cordless Stick Vacuums the Eureka NEC122A Powerplush lets you easily remove the metal wand and floor brush assembly and use it as a Handheld Vacuum. Attach Upholstery Tool or Crevice Tool and take care of your above the floor areas. You can install the PowerPlush Motorized Floor Brush on the

handheld unit for cleaning stairs which works quite well,

especially with the swivel steering feature.

User Friendliness

Eureka designed this vacuum so even a man can assemble it in about 7 minutes (Attention Men:  Read the Operator’s Manual FIRST)

Did I mention that it has Swivel Steering that makes this vacuum a breeze to maneuver around furniture legs, pets, people, etc.?

At 5.5 lbs this vacuum is about as light as a feather and won’t cause your wrist to fatigue.

Another feature that I like is the One Touch Trigger On/Off Switch. Press it once to turn the vacuum on – touch it again to turn it off. No holding it down while you’re vacuuming.

Battery Charging and Runtime

Another feature that I like to see on a Cordless Stick Vacuum is a Removable Battery. That is, one that easily snaps in and out instead of being an internal integral part of the vacuum. This feature allows you to upgrade the Runtime by Double by simply purchasing a 2nd Optional Battery*. (NOTE: Eureka has not made these available as of April 2018, but stated they will as soon as they catch up with the initial production of this vacuum.)

The battery must be charged with it installed in the vacuum. This can be done while on the included Wall Mount or wherever there is an outlet to plug in the charger. I would prefer to be able to charge the battery while removed from the vacuum. This would allow you to have one battery charging while using the 2nd one to operate the vacuum, but this can still work. Simply charge up both batteries after a cleaning session.

Eureka advertises this vacuum will provide you with up to 20 minutes of Runtime before the battery requires recharging. It will vary somewhat depending on the floor surface you are cleaning, but I would expect the average runtime to be closer to 16 or 18 minutes. That’s not as long as some vacuums can run but to increase it, Eureka would have had to provide a larger battery and that would make it heavier and then people would gripe about that.

For those of you who reside in Europe you can easily and safely charge the battery by using a Step Down Voltage Converter such as the one shown above.

Filtration

The Eureka NEC122A Powerplush Cordless uses a Washable Anti-Allergen Filtration System.  Its very effective at removing offending particulates although not as fine as a HEPA Filter.  If you or someone in your home is very sensitive to allergens this may be an issue.

The alternative would be a Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cordless which has a considerably higher price point.

Bottom Line

The Eureka NEC122A Powerplush Cordless 2-in-1 Lightweight Stick Vacuum does what the manufacturer claims.

No, it isn’t the Swiss Army Knife of vacuum la la land that promises to fulfill your ever need with skimpy tools, apps, and glitzy features – Just meat & potatoes with a couple of very useful and innovative features thrown in.

The PowerPlush Motorized Brushroll make this one of the better Vacuums for Hardwood Floors, including corded or cordless which is what it was primarily designed to do.

It does do a respectable job on short pile carpet which is just what Eureka claims it will do. If your home has medium to long plush pile carpet this IS NOT THE VACUUM FOR YOU. If you’re looking for a cordless stick vacuum to clean your carpet you should consider the new Hoover Impulse Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner BH53020 which is very modestly priced.  Or a Dyson V11 Torque Drive , Shark IONFlex DuoClean Cordless Ultra-Light Vacuum (IF201), but be prepared to pay a significantly higher price than the Eureka NEC122A.

The Dual Mode Dirt Cup Emptying system may not seem significant but after you have tried it a couple times you will really begin to appreciate it.

The Removable Battery is a very important feature if you don’t want your cordless vacuum to become obsolete in 2 to 5 years when the battery will no longer hold a charge. Instead of placing this attractive looking vacuum out on the curb for trash pick-up, simply order a Replacement Battery* and rejuvenate your vacuum. Or, don’t wait, order a second battery and double the runtime from approx. 20 to approx. 40 minutes.

The 2 Year Manufactures Warranty on the appliance is less than Shark’s but the same Dyson’s.  However you can always upgrade the warranty at checkout with a 3 Year Asurion Floorcare Extended Protection Plan for less than $35 which offers good protection. Eureka warranties the battery for 1 Year.

If your home has mostly wood or other hard flooring and you are  looking for ways to shave a few precious minutes off your busy daily schedule the Eureka NEC122A Powerplush Cordless 2-in-1 Lightweight Stick Vacuum will be a welcome addition to your home. I RECOMMEND THIS VACUUM!

By the way, I love my Swiss Army Knife!

 

Compare the Eureka NEC122A Powerplush to Top Rated Cordless Vacuums

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