Bought the cleaner at Sam's for about $99. I used the reviews from this site to make my choice. I'd used reviews from Consumers Report to purchase my last cleaner, a Sharp which turned out to be an absolute bust. I cancelled my subscription to Consumers Report because I was so mad that they had recommended such a dud.

The 1998 model Sharp replaced a Kirby purchased in 1957! Can't complain about that Kirby but much better vacuums are available now and they are much cheaper.

Just think for $99 you can get a cleaning dynamo! It does a good-not great-job on edges and even picks up popcorn kernels off ceramic tile floors instead of spinning them around and spitting them across lthe room.

It works great on bare surfaces. It pulls the dirt right out of carpet. It doesn't tip over on you when you use the hose. (I've taken the vacuum to the local vacuum parts and repair shop to have them make a 12 foot hose attachment. Now I can clean above the soffits, the top of doors and drapes..........

The only small complaint I have is that the cleaning ability is so good that the HEPA filter gets clogged rather easily. I am using an air compressor to blow the filter clean. I'm going to purchase another filter and get both of them clogged before I have to start up the air compressor to clean them out.

Oh, I do have another caveat. The weight of the vacuum appears to be greater in the upper part of the vacuum than in some of the other vacuums. It does take more effort and is more tiring than some other vacuums I've used.

The bottom line, however, with the price and the ability to clean hard and carpeted surfacesis it still rates as a FIVE STAR in my opinion.

"This is a great vacuum!"
I was a little hesitant about buying an appliance through the internet but I'm pleasantly surprised and happy! After reading all the other reviews and getting their promo for a $20.00 Amazon gift certificate I decided to buy it. It is great! I can't believe how much better this vacuum is then the old Dirt Devil I was using. This one has great cleaning power, easy to maneuver, fairly quiet and great fun! Yes, fun cleaning the floor! My only complaint is the difficulty in putting the screws in to attach the handle. This really is a great deal!

"Washable Filters *are* available for this vacuum!"
You can get a washable HEPA filter for any 5700 or 5800 series Eureka vacuum from the Eureka web site! I'm SOLD!

"A Great Vacuum, I'm glad I did my research"
Amazon.com was enormously helpful in researching vacuums. We landed on this vacuum which we finally bought from Costco for pricing reasons. This vacuum is a great deal. It's quieter than out last Hoover, it's powerful, and it's easy to clean.

I just cleaned ours, we have had it for about a year, and cleaned it about 3 or 4 times. We use it EVERY day and have a 1 year old, who is sleeping on our carpet in the living room right now. She never has had a problem from vacuum dust either. Normally all I have to do is empty the can when it gets a little full. Cleaning can be a little labor intensive, but it's all pretty easy. 1 screw and I can have the hose off, the rest of the filters are easy to get to. This vacuum has never left a real alergy problem with us. We never sneeze using it. It will eventually get a vacuum smell as you use it, but if you keep it clean that is minimized.

After researching different options, this is what I found.
Baglass vs Bag Vaccums: Some people like bagless, some like bag. It's really a personal preference issue. I like being able to see what is in the can.
Drive systems: Beware of the Hoover. It uses a plastic geared brush drive mechanism which the salesman at Sears told me has been a real weak spot. The Eureka has a Belt driven brush, which is reliable.
Hepa filter vs Micron Filtration: Hepa filters can filter out particles below .3 Microns. This means your vacuum will filter out smoke as well as other things. Some vacuums claim to have 'Micron' filtration, which filters between 5 Microns and .3 Microns, but it's not Hepa.
Sealed Hepa Filtration systems: The Eureka has a sealed Hepa system, meaning no air gets out past the filter. This includes motor exhaust. This is the only real way to run a filter system. If it's not sealed, it's not doin' much.
Changing HEPA Filters: Do the 'light test'. Hold the filter up to a light. If you can still see light filtering through your filter, it's still good. But DON'T LET YOUR HEPA FILTER GET CLOGGED. It can fry your motor. The Eureka has a very easy to access Hepa filter, so you don't have to dismantle the vacuum to check it.
The hose is a nice addition. My Vacuum did not come with the duster, and I think that would be a nice addition.

Overall, I am glad I did my research and I'm gald I bought this vaccum. Thanks Amazon for posting customer reviews.

"Good product for the money"
What is it about buying a vacuum? It's like buying a car, all the research! And I did all that reaserch for the amount of money you drop in one trip to the grocery store! Whew! Yes, I used Amazon to do my research and went with this vacuum due to the ratings. I wanted a bagless and didnt want to spend a ton a money, since the last vacuum we bought was an Oreck. Im giving this 4 stars only because of its weight and the fact that I cant do my stairs with it. Im spoiled on the lightweight Oreck. But every bagless I found weighed a ton so I knew that this was something I was just going to have to live with if I wanted a bagless. And I love the bagless feature. Easy to use and the suction is incredible. I was horrified to see what came out of my carpet the first 2 uses. We are extremely dusty here living in the desert so I was happy to see that its powerful. The hose attachment is very awkward to use. Too inflexible and not long enough, I think. But Im getting use to it. The spin duster is a nice extra feature. We have had this vacuum 2 months now and I can honestly say that for the money ($99 at Sams Club, and I price shopped EVERYWHERE, no new ones available on Amazon) it is worth every penny.