Eureka New400 Wet/Dry Vacuum Review: Kick The Bucket – And Mop

Value When Reviewed

$199.00

Finest Costs Right now: Eureka New400 Moist/Dry Vacuum

$199.99 ($1.44 / Ounce)

If the New400 isn’t obtainable in your area, take a look at our overview of the same Tineco Ground One S3.

How did utilizing the Eureka New400 collection Moist/Dry Vacuum and Ground Washer first make me really feel?

Disgusted.

I’ve usually been a practitioner of the “10-second rule,” which glibly claims that meals dropped on the ground is suitable for eating if it’s picked up inside 10 seconds.

However after a primary swipe throughout my “fairly clear” kitchen ground with Eureka’s new moist/dry vac, and an inspection of what it scrubbed up and extracted to its holding tank, I swore I’d be floor-dining no extra.

Poured into a pitcher, the recovered liquid appeared like a foamy chocolate shake, with random bits of this and that floating round. Yuck. And even with periodic repeat washes, spaced out each 4 or 5 days, I discovered myself dumping out lighter-muddied restoration water from the holding tank. Possibly these fastidious people who lose their sneakers on the entrance door are on to one thing.

Jonathan Takiff / Foundry

The New400 is certainly one of a rising breed of what I’d name “specialty” or “restricted use” vacuum cleaners. It appears to be like like a typical upright vac, however this machine is ineffective on carpets and may’t even dry-clear naked flooring. It could possibly be extra precisely described as a solution-spraying, brush-scrubbing ground washer enhanced with vacuum extraction of the moisture; effectively, the answer is non-compulsory – you might additionally use plain water.

An upward-opening, suction-powered slit behind the comb takes in 90 % of the soiled water and, on the similar time, collects no matter different grit and goop was sitting in its path. The remaining 10 % of wetness left on the ground dries in only a minute or two, and with out leaving a haze behind. So, that’s what’s meant right here by a “moist/dry vac.”

Design & Construct

The short-release 600ml (20.3-ounce) capability clear tank on the prime of the physique will get full of heat water and, for those who want, a capful or two of particular detergent created particularly for moist/dry vacs. The Eureka-branded Clear+Refresh “sterilizing liquid” equipped with the vac provides a pleasant scent (it’s billed as ”appropriate for pet households”) and supplies a tad extra cleansing energy than water alone.

Jonathan Takiff / Foundry

I additionally dared to run by a tank of water infused with a pair capfuls of OMO Roborock Multisurface Ground Cleansing answer, developed for wet-vac use by Unilever. It lacked a coverup scent however appeared barely more proficient at loosening ground-in grime. I say “dared” as a result of the machine’s working directions warn: “At all times use Eureka cleansing answer in your machine, different cleansing options might harm the machine and void the guarantee.” In a follow-up inquiry, Eureka raised the opportunity of incompatible cleansing chemical compounds “corroding” components.

For sure you need to by no means use a cleaning soap product not particularly formulated to be used in moist/dry vacs. Nor do you have to use greater than a capsule or two of the specialty stuff, as that might certainly create extra suds and clog the machine’s works. To reduce issues, I now run the vac with a smidgeon of additive each different time I take advantage of it, alternating with plain faucet water to flush the system of any agent residue.

Jonathan Takiff / Foundry

Positioned beneath the clean-water tank is a second quick-release tank, barely smaller at 400ml (13.5 ounces), that captures the soiled water the vac sucks again up. I initially scratched my head over the relative tank sizes, fearing “couldn’t a mess-up occur right here?”

However the New400’s 2500mAh lithium-ion battery appears to close down when the shelling out prime tank is sort of tapped out and the recycling backside compartment is sort of full. And a detection system (using an inside float) blocks the suction port and flashes a warning gentle on the deal with when the soiled water rises to its most consumption line.

Efficiency & Options

Light-weight and simple to maneuver, you’ll be shouting “Eureka!” operating this 8.7-pound, battery-powered machine around the room. The torque in its spinning curler, which turns at 600rpm, is ample to propel the machine ahead, but it surely doesn’t put up an excessive amount of resistance while you’re tugging forwards and backwards over drawback areas to loosen hardened grime. That’s one thing robotic mops are arduous pressed to do. You may virtually be a passive observer because the Eureka does its factor. The clear water dispersion (distributed throughout the comb head) is computerized, as is the vacuum extraction that follows.

Jonathan Takiff / Foundry

Operations are managed with three buttons – Energy, Mode, and Self Clear – which can be stacked on its ergonomically formed deal with. The On/Off swap is within the middle, and it has an indicator gentle that shifts from blue to purple after which virtually immediately to crimson when the ability is operating low. You’ll get 5 minutes of working time as soon as the color-shifting begins.

Pushing the deal with and vac physique ahead into the total upright-and-locked place stops the machine, placing it in standby mode. Depart it like that for greater than three minutes and it totally powers down.

Jonathan Takiff / Foundry

Gear shifting is finished on the handle-topping Low/Excessive Mode button. In low gear, you’ll get upwards of half-hour for touch-up work. I discovered the time ample to swab down a kitchen ground, a pair bogs, the entryway, and some patches of hallway.

However for those who’re new with this gadget and are tackling a hardly ever washed ground, that fast once-over you first did will simply be the beginning. Give the vac an opportunity to recharge: The method takes upwards of 5 to 6 hours, in accordance with Eureka’s literature, although the charging gentle goes out after three. Now begin cleansing once more, this time with the vac spraying, spinning, and sucking extra aggressively on “Excessive.” Work that pet repeatedly over the worst zones. And be fast about it. When operating on Excessive, the Eureka New400 is simply up for about 10 minutes of regular ground pounding. The excellent news is that by no means will get too noisy, whirring at 77.6 dB on Excessive and 73.7 dB on Low, Eureka specifies.

Objective-built for usefulness on every kind of sealed flooring, the Eureka New400 vac includes a plush materials head that wets and surface-wipes vigorously with out scratching. It did very effectively by a demanding, white tiled rest room and put a brighter shine on my outdated polyurethane-coated Southern Pine flooring.

Nonetheless, I want there was another, bristle-brush head that might sort out the deep recesses in my porous, uneven-surfaced ceramic kitchen tiles. Even after a second energy wash, digging out the deepest-embedded grime nonetheless required extracurricular exercise. I bought down on my fingers and knees to work with a twig bottle of TileGuard Tile and Grout Cleaner and a scrub brush, rapidly adopted by a wipe up with a rag, after which one other helpful swipe of the ground with the Eureka. Solely after that did the ground appear like new.

Cautionary Word Two: Eureka working directions additionally warn in opposition to utilizing the vac to clean away “solvents.” That might dissuade you from deploying even an old style selfmade washing answer of vinegar and water immediately on the ground or within the clear water tank.

Jonathan Takiff / Foundry

Whereas the Eureka will definitely choose up assorted free detritus – random cereal flakes and cookie crumbs, sprinkles of seasonings, pet hair, and the like – I’d advocate you run a dry vac over your flooring earlier than letting this machine free on them. Save Eureka’s mop-and-vac expertise for extra dramatic liquid spills and for general-purpose ground washing. The maker additionally warns in opposition to sucking up massive clumps of stuff, as that can seemingly clog up the works.

A lot, however not all, of the little stuff the New400 sucks up will wind up within the dirty-water tank, a concoction that must be filtered by a sieve for those who’re planning on pouring it down the drain. Different grit clings to the highest and sides of the soiled water tank, to a sponge filter above the identical tank, to the plastic, and to the rubber-lipped body across the curler brush. And also you’ll discover pet hair wrapped across the brush head, begging to be pulled off with a equipped instrument earlier than it locks up the operations. In case you’ve pre-cleaned the ground with a dry vac, the New400 might be happier and also you’ll discover it simpler to wash besides.

Jonathan Takiff / Foundry

A pair seconds of whirred-up cleansing happens every time you hit the ability off button. While you’re completed utilizing the New400 for the day, urgent the Self Cleansing button initiates a brief (one minute) however moderately noisy (80 dB) course of that flushes most of gathered gunk out of the tubing and into the soiled water tank.

Self Cleansing’s even larger accomplishment is washing its spinning brush head. As some water flies off within the course of, you need to solely faucet the SC button when each tanks are in place and the vac is seated on its rimmed, arduous plastic base, which helps with the comb scrubbing and accommodates any spillage. This self-cleaning course of did such a very good job that I hardly ever felt compelled to yank out the comb head and hand wash it beneath the faucet. But when mopping-up smelly or sticky stuff, that’s a should.

My important concern right here is with battery administration. In case you don’t shut the unit off instantly after its indicator gentle turns purple to report low energy, you’ll discover it missing sufficient energy in reserve to run the self-cleaning operation. Including insult to harm, the method can’t be carried out when the vac is plugged in for recharging. Word to the product design staff: I want the vac additionally issued an audible alert when operating low on energy, as its coloured warning gentle is simple to miss.

Why you want three vacuums

Jonathan Takiff / Foundry

Again within the days of heavy and clunky vacs, a vacuum-cleaner restore man instructed I ought to have a separate vac for every ground of my row home, merely to keep away from the hesitation and aggravation of lugging a machine up and down stairs. On this age of light-weight, slim cordless fashions, I’ve come to an enhanced rationale for 3 are higher than one.

My go-to machine for space rugs is the Dyson V8 Absolute. It doesn’t beat the fibers as arduous as its newer, higher-numbered siblings, however that’s a very good factor for rug longevity. For hard-surface flooring, I like the Dyson V15 Detect with its fluffy head put in. It throws a inexperienced laser on the ground, highlighting a noxious prime layer of mud particles you’d in any other case by no means discover. This inexperienced illumination can also be discovered on the V12 Detect Slim and Gen5detect.

Now I’m thrilled to welcome the Eureka New400 moist/dry vac into the happy-helpers fold for laundry my naked flooring.

Do you have to purchase a Eureka New400 Moist/Dry Vacuum?

With its swiveling, comparatively low-profile head, the Eureka NEW400 will not be a lot more durable to push round than a Swiffer, and it’s 50 instances extra nice to make use of for ground washing than a mop and bucket. Boasting a ton of muscle energy, it cleans – and cleans up after itself – like no person’s enterprise.

Now if it had a swappable battery and bristle-brush head, I’d be completely in awe.

This overview was first revealed on TechHive, our sibling publication.