Our In-Depth Review
Design
The Eureka 79D Quick-Up is a simple machine that works well for quickly cleaning surface messes. Battery operated, this machine is stored on its charging station and has an on-board, flip-up crevice tool for easy access during cleaning.
Averaging seventy-five decibels, it has a moderate noise level and its filtration system did a fairly decent job of capturing and retaining particles as it cleaned.
On the down side, the suction on the Quick-Up isn’t very strong, making jobs like cleaning pet-hair and debris deep in the carpet difficult to impossible.
Additionally, the battery charge doesn’t last very long and won’t allow you to use it for more than a few minutes at a time.
Long and slender, the Eureka 79D machine combines simplicity and elegance. Weighing just three pounds, your wrist won’t get tired wielding this vacuum around your home while you clean.
Performance/Using The Eureka 79D Vacuum
The Quick-Up is aptly named and works best for quickly cleaning up small, surface spills and messes.
Performance on Carpets
For testing on carpets, we used three different sized particles to see how the vacuum performed on picking up various messes.
First, we used flour that allowed us to see how the handheld did picking up small particles, which the vacuum had no problem with.
Next, we tested the Eureka 79D with medium particles by utilizing rice. Again, it had no issues, easily picking the particles up.
Finally, we used white beans to represent large particles, which the vacuum picked up with ease.
We do not think this vacuum should be used for a thorough cleaning of carpets, but only for small messes since the suction strength isn’t strong enough to lift particles out from in and under the carpet.
Performance on Hard Surface Floors
We tested the Eureka 79D hand vacuum on hard surface flooring by using the same three sized particles. We found the vacuum to be as effective on the hard surface as on the carpet, cleaning all the flour, rice and beans up without an issue.
We did find that the angle the vacuum was held in relationship to the floor was key with the small particles in particular.
In order to get all the flour off the floor, the vacuum needed to be held closer to a perpendicular angle to the hard surface flooring. While it feels a bit unnatural, it did an effective job at getting all the small particles off the floor.
One benefit we found with this vacuum on both the carpets and the hard surface flooring tests was how it did with the medium and large particles.
With many of the handhelds we have tested in the past, we found that the vacuums would throw some of the pieces of rice and beans behind your main cleaning area, which was likely because of the brushroll.
Handhelds are normally used to clean small areas or small messes and when these other vacuums sent particles flying around the room, it was counterproductive to its purpose.
Since the Eureka 79D handheld does not have a brushroll, it picked up the particles without creating a second area that needs to be cleaned.
Car Cleaning
The 79D Quick Up did a fair job of cleaning the car during our test. One benefit we found was that it was much easier to maneuver in the car than some of the other handhelds we have tested.
This was likely due to the smaller head, which made it easier to fit into the contours of the car.
It did, however, lack enough suction strength to get all the debris off the floor.
Also, as on the hard surface flooring, we did find it necessary to hold the vacuum more upright in order to get the most suction possible, which made it awkward to use at times.
Cleaning our automobile also gave us the opportunity to use the foldout crevice tool, which is four and one half inches long.
It did a good job of getting into the tight areas of our car, but it did not have as much suction as we would have liked and it left some debris.
Pet Hair
Out of all our tests, the Eureka 79D performed the worst at cleaning pet hair. When we tested it with dog hair on a couch, it had a very hard time of sucking it up.
In fact, the hair just balled up and we had to go over the hair numerous times before the couch was any cleaner.
If you have animals in your house and have trouble with dog hair, a handheld with a brushroll would be a better choice.
Suction Strength
The Eureka 79D Quick-Up has decent suction, but isn’t designed for deep cleaning. It will easily pick up fine, medium or large debris off the surface, but lacked the suction strength to extract dirt that has settled into carpet or upholstery.
We were not able to test this handheld with out water lift gauge since the design of the vacuum would not allow a seal to be created between the gauge and the vacuum.
Filtration
The filtration system of the Eureka 79D vacuum uses a dust cup to collect the debris and a dust cup filter to clean the air passing through the machine.
The instructions recommend that the user cleans out the dust cup after each use. The filter can also be cleaned by hand washing it with warm water using mild detergent, then letting it dry thoroughly.
We tested this handheld’s exhaust with our particle scanner and found the scanner reading went down slightly after turning the vacuum on.
This means that the vacuum did a good job at filtering the air passing through the vacuum.
Attachments / Onboard Tools
While the Eureka 79D does not technically have any attachments, it does have a crevice tool that folds out from under the vacuum.
The foldout feature is handy since you do not have to go retrieve a tool that is unattached or carry it around with you as you clean.
This tool does not lock into place as tightly as we thought it should so it can start to fold back into the vacuum when in use.
Ease of Use
Style
The Eureka 79D Quick-Up is incredibly lightweight and well-balanced. We did find that it needed to be held straight up and down to effectively clean small particle messes.
This form felt a little unnatural, but overall, we appreciated this machines simple style.
Getting Started
This machine comes fully assembled, but you can’t begin using it right away. The Eureka 79D requires that you charge it for fourteen to sixteen hours before using it for the first time.
The battery charging station can be mounted on your wall for easy storage. This will require a screwdriver or power drill, but the vacuum comes with the screws needed for attaching the charging station to the wall if you so choose.
Noise
The Quick-Up fell in the low end of the moderate noise range of our rating scale averaging in at about 75 decibles.
Ease of Use on Stairs
Without a turbo brush or strong suction, we didn’t feel like this vacuum did a thorough job of cleaning our stairs.
It picked up debris from the surface, but we checked the dirt cup after cleaning our stairs and found little to no fine dirt had been sucked up.
Battery Charge
The battery does not hold a charge long enough to do more than 10 minutes of cleaning.
In fact, it did not have enough power to clean our whole car. If you use this handheld to solely clean up little, surface spills, then the battery charge length will not be an issue.
Storage
The handheld can be stored on the battery charging station, which can be attached to the wall. There are no loose attachments for this machine that need to be stored.
Maintenance
To maintain this vacuum, the instructions recommend emptying the dust cup after each use, dusting the filter off after each use, washing the filter when needed and replacing the battery once it does not hold a charge.
Value For Money
The Eureka 79D vacuum can be purchased for between ten and twenty dollars. At that price, we felt that you more than get your money’s worth. Yes, this machine has multiple limitations, but for someone desiring to clean up small, surface messes around their home, this simple tool will do the trick.
Final Vacuum Verdict
This machine has multiple limitations, but for someone desiring to clean up small, surface messes around their home, this simple tool will do the trick.
We recommend the Eureka 79D Quick-Up for someone who has other methods or tools for cleaning their car, upholstery and stairs. This no frills, inexpensive vacuum is great for someone who is limited on storage space and needs to be able to grab and use a vacuum quickly.