Eureka RapidClean Pro Review

The Eureka RapidClean has a few features that stood out to us. Those convenience features combined with good performance add to its overall appeal. It can easily convert to a handheld vacuum and includes a dusting and crevice tool, making it much easier to clean hard to reach places. It also has an integrated notch for resting the vacuum against a counter or chair — handy if you need to pause for a moment while cleaning.

Performance Comparison

Convenience

For our first test metric, we looked at the different convenience features each of these vacuums include, specifically focusing on their cleaning versatility, weight, runtime, and how easy they are to store. The Eureka RapidClean performed best in this metric, meriting a solid score well above average.

As previously mentioned, we found this vacuum to be one of the more versatile cleaning options, as it can effectively clean plenty of areas besides flooring. The RapidClean includes both a brush and a crevice tool for this — similar to other stick vacuums — but the ability to connect the motor directly to the powerhead is what sets it apart in this regard. It can be changed into a compact-brushed hand vac that is excellent for cleaning stairs with an exceptionally low weight of only 5.1 pounds.

At 5.1 pounds, this vacuum is lighter than even the most premium options, even stick vacuums that tout being light or featherweight. Additionally, the RapidClean is a cordless stick vacuum, further adding to its convenience. It has a non-swappable battery that lasted more than 23 minutes in our tests while running on high power. It has a claimed charge time of around six hours, which is a little on the slow side. However, it fully recharged in closer to four and a half hours in our tests.

Unfortunately, the only real storage option for the RapidClean is to use a hanging mount. There isn't a way to fold or balance the vacuum to get it to stand upright, though you can prop it against a counter or other piece of furniture using the Easy Rest feature if you don't want to mount it for hanging. This feature is a conveniently designed notch in the back of the canister that allows the vacuum to hook onto furniture without sliding or falling.

Hard Surface Cleaning

Our next set of evaluations rated and ranked each of these products on how well they cleaned up various messes from hard surfaces. We used rice, oats, cereal, pet hair, and flour on a section of hardwood laminate floor for this test, with the RapidClean, delivering an unexpected, above-average score, as mostly more expensive models offer above-average performance on hard surfaces.

This vacuum performed effectively in our rice test. It collected the bulk of the grains on the first forward pass but didn't seem to clean all that well on the backward pass — a final forward pass was needed to clean up the mess thoroughly. We appreciated that very little rice flung out of the path of the vacuum as it cleaned.

The RapidClean did better with flour, collecting most of it on the first pass and cleaning the cracks between boards. It didn't do much when running perpendicular to the cracks but did much better when cleaning in a parallel direction.

This vacuum also did very well with Cheerios and pet hair. It cleaned up most Cheerios without crushing them and got all of the pet hair without issue. Performance dropped slightly with oats, as it was much more likely to fling them to the side but still delivered an above-average performance.

Ease of Use

Our next series of tests focuses on how easy it is to use these stick vacuums while cleaning. This type of vacuum should be easier to use than other types. We looked at how they cleaned along the edges of a room and under furniture, their cleaning modes, steering, and how loud each vacuum is. The RapidClean again did pretty well, again earning a score just above average.

This vacuum has both high and low power options and is very effective at cleaning under furniture, reaching a total of 32" under our test sofa. It was also the quietest in our test group by far and is very maneuverable, with swivel steering on the powerhead. However, it doesn't clean edges very well in standard mode, forcing us to use the special crevice attachment every time.

Carpet Cleaning

Our last round of tests focused on the carpet cleaning performance of each product. We repeated the same cleanup challenges from our hard surface tests, swapping out the laminate floor for some low and medium-pile carpets. The RapidClean did fine with the rice on the flat carpet, performing similarly to the hard floors. Unfortunately, it struggled a bit with fluffier carpet, taking multiple passes to clean the area effectively. Moving on to flour, we only looked at cleaning performance on short pile carpet since it is such a difficult task for stick vacuums. The RapidClean didn't really rise to the occasion, leaving some leftover debris.

The RapidClean did much better with Cheerios, delivering above-average results. It tended to plow them around for a while but eventually picked them up, taking just a few more passes than the top-tier models. From there, this vacuum wrapped up our tests with a mediocre showing at cleaning up oats and pet hair from the carpet. It eventually cleaned up everything for these messes; it just took more effort than we would have liked.

Should You Buy the Eureka Rapid Clean?

The Eureka Rapid Clean is a capable and convenient stick vacuum that will effectively clean surfaces and won't break the bank. If your budget doesn't allow you to spend significantly more, you'll be hard-pressed to find better convenience and overall performance at this price point, making it a great value and a good choice for many.

What Other Stick Vacuum Should You Consider?