The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a great canister vacuum. Although it has a plasticky body, its simple design is fairly easy to maintain, and there are virtually no recurring costs. It has exceptional performance on bare floors and, although it struggles to pick up small and large debris a bit more on high-pile carpet, it still does a good job overall. It also has good maneuverability, and if you want to reach into smaller spaces, you can use it in a different configuration with its soft bristle brush. However, it doesn't come with very many tools and brushes, and its electrical cord is very short, which limits its range.
Our Verdict
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is decent for bare floors. It's pretty good at dealing with finer debris like sand on this surface type, but its floorhead is too low to the ground to pass over larger debris like rice or cereal, causing it to push around this kind of debris. Although some users may not like its plastic body, it's fairly lightweight and has good maneuverability. It's also easy to maintain, and if its parts are regularly maintained, there are virtually no recurring costs.
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Cleans up most fine debris.
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Easy to maintain and virtually no recurring costs.
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Can be used in another configuration with its soft bristle brush.
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Struggles with larger debris.
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Limited brush and tool set.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a decent choice for low-pile carpet. It can clear away a fair amount of finer debris like sand on this surface, but it tends to push around large and medium-sized debris. While the vacuum feels plasticky and slightly cheap, it's easy to maintain and has virtually no recurring costs. It also has good maneuverability.
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Cleans up most fine debris.
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Easy to maintain and virtually no recurring costs.
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Can be used in another configuration with its soft bristle brush.
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Struggles with larger debris.
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Limited brush and tool set.
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Straight suction head provides minimal surface agitation on carpets.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is okay for high-pile carpet. Its straight-suction head doesn't provide quite enough surface agitation on this surface to lift away material that's been embedded deep within carpet fibers. That said, it has good maneuverability and is easy to maintain. As long as its filters are taken care of, you won't need to replace them, which is nice.
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Easy to maintain and virtually no recurring costs.
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Can be used in another configuration with its soft bristle brush.
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Limited brush and tool set.
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Straight suction head provides minimal surface agitation on carpets.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a mediocre option for pet owners. While the straight-suction head allows it to pick up pet hair on bare floors without much of an issue, it doesn't provide enough surface agitation to dislodge hair embedded in carpet fibers. Although its plastic body feels a little fragile, it's easy to maintain, and if you take care of it, there are virtually no recurring costs. It also has good maneuverability.
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Easy to maintain and virtually no recurring costs.
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Can be used in another configuration with its soft bristle brush.
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Limited brush and tool set.
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Straight suction head provides minimal surface agitation on carpets.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is decent for stairs. It's a mostly plastic vacuum, but it's lightweight, which makes it easier to carry around. It also has a long hose, and with the vacuum head removed, you can use its smaller soft bristle brush. However, the electrical cord is quite short, and you may have to switch outlets if you have a long staircase. That said, it does a great job overall on all surface types.
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Easy to maintain and virtually no recurring costs.
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Can be used in another configuration with its soft bristle brush.
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Limited brush and tool set.
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Short electrical cord.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is satisfactory for cars. While its cord isn't long, it's easily portable, and its extension wand can help you reach hard-to-reach places. It has a small soft bristle brush configuration that you can use to clean car seats and floors, and it does an amazing job picking up pet hair and small and large debris from low-pile carpet. It has a plasticky body that some may find cheap or flimsy-feeling, and it takes up a bit of space when stored away. It also doesn't have a crevice tool.
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Easy to maintain and virtually no recurring costs.
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Can be used in another configuration with its soft bristle brush.
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Limited brush and tool set.
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Short electrical cord.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister isn't designed for workshop cleaning. It can't suck up liquids and is likely to be damaged if you use it to suck up things like large wood or metal shavings.
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Easy to maintain and virtually no recurring costs.
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Can be used in another configuration with its soft bristle brush.
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Limited brush and tool set.
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Can't be used to deal with liquid spills.
- 7.1 Bare Floor
- 7.1 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.7 High-Pile Carpet
- 6.2 Pets
- 7.2 Stairs
- 7.4 Cars
- 4.9 Workshop
- Updated Aug 26, 2024: We've updated the scores in the Hard Floor Pick-Up, High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up, Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up, and Pet-Hair Pick-Up tests to align with a broader data set. For more information about the reasoning for this update, you can look at our forum post.
- Updated Apr 09, 2024: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in Test Bench 1.0, Test Bench 1.2, and Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Apr 09, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3. We've overhauled our floor performance tests and added new 'Hard Floor Pick-Up,' 'High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' 'Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' and 'Pet-Hair Pick-Up' tests. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Dec 14, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update builds on our previous 'Suction' test with a new 'Airflow' test that more accurately measures a vacuum's ability to generate air movement. If you'd like to see an in-depth look at the reasoning and methodology behind this change, you can see our full changelog here..
- Updated Aug 22, 2022: This vacuum's suction force has been retested with a more accurate manometer. The test results for the 'Maximum Suction' and 'Normal Suction' fields have been updated. All relevant scores and text have been updated.
- Updated Aug 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated May 02, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Aug 12, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Jul 30, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Jul 22, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jul 20, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jul 07, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a great canister vacuum. Even though it doesn't have a lot of tools or features, it has virtually no recurring costs, and it has a better performance on all surface types than other canister vacuums like the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball or NaceCare HVR 200 Henry. Unfortunately, it has a very short cord length, which may be limiting, especially if you don't have a lot of outlets in your home or room.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister and the Eureka Mighty Mite are similarly performing canister vacuums. The Whirlwind feels better built and incurs lower recurring costs by virtue of its bagless design. However, the Mighty Mite has more tools, is a bit more portable, and has a longer range. User maintenance is much easier, and its dirtbag holds more debris. Both vacuums have similar straight-suction heads that struggle with larger debris.
The Miele Classic C1 and the Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister are similar canister vacuums, but the Miele is better overall. The Miele is much more powerful and more maneuverable; it comes with a couple more tools and brushes, and its dirt compartment is larger. It's also significantly better built and much easier to maintain and store. In contrast, the Eureka has virtually no recurring costs, is bagless, and is more portable.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a better canister vacuum than the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe. The Eureka is easier to maintain, incurs lower recurring costs, is more portable, and has better maneuverability. It also outperforms the Shark on bare floors as well as low-pile carpets. However, the Shark does much better on high-pile carpets, its dirt compartment is larger, and it's easier to store.
The Miele Complete C3 Alize is a better overall canister vacuum than the Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister. The Miele model is better built and easier to maintain. The Miele has a more powerful motor, and it's more maneuverable. Its dirt compartment is larger, and this vacuum has more tools and brushes. However, the Eureka doesn't have any recurring costs.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a better canister vacuum overall than the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal. The Eureka performs significantly better on all surface types, has a better build quality, and is more portable. However, the Dyson is more maneuverable, comes with several tools and brushes, and is easier to maintain.
The NaceCare HVR 200 Henry is better than the Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister, though the Eureka is still a good choice if you want something cheap. The Eureka is bagless, resulting in minimal recurring costs, and is substantially lighter and smaller. It also has an easier time dealing with pet hair on bare floors. However, the NaceCare has a more potent suction motor, resulting in superior deep-cleaning performance on high-pile carpet and in cracks and crevices. It also feels much better built, is more maneuverable, comes with more tools and brushes, and has a substantially longer range.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a better bagless canister vacuum than the BISSELL Zing Bagless Canister. The Eureka is easier to maintain, incurs practically no recurring costs, and doesn't struggle nearly as much with large cereal-like debris. Conversely, the BISSELL is a little lighter, has a larger dirt compartment that requires less frequent emptying, and performs better overall on high-pile carpet.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister and Milwaukee M18 FUEL 3-in-1 Backpack Vacuum Kit are designed for different uses. The Milwaukee's cordless design and backpack/handheld form factor make it much easier to clean hard-to-reach areas. It feels much better built, has a considerably larger dustbin, and is fitted with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter. However, the Eureka's corded design ensures that you don't need to worry about running out of charge partway through a cleaning session. It also delivers better performance on low-pile carpet and has a floorhead with retractable bristles, allowing you to adapt to different surfaces on the fly.
Test Results
The Eureka NEN110A Whirlwind Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner has an okay build quality. While the vacuum looks a little cheap, most of it is made from hard plastic that seems sturdy and durable. In contrast, the telescopic wand is made from metal, and the plastic wand has a rubber grip. Unfortunately, the clear plastic dirt compartment seems fragile and could break if dropped. The canister wheels also seem flimsy. Still, it's better built than comparably-priced alternatives like the BISSELL Zing Bagged Canister. In addition, assembling the vacuum is intuitive, and it's easy to clip pieces together. Connecting the wand to the head can be tricky to click into place, though.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister NEN110A is easy to maintain.
- Dirt compartment:The dirt compartment can be opened from the top and emptied when the max line is reached.
- Pre-motor filter: The pre-motor filters are located on the top cover of the dirt compartment and can be washed with water only on a monthly basis, depending on your usage.
- Post-motor filter: This is located on the back body of the vacuum, and you can access it by removing its cover. You must also clean it monthly with water only, depending on your usage.
You must air dry any part that's washed with water for 24 hours before using it again.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister has no recurring costs. Unlike the Eureka Mighty Mite, this vacuum has a bagless design, and as long as you properly maintain the filters, they don't need replacing. You can purchase replacement parts via Eureka's website if you damage or misplace them.
This canister vacuum is sub-par to store. It takes up a bit of space, and there isn't onboard storage either. There's a button to retract the cord back into the canister.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister's dirt compartment is satisfactory. It's not as large as other canister vacuums like the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball or the Miele Classic C1, so you may have to empty it more often. Still, there's a line to tell you when it needs to be emptied, which is nice.
- Vacuum body
- Telescopic metal wand
- Hose
- Pre-motor filter sponger
- Pre-motor filter housing
- Post-motor filter (foam)
- Post-motor filter cover
- Cyclone
- Cyclone separation system
- Dirt compartment
- User guide
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister has a disappointing range. It has a short cord length and may require you to change outlets more frequently, which can be a little frustrating.
The Eureka NEN110A Whirlwind Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner has great portability. It's lighter than other canister vacuums like the NaceCare HVR 200 Henry or the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe. It also has a carrying handle to make it easier to carry to other rooms or floors.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a corded vacuum that doesn't use a battery.
This vacuum has a couple of additional features. You can control the suction mode from the wand/handle, and the main head has two adjustment options that you can control by foot. In its first position, the bristles extend for hard floors, while position two retracts the bristles so you can clean carpeted surfaces.
The Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister only comes with two tools. You can extend the wand itself, and there's also a soft bristle brush stuck on the handle/plastic wand that you can slide back to connect the handle to the wand.
You can use this vacuum in another configuration by removing the vacuum head from the wand and sliding this brush to the end of the wand.
This vacuum performs badly on high-pile carpet. It's similar in this respect to the Eureka Mighty Mite, with which it shares a similarly-designed straight-suction floorhead; even with its bristles extended, the floorhead sits too low to the ground to allow it to pass over large debris like cereal or medium-sized debris like rice, causing it to push it around instead of passing over it so that the vacuum can suck it up. Thankfully, it does a good job of dealing with light, fine material like sand.
Debris pickup performance on high-pile carpet is okay. It effectively clears away medium- and large-sized debris like rice or cereal. Still, it struggles with finer debris like sand that's been embedded in carpet fibers, especially within a single back-and-forth pass.
This vacuum offers satisfactory performance on low-pile carpet. It's reasonably effective in dealing with finer debris like sand on this surface type, but its floorhead tends to push around bigger debris like rice or cereal.
This vacuum does a poor job of dealing with pet hair on low-pile carpet. Its floorhead doesn't provide enough surface agitation to dislodge hair that's been pressed deep into carpet fibers.
This vacuum seals reasonably well from its floorhead. While that means it won't have too much trouble drawing up debris from shallow or medium-depth cracks, it might not be powerful enough to handle debris in really deep crevices.
This vacuum delivers excellent airflow performance. While it falls short of high-end models like the Miele Classic C1 in this respect, it's still far from weak and won't have any trouble lifting away heavier household debris.
This vacuum is reasonably quiet. It's quieter than the similarly-priced Eureka Mighty Mite, making it a better option if you or your family are slightly more sensitive to higher-pitched noises.
The Eureka NEN110A Whirlwind Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner has good maneuverability. The vacuum feels light, and switching between floor settings located on the head is easy, too. The power cord is short, so you may have to move to different outlets depending on how your home or room is configured. The wand can help you get under couches or tables, but you have to crouch a bit to reach. This vacuum doesn't come with a crevice or upholstery tool, though, so you can't clean tight spaces thoroughly. This vacuum also gets stuck on rug tassels if the bristles are retracted.
This vacuum does a good job of handling pet hair on furniture with its soft bristle brush. This attachment is quite effective in collecting small and long strands, but you'll need to clean it often, as hair frequently gets stuck in its bristles.
Despite lacking a HEPA filter or even a dirtbag to provide an extra layer of filtration, this vacuum does a good job of sealing in fine particles. That said, like any bagless vacuum, you'll want to be careful when shaking out its dustbin, which can release a cloud of dust and debris.
