Review Of Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners

Electrolux is a name most North American and European homeowners recognize.

Since the early 1900s, this company has been providing all kinds of useful home appliances, including vacuum cleaners. In fact, the company’s founder, a man named Axel Wenner-Gren, commissioned the creation of the world’s first household vacuum cleaner, the Lux 1, in 1912.

Today, vacuums carrying the Electrolux, Eureka, and Sanitaire brand names are all owned by Electrolux, giving them broad coverage in most major markets around the world.

One of the most popular Electrolux vacuum cleaners is the EL5010A Aptitude Bagged Upright. Priced in the $250-$350 range, it’s within the budgets of most homeowners, and it has some interesting features.

As you’ll see, however, it also has a few problems that should be taken into consideration as you evaluate its overall worth.

Vacuum Features

First, here are the important features of this Electrolux vacuum cleaner:

• 12-amp motor
• Variable speed control for ultra-quiet operation
• 15-inch wide cleaning path
• Washable lifetime HEPA H12 filter
• Electronic filter indicator
• Full-bag indicator
• Ergonomic looped handle
• Gliding tilt control to accommodate any height
• 7 height adjustments (manual)
• Stretchy hose and 3 attachments (stored separately)
• Headlight
• 19 lbs.
• 30-foot power cord
• Price: $250-$350

Motor

This vacuum cleaner has some strong selling points worth detailing. The 12-amp motor and 15-inch cleaning path make vacuuming a quicker chore. That’s always a good thing!

The one potential problem with such a powerful motor, however, is the noise level. Fortunately, Electrolux included variable brush roller speed controls at your fingertips in this model. The result is a vacuum that is quieter than most of its competitors in this price range with 12-amp motors.

HEPA Filter

Another excellent feature on the EL5010A Aptitude is the washable HEPA H12 filter and the electronic indicator that tells you at a glance when the filter needs to be washed. HEPA filtration is the most thorough available, and most high-end vacuum cleaners are equipped with them nowadays. The one downside with HEPA filters, though, is replacing them can be quite costly. Having a washable filter designed to last as long as you own the vacuum is a terrific feature!

Ergonomic Features

This Electrolux vacuum cleaner also has a unique, ergonomic handle design in the shape of a loop. It’s made with soft rubber for easy gripping, and the loop shape allows the user to grasp the handle comfortably from every angle. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you vacuum a lot or have lots of rooms, you’ve probably experienced sore forearms or hands from using vacuums that don’t have this feature.

Another ergonomic feature on this vacuum is what Electrolux calls ‘gliding tilt control.’ This feature allows users of any height to push the machine comfortably without raising the brush roller off the surface of the floor. Just as with the ergonomically designed loop handle, the emphasis here is on the user’s comfort.

Height Setting

Another nice feature is the 7 adjustable height settings. You can use this vacuum on every surface, from bare flooring to ultra high-pile carpeting.

Weight

At 19 lbs., the EL5010A Aptitude vacuum cleaner is of an acceptable weight. Any upright vacuum with a 12-amp motor and wide cleaning path will be on the heavy side, but Electrolux has done a good job keeping this one under 20 lbs.

Price

Finally, the price for this Electrolux vacuum cleaner is good. $250-$350 is not too much to ask for a machine with these impressive features. There are less expensive uprights that also boast strong motors, wide cleaning paths, and advanced filtration systems, but this model’s brush roller speed controls and lifetime HEPA filter set it apart from most others in this price range.

Problems With This Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner

On the negative side of the ledger, there are a few structural/design flaws that came up in reviews to note. First, the attachment tools are not carried onboard. This can be an annoyance if you like to do a thorough cleaning of more than just the floors every time you break out the vacuum cleaner. On the other hand, not carrying the tools onboard helps keep this vacuum’s total weight under 20 lbs. Ultimately, whether this is a benefit or a detriment depends on the individual user’s preference.

Next, there’s the 30-foot power cord. That’s not long enough for most home users these days. It’s not the shortest out there, but this vacuum would get higher marks if the cord was closer to 40 feet.

Then there is the fact that the height adjustments must be done manually. This is a bit strange, considering the engineers at Electrolux went to the trouble of giving this machine variable speed controls, an electronic filter indicator, and a state-of-the-art lifetime HEPA filter. With so much modern technology incorporated into these areas, why force users to stop cleaning and bend over to manually adjust the height? This is like buying a brand new car and discovering it runs on leaded gasoline.

One other problem has been mentioned by a few owners of the Electrolux EL5010A Aptitude via comments posted to leading product review websites. While many owners gave this machine good overall ratings, some noted that the cord was particularly difficult to wind and unwind. This should not be any kind of issue on a vacuum cleaner of this caliber, so it’s another strike against it.

Electrolux Vacuum Recomendation

Overall, the Electrolux EL5010A Aptitude Bagged Upright Vacuum is recommended in our review. It has several excellent features (strong motor, lifetime HEPA filter, wide cleaning path, variable speeds, ergonomic design) that are usually found only on more expensive cleaners. While there are some problems with this vacuum, they are generally minor annoyances that are outweighed by the positive aspects.