The Altima 2996AVZ from Eureka is an affordably priced upright vacuum that boasts many of the versatile benefits of a canister. The 2996AVZ has a removable hose that can be used with either the included duster or Power Paw. The duster allows you to extend your reach up to 3 feet and is handy for vacuuming ceiling fans and out of reach spider webs. It's billed as self-cleaning because dust that is collected is pulled from the duster attachment and sucked into the hose.

The Power Paw is more of a hand brush. It has spinning bristles that are intended for hand vacuuming individual stairs and cleaning upholstery. A better solution to stair vacuuming than trying to balance your upright on a step, this system still requires moving the upright around in order to get sufficient reach for all the stairs in a full flight. Like all uprights, this model is best suited for floor vacuuming. It's equipped with a spinning edge cleaner that allows you to get close to walls and baseboards and offers a generous 15-inch wide cleaning path for speedy, efficient coverage of a room.

The Altima 2996AVZ relies the popular bagless dust containment system. All debris is collected in a dust cup, which is simply emptied into the trash. You'll never again be hunting for hard-to-find vacuum replacement bags. Not recommended for homes with lots of hard flooring, this model lacks an on/off switch for the brushroll. Constructed primarily of molded plastic, the body of this upright is a fairly typical example of products in this price range. The most notable difference is its versatility for tasks other than carpet cleaning.


Pros: Duster, Power Paw, and spinning edge cleaner for versatile cleaning tasks
Cons: No off switch for the brushroll

Warranty
1 year