I tested the Eureka ReactiSense 440 cordless vacuum, and it has everything you need except for one thing that let it down

If you're after one of the best vacuum cleaner, stick vacuums have made cleaning up spaces much simpler, with lightweight designs, plenty of suction power, and versatility that allows you to get to hard-to-reach spots in the home.

The Eureka ReactiSense 440 is an ideal example of a stick vacuum designed for quick and lightweight versatility: It feels great in your hand, and designed to maneuver into tight spaces to pick up dirt and debris where it tends to gather.

In fact, this cordless gets a lot of things right, like the bright LED screen and its brush positioned forward in the housing so you can easily get dirt against the baseboards. However, its battery life leaves a lot to be desired, and the brushroll struggles to engage with low pile carpets.

I tested this Eureka ReactiSense 440 to see if it would make my clean-ups less of a chore. Here’s what you should know before you buy.

Eureka ReactiSense 440 Cordless Vacuum review: Specs

Eureka ReactiSense 440 Cordless Vacuum review: Price & availability

The ReactiSense 440 costs $180 on Eureka’s website and on sale for $144 on Amazon. If purchased on the website it comes with a 2-year warranty, 30-day return window, and free shipping. You can purchase the unit outright or finance with Shop.

You can also find the ReactiSense 440 at other major retailers like Home Depot. Eureka offers a Price Match Guarantee on its website too, so if you find a better price somewhere else, Eureka will match it.

Eureka ReactiSense 440 Cordless Vacuum review: Design

Eureka hits the nail on the head with the aesthetics of the ReactiSense 440. It looks and feels like a well-made piece of equipment, and it will look as good as any vacuum can hanging in your closet.

Its 120 Air Watts of suction power give it plenty of boost to suck up dirt, pet fur, and other common household detritus. This rating combines suction and airflow to give a relatively accurate sense of a vacuum’s performance. Eureka also notes the pure suction power, 25,800 Pascals, which does not take air flow into account. It’s also worth noting that the 120AW rating is in the vacuum’s highest suction mode.

The unit itself comprises of the head unit, where the battery, dust cup, motor, and filtration systems all live; an extension pipe that’s removable if you want to use the ReactiSense as a handheld unit; and the attachments, which include the crevice tool, upholstery brush, and brushroll for floors.

To store the unit, you hang it on the included mount. It is not a freestanding vacuum. The ReactiSense 440 comes with some included accessories: a charger, wall mount, crevice tool, and upholstery brush.

On top of that, you can purchase replacement parts and other accessories on Eureka’s website. Most of these accessories are filters, replacement chargers, batteries, and the like.

The dust cup is detachable, making it easy to empty. There’s a clearly-marked max fill line so you know when this needs to be done. Eureka says the Complete Seal Technology locks in harmful microorganisms, and is anti-allergenic. The HEPA filter system helps capture 99.95% of dust and allergens, and the unit releases clean air to prevent dirt and allergens from being released during operation.

I was also impressed that the head unit features a bright, easy-to-read LED display, where you’ll see your vacuuming mode and battery life, in percentage format. The brushroll also features bright lights to help you see dirt and debris more clearly. And it also has an anti-tangle nozzle so you don’t end up with hairs and other long stringy debris wrapped around your roller.

The brushroll swivels 110 degrees to make it easy to get around tricky corners, or behind furniture and other obstacles. And the Sense and React technologies detect what kind of flooring you’re vacuuming, and adjusts the suction accordingly.

Eureka ReactiSense 440 Cordless Vacuum review: Performance

I tested the ReactiSense in various parts of my home and garage. Much of my house features vinyl plank flooring, and we have area rugs over that. Some of those rugs are low-pile, while others (like the one in my office) are high-pile; you might call these shag carpets in fact.

In the garage, I tested the ReactiSense on the concrete floor, and used the crevice tool to clean up corners and workbench surfaces. And finally, I used the upholstery brush on — you guessed it — upholstery, particularly in the chair my dog has claimed for his own.

First impressions: the ReactiSense 440 feels comfortable in the hand and is easy to maneuver over all surfaces. I found the brushroll transitions easily from carpet to hardwood and back, and provides little resistance on all surfaces.

The only caveat I found is it sometimes feels as though the brushroll isn’t engaging enough on certain low-pile carpets. When testing other stick vacuums, I can see and feel the brushrolll engaging with the pile, and pulling it upward as it vacuums.

That leaves the customary vacuuming marks on your carpet. But the ReactiSense didn’t do that on low-pile carpets, which made me wonder if it was agitating the pile enough to truly pull out embedded dog fur and other debris.

In any case, I liked that the brushroll positions the brush itself close to the front of the plastic casing. This makes it easy to pick up debris that’s positioned against baseboards or in corners. For the really tricky stuff, you’ll want to use the crevice tool.

The auto function is super helpful and makes it easy to adjust the suction power according to what surface you’re cleaning. I mostly kept it in this mode, and the ReactiSense does particularly well on hardwood floors when in the auto mode.

The LED display is the best I’ve tested so far. It’s bright and clear, and easy to see what mode you’re in at a glance, as well as how much battery power you’ve got left. In my opinion, this is the ReactiSense’s top feature.

Using the ReactiSense handheld with the crevice tool or upholstery brush works well. It’s a slender and light unit, so it’s easy to maneuver. I even used the brushroll attachment in the handheld configuration to vacuum my stairs. That may have been my favorite configuration overall.

Eureka ReactiSense 440 Cordless Vacuum review: Battery life

Perhaps a major downside of the ReactiSense is I found the battery life to be much lower than the advertised ranges.

Eureka claims its lithium-ion battery can run up to 60 minutes maximum, though when I was using the auto mode, the battery wore out in 30 minutes or less. The highest setting did get about 15 minutes, which was on par with the advertised range.

Eureka ReactiSense 440 Cordless Vacuum review: Competition

I tested the ReactiSense 440 side by side with two other units: the LG CordZero Q3, and the Bissell PowerClean Cordless Stick Vacuum.

The LG beats both units in just about every category, but it’s also more expensive than both. So a more side-by-side comparison for the ReactiSense is the Bissell.

In addition, the Bissell also beat the ReactiSense in a lot of categories. For starters, the brush head seems to engage with all carpet piles much more effectively. That said, the Eureka’s brushroll is much more sleek and slender, and it gets dirt pinned against baseboards more effectively.

The Bissell’s max run time is advertised as 40 minutes, which I found to be about accurate. While the Eureka boasts a longer max run time, despite not living up to its 60-minute top range.

Eureka ReactiSense 440 Cordless Vacuum review: Verdict

The ReactiSence shines thanks to its slender main body, HEPA filtration, bright and clear LED display, and it's versatility to clean various spaces within your home.

Overall, the ReactiSense 440 is a good, lightweight stick vacuum held back by its battery life that’s far shorter than advertised. Plus, the roller feels like it doesn’t engage well enough with various types of carpets. With a better battery life, the ReactiSense 440 would make for a formidable stick vacuum.