Electrolux UltraFlex Animal Allergy ZUF4203PET

Very Surprised Electrolux! – I bought this vacuum second hand and the previous owners did not maintain it. Full of fine dust and needed a clean! Have ordered a new cone filter and replaced the others. It is very easy to move around powerful suction, great long cord, long wand, and I must say, I love the three in one tool too! Its Excellent fur pick up of the couch and picks… Read more

up all the dirt off the floor, doesn't flick any dirt from the head like my old Dyson barrel did! Negatives would be the filters, if Electrolux can come up with filters like a Dyson and a one push cord retraction, it would be perfect!

Rubbish Toy – This machine failed within 3 weeks. Very sad considering this was a great Australian company once. Supposedly anyway. I won’t be buying Electrolux goods ever again. They were good with the refund though.  Show details

Turbo head broke upon first use (two of them!), but otherwise excellent – The Ultraflex Allergy is a great vacuum cleaner in many respects. It's powerful and easy to manoeuvre around the house. We use the turbo head for the carpets and it picks up all the cat hair, and (frighteningly) is still picking up massive amounts of dirt and dust from our carpet that our old (supposedly top of the range) Wertheim obviously… Read more

didn't.

The only problem is the the brittle plastic in the spinning airflow blades within the turbo head. After our first use the turbo head started to sound like a whipper snipper (deafening!) and we took it back to Good Guys, who promptly arranged a replacement head to be sent out from Electrolux. This was great, except the same thing happened with the replacement during its first use. After close examination, some of those spinning airflow blades which drive the roller brush have snapped off. It still works, but it sounds atrocious!

We haven't sucked up anything large or hard so it seems bizarre that the same thing would happen to two of the heads, and tells me that this is definitely a flaw. It's a shame, because the rest of the unit seems to be built quite well.

Apart from making our neighbours wonder why we are using a whipper snipper inside the house, I can't fault anything else with this vacuum cleaner. It really has been exceptionally efficient, and very simple to operate / empty etc. My only other warning is to be afraid ... be very afraid... when you discover what has been lurking in your carpet! :)

Suction not as good as initially thought – Initially thought this was the answer to all my vacuum dilemmas, but after a week of testing it I returned it. Suction SEEMS great, it really does. I gave it a few test runs by vacuuming areas, emptying out the canister and vacuuming the area again, only to find it still picks up dirt, pet hair etc. So, I did it again. And again and again. I did… Read more

this 5 times (on different areas and multiple occasions). Emptying it out and going over and it was still picking up small amounts of dirt and pet hair.

I got out my 3 year old Shark Pro (which is in horrible shape) and vacuumed an area then used the Electrolux. The Electrolux did not pick up anything after the Shark. The Shark however picked up stuff after the Electrolux.

I also want to note that I have really low carpet that is vacuumed daily.

It's good on tiles. Better than most uprights. But really that's it.

I've purchased the new upright Dyson Small ball Allergy that's just come out. And now I don't not have to go over any area more than once to get a deep clean.

Fantastic vacuum performance on both dirt and pet hair – I bought the 4203PET to replace a Dyson DC11. The Electrolux is vastly superior in picking up both dirt and especially pet hair (we have a long-haired cat - a ragdoll). It is quieter, lighter and easier to manoeuvre. The dust bin is also easier and less messy to empty than the Dyson DC11. Although both are outdoor-only emptying, in my opinion.… Read more

The negatives? The bin is too small at 1.7ltr. Because of the incredible pick-up performance it fills very quickly, necessitating many and frequent stops to empty. The turbo head does not have a hard floor setting - it is fixed. Instead Electrolux supply a separate hard floor/carpet tool with adjustment, but without the turbo's roller brushes and brilliant efficiency. Changing heads every time I go from carpet to tiles is an unnecessary pain in the butt. If you're listening, Electrolux, please release an adjustable turbo head suitable for both surfaces (as my Dyson has) The 3-way brush/nozzle tool is tiny - and a gimic. I'd rather separate and more robust alternative tools. But as a vacuum cleaner, the 4203PET excells at what it is meant to do - pick up dirt and hair. If not for the above negatives, I would rate it 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Bagless Brilliance – Love this vacuum cleaner. Have had Dyson's for many years but find it very frustrating cleaning the barrel each time. The Electrolux is a great substitute. Strong suction but, as importantly, empties so easily. Has it's own dirt compartment which is easy to open for removal. All filters are easily accessible for cleaning and spare parts are… Read more

available online or in store. The cord is really long which is a bonus. The only downside is that the vacuum fills up quickly due to its smallish size. We have two dogs and live at the bottom of a long, gravel driveway though so dust and dog fur is excessive.

Could be better – The vacuum is quiet good at getting the cat hair off the floor but I have found that you need to regularly clean the fitter or the vacuum starts to blow tiny particles of dust into the air. We have also had to replace the head of the vacuum within the first few months of buying it. Although it has not played up since.  Show details

Perfect for my need as mom of 5 kids with dust allergy. Suction is so strong it lift up my carpet wi – Strong and consistent suction. Under control noise. Able to vacuum 4 areas of the in 15 mins or less if you know the trick. Chords are long enough to move between two rooms. Has different attachment to use with all types of floors. Cleaning and changing the filter improve the suction.  Show details

Turbo Head Epic Fail – I bought the Animal Allergy ZUF4203PET vacuum cleaner in February 2016 and it was fine for the main task I wanted it for, i.e. picking up dog hair from the two large rugs in my living room. (The rest of the house has tiles or polished boards.) It was lightweight, easy to use and easy to empty the barrel. But now the Turbo head isn't working… Read more

properly and there doesn't seem to be any way to take it apart to clean it. It looks like a new head is quite expensive! The Dyson machine I had before was more expensive to buy than the Electrolux, and the ZUF4203 had good reviews, so I got that instead. Regretting it now. The Dyson head was easier to clean.

waste of time – Don't buy it. Utterly useless. Can't even suck up a piddly cat biscuit. Don't even get me started on trying to vacuum up cat fur..... And it's supposed to be an "animal specific" cleaner! What a joke. Wish I never bought it. Glad I spent extra to get a Vorwerk, now THAT'S a vacuum cleaner!!  Show details

Turbo Head Fail! – I bought this vacuum about 9 months ago. The turbo head starting making a dreadful noise, i called Electrolux to ask how I can take it apart, they said they would send me a new head instead. This same issue has now happened again! The turbo head makes so much noise, it's like being next to a jet engine. I can't see whether there's anything… Read more

caught in it or not. I'm at the stage where I think I'm going to try and get a refund, and buy another brand. I never had this problem with my Miele which I had for 10 years with a turbo head!

November 6th 2018 Update: Awful Vacuum - returned for a refund

I bought this vacuum after owning a Miele cat and dog for 10 years. The quality of this seems flimsy compared to my last one which was a work horse. The power for it also reduced over time so I returned it. I wouldn't' by another electrolux vacuum based on this experience.

Awesome vacuum – This is the first vacuum cleaner that I dont kick when I am vacuuming. We have long haired dog and two cats and the suction on the vacuum is awesome for picking up all of the hair. The suction is so good I usually have to empty it at least 3 times during vacuuming. Does get a bit caught up around the cord and stuck in door ways sometimes but overall an excellent vacuum cleaner. Best one that I have had in 20 years.  Show details

Great Suction Let Down by Turbo Head – Excellent suction when empty. Best suction vacuum I have ever used. It seems fairly noisy, but don't they all? Needs emptying frequently to maintain optimum suction. Every 1 or 2 rooms in my case with a large long haired dog. The sponge filter in front also needs washing after every use. It's more work emptying than some others, but much better… Read more

than having a vacuum that the cleaner forgets to empty and keeps running until the motor burns out. Yes that really happened to us years ago!

Turbo head is effective when working but it clogs easily with pet hairs and threads, cannot be dismantled for cleaning so you need to cut hairs and threads off with a knife. It makes whining noises as others have said. Some of the plastic has snapped on the bottom of mine and 2 weeks ago one of the wheels fell off. The construction is so flimsy the wheel won't be repairable, so it needs an expensive replacement part, less than 2 years old.

Was working well – I replaced a Dyson with this Electrolux vacuum a few months ago and was very happy with it. We have a house with a large area of floorboards and room with wool carpets. It was doing a great job of getting rid of the dust, dirt and animal hair (we have a cat and a dog) until a week ago. Now the turbo head screams like a banshee and no matter how… Read more

we've cleaned it the noise is unbearable. I'm tempted to take it apart as another reviewer on this forum has, but I'm concerned about the warranty. There is no information on their website on how to contact them and the product information is no help with this problem.

Great vacuum but has major fault – Has major design faults. The suction head broke after 3 months. I opened it up to see what happened and found all what was holding the head and all its parts together were two screws. When these screws break everything collapses on the inside. Can't press down the brush to clean the lino floor. The head rattles around loose like a chicken… Read more

with no head.

Apparently the two screws are not strong enough to handle the normal bumps and hits when cleaning.

The filter blocks up all the time and fine dust accumulates in and around the vacuum.

I now have to use the head off my old vacuum. Electrolux Ultraflex? more like Electrolux Ultracrap

HOW TO FIX THE TURBO HEAD! YES IT IS A DESIGN FAULT! – OK Team, My turbo head worked like a champ for 11mins then that terrible screaming sound started. The fan inside the head displaced and hitting the shroud. You need to take the shroud off (6 screws), then you will see a white cylinder. You need to make sure the cylinder is perfectly level (this is where it is a design fault, the cylinder flips… Read more

up and makes the fan grind against the shroud). Do this by adding duct tape to the lower side until the fan can't hit either the top or bottom.

Put back together and voila. Fixed.

Enjoy!

Great repair service – Electrolux Repaired my vacuum After Talking to one REP about breaking handle Part was Posted to in a few days Best Service Ever . This is a great cleaner and is great on animal hair . An all round great Vacuum Cleaner. I highly recommend This vacuum Cleaner, a great over all cleaner.  Show details

Turbo head headache – Bought this vacuum 4 months ago at Masters. Two months in of using it, the Turbo head started making noise. Rang Masters who advised I ring Electrolux call centre. Upon ringing, I was offered a replacement head but was advised, should the head break again they will not be replacing it again. The head has started making that awful noise again and… Read more

we cannot it use. This vacuum is not worth buying it is a waste of money with the rate the Turbo head keeps breaking. To replace the Turbo head costs anywhere from $90. I now have to replace this vacuum and I am not very happy as this has been money down the drain.

Not a great experience – On the advice of several family members who have and love this vacuum, we purchased one for ourselves in December last year. Initial impressions were good. It was effective on tiles, carpets and rugs and certainly managed the volume of pet hair floating around our house with ease. We'd only had it three months when the turbo head broke;… Read more

mid-push on a clear, clean tiled floor, it suddenly started making a loud whirring noise and stopped picking up debris. It was so loud as to be unusable. We tried to return the vacuum cleaner to Good Guys, who informed us it was an Electrolux issue. To be fair, Electrolux Customer Service was fantastic - answered quickly, immediately offered to replace the part and had it in the post the following day.

Alas...about three months into using the replacement head, the same issue occurred. Once again, it happened mid-push on a clean tiled floor with no visible debris.

I'm sure Electrolux will replace the turbo head if I contacted Customer Service again. Unfortunately neither my husband nor I have time to deal with a vacuum cleaner which breaks down twice to the point of being unusable in the first seven months of ownership. We have since purchased a Dyson.

Turbo brush fails regularly – Just thought I would get it out there that I am now on my 4 th or 5 th replacement head for this vacuum cleaner. After a few weeks the turbo head starts making a very loud wirring noise a no longer works properly. This happened with 2 days of buying it and I went back to the shop with the whole unit. Their demo head had the same problem!!! I… Read more

have been told by Electrolux that this is not a common problem but it is interesting that the shop model had the same issue. I am worried that when this goes out of warranty Electrolux will no longer replace the heads. I think it is a design flaw and not a warranty issue at all and am thus contacting consumer affairs. Would love to know if others have this problem too.

Oh and I also have the rapid loss of suction issue too and am constantly cleaning the filter!!! Let's not go there!!

Not worth the amount u pay! – I bought this vacuum hoping I wouldn't have to buy another vacuum for a long time. It was more expensive than others i had viewed and assumed it to be the best quality. Not so.. Suction is good but it seems to push hair rather than suck the hair due to some fault in the design of the head i presume. So after it pushes all the hair and sometimes… Read more

thread to one area i have to get the hose out to actually suck it all up. The head is also hopeless on long haired carpet, the suction becomes much weaker and it doesn't pick up much.

I've had the hose break from where it connects to the machine and also had the on off button stop working too. Oh and the front swivel wheel always gets jammed.

Its gross to empty, I honestly prefer bag vacuums because you just remove the bag. They tried to make this one simple and mess free to empty but unfortunately its all just a gimmick and you end up getting dust everywhere when you go to empty it. Plus the filter inside the machine where the dirt passes to get into the capsule always gets dirt and hair and thread wrapped around it so you have to get your hand in there anyway to clean it.

Totally disappointed :( – this vacuum is high maintenance and is just short of useless. It only has a tiny catchment that needs emptying twice for every time I do the whole house, and the filters seem to get clogged very easily. After the filters have been cleaned out it is ok at best but it usually only takes one vacuum and I am back to picking up the slightly bigger… Read more

things (that you would expect a vacuum to pick up) by hand. I had to get down and pick up mouse poo today, as that was to much for this vacuum! We had a Dyson for 11 years before this one and it was awesome, it was a sad day when this one died. The only thing that makes me sadder than my Dyson dying, is my decision to save a few bucks and buy an inferior product. I would strongly suggest staying away from this product!

I wanted to love it - I really did – Got this one to replace the world's most useless vacuum ever (another Electrolux). It was great the first couple of vacuums but now after one vacuum of a normal sized house it loses suction to the point I have to clean the filters after every.single.vacuum. if I want any suction at all. Can't believe I was stupid enough to trust Electrolux again… Read more

thinking they'd lifted their game and didn't go with another brand that sells vacuums that actually work. It does have some positives: the cord is super long so no swapping out powerpoints, the catcher is easy to empty, it maneuvers pretty well. Those reasons are why I really wanted to like it but the lack of suction just lets it down. I'm also suspicious of a certain well-known reviewing organisation now since they claimed this was one of the best vacuums around...love to know their testing conditions because they sure weren't real world conditions...maybe not such an impartial organisation afterall.

This is the best vacuum I have ever bought! – Over the years we have had many vacuums and out last was a Dyson. It gave up and stopped working so we bought new vacuum, the Ultraflex Animal. This is hands down the best vacuum we have even had, much better then the Dyson we owned for years! The suction is amazing and the amount of krud that we sucks up out of the rugs was pretty shocking as we… Read more

vacuum them regularly! Amazing vacuum and the price at around $400-$450 represents amazing value for money!

Filters clog – Whilst this vac has good suction the filters clog every time it is used. The main canister is easy to empty (used as a selling point) but the filters are messy and time consuming to clean. As a domestic cleaner I have the opportunity to use many different vac's and I have never come across another vac that clogs this often. This vac is also difficult and awkward to push on carpet.

Where has customer service gone – Brought a ultra flex yesterday, from retravision also was told and given all the information about the 90 day money back guarantee, got home today put it together and started vaccuming, great unit but I constantly getting sapped. Old vaccum never did this to me. Looked at the 90 day guarantee, it expired 3 weeks ago (well done retravision- not)… Read more

Called Electrolux, on hold for over 20 min then just got told me they haven't had any reports about this issue, and was told to use the air head. Try the air head on carpet - doesn't work. So think I've just wasted 100s of dollars

Wow is all I can say! – I purchased my Electrolux Ultraflex today at The Good Guys as it was on sale. As soon as I got home I vacuumed up our carpet rug in the lounge. My wife and I were in disbelief at just how powerful and how much it was picking up! I was initially going to buy an overpriced Dyson but am so glad I didn't and am sure I will be very happy with my purchase! Don't hesitate to buy this vacuum cleaner over any other, you won't be disappointed!

8 Months old now finally not working – 6 months into ownership of the above mentioned vacuum cleaner the power button was hit and miss intermittently working vacuum cutting in and out. Now 8 months on vacuum wont even start sits on number zero and power button doesn't work. Electrolux have arranged a complete swapping of unit with new. Hopefully this doesn't occur at the same milestone as the old one. I will keep you all informed.

Very hard to find a better Cleaner – I have been researching for 2 Months to find something to replace the Werthiem without the $900 replacement value. Although the Werthiem was functioning ok it was falling to bits ( 4th power head and 2 main vacuum hoses now $350 each). The staff at Bing Lee Belconnen gave a good no bull demo at a price of $410. I did some more research and could… Read more

not find a bad comment. Before using the Elecrolux I performed I total clean with the Werthiem and repeated the clean with the Electrolux to find it filled the dust canister almost to its max. After using it now 3 times it would have collected enough dirt to fill the Werthiem bag and further add to the expenses

Not much better value around

Ease of use 9.5/10

performance. 10/10

value. 10/10

turbo head. 9/10

add on tools. 9/10

suction better than Werthiem and Dyson with double the price

Remember Electrolux have been around longer than most of the others and should have a better idea on building these things

Awesome vacuum – After having such a bad experience with a 6 month Dyson Animal pro and after complaining about it we got a full refund. We brought this vacuum and can't believe what suck it has and what it has got up off a new carpet - even after so called great Dyson. Will never go back to Dyson. This Electrolux is an awesome vacuum.. well made

Fantastic – We bought this to replace our 11 year old Miele and i was horrified the first time i used it wih how much came off out carpets! It is a powerful vacuum that is light to manoeuvre and a super long cord. Easy to empty the canister just need to remember to clean the filters and allow them to dry properly. I cant recommend this vacuum enough. My mum and sister also have this vacuum in other models and rave about them too.

Great machine, very, very powerful! – I went to Good Guys determined to buy Dyson, but after doing a few minutes of vacuuming in the store, I wanted to try something different, as Dyson wasn't doing was I expected from reputable machine. It couldn't even create enough suction to lift the tiny rug that was on the floor. I am so glad that there was a Electrolux Ultraflex next to it. … Read more

Oh, what a difference!

Electrolux is not only better build and designed, the suction on it is just amazing.

Went home and the first thing was to clean the rug in the living room, previously "cleaned" just days ago with the Volta Lite II 1600W Barrel Vacuum. I was amazed with the amount of dirt that was in the rug!

Our home is finally perfectly clean. Thanks Electrolux!

Excellent! Best product to buy – We had narrowed our search down to Electrolux and Dyson and I am extremely happy that we purchased the Electrolux! It was quieter, had stronger suction, adjustable suction levels, handle is comfortable. We have a dog and this vacuum does an excellent job whilst being quick to empty. Long lead and great flexible movement means it is easy to use and makes vacuuming enjoyable!!

Fantastic! – We have only just received the Ultraflex after our Twin clean died, but already we are much happier with the Ultraflex. The Turbo head does a really great job on the carpets. We have 2 cats and a dog and you can see all the hair it pics up in the see-through canister. It is very mobile and feels light, so it follows you around with ease. The… Read more

3in1 tool is a great idea. Now all the tools can be carried with the machine. 12m of power cord is another great feature. Very happy with the purchase.

Excellent value for money – UPDATE. After 3 years the power button has started to not operate 100% of the time. I've found the issue and here is the fix video I made. Note you'll need to have a T20 screwdriver, some DIY skills, brute force, and remember to never work on anything electrical when its plugged in (leave unplugged for a while, and avoid touching any electrical… Read more

components). If any of this sounds too hard, take your vacuum into a service centre.

https://youtu.be/PAC82potu4g

We've owned a couple of Electrolux Twinclean vacuums over the past 10 years. They were great but on their last legs. I looked at similar bagless vacuums from Dyson and Electrolux. Given the poor reviews of the Dyson and the fact it is nearly double the cost it was a no brainer to buy the Electrolux. The problem here in New Zealand was actually finding one for sale! Noel Leeming had them online but not in store, and none of the other big retailers had them either. Luckily we found them in a Farmers branch, but it took a lot of searching.

The vacuum is an attractive design, and has such good suction that I run it on 3 out of 5 most of the time. The container is easy to empty but a little small (smaller than the Twinclean). It comes with 2 heads (one multipurpose and one powerhead for carpet). The powerhead was hard to push so I use the other one for everything.

Instructions are rather average, with different languages shared on the pages so a lot of page turning required. I would have liked to have the bed nozzle tool included but I'm sure it can be purchased separately (no part number given in manual).

The clip to hold the hose to the vacuum body is similar to the Twinclean one which broke off, so I won't be using it. The wheels on the head are set a little high so it is harder to push across carpet than I'd like.

Replacement HEPA filters are available and recommended to be replaced every 6 months. Get a filter kit included when you purchase to sweeten the deal.

Retail in NZ is $599. Noel Leeming have it listed for $699. Ours cost $489 on sale at Farmers Pakuranga.