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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2020
I just purchased this vacuum and cleaned most of the carpet in my house this weekend. Here are my thoughts:
I purchased this model based entirely on the Amazon reviews. I actually have been very impressed with Shark vacuums that I have used at friends' houses, but the Shark reviews, though generally good, seemed to be typically a few percentage points less positive than the Bissell reviews. Even more, when I looked at the one star reviews for the Shark vacuums, a large number of people complain about extremely poor customer service. I just won't support a company that doesn't stand behind its products. To be fair, I did later talk to a friend who had a good story to tell about Shark customer support recently. Still, the large number of complaints about poor customer service in the reviews has to give one pause.
Having eliminated Shark from my prospective models, I started looking at the Bissells because they seemed to have some of the least percentages of negative reviews across the board. Many negative reviews were due to threads and hair clogging the brush roller. This model did not seem to have that problem as much, based on the reviews I read. Neither, have I, so far, had that problem with this vacuum.
Other negative reviews for this model mention it being heavy and clumsy to use. Here I have to say that, being over 50, my perspective on what is heavy and clumsy seems to be quite different. I remember the clunky vacuums of yesteryear, and compared to what I am used to, this model is a veritable sports car--light weight, maneuverable, and comparatively easy to get into tight places. Perhaps compared to a cordless stick vacuum or some of the very lightweight Sharks it might be considered a bit unwieldy.
Some people complained about it being hard to push on shag or high pile carpet. My carpet is a low pile, so I didn't experience that problem, except on a small shag throw rug where the large amount of suction did require a bit of force to push the vacuum across while trying to hold the rug down with one foot.
The suction on this vacuum seemed very good. Some people claim the suction is not nearly as good as a Shark or a Dyson. From my limited experience with those other vacuums, I honestly could not say. This one seems to have as much suction as any vacuum I remember using, I just can't give an accurate comparison.
Some people complain about difficulty using the various tools with the hose. The hose is a little short, but I really wouldn't want it flopping around on the vacuum when I am using it as an upright, so this just seems like something you live with. Using the hose tools does tend to make it tip over, but the Lift-Off feature where you can separate the canister from the carpet roller base makes this pretty much a non-issue for me.
What I really like about this Bissell is the intelligent design. Everything seems well thought out for efficiency and ease of use. I am not sure how well all the plastic parts will hold up with use, but most of the vacuums out there seem to be made of light weight plastic parts, so I just hope for the best. Time will tell.
The cord seems a bit thin and stiff. I know they make more supple cords, but they are more expensive. Nonetheless, I think Bissell should have used a thicker, more supple cord on this unit.
My only real complaint is the small size of the canister. I ended up dumping it four or five times in the course of two or three hours, but my carpet was pretty dirty. It was easy to dump without ending up breathing in a lot of the dust.
Bottom line, this vacuum did a great job on my old, low pile carpet, as well as a decent job on a few tiled areas. The upholstery/stair brush attachment also seemed to work quite well. I am pleased with my purchase so far. My main concern is if it will hold up over the years (especially the plastic parts). I will definitely take away stars if it fails within the first couple of years. If it is still going strong in five years, I will. give it an unqualified five star rating.
I purchased this model based entirely on the Amazon reviews. I actually have been very impressed with Shark vacuums that I have used at friends' houses, but the Shark reviews, though generally good, seemed to be typically a few percentage points less positive than the Bissell reviews. Even more, when I looked at the one star reviews for the Shark vacuums, a large number of people complain about extremely poor customer service. I just won't support a company that doesn't stand behind its products. To be fair, I did later talk to a friend who had a good story to tell about Shark customer support recently. Still, the large number of complaints about poor customer service in the reviews has to give one pause.
Having eliminated Shark from my prospective models, I started looking at the Bissells because they seemed to have some of the least percentages of negative reviews across the board. Many negative reviews were due to threads and hair clogging the brush roller. This model did not seem to have that problem as much, based on the reviews I read. Neither, have I, so far, had that problem with this vacuum.
Other negative reviews for this model mention it being heavy and clumsy to use. Here I have to say that, being over 50, my perspective on what is heavy and clumsy seems to be quite different. I remember the clunky vacuums of yesteryear, and compared to what I am used to, this model is a veritable sports car--light weight, maneuverable, and comparatively easy to get into tight places. Perhaps compared to a cordless stick vacuum or some of the very lightweight Sharks it might be considered a bit unwieldy.
Some people complained about it being hard to push on shag or high pile carpet. My carpet is a low pile, so I didn't experience that problem, except on a small shag throw rug where the large amount of suction did require a bit of force to push the vacuum across while trying to hold the rug down with one foot.
The suction on this vacuum seemed very good. Some people claim the suction is not nearly as good as a Shark or a Dyson. From my limited experience with those other vacuums, I honestly could not say. This one seems to have as much suction as any vacuum I remember using, I just can't give an accurate comparison.
Some people complain about difficulty using the various tools with the hose. The hose is a little short, but I really wouldn't want it flopping around on the vacuum when I am using it as an upright, so this just seems like something you live with. Using the hose tools does tend to make it tip over, but the Lift-Off feature where you can separate the canister from the carpet roller base makes this pretty much a non-issue for me.
What I really like about this Bissell is the intelligent design. Everything seems well thought out for efficiency and ease of use. I am not sure how well all the plastic parts will hold up with use, but most of the vacuums out there seem to be made of light weight plastic parts, so I just hope for the best. Time will tell.
The cord seems a bit thin and stiff. I know they make more supple cords, but they are more expensive. Nonetheless, I think Bissell should have used a thicker, more supple cord on this unit.
My only real complaint is the small size of the canister. I ended up dumping it four or five times in the course of two or three hours, but my carpet was pretty dirty. It was easy to dump without ending up breathing in a lot of the dust.
Bottom line, this vacuum did a great job on my old, low pile carpet, as well as a decent job on a few tiled areas. The upholstery/stair brush attachment also seemed to work quite well. I am pleased with my purchase so far. My main concern is if it will hold up over the years (especially the plastic parts). I will definitely take away stars if it fails within the first couple of years. If it is still going strong in five years, I will. give it an unqualified five star rating.
