I received this item as part of the Amazon Reviewers program and put it through its paces after fully charging it for 16 hours prior to its first use. I managed 14 minutes of varied use: on Berber carpet, vinyl flooring, throw rugs, shag carpet, and concrete, using both the handheld alone and with it attached to the floor sweeper.
I first noted that that suction was compromised not by the battery as much as by the amount of debris collected in the handheld''s bagless container. I emptied the collection bin three times, which was done easily by removing the handheld from the unit and depressing the button on the front to open the compartment. Removing the fabric ''cup'' exposed the debris which was easily dumped out. The fabric cup does get dirty quickly, but can be rinsed and air dried.
The Positives... it''s very lightweight, cordless, compact and maneuverable. The head of the vac pivots easily and is low enough in profile (about 3" off the ground) that it slides under chairs, dressers, couches, etc... with ease. I found this was great for getting dust bunnies out from under my bed! It seems to have pretty good suction overall, but best on vinyl flooring with the rotating brush head attachment. It will make quick work of my kitchen and bathroom floors.
The handheld portion is easy to remove and empty (it''s where the debris is collected for the whole unit). The handheld remains on only when the ''on'' trigger on the handle is depressed, thus you don''t waste a charge. I liked using the handheld for a quick pick-up of rice that had spilled on my kitchen counter. It did get jammed (no suction) when I vacuumed up flower petals (dried) from a hanging fushia, but the jam was easily cleared with only my fingers.
This would work well for a small apartment with tiled, hardwood or vinyl flooring. It would also be great in an RV or boat, assuming you were not a 24-7 live aboard who had pets. I speak from experience; lived aboard a 38'' sailboat with two cats n'' a dog for 3 years.)
The Negatives...or at least the ''Not So Greats''.
The charging time versus the amount of user time you have with this vac is not good. Admittedly, you probably won''t be using it for a whole house cleaning that takes 30 minutes or more, but what if you wanted to do so? You couldn''t.
The suction is adequate for most jobs, but not for deep cleaning. I tried to vacuum up dog hair off my dog''s bed, and could barely move it. This was after it was fully charged this was my first task and the vac failed me. I also took the handheld out to my car to get the stuff off the mats. It did a fair job, but without attachments, it was tough to get the suction focused enough to get into corners and/or to make flush contact and maximize the suction. When the vac is fully assembled and working on a hard surface the suction is at its best and did well, but it''s truly not for upholstery or carpets with any depth to them.
No bracket to mount on the wall so that you can mount and charge it? That''s an oversight on Bissell''s part if you ask me. No big deal in the sense that I''m sure I can figure one out and/or buy something from Rubbermaid that will fit the bill, but it seemed odd to me that this unit didn''t come with one.
If you do inadvertently suck up something ''wet''... the fabric cup in the handheld gets wet and gummy. It will still work, but like the old-style vacuums with bags, it gets messed up and then you lose suction and performance.
The bottom line... it''s not for everyone or every household. It would be great for those with a need for quick clean-ups of small areas on hard surfaced flooring, or those who are vacationing in boats or RV''s. Those hoping to make quick work of cleaning up a patio covered in artificial turf would also like it. However, for some like me, it may not be the best choice for everyday home use. I wouldn''t recommend it for pet owners who hope to use the handheld to suction up hair off their furniture, but it probably would be OK for a quick pick-up of kitty litter of the bathroom floor. Assess your needs and buy accordingly!
UPDATE: 9/25/11
I find I go to this vac for quick sweeps off my kitchen and bathroom floors, and it does an adequate job. Berber carpets are OK too, but only for bits n'' pieces. It''s highly maneuverable, and lightweight.
Dog hair (I have 3, 2 of whom shed quite a bit with medium length hair...) tends to choke the intake, which is inside the handheld portion of the unit. It takes pulling the handheld off the frame and getting underneath the filter to unclog it and go on.
It''s good for those quick sweeps, but I wouldn''t recommend it for multi-pet owners or hair salons!
UPDATE: 12/27/12
With very light use, this vac has died.
This unit dramatically exceeds my expectations.
It''s light, but very sturdy. Assembly out of the box is extremely easy. You push the base unit into the main body, and the hand-vac portion slides in. Very simple.
It has plenty of suction power for medium height carpets, and is highly effective on my hardwood floors. The unit is light, and since it''s cordless, it''s so fast to grab and clean. I can''t emphasize enough how much better it is to use this instead of a corded unit.
Honestly, I never had a problem picking up anything, but most of my carpet and rug in my home is not very thick. I''ve got a dog that shed her hair all over the house, and I was able to clean the floor in record time. Then, I was able to clean my couches and even my car''s seats, all with this unit on a single charge.
The single downside is that it doesn''t have as much storage capacity as a conventional vacuum cleaner. I had to empty the unit every few minutes of cleaning. This is not a big problem. I''d also add that the footprint of the unit is narrower than my vacuum cleaner, requiring more passes to clean an entire room. I find this a net advantage, as it fits almost everywhere.
The unit folds up, and the way the handle can bend in any direction makes it very easy to clean under low tables and even some couches.
The power is not earth shaking, but surprisingly it''s extremely good at picking up messes. MUCH better than the conventional vacuum that I''ve been using for a few years. The spinning brush unit is easy to detach and completely clean, which is key to a long lasting effective life.
In short, I think this is a very well designed product that easily justifies the asking price.
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This is a perfectly decent light vacuum for people who like to run a quick clean up on sections of their home (kitchen, around the dining table) or want the cordless convenience for vacuuming the car.
Assembly was a snap with this vac the head simply clicks onto the main unit and you are set to go.
Performance wise, I have two dogs who shed heavily and track dirt in all the time. I was impressed that the vacuum does do an excellent job picking up every hair and grain of dirt from tiled floors. It does especially well when used around kitchen cabinets since it picks up things that are right at the wall''s edge as opposed to my Dyson which leaves about half an inch uncleaned when smack up against a wall.
It does a fair job on low pile carpet. It skims off the visible dirt and debris and the lower suction is ideal for bath rugs and area rugs since it does not try to inhale the rug along with the dirt!
The hinged/ folding handle is great for cleaning under furniture, especially if you would prefer not to get down on your knees and scrabble around.
Some things to keep in mind :
It does not come with a mounting plate so you can''t hang it from the wall while it is charging.
The charge itself lasts between 8-12 minutes before suction weakens depending on the setting you are using. You can set it for only suction or suction with brush the latter seems to drain the battery very quickly. The manual states that, if fully discharged, then the battery needs 16 hours to recharge. I did not let it get to that point but even after charging for 12 hours I only got enough juice to use it for about 10 minutes.
The vacumn does use a filter which requires cleaning regularly if you are dealing with pet hair.Getting out all the dog hair from the canister was a pain because a lot of it got lodged under a flap that covers the suction tube. The crevice tool is built into the hand vac so when you are emptying the dirt container you have to extend the tool if you don''t want half the dirt stuck behind it. No biggie but something I couldn''t figure out initially. This interferes with getting dog hair out of the container as well.
The filter is washable so hopefully it will be a long while before it needs replacing.
The hand vac does have a crevice tool which is great for couches etc but, without a rolling brush, it can''t handle dog hair that is clinging to upholsery. I still have to rely on my ancient dirt devil hand vac for that.
All in all, this is a good assistant for your heavy duty corded vacuum which you will still need to take care of the real cleaning around the home. BUT if you have pets emptying the pet hair from the canister is ridiculously difficult.
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I would not recommend this vacuum to anyone. Not sure why people like the design, every week I had to unclog the intake hole, which is always a pleasant experience. When it does work the thing sucks up the battery power way too quickly, I''ve had this for a year and it now sits in the storage room where we use the hand vacuum portion of it once in a while, then of course the battery dies. The nice thing about the design of the vacuum is that main handle folds down nicely to fit in your garbage can when you throw it away. Horrible vacuum for the money.
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While I am not a huge fan of cleaning, I do enjoy using this Bissell vacuum. It''s very lightweight, making it much easier to reach for to clean instead of lugging the full-size vacuum out of the closet. I like that it has a smaller removable hand vac which is great for small messes. The suction seems powerful enough and it''s easy to dispose of the dust and then re-assemble the unit. The biggest downside is the charge it holds. As other reviewers have commented, this vacuum will function for around 10-15 minutes on a full charge. On the plus side, it''s handy, light and easy to use, but only for smaller areas or less heavy-duty messes.
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We use this as the initial filter for the water coming into our house, which is from a well. The water then runs through our water softener, and our drinking water goes through a reverse osmosis system.
