Bissell Reviews

I bought this machine in Nov. of 2003. It broke in April of 2004. The cleaning solution stopped flowing through the vacuum. I have 3 children including 2 infants, which is why I bought it in the first place. I am extremely dissappointed. I admit I got some good use out of the machine, but for it to break after not even owning it for a year, thats poor craftsmanship.
Its like I rented for 5 months for $214.00. Do not believe the good reviews or else 5 months later you be looking for the warranty or buying another vacuum. I saw a several of these in a big name closeout store REFURBISHED for $119.00!!! So what does that say about this vaccum? That many consumers returned it because it was defective and had to be fixed!!! Do not buy this machine!!!!

I only borrowed this steam cleaner from a friend (thank goodness) and cleaned my carpets, which worked well. I then tried to clean my couch. The brush on the attachment promptly fell off.

Disappointed, I then tried using the unit on my bathroom tile floor, with the Bissell-recommended floor cleaner. I used the "bare floor attachment" that came with the vacuum. After I spent a good twenty minutes or so to figure how to attach the bare floor cleaner attachment to the front of the vacuum, I proceeded to clean my bathroom floor. Good I thought! The nightmare ensued. The attachment fell off after about three passes. Repeatedly I tried to reattach it (engineering anyone?). At one point, I tipped the vacuum backward to try to get a better angle to once again, reattach it. To my horror, water dumped from the unit. I found myself standing in water, the vacuum cord, soaked, the electrical cord plugged into the wall. Not a good moment.

I finally gave up. Any fantasies about cleaning the grout between the tiles faded. I gave the unit back to my friend. I'll be looking elsewhere to buy.

The Bissell ProHeat is an excellent steam cleaner. It even removed a month-old coffee stain! It's extremely easy to use and easy on the back. The smart mix features mixes the cleaning solution and water for you at the proper ratio, so all you do is press a button and push the machine back and forth. It's incredible suction removes most of the water from the carpet, so the carpets dry within 1-2 hours. The only complaint I have about this machine is the two belts. They comes lose rather easily when cleaning up the machine, so you need to check them every now and then to make sure they are working properly. All things considered, this cleaner is well worth the investment. I like it so much, I'm planning to buy a Bissell vacuum as well!

As a mom with two young kids, and a new home with new carpeting we were concerned about spills, spit up and such. This Bissell has saved us. We had a handheld small Bissell that worked OK, but after 5 years it gave out. We purchased this one and couldn't be more pleased. The heat feature really helps get the stain out, and the turbo brush works great. The seperate compartments make cleaning easier, and the ability to store with solution in it so it's always ready to go is a great plus.

This was the best purchase I have made in a long time. It works so much better than I had expected. I have two young kids (4 years, 7 months) and a Golden Retriever, so you can imagine how many spills take place at my house. The Turbo Brush really works great on muddy paw prints and spilled juice. I also use it to clean all the accidents that happen in my car. It is very easy to use (just add cleaning solution to the clean water and you're ready to go). It also heats the water/cleaning solution for better cleaning. This is a must have for everyone with kids or pets. I have owned other brands of cleaners before, but from here on out - I am a Bissell Buyer!

We own both the upright Bissell and the Little Green, and use them semi-regularly. I'll admit to being a little obsessive about clean carpet and upholstery, but owning these products makes it easy to keep the carpet of our one year-old home looking great (and has extended the lifespan of our old sofas). The Little Green is perfect for use on small floor messes, the stairs, and couch. Our daughter turned two in October, and, thanks to this machine, we have survived spilled coffee, Children's Advil, soda, juices of all colors, chocolate, and shoeprints-- pretty much anything she can dump out or track in, this product can clean up! The full-sized Bissell is great for steam-cleaning entire rooms, but it's too hard to lug up and down the stairs. If you have a two story home, you may want to consider this hand-held canister cleaner for convenience purposes. It's easy to carry and has an extra-long cord, to boot!

The Reviewer makes an excellent point! This unit will not provide HEPA filtration of exaust air. So if you are buying this unit due to allergies or based on the procaimed HEPA filtration you would do best to pass this unit up. However as a normal vacuum, the unit is very good. Due to its small size it is very easy to manuver through tight spots. Suction is very good as well as the power head. The hose is of poor quality and tends to kink, but all in all a good vacuum. They just shouldn't claim HEPA filtration as the previous reviewer (mictrik) has pointed out so well. These days it isn't hard to find vacuums with HEPA filtration so passing this unit up wont be to big of a loss. Fix this issue and Bissell would have a true star.

Ok. I reported "air flow problem through power cord attachment place" to the Bissell and that's what they gave me:

"I have been advised that the air release you describe is in the design of the machine and this issue is not unique to your vacuum. It is normal for some air to pass through the filter and some to vent from the bottom of the machine.

The air that passes through the HEPA filter captures over 99.9% of dust mites, pollen, and ragweed."

No offence to the customer support agent she just gave information what she had to give (provided by tech department, I believe)

But still.. this is a crap. How come HEPA filer could work if more than 90% of airflow goes not through the filter?!

If you do not care about HEPA filter, it still very good choice - it's quiet, has a nice look, very good telescoping pipe.

Originally, bought this the first time I saw it at Linens-N-Things, then decided to see if I could find it cheaper online. Cheapest I could find was the J&R Music and Computer World price at Amazon, but when I read the customer review that said, despite its claims, it didn't actually work on hardwood floors, I decided I had better test out the one I'd already bought since ALL I have are hardwood (90%), vinyl, and a bit of ceramic tile.

IT WORKED BEAUTIFULLY ON MY HARDWOOD FLOORS, picked everything up, and I have not admittedly swept or vacuumed them since before Thanksgiving, PLUS I had just gotten rid of some cats, so there was litter to sweep up - just make sure the beater bar is turned off, but the suction is turned on (which it is not turned on out-of-the-box), either that or you have a defective product.

On top of that, it's lightweight, swivels nicely, is quiet (as vacuums go), easy to lug about the apartment, has strong suction power, the bag appears to be easy to replace, and the attachments are fabulous - I actually prefer the smaller size. The trim around my floors is carved and caked w/years of re-painting; so, it was hard to clean them w/a rag - the crevice tool worked like a charm. I also cleaned a couch w/rather rough upholstery, two chairs w/smooth, silky upholstery, and a my computer chair with the upholstery attachment; as well as sweeping the window sills and attempting even to sweep the blinds with the dusting attachment. All of them rated 5 star in my book...

So unless you are really super duper concerned w/all that HEPA filter jazz another reviewer was complaining about, I would highly recommend this product. I've used really bad, old canisters, and mostly used uprights, and this vacuum is the best - if you have hardwood floors the canister is the way to go, but, even on carpets, I think I would prefer this particular model to an upright anyday, which are generally heavy and clunky to lug around, in my opinion (I originally tested the floor model on the berber carpet at LnT and it worked very well there, too, but I couldn't say for higher/thicker/whatever carpets).

A Kitchen & Housewares enthusiast from Myrtle Beach, SC comments on the inability to locate this item in the "Real World". I have have to agree!

Recommend:
Order 3-4 sets of 3 (1 a month for the year) to avoid the search again in three months.

The Bissell vacuum works really great but the bags in style #7 are very difficult to find. The bags are expensive and are only half the size of most vacuum cleaner bags. I have had to order replacement bags each time because you can't find them in stores. I would recommend checking into this before purchasing your next vacuum, but if you are like me and already own this type vacuum then Amazon.com has been the only place I have found that carries these bags. I'm very disappointed in the price, the size and the difficulty in obtaining these bags.

Comes with 3 bags. They seem fine to me.

Henry Ford said, "I'll sell a car for $25.00- just give me the parts business." Bissell took a lesson from this- the vaccuum was priced very attractively, and the only bags that fit- cost $...a piece! Brilliant! But I assure you, my next vaccuum will NOT be a Bissell.... by the way, did the other review read more like and advertisement? Think it might have been written by a Bissell employee?

I am NOT a compulsive cleaner (I'd rather do something with the family) so when I DO have the urge to vacuum and dust. I want it to have a lasting effect. This bissell and bag combo does the job and gives me more time with my family! I also like the fact that I can vacuum and vacuum on the same bag until it is completely full. You probably figured out that I don't like changing the bags any more than I like dusting. The annoying dust bunnies are kept at bay with this unit--that is why I feel the extra cost for the bags is well worth the investment. I highly recommend this Bissell vacuum bag.

I've used this mostly for cleaning accidents my small dogs have had now and then. It works okay- but neither the spray nor vacuum is very powerful. After only moderate use for the past year and a half- it is already broken. It basicallly will not re-charge anymore so is useless now.

I think the idea of a spot carpet cleaner is a great one- but if you're going to invest in one at all, I definitely recommend a better quality, higher powerd one than this! :)

This little one is a good spot cleaner. I have had mine for about 3 or 4 years and it's still doing it's job. It does a great job on pet accidents. It lost a star because it's spray isn't always even. I also wish it would have come with a second small brush attachment. I know you can order one, but I have never gotten around to it.

The nickle-cadium rechargeable battery pack wennt out with-in the first month of purchase. that's why I got on line to see if i could purchase another for a reasonable price. NO REPLACEABLE BATTERY PACK I guess i'm stuck for $29.99 plus tax the dealer won't do anything after 30 days.****CRAIG*****

2 1/2 stars

Pros:

1. It can lift stains, particularly cat hairball vomit stains (my main use for it).

2. It's been somewhat improved from earlier models.

3. It's the only thing like it on the market in the sub-forty buck price range (at least when I bought my second one).

Cons:

1. It's extremely hard to clean. There are so many inaccessable nooks and crannies in the waste liquid reservoir that very quickly, no matter how much rinsing you do, vile particles and sludge build up.

2. Lousy NiCad battery. Battery life is poor. Only gives about 4 minutes of usable time per charge, which can be inadequate, plus it is not replaceable when it dies (lasted three years for me on my first one, I've got 18 months so far on my second one). Takes a long time to charge.

3. Can leak waste liquids from reservoir. If the intake reservoir is getting full of liquids you have vacuumed up, it eventually will start leaking. Or, if you try setting it down, because it is not flat on the bottom, it could tip sideways and spill.

4. Nozzle for spraying cleaning solution is flimsy. My first one broke right off and on my second, newer unit, it appears to be a new design but I still don't trust it.

5. No rotating power brush, just a little three-inch strip of brush material.

Summary: my first one aggravated me but did its job for three years before the battery died. I wanted to replace it with a better designed carpet spot cleaner, but at the time, there wasn't anything else like it on the market so I bought another one. It's a little bit improved from the first one, but still aggravating.

I'd shop around and see if any competitors have introduced a similar cleaner before considering this one again.

My mom bought this for me as a gift and thought it would be useful since I have small, growing children and I'm glad to have received it. It really does the job it was intended to do and I'm really glad the cleaner you use with this unit is readily available at my local Walmart store. The only downside is the battery life doesn't last long so this unit is really only useful for small spots or spills.

I bought the Bissell Spotlifter Powerbrush and had the same problems mentioned in other reviews. It is a very poorly designed product with almost no suction and poor spray. I contacted Bissell and they sent me another one that doesn't work either.

We struggled between buying this unit and the comperable Dirt Devil offering, when we saw them at the local discount stores. Liking the stiffer dual-rotating beater-bar style brushes on the Bissell better than the much softer brushes on the spinning disk the Dirt Devil had, we settled on the Bissell. At the store, the only negative factor for the Bissell appeared to be it's one-year warranty, versus the two-years offered with the Dirt Devil.

We did not consider a cordless model, presuming they would be less powerful. We also did not consider a model without scrub brushes.

I used our new Bissell briefly last night on a couple of recent pet stains, and it did a good job. Today, I used it on all the rest of the pet stains on our light living room carpet, many of which were old. Almost all of them lifted well.

The Bissell clean tank will hold a full 8 oz. (3-4 oz. cleaning product and 4 oz. water), compared to the Dirt Devil that only holds a total of 6 oz. It does a decent job of suctioning up liquid. Many with the Dirt Devil seem to complain that it's suction is inadequate, and we did test its suction at the store and agree that it is weak.

The manual doesn't document the total clean tank size, how many ounces the "Formula" fill line is at, or how many the "Water" fill line is at, but I measured them. This way I know the proper dilution, if I choose to mix some of the cleaning product into a regular spray bottle for pretreating convenience, without hauling the heavier unit around. (They suggest leaving the pretreat on for 3-5 minutes.)

Note that once you've filled the clean tank, if you have a lot left over you do not have to empty it. You can save it for next time. (The disadvantage to doing this is that you would no longer have warm water to help you clean better.)

The 20' cord was more than adequate for us to get to the areas we needed to clean. Others complain that the Dirt Devil's cord is too big, but I'm not sure if that means diameter or length. The cord on the Bissell flows nicely. It isn't stiff and doesn't stay too curled up to be able to be used easily. It even had a convenient velcro strap that stays attached, to help you manage the cord for storage.

The unit is really easy to fill, operate and clean. Both the clean tank and the dirty tank detach and reattach very easily. Even the beater brush cartridge removes easily for cleaning. It only took me a few minutes to have it ready for storage again. Dirt Devil users complain that reattaching a tank is not always easy.

This is not a full size steam cleaner and I don't think it's fair to expect it to behave like one. It's great for the purpose it's designed for. Be sure to vacuum your capet before using it, if you haven't done so recently. This will minimize the amount of hair etc. to clean out of the brushes when you are finished using the Bissell. I did not do this, and it still wasn't bad to clean out the brushes.

The unit has a solid and durable feel to it. Dirt Devil users seem to think that unit is flimsey and has an awkward manual solution/water sprayer.

I think the product works well and would recommend it over the Dirt Devil. I am happy with it

I bought this Bissell Spotlifter a few weeks ago. I chose this one because I only needed it for the occassional pet stain or baby food spill. It works great for me! I immediately put it to work and it got stains out that had been in my carpet for months! I do see how people could complain some about the suction but I think it gets most of the dirty water up fine. It took me a while to decide between this one and the more expensive "Little Green" and I think I made the right decision. I'm sure the other one is better, but it's also almost as expensive as an upright and this one gets the job done just fine. This is a good little cleaner for the money.

This machine worked great, for about 10 minutes. Then, I smelled something burning and the motor blew up. It won't turn on at all now. The rotating brush seemed to really struggle on my thick carpet. The cleaning power though for that first 10 minutes, was exceptional. It did leave large lint balls all over the floor so you'll have to follow up with a vac after the carpet is dry. I'm not sure whether to exchange it for a new one (maybe I just got a lemon) or to forget Bissell all together.

It worked REALLY well for about the 1rst 2 months. I use it a lot, I have 3 dogs & a baby. It does not suck up like it used to, and that is the whole point!!!! It leaves the floor wet, and I can't keep everyone off of it for 2 days to dry. This is my second one, too, and it is doing the exact same thing.

this is ok for an average person

This cleaner never did a good job. Didn't suck up hardly any water that it put out, the attachments are a laugh. Your better off buying the low end Dirt Devil. Bissell does make good vacuums though.

I found this cleaner did a nice job on my oriental rug. It cleaned so well that the wonderful colors in my rug have come back. The machine seems well built but it is somewhat heavy to push and the water tank-in-tank is very small making it neccesary to dump and refill much too often. I find that I really should have done more research and shopped around more before making this expensive purchase. Live and learn.....