Upright Reviews

... After only two years my Pro Heat Bissell's water pump just stopped pumping the water/cleaner solution. I would expect more from a model this expensive. We only have a few carpeted rooms in the house, most are hardwood, and we did not use the cleaner THAT much. I would look at other brands for better reliability. Also: When it DID work, it leaked on the floor when not in use! Steer clear of this lemon.

After renting carpet cleaners, and paying a large sum of money to have my carpet cleaned. I had purchased one several years ago, but, it did not do the work that this Bissell carpet cleaner has done for us. We have 2 dogs and have had problems with stains etc. This cleaner really does the job. and it is light, The bucket is really easy to fill, and empty, also the cleaning agent container, and with the attachments it is something that I can do spot cleaning when necessary without asking my husband to CLEAN THE CARPET. I also like the fact that I can just use the rinse cycle to go over any places that I feel might have some cleaning agent, or some from before which we also found. My husband also used it in the car and was really amazed at how well it covered and really cleaned the carpet which we could never do with any other carpet cleaner. His comment was when we first used it. Now we have it here all the time, instead of having to go and rent one and return it in a few hours. I can clean the carpet at my own leisure. Thanks again Bissell and also your engineering staff that designed such a wonderful machine which has made our life so much easier.

Two retired folks from Northern California.

We bought this carpet cleaner because it was necessary for out warranty on our 1 year old carpet. Either clean with this cleaner once a year, or have it professionally done every two years. I had used the Hoover deep cleaner before, so was a little leary about buying this one. Assembly was easy, 4 screws and that was it. How's that for simple?? Did my 3 younger kids bedroom first, ages 4, 3, and 9 mths. It was a breeze. Not having to "measure" the cleaning solution was great, pour it in the reservoir, and your done. Did my stairs next with the hand attachment. Really easy, flip the switch for the hand tools, and it prevents it from running the roller bar. I next used it on my living room. I was going to wait until the kids went to bed that night, but my 3 year old took his ravioli in the living room, and the 9mth old ground it into the carpet. Used a little pretreatment solution, let it sit for 5 minutes, and whalla, it was gone. I was hesitant that the floors would be wet for quite a while. This machine is great with sucking the water out of the carpet. It was dry in less that 2 hours!! WOW. I also liked the water only feature. If you do happen to get to much foaming in the carpet, just switch to the water only, to dilute it, and suck it up. You do have to empty the cleaning solution from the reservoir and replace with water to use that feature, but over all very very simple and fast to use. Did all these rooms in less that 2 1/2 hours!! One little con, it does leave a little puddle of water if left on the floor not being used, and full of water, but I haven't seen a deep carpet cleaner that doesn't do this yet. Wish I would have bought this one sooner!!

The water bladder tank leaked and the brush assembly hopped. I called Bissell, they apologized and sent out another tank. The second tank arrived 10 days later, it leaked also; so I returned the cleaner where I purchased it.

The dual tank seemed a good idea until I used it. I was dumping a lot of clean hot water down the drain. It was nearly impossible to get the carpet shed/fuzz out of the tank because you cannot remove the clean water bladder. I also was not fond of the idea that the brushes did not rotate without the suction. Some spots need to be scrubbed more than others and I found that I used more cleaning solution and water than was necessary because I could not just brush the area without removing the cleaning solution.

Extremely frustrating. I am searching for a cleaner without belts and separate tanks.

I love how well this machine cleans. We have two dogs and three cats and the Bissell gets the carpets spotless, but the water pumpt breaks down every six months or so. Other people have said the same thing.

The idea of a self-propelled carpet cleaner made me laugh at first, but now that I have one I am amazed that I got by so long without one...it just makes the job of cleaning your carpet such a breeze.

I have a lot of animals in my house, and when I clean the carpets, I really need to clean the carpets. This cleaner will pull probably about 90% of the grime in the carpet (it doesn't look like it should have that much dirt in it...) out on the first pass over it. This is one of those few products out there that really works like the commercials show it does as long as you follow the directions:

You need to make sure that heater is finished heating the water before you begin or you'll just be making a mess until it is hot enough to actually do some cleaning--this is probably the number one complaint I hear about this cleaner and its because they are not waiting for the heating to finish. The next things that people always do wrong is the the settings need to be switched back to the Water Only setting while the machine is not in use or the soap lines will clog up. As long as you store the cleaner properly it works like a dream (or a commercial) everytime no matter how bad the mess is.

Also, for anyone who has long-haired pets: this cleaner will clean up the giant clumps of wet hair tangled in the carpet with no problems at all. The biggest drawback is that the self-propel feature is kind of worthless is tight spaces because you have to have quite a bit of room to swing the cleaner around and get all the angles. You won't be able to run this around the furniture--you'll actually have to move the furniture out of the way if you want to do a decent job cleaning.

This vacuum had wonderful suction at first, but only lasted one year. Now I can only vacuum one room, and then it loses its power because it's overheating. It then starts spitting everything back out. It doesn't pick up anything of any size, such as small playground pebbles. This was a waste of money - I've bought a new vacuum and will just keep this one for the basement.

I have a Fantom cyclone and a thunder and they are the best vacuum ever. They pick up all the deep down dirt. Please go on ebay and by a Fantom Cyclone XT since the company is out of busness

I bought a used Fantom And it is the best vacuum I know of.I can vacuum with my less than a year old bagless vacuum Twice very throughly, take one pass with my Fantom and have a dirt spinning in the canaster and this is from a small area rug. Please go one ebay and buy one. If it isent as good as I say, you got a broken or cogged one. These vacuums are so good, I love my Fantom Thunder.

I have two cats, a dog and two small child that I try to protect from hair. I was so excited to buy a new vacum, and when I arrived home I had to try the vacum right away. Big mistake, because I was wearing shorts. All the dirt that was by my front door was now projecting on to my legs. This vacum did not work pick up any dirt. The hair it did pick up was all cloged by the filter.

I just got this vacuum cleaner as a replacement for a huge, heavy Fantom vac. It maneuvers easily, has great suction, and does a good job of picking up pet hair. (Of course, I would loooovvve to have a Dyson, but they're about 5 times as much.)

One of the things I like best is the weight of the machine. I used to have a backache after vacuuming with my old vac, but not this one. Also: the headlight really is bright, as claimed on the carton, and helps illuminate clumps you might not see.

The foldaway handle is brilliant - I just wish Hoover would go one step further and make the cord retractable.

I have two dogs that shed a lot (Shelties) and this has done a really good job with the pet hair on my carpet, my area rugs, and - with the hose and attachments - on my furniture.

Yes, you have to empty the dirt cup fairly often, but it's so easy to dump the dirt and shake the filter that I don't mind. Also, remember that any vacuum will require some user maintenance like cleaning the agitator brushes and cleaning/changing filters if you want it last for a long time. It's part of being a responsible appliance owner.

Great vacuum with unique features at a reasonable price.

When I opened the box from Amazon.com and saw this vacuum, I was amazed at how much smaller it was than my Dirt Devil Bagless. I was a little worried that it wasn't what I expected and that I would have to return it but I was completely unprepared for the power of the little vacuum.
The first thing that I noticed was that it almost propelled itself across my carpet. Then I was amazed how much quieter it is than my previous vacuums. The kids weren't scared of the loud noise and my baby slept through it.
The fold down handle is SO convenient. I don't have a lot of storage room and in the past it was a pain to have to take my vacuum into the basement to store. It fits perfectly in my bedroom closet and I don't even notice it. As for the previous reviews that I read before purchasing it that stated it was a pain to clean the vacuum after you vacuum, that isn't true at all. The easy handle on the canister makes it a breeze to just take outside and dump into my trash can. I never have had to "vacuum off the vacuum when done" as some of the other reviews have stated. However, I did plug it up but that was my own fault for trying to make it suck up dry expanded foam insulation that was a foot high and I just wanted to see if it could do it. It did it but I caught a piece that was way too big and it lodged inside the hose. Compared to the hours that I have spent trying to unplug a clog in a dirt devil bagless, this was no big deal at all!!! The hose is somewhat transparent and I could spot right away where the clog was. I just squeezed the hose to break the large piece of insulation and it cleared right up. I have not needed to empty it everytime I vacuum like another review stated and I even have kids that drag cereal and such all over the carpet. My kids recently decided to pour out 2 boxes of Kix cereal on the floor while I was potty training another and boy, was I thankful for this vacuum. It is so easy to use that my 4 year old loves to vacuum his room although it is still a little big for him.
Overall, I am absolutely delighted and in love with this vacuum!! It fits right in with a busy house of children and is perfect for a home with limited storage space. It is so much quieter than the larger vacuums and has so much more power.
Shelene Wilhelm

I purchased an upright Electrolux about 20 years ago and the vacuum is still going strong, needed another vacuum and greed got the best of me......"an Electrolux for just a little over $300?....I better snatch that up right away!"....What a mistake!! cheap, poor fitting plastic, poor overall performance. a warmed over Eureka (Same Company).

Evidently Electrolux sold off the high quality vacuum cleaner portion of their business to a company called Aerus, they have a web site or you can buy a slightly different version of the Aerus 3000, still the high quality of past Electrolux's, on QVC called the "Ultralux by Electrolux" for $344.

I first, i thought i was getting a "True Electrolux" for a bargin price. The old saying "you get what you pay for" is oh so true. As it turns out, this is a cheap Eureka vacuum cleaner. First time i tryed to clean under a chair, i discovered the brush head lifts off the floor completely. Forget cleaning under a bed. It's noisy, looks like cheaper tthan normal plastic parts. It also left scuff marks all over my wood flooring. I could get the same vacuum cleaner but branded Eureka for a lot less money if thats what i wanted. For me, it's going back for a refund. My advise, stay away from this product. If it is an Electrolux you want (as i do) then be sure you buy the real item. Don't know why, but the real Electrolux is now called Aerus or something like that. Same great products but a different name now.

My 3 cents worth,

I purchased the Electrolux Aptitude last month despite some bad reviews here. After using it for one month, I am thoroughly satisfied with it. This is the best vacuum that I have ever owned. It is a replacement for a Hoover V2 that literally fell apart. The Electrolux is much quieter, more solidly built and easier to maneuver. Hoover claims to outclean all other uprights but I find that this vacuum leaves the carpet cleaner and raises the nap of the carpet better. Also, there is no dust residue on the vacuum cleaner, the attachments, and wheels after using it whereas with the Hoover, even with it's HEPA filter, there was always dust.

In summary, I would recommend this cleaner; it's relatively light and very easy to use, quiet, great looking, cleans very well and leaves no dust after using it.

I bought this vacuum a little less than a year ago, and it did the job. It picks up very well, and I liked the bagless style (not sure why they bother with a HEPA filter though--dumping the dirt from the canister would be a nightmare to people with allergies.) I did have problems with the lower hose getting blocked, but though it was a pain to clear it, I was still happy overall with this cleaner.

HOWEVER, it's completely broken in less than a year of average use (vacuuming twice a week). The end of the beater bar broke because some of the plasic part that held it deformed from overheating. My vacuum repair shop said they could fix it with new parts, but that it would just happen again. They also said they see Eureka vacuums all the time because they're not built to last. I wouldn't recommend this cleaner, and won't buy Eureka again because I can't afford a new vacuum cleaner every year. Do yourself a favor and find something more durable.

I bought this vacuum after lots of research into features and quality (I have a dog and need a good one) and I love it. It is very quiet and powerful and the attachments are great. When the power switch broke right after the warranty expired, I contacted Eureka to express my displeasure and suggest they reimburse my repair fee. Imagine my surprise when they FedExed me a new vacuum over night. In today's world of diminishing customer service, Eureka went above and beyond to prove they are interested in taking care of their customers!! This vacuum is a great product and they are willing to back it up.

Have been using this vacuum heavily since it arrived last week and I'm extremely pleased. It is lightweight, quieter than any vacuum I have ever used, and appears to do a great job of picking up stuff. The dust cup is easy to empty and I enjoy the fact that I don't have to buy bags. I selected this vacuum partly because it is billed as a true HEPA filter and I don't want to recirculate the dust I have just vacuumed up. As far as I can tell, the filters are working great. The on-board attachments are easy to use. The flexible hose is a little short but adequate to do what I need to do.

My sister in law owns this vacuum. When I visit them, I clean
their house...when i use this vacuum i always smell something burning. Then i knew the problem, it was on a low carpet setting. so i put it on the highest setting. (the carpets are really low and flat). Now it would be fine, but it wouldnt pick up anything, then the beater brush makes sqeeking sounds and burns up. Then when i use the attatchments, the hose keeps popping out of the vacuum!

Pros:
* very powerful suction
* excellent edge cleaning

Cons:
* excepting the motor, it is a conglomeration of cheap plastic parts
* the hose is too short, though the hose extension is helpful and it does fit extension tubes from other vacuums
* the electrical plug is not grounded

Overall, I am very pleased. It suits my inclination towards things that work great and are cheap.

If you have limited funds, this is a good vacuum for the money. I bought this vacuum recently and have used it on hardwood floors and short pile rugs with no problems. It easily suctions up dirt. It only has a 12-inch width....but that works better for me than the wider 15-inch ones since it gets between chair legs and into tight spaces. My complaints? It's a bit heavy...and NOISY! (the loudest vacuum I've ever used). And the quality of the parts isn't as good as vacuums that cost two or three times more, but since I only paid 89.95 for it, I feel I got more than my money's worth. And at that price I'm more than willing to overlook the noise and weight.

I was pretty excited about my Westinghouse vacuum especially since the previous reviewers compared it to the Dyson and this cost a lot less. I've been using for about a week, and I am very disappointed. I was somewhat pleased with its performance on carpet; it picked up lots of dust that my old Hoover left behind although the suction wasn't as powerful as I had expected. It did a good job of picking up hair/dust but left behind larger things like crumbs or tiny bits of paper. I had to run the vacuum over the same area over and over to pick up everything. It was HORRIBLE on bare floors, it couldn't even pick up a few crumbs and it missed all the dirt on the edges of my floor. The worst part is it left a long deep scratch on my hardwood floors. The hose feature is disappointing as well, because there's no suction! I tried using the hose to vacuum above the floor, and I kept thinking I was doing it wrong..it just didn't suck. Also another thing is the bulbs for the headlight (including the replacement bulb) burned out on the same day I received the vacuum. Needless to say I'm sending it back. I advise you to look elsewhere.

Got a great deal so ordered. I didn't realize that the trimming wand and the handle that you use to manuever the vaccuum were one and the same. Kind of grossed me out. Also, it doesn't slide back together easily once you try to use the trimming wand. The hose has to be completely stretched out to replace the cleaning pipe. I bought it for that feature (easy access for attatchments). It also is very heavy. And last but not least, the inside filter clogged about the third time I used it. This caused the suction to completely stop on the attatchments. It took me a while to figure out why it wouldn't pick up any more. I'll stick with my old vac.

This review refers to the Westinghouse WST1551 Wire Deluxe Vacuum....

I was truly in need of a new vacuum. My windtunnel seemed like it was just pushing everything around, leaving a line of dirt and dog hair wherever it finished.When this one popped up in my gold box I jumped on it. So even though I had just vacummed the day before, I tried this one out within minutes of it's arrival. I was stunned at the amount of dust, AND dog hair I immediately saw in the clear roomy collection bin..and that was just one room!

The vacuum , besides being very powerful, has several other nice features. The collection bin, removes easily,and is well sealed so no dirt comes out until you open and empty it into the trash.And no messy bags to buy anymore! The tool storage has a nice little compartment that closes, so they are on board but not falling off all the time. The tools attach to a wand which is released right from the upper handle. It pulls out with the hose already attached. Attachments include a dusting brush, a bare floor nozzle(you can adjust the vacuum for this), a crevice tool, and a universal cleaning tool that is nice for cleaning upholstered furniture.There are 4 carpet height adjustments, a 25ft power cord(which coils up nicely on the side), and extra hose extension making it easy to move up stairs or reach high places(especially for us short people), and a HEPA filter with instructions for cleaning it about every 3 months.And once you get used to how to release and attach all these items, it's a breeze.There are also 2 headlights(came with a spare as well), and it gets along the edges beautifully.Of course there is also a pedal to release it from an upright position to get underneath things(it didn't quite fit under everything though).

The vacuum is a litle on the heavy side though. I found this to be a little bit of a problem when I was using the extension hose. Because the hose and the upper handle are all one piece,when you use it, there is no handle to hold.Although the hose is quite long, I found it difficult to have the vacuum follow me around without having to pick it up and move it occasionally. It has a carry handle, but like I said, it is a bit heavy.

The instruction booklet is very detailed and clear for use and care. It includes some useful tips(like the best way to empty the bin if you have allergies).There's a question and answer section, an 800 number and an e-mail for questions, an accessory order form,warranties(1 year on the unit and 7 years on the HEPA filter). There is even an address to return if there is a problem(I noticed one person said, their's was not working well).

One review mentions that this vacuum needs to be charged. This is not cordless vacuum and there is no way to charge it that I know of.

I highly recommend this unit, if you are in the market for a new vacuum. After using it for several weeks now, I just feel better after seeing what it cleaned out of my carpets and upholstry!

Go For It... and really clean up.....Laurie

I bought my steamer almost two years ago, primarily to sanitize the ceramic tiles on my kitchen floor. And after all this time, I still have to say I am not terribly impressed with this product. In fact, this is my second review of it and my rating has not changed.

On the positive side, it's good for softening stuck-on food or stubborn spots on the kitchen floor. It was excellent for cleaning the oven grill. I also use it with one of the small nozzles to clean my wedding rings. But the reason it was able to do these jobs very well, in my view, is that it provided a steady stream of hot water NOT steam.

Another reviewer on this site seemed to think it was a lack of common sense or basic education which made other reviewers complain about the product spurting water, but I assure you it did and in significant quantities. I expected some steam condensate, but my Enviro-Steamer produces more hot water than it does steam. In fact, I get a continuous and messy flow of water, as opposed to the steam it is supposed to produce (no matter how long I wait for it to heat up). This makes it completely unsuitable for steaming clothes or using it on upholstery. I have tried it time and time again on our clothes, each time following the manual on what to do when it spurts water, but I have never been able to do anything more than drench the clothes. As a result, I would not chance using it on upholstery. It may simply be that I got a faulty unit, but I have to agree with the others who feel it spurts far too much water.

I also think that it is not powerful enough; i.e. the jet of steam was not powerful enough, which might be because it didn't produce a sufficient volume of steam to begin with.

In fact, I am so underwhelmed by my Enviro-Steamer that I am hoping that I just got a faulty unit and didn't actually waste my money on what seems to be an under-performing appliance. My advice would be to spend a little extra on a better steamer. I sure wish I had!

Very smart tool for cleaning just about anything. I cleaned my oven burners, floor tile, and have so much confidence in it that I will be cleaning my pool tile with it this weekend.

Floor Tile: I used the narrow brush tool to clean the .5" grout lines that I have in my kitchen and It looks like it removed a thin layer to make the them appear brand new. I went fairly slow and agitated with the brush while applying direct steam. I noticed a thin dust layer on the edges of the tile after I performed this which may be a the top layer of grout or the packed in dust - The grout looks fantastic, but I may need to limit how often I use this technique considering I may be taking off layers or the seal - but I'm very impressed with how effective this technique can be.

Cleaning the tile is a joy as well - This unit comes with two cloths that hook on to the floor tool that basically act as a catcher for dirt and dust. I would still recommend sweeping floors with heavy dust or debris first as you would if you were going to use a mop - the cloth picks up objects that stick to it - but anything too big will be pushed around. These cloths are very durable and I have washed one several times and it seems as good as new.

I have not used the tool as a steamer for clothing yet, but I am pretty confident it will work to get all the wrinkles out.

The times between refills seem to be a little over a half an hour. The process of re-filling the tank can be a little tedious considering you have to wait for the unit to cool down before opening the tank - I would compare the annoyance factor to waiting for a slice of pizza to cool down before chowing it - not a big deal.

The 370 is fun to use, has tools to do about anything, and will kick the crud out of any stubborn stains or dirt that have been plaguing you. If this thing doesn't beat it it probably needed to be replaced and not cleaned in the first place.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars - I would have given it 5 if it had come with a remote control and I could clean things from my couch.

I had been shopping around for a while for a steamer hot and powerful enough to do more than de-wrinkle and this thing is it! It's a combination of a professional garment steamer (as used in clothing stores for displays) and a canister vacuum cleaner.

I read several reviews where people gripe about the time and tediousness to refill. Okay, while it's true if you follow the safety guidelines it can be. Having said that, it takes almost no time if you use your brain. Turn the unit off, lean away from it, and use a heavy duty oven mitt to open the water tank. Fill it with the funnel, close it and go. Only takes me three minutes. Of course safety first but product safety guidelines are written to keep the dumbest person from hurting themselves.

As to performance, I love it. Someone noted it only sprayed water on clothes. Well, if you read the directions and recall high school physics, condensation can form and so when you trigger the unit it spits out any condensed water. Takes two seconds. I've used it to clean an entire white bathroom, tile, tub, toilet, grout. Its best performance was on my sofa which has never cleaned easily unless I rented a big Rug Doctor.

If you want a steamer, this is the most versatile and affordable unit out there, way better than what Black & Decker offers and not as bulky as a Wet/Dry Vac. Don't expect the sun and moon, it's just steam.

And now if anyone at Amazon actually reads these, I"m sure my review will get thrown away for telling people this:
I just bought this unit at CostCo for [$$$] which means The Special Gold Box Price both sucks and blows.

The belt broke twice within three months of purchase.
The dust trap requires a fight every time to take it out and put it back in.
The rollers at the bottom front fall off every time I pick it up.
It is now resting peacefully, almost unused, in the garage less than six months after I got it.
Stay away, even if they pay you to use it.

I was AMAZED by the amount of filth this vacuum suckd up from my home.
For [the price that it is offered at] this is a tough deal to beat. I've been looking for a decent vacuum for a while but the prices have really turned me off...
That is until I ran across this model on Amazon... So what if it factory refurbished and has a few blemishes. What counts is it WORKS and it works well.
I thought the other commernts were [not true] when they were saying how much fun they had with the vacuum. Well, I'm proven wrong, I had fun using the vacuum, my wife had fun as well.
If you already have a good Hoover this may not be the vacuum for you, however if you have an old vacuum...I reccomend taking the chance in trying this vacuum cleaner. You will not be disappointed and who knows you allergies (if you have 'em ) may improve due to removing all of the YUCK from your carpet.
In addition the handle that converts to a suction wand with a flick of the switch is incredibly conveinent. It makes it really easy to suck the dirt out of those hard to reach corners and edges.

I am so pleased by this vacuum cleaner. I had read reviews about other fantoms and was concerned with quality and emptying the bin. There was no need, the quality is good and nothing could be easier to dump and replace than the collection bin. It cleans great and has great cord range. The fine dust pick up is wonderful.

The only weakness is in the on board tool hose suction, but there is not much of a drop. Which is good because otherwise it would be sucking up pictures and drapes. I love being able to go from carpet to bare floor with a single click.

This fantom cleans as well as my rainbow cleaner without all the muss and fuss of the water. It is so fun to use, I was up early the next morning to use it again. Since I live on a gravel road I will be using it a lot.