Bissell 82H1 Cleanview Helix Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner

Comment: PROS
. Great value product. I bought this vacuum at Kohl's for $79.99 on sale with an additional 15% discount.
. Easy to assemble
. Powerful 12amp
. Strong suction. No problem picking up long hair in a carpeted bathroom.
. Long 30 ft cord
. Wide base
. Favorite thing was the Turbo head attachment for stairs, upholstery, and wall edges.

CONS
. I wish the hose was longer or less "spring back".
. A little on the loud side but what vacuum isn't.

Comment: I got mine half a dozen hours ago. I messed around with it for a couple hours and tested it. Here are my 'startup' results.

PROS:

1. Great suction.
2. One screw assembly.
3. Tested it against a thiry year old Hoover (the original self propelled--but designed to have no attachments, that's why I got this Bissell) It beat the Hoover.
4. Packaged correctly.
5. No louder than my Hoover.
six. Filter system seems to work correct.
7. Didn't cost much ($74).
8. Handle can be lowered back for pushing, then lowered again to get under tables and chairs (wouldn't go under my bed--too thick by three inches).
9. When my test were finish, I found no dust on top of the unit. There was some dust on the left and right side, at the ground level, (probably from the brushes kicking it out). I ran my hand over the top of the main unit and felt and saw nothing at all. Yep, the filters work fine.

CONS:

1. That air-hose fan folds--it comes unextended at 40 inches and extends passed 75 inches. At around 70 inches it will begin to pull the vacuum over on its back. (Tested with the unit turned off).
2. If you attach the upholstery tool to it the hose will NOT stretch out ONE inch without pulling the unit over (too much suction in the hose does this)
3. Most of the unit is black, most of the attachments are black--when you first get this unit it will be hard to see where things go--the instructions don't help much.
4. That one screw (puts the handle to the main unit), screws into the back--not the side as appeared in the instructions. (The pictures are hard to see details).
5. Because of that flexable hose that won't stretch when you attach the upholstry tool--I don't recommend this on stairs at all. (get some used hoses that are 'stiff' and use them when its time to do the stairs--make sure you get one that fits).
six The edger on the side of the vac only gets to one inch of the baseboard.
7. Unit is not selfpropelled.

All in all I like this unit. The short comings didn't add up to loosing one star with me. That upholstery tool is a neat idea. The one reviewer mentioning that it could break you finger is correct--that thing has some pretty high RPMs going for it.

As I said earlier, I tested this up against my 30+ year old Hoover (no tools onboard) self-propelled. I used the Hoover like people do when they are about to steam clean their carpets--real slow! Baby steps. I just did the hallway, it's around 20ft long and 45 inches wide. I sucked all the dust and dirt out of it the mighty Hoover could. Then I went over it with my new Bissell.

I didn't go slow.

I pulled two cups of 'fine' grained dust out of that old carpet. I'd have to say that's a winner right there.

All in all I'd have to say (since some higher end hand held dustbusters cost over $80 bucks) this unit is worth at least what it cost.

FINALLY;

I would keep a close eye out for a better flexable hose to do upholstery and stairs with--something not quiet as flexable.

Comment: I've used several different Hoovers and Eurekas in recent years, so I have some perspective on vacuum cleaners in this price category, both bagged and bagless, and so far, I'm finding the Bissell measures up well. I didn't think of Bissell as a top vacuum cleaner brand (I think of them as making rug shampooers), but I've been impressed.

PROS:

It has good suction--my first use produced that "Wow" when you see how much dirt was in the carpet you thought was pretty clean;

It has multiple filters that are washable, so there are no maintenance costs for bags or filters;

The powered upholstery attachment with spinning beater brush works great--much better than just having a little brush attachment that pushes the hair around;

It's extremely easy to assemble (one screw);

It's sturdy and solid for the price;

It's not the lightest I've used (that would be the Eureka Lightspeed, which started to fall apart almost immediately), but it's not overly heavy or bulky--it's a good weight;

It's no more noisy than any of the other similarly-priced vacuums I've used;

The extension hose doesn't have to be placed into a hole every time you want to use it and then pulled out afterwards, unlike some other models--it's always attached to the suction, so all you have to do is pull it out and start using it; and

The canister comes off and goes back in very easily--more easily than some I've used--and can be easily emptied.

CONS:

I find little to complain about with this unit, but like all of the other vacuum cleaners I've used, the cord doesn't retract, so you have to always keep it out of the way as you vacuum. Others have said the cord could be longer; I find it's about average, but sure, a little longer wouldn't hurt (although then there's more to keep out of the way).

Comment: Apart from standard positives of this vacuum like number of extensions, following are some positives which I thought are really unique:
1. Power. Vacuum cleaner is indeed powerful as mentioned by others in their review.

2. Mode controlling knob. This knob, at the base of vacuum that helps you in controlling the mode, is useful indeed. You can easily clean hard floor at low power whereas you need more power if you are cleaning carpets. And control is given to you, which is always good.

3. Cable length. I loved the length of cable this vacuum cleaner comes with. I was able to clean two rooms from a single socket in my living room. It is always frustrating to keep on plugging in vacuum after every 5 min. This long cable ensured I don't have to do it every now and then.

4. Light bulb. A light source given on this vacuum which moves with vacuum is a well thought feature. It doesn't only help with light at dark places, but also gives you an idea of how close or far your the vacuum's edge is from the wall. It helps in avoiding banging into wall while cleaning.

Negatives:
1. it is little heavier (bulky). if you are willing to compromise on features and power and if you have a backache problem, I would not recommend you this vacuum. It is not very bulky and if you are fit enough, you won't even feel the weight. This warning is for people who are already suffering from a backache.

2. Better manual. Not that vacuum is very hard to assemble, but more pictures in manual would give me more confidence when I assemble it.

Comment: This is one of the lowest-priced bagless upright HEPA vacuums available on the market. In the 2 months since first using this vacuum, I have have been very pleased with its performance. It's very good at picking up stuff in my carpet. The only nitpicks I have are that the dirt cup is small compared to other vacuums I have owned/used, and emptying it requires exposing the lower filter to some debris dropping down into it. Other than that, this Bissell is reasonably powerful, easy to use, easy to assemble, and reliable. The furniture brush works well. For the money, this vacuum is hard to beat. It is an excellent value and well worth your consideration.