goyanks34's Full Review: Bissell Velocity Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum
I purchased this vacuum about 2 weeks ago when my EXTREMELY loud Dirt Devil Vision kept giving me more trouble than it was worth.
The assembly was very easy and only requires a phillips head screwdriver. I must admit that the parts that are already attached to the unit looked a bit cheap to me. They are made from a clear plastic that does not appear to look very durable, but I suppose that contributes to the lighter weight of the vacuum. The hoses appear silver in the pictures that you see online but they are actually clear with silver rings. I think this is a great feature because most hoses on vacuums are black and if there is a clog, you cannot see where it is and it can be very difficult to pinpoint it. The part of the hose that you would remove to use the attachments also rotates, so when attaching it to the vacuum or an attachment, you can twist it easily and get a great seal. I have had problems in the past with the hose popping out while vacuuming, I don't think that will be an issue with this unit. The power button is located on the front which is convenient because I cannot tell you how many times when I would step on the lever to adjust the tilt of the vacuum on my old unit and turn it off instead!
As far as performance, the Bissell Vision is wonderful! It cleans extremely well, has great suction and even has pretty good suction from the sides too. The noise level of this vacuum is more than acceptable (my old vacuum was nicknamed the beast and could wake the dead!) and it is much lighter than my last unit. The power cord is lighter too and I find it is easier to manipulate it when cleaning. A retractable cord would be ideal, but during my research on vacuums, it is rarely available on affordable ones. Cleaning on bare floors is better than others I have used. This vacuum doesn't seem to blow the debris around as much and does a decent job. There is no switch on this unit to turn the brushes off, but they can be adjusted. The light on this unit also seems to be brighter than on my last vacuum. The only complaint I would have is that the suction is so powerful that when using the attachments, it is very difficult to extend the hose, although when not in use, the hose is pretty long.
The bagless system is awesome and I do not know why anyone would buy a vacuum that uses bags. There are 2 filters, one foam and one Hepa. The nice thing about the filters on the Velocity is that they are not located in the dirt container, but on the outside of it. The last vacuum I had had the cylindrical Hepa filter right in the middle of the container and trying to clean it after each vacuum created more of a mess than there was before I vacuumed. The instruction manual suggests to change the Hepa filter every 3 to 6 months, the pre filter is washable. It has an air flow indicator that tells you when the filters need to be cleaned or changed and when the suction is reduced due to a clog. The dirt container is very easy to empty and I think it is another great feature of this vacuum. The part of the container that detaches is actually the bottom half of the collection tank and I find it much easier to empty into a garbage can and very easy to wipe clean when finished. The larger containers make much more of a mess and to wipe them down you have to stick your whole arm into it and that can be pretty nasty!
I am very pleased with my purchase and I don't think you can find a better vacuum for the price. I paid $104.99 on Amazon (had $25 coupon and free shipping) and so far I am not disappointed! If anything should happen, I will update my review but right now I give it two thumbs up!
Update 4/5/08:
One thing I have to add is that due to the light weight of this vacuum it has fallen on me and hurt my back/head several times. When I am sitting on the floor and using the crevice tools to get to those tough to reach areas. When you pull on the hose to stretch it, it WILL fall over. No matter how many times I try to position it away from me or be aware of trying to hold it up, it always seems to get me!! Other than that it is still working great.
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