Our reviewer loved the Bissell CleanView Plus for its powerful suction and easy maneuverability.
by Amanda Bryant, Viewpoints Home Products Expert
There are certain times when, as a consumer, “name brand” is important to me. When it comes to buying a piece of technology or an appliance, I like knowing that year’s worth of quality engineering, testing and customer service are behind the product I purchase. So, when I was asked to test the Bissell CleanView Plus vacuum ($89), it wasn’t a question of whether or not I would like it, just how much I would like it.
Assembly
Straight out of the box, the vacuum was easy to assemble. From the time I opened the box to the time I was able to plug the vacuum into the wall it took just about 20 minutes. The handle requires two screws, but aside from that, everything just snaps together.
I plugged it in and was able to find the on/off switch on the left side of the vacuum toward the base. This surprised me because I’m used to using a vacuum where the power button is located at the top of the handle – easily accessible and no need to constantly bend over. Well, I plugged it in and headed into the mud room where the rug contained two days worth of accumulated dirt and dog hair.
Vacuum power
I could feel the power of the Bissell CleanView Plus instantly when I turned it on, yet there wasn’t a loud sound that one might typically associate with a powerful vacuum. I also expected a vacuum with such powerful suction to be heavy and clunky. Not this one. One tap of the foot lever and I was able to maneuver the vacuum with ease. The bagless cyclone technology meant I was able to see all of the dust and pet hair that was being sucked up off the rug.
From there, I traveled into the family room. There was no need to unplug the vacuum; the cord is generously long. The family room rug looked clean. However, the bagless canister told another story. Whirring around like dust bunnies caught in a tornado was everything my other vacuum had not picked up the day before.
Maneuverability
Off to the basement stairs. I often have a hard time getting these stairs as clean as I want. First, they are narrow—too narrow to use the upright vacuum directly on each stair. Second, the tools and suction power on my current vacuum just don’t do the trick.
I decided to try the turbo roller brush. Basically, it works the same as the upright vacuum itself, just on a smaller scale. The trick, I found, is to start at the bottom and work your way up – keeping the vacuum cleaner behind you the whole time. If the vacuum is on a stair above you, you run the risk of it falling on you while using the extension hose. 5 minutes later, my stairs looked amazing. Not easy for a high, high traffic area.
Was it a pain to get the vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs? Not at all. There is a handle conveniently placed at the top of the bagless canister, which allows you to easily carry the vacuum in the upright position. It wasn’t heavy, bulky or awkward to carry.
Vacuum cord storage
Finally, the cord. I used to hate having to manually wind the cord after every use. Instead, I would just roll it up and hang it over the vacuum handle. Over time, this resulted in kinks and knots in the cord—a real mess. I recently purchased a vacuum cleaner with automatic cord rewind. That worked fabulously for about 6 months and then the cord became stuck. It still fully retracts, it just gets stuck at about 6 feet of cord length. So, the moral of that story is, I’m willing to spend 60 seconds of my day manually winding the cord if it means I have access to all 25 feet.
All told, the Bissell CleanView Plus vacuum is a vacuum that I could be happy with for many years. The minor design “flaw” is the power button placement. Other than that, the vacuum maneuvers well, is fairly quiet, is lightweight and comes with easy-to-use attachments.
Editor’s note: Viewpoints received a sample from Bissell for the purposes of this review.
Amanda Bryant is a design professional with an interest and expertise in products for the home and office. She is founder and principal of HangItUp Chicago , a fine art rental business partnering exclusively with Chicago-area companies.
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