Product Review: Bissell PowerForce Helix Turbo

I received this vacuum from mom, who received it from her neighbor, who was not happy with it. It was new and barely used. I already have a Shark vacuum, a second hand unit that was rescued from the dump box, and a Kenmore canister unit that I purchased new from Sears many moons ago. I was looking to replace both, and this Bissell seemed to be just what I needed. But I wondered why the neighbour would give away such a nice vacuum. I used it, and I was able to see why. Here is the review:

It picks up as well as any other vacuum. I like the plastic window that enables me to see the brushes turning. Effort is light, but plush carpets may increase the effort, depending on the height setting. Care must be used around furniture due to the wide nose. It is lighter that my Shark vac. There is a four position adjustment knob for carpet height, from full carpet to bare floor. Mine was set at the lowest position. There is no adjustment for suction strength. There are two foot operated switches: a grey one to unlock the handle, and a red one to turn it on/off on the left side. It comes with a crevice tool, turbo brush, dust brush, and a extension wand. Therein lies one of its shortcomings.

The extension wand is short. It is as long as my forearm from wrist to elbow. Dusting the ceiling and doorways using the crevice tool or dust brush requires me to pick up the vacuum because it will not reach. The hose is not as long as I would like. I had no difficulty cleaning the baseboard heater using the dust brush, but long reaches are to be avoided. The crevice tool is very short, and the turbo brush attachment emits a high pitched whine, similar to a turbine, when in use. But it was very effective when used to clean my chair and the sofa. Switching attachments is not difficult. It is a bag less unit, and emptying the canister is simple. It unlatches from the vacuum and it can be emptied from either the top or bottom. The filter can be cleaned using an old toothbrush. When in use, the vacuum itself is quieter than the Shark and the Kenmore upright that I had many moons ago. Because of the shortcomings with the attachments, I use it as a vacuum only. For general dusting, I use the after mentioned canister vac.

So there you have it. As a plain jane vacuum, it is wonderful. But using the attachments can be annoying. But, as long as you know their limits, and you are tolerant of a noisy turbo brush, they work fine. I will keep my Bissell since I got it for free, but I would never buy this particular model.

Thanks for reading my review. Sat Nam.