Bissell Vacuum Cleaners
Bissell is in our opinion a bargain brand vacuum cleaner and the Bissell canister vac models they make are not exception. Bissell makes various canister models for cleaning low pile carpet and models for homes with hard floors. Bissell canister vacuums can be bought online or in just about any large department store. Because Bissell offers such competitive pricing a Bissell canister may very well be the best vacuum for a budget minded consumer who only requires a basic canister vacuum to clean their home with. Bissell canister do not dominate any of the professional consumer reviews we have researched. They do not get phenomal ratings. They are not designed to compete with most canister vacuums that cost 400 dollars or more. They are generally very basic in design and if a small, basic canister vacuum is all you need than Bissell is a solid choice.
When researching Bissell canisters or any other brand of canister vacuum cleaner it is important to pay attention to what floor cleaning accessories are included. Do you need a powerbrush with a roller to clean carpet. Does your home have a few rugs and you need the canister for hard surface floors. The floor accessories that come with your vacuum play a significant role in selecting a model you will be content with. Bissell makes both straight suction and carpet cleaning canister vacuum cleaners so it is important to pay attention to more than the price when making a decision.
Bissell DigiPro
The Bissell Digipro canister vacuum cleaner is priced at just over 200 dollars and is designed to clean homes with low pile carpet and bare floors. It comes with a non-swivel motorized powerhead. The suction can be reduced from the hose if you are cleaning a section of carpet or a rug that is not secured to the floor. The Digipro comes with a HEPA filter to reduce emissions while the vacuum is operating and it even has a rewindable cord. The Digipro comes with a HEPA filter but it is not actually a HEPA vacuum cleaner. It also has a headlight and a slight bumper.
The Bissell Digipro does not offer much more than basic carpet cleaning abilities and is not made to take much of a beating for lack of a better term. The Bissell Digipro is a very basic canister vacuum cleaner. We recommend the DigiPro to consumers who have non shedding pets, small to mid sized homes with limited foot traffic, do not beat the heck out of a vacuum and are not concerned with emissions.
Bissell CleanAlong
The Clean Along canister vacuum is a carpet only canister vacuum cleaner. That means that the roller is always spinning while the vacuum is on and it does not come equipped with floor cleaning tool for hard surfaces. Like the DigiPro it has a 12 amp motor and a cord rewind. It does not use a HEPA filter for emissions. The CleanAlong uses higher quality vacuum bags made from a cloth like material as its sole means of filtration. Bissell CleanAlong bags are tear resistant and they will cost a few dollars more than regular Bissell paper bags but you will not be buying HEPA filters. The CleanAlong also has a headlight and bumper. We priced the CleanAlong canister vacuum at an average cost of 160 dollars.
If you only require a canister vacuum cleaner to clean your low pile carpets and you are not concerned with anything else then it makes sense to buy the CleanAlong. Because it has such limited filtration and is only made for carpet reviews for this vacuum will be limited or poor because most consumers need more from a canister vacuum in our experience. With that being said we have noticed that our friends in the vacuum business acknowledge they are selling more CleanAlong vacuum bags than any other canister Bissell vacuum supplies so that indicates this the Bissell CleanAlong is becoming a popular choice.
Bissell Zing
The Bissell Zing is a straight suction canister vacuum. It does not have a powerhead for carpet. It is very compact and light weight. The Bissell Zing is one of the lowest priced straight suction canister vacuums we looked at during our review process. It comes with a 10 amp motor. It has received some decent reviews on some of the more popular vacuum review sites like amazon. The Bissel Zing is very small and it really for light cleaning only. It only cost about 60 dollars so anybody that has walked by the vacuum section of a department store in the last 20 years should be able to realize that the Bissell Zing is not just inexpensive it is downright cheap. We think the Zing is a better option for cleaning your kitchen or a bathroom floor than a stick vacuum because it will definitely outclean any stick vac you buy all day every day. If you were considering buying a stick vacuum the Bissel Zing is in a similar price range and is definitely a better option as far as performance goes.
The Zing could also server as a supplementary vacuum. If you have or are considering buying an Oreck vacuum or a similar lightweight upright vacuum that does not have attachments then a little Bissell Zing canister would be a cost effective option for cleaning a couch or any areas the upright could not access.
Other Bissell Canister Vacuums
Bissell also makes canister vacuums are named to imply that they are good for cleaning up pet hair. Implying that a 160 dollar canister vacuum is an effective vacuum cleaner for pet owners is an overstatement in our opinion. Models like the PowerGroom or Pet Hair Eraser are basically about as good as the CleanAlong. They might come with some special attachment or claim to be designed specifically efficient at removing pet hair. If you can not afford to spend over 200 dollars on a canister vacuum then one of these Bissell PowerGroom or Pet Hair Eraser models are probably your best option.