Customer Reviews

BISSELL 37603 Lift-Off Revolution Deluxe Upright Bagless Vacuum

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This vacuum is great! We have stairs and the "lift-off" feature makes it so much easier to vacuum them. The turbo brush attachment is great for small spots in between furniture, so I don't end up moving furniture every time I vacuum. (This attachment is also what I use to clean the stairs.) I love that it has an extra set of filters so that when one set of filters is dirty and is cleaned and air-drying I can still use the vacuum because of the extra filter set. This vacuum sucks up the dirt really well. The feature to turn off the brush makes vacuuming my kitchen and bathrooms so much easier (my old vacuum didn't have this feature and the brush would just kick the bigger debris around the floor instead of picking them up). The dusting tool is great... I have a lampshade that I could never get all the dust out of the crevices, but once I attached the dusting tool the powerful suction sucked all the dust and now my lampshade is finally dust free! This really is a great vacuum and I would definately recommend the DELUXE version of this vacuum because the attachments are well worth the extra expense. The vacuum is a little heavy, but when compared with my old one it's not that much heavier than an average vacuum. The only complaint is that the hose is so stiffly coiled (wire or some sturdy material in the coils) that when I was vacuuming something with the hose attachement I pulled the hose and it being stiff it knocked over the vacuum which fell and cracked off a piece of the hose holder. Just be aware of the stiff hose. Other than that it's great and I'd definately buy it again. I couldn't find this model in any stores yet, so with Amazon's free shipping (which was the promo at the time I bought mine) it was well worth purchasing from Amazon.

I needed an upright I could carry up and down stairs without further damaging my bad shoulder, and I didn't want to sacrifice suction. I've been nothing but impressed with what this vacuum picks up, and I can pick it up. I take the detachable cannister upstairs while vacuuming the stairs and then run down for the light-weight upright housing when I need it. Emptying the large dirt collection container is easy and it's rewarding to know how much cleaner the house must be after what's been thrown away. The filters are easy to clean. I highly recommend the "deluxe" version which comes with a second set of filters to pop in while the first is drying. Also, the bare floor tool really does do edges well. Down side, the hose and wand could be a little longer. I'd buy it again, though, I'm very happy with my decision.

We've had this vacuum for about a year now. We got it because of my daughter's allergies and we wanted one with a HEPA filter. (We have a dog and a cat - and lots of pet hair getting trapped in our carpets.) As soon as we brought it home, I decided to "test" it. I vacuumed my whole house with our old vacuum (which does a pretty good job.) Then I vacuumed with this one. I was amazed at how much dirt and pet hair it picked up! I had to empty the canister twice before finishing my house (2400 square feet).

After a couple weeks (if that) my turbo brush stopped spinning. It didn't do a good job before then so I figured it was defective anyway. I called Bissell and they didn't seem surprised. They sent a new one free of charge. The new one was spinning, but still the suction was terrible. It didn't pick up anything. We just don't bother using it at all.

It is a heavy vacuum, but it glides nicely. Carrying it upstairs takes a bit of effort, but the handle is placed in a good spot so I don't mind that.

I like that it's bagless, because with the pet hair we fill up frequently. I have heard however, that you are releasing all the dust back into the air when opening the canister. So if you have dust allergies, a bag might be better. I have to wash the filter frequently, but it comes with two so I always have a backup ready to go.

Basically, if the Turbo Brush worked, I'd be thrilled!

This think sucks [so to speak]. We bought it two years ago and have used it very frequently and it has never given us a problem. Interesting that another reviewer compared it to a Dyson and said it was better - we couldn't affort the Dyson and settled with this. I couldn't imaging another vacuum getting more dirt out of the carpet.
We especially like the removable cannister so you can do stairs without lugging around the entire vaccum and the turbo brush for getting cat hair of the sofa. Empty the cannister outside as it can get messy and yes, the dust does tend to stick to the plastic - probably due to static. We've gone through one belt and that was it until today - the thing is completely dead. Nothing, nada, not even a humm.
Took it back to Best Buy who smugly told me the service plan had expired [transferred from a dirt devel pile of rubbish vacuum]. I decided to take it back home and repair it myself. Turns out that the power switch was faulty and had completely melted inside the switch. I dismantled the switch and dug out the melted plastic and rebuilt the switch - hey presto it worked. However, I'm going to call their customer support to see if they can send me a new one: "If your machine still does not have power, please contact Consumer Services at 1-800-237-7691, Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., or Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., ET. A representative will assist you."
FYI, the rocker switch part number is SR-06NR.
Would I buy it again? Probably. But I'd definitely recommend purchasing an extended warranty - vacuums are notorious for going wrong in our household.
Update: Bissell customer service do not stock this part - they will refer you to your local service center. Oreck service center in Cerritos, CA [Opposite the Cerritos Mall] have the power buttons in stock for $9.99.

Update [02/02/2010].
I've since bought two more of these (happened to get them cheap from various stores on clearance) and keep one in the garage and one for the house. The one I reviewed above burned out at the connection between the lift-off canister and the base. The only other problem was the brush burned out on one end due to long hairs getting wrapped around the end, causing a lot of friction (common on most vacuums). Perhaps one day we'll get a Dyson. Until then, I'm very satisfied with the Bissell, so long as you keep the filters clean, cut the hairs off of the rollers and clean out the canister it works great and continues to amaze me with how much it picks up.

This vacuum is amazing. Not only does it have excellent suction power, it also has a portable canister that works wonders for stairs, cars and even my floor boards. It was so easy to use and the turbobrush was really a great feature for pet hair! The dirt cup is great becuase it showed me everything that had been suctioned out of the carpet. I was amazed at the amount of hair and dirt that was left in my carpet by my previous vacuum cleaners! Not having to use bags ever again is a bonus and the color of the vacuum is great! My carpets look great and this machine was so easy to use and assemble!

We have had the vacuum for 2 months now and it's the best vacuum we have ever had. The removable canister is handy when cleaning otherwise unaccessible areas such as around furniture, ceilings, and walls and with spills, it's quick and easy. The Turbo brush is an excellent tool for the stairs and hard to reach areas. Being bagless, it is easy to see what is being picked up, and it's easy to empty. It gathers dust and static on the outside a little, but it is very easy to rinse off. The mutiple filters protect the motor so the unit will last longer. I would recommend this vacuum in a heartbeat!

I got my Bissell in December (of 2005). During the first three weeks, there was a heavy plastic smell. When I called customer service, they said it's usually like that and to give it about a week (even though it had already been a week). However, they were more interested in getting me to register the product than listening to what I was asking about the smell. They simply were not concerned at all that I was having a problem, they only wanted me to register.

Eventually, the smell did wear off. Now though (in February) I am having to replace the roller brush. The vacuum is only 2 months old!

I do think the vacuum has a lot of suction power, but the vacuum is pretty heavy (though it does "glide" well on the carpet) and in addition, the Bissel engineers put the cord on the right hand side, where it has to cross over between you and the vacuum. If the cord were on the left hand side (as most people are right handed) then it would come out straight and into your left hand as you vacuum with your right to keep it out of the way.

After reading all the comments about this machine, I see that the biggest problem was the filter. So at $169.95 I thought I would try it. It is nice that it separated into a canister vac so you can either use on the stairs, the hardwood floors or the automobile. The on and off beater bar was a nice feature also.

After using it for a week I could see that if the filtration system was not fixed that the HEPA filter was going to get dirty FAST. So I came up with this solution.

Take a good paper towel and cut it long ways about 3" wide so you have a piece 13" x 3". Wrap it around that top foam filter , cutting off the excess, leaving a 1/2" overlap and taping it to hold it in place. Reinsert and now it catches most of the small dirt. To clean, just unscrew and cut off the paper towel and install another. Work really nice for me.

Three other problems are the little hand beater bar, it collects fuzz around the belt and clogs it to a standstill so it must be taken apart with a philips screw driver to remove the accumulation. The other is the hair and string collects around the beater bar and must be removed by cutting it and pulling off all that build up. The dirt collection drawer is small and requires frequent cleaning.

Some say it was loud but it was quieter than the Eureka Boss that this replaced.

PS: It has great suction but all 3 filters have to be cleaned very well for it to work at its fullest potential

PSS: A lot of work to keep clean

I have had this vacuum cleaner for a little over a year. Every time I run it I am astonished at how much YUCK it sucks out! I have never owned a better cleaner! I actually saw it in a store recently and was thinking about buying another for my store. I don't really need a new vacuum the one there works alright but I really like this one. I have two cats and a border collie. This vacuum sweeps up cat and dog hair alike. I really love the little attachment with the spinning brushes(forgot what it's called) My cats favourite spot on my couch is clean as a whistle. I use the lift off function to clean my carpet in my car as well as the seats that my four year old dumps every thing this side of the moon on. It also makes vacuuming stairs WAY easier than trying to haul the whole cleaner up and down. It sits right on the next step and the long cord makes that chore simple as well. I like that it isn't too heavy. One of my favourite things is the very long cord. It's not something a lot of people think about until they can't vacuum the whole room. I can plug this in the living room and vacuum the kitchen and living room, foyer, hall, two and a half bedrooms and a bathroom without having to replug...LOVE THAT! Only thing I'm not a huge fan of is the setting to turn off the spinning brush for hard surface floors. I love that it has that function, because every other machine simply throws whatever is on my hardwood floors all over. However, the machine doesn't seem to suck up very well on this setting. When I purchased it there were some complaints about the vacuum losing suction when filters get clogged. Mine came with two sets so I just hand wash mine once a week. While they are drying I use the other set, no problems here! Well that's about it except to say I would highly recommend this Vacuum.

It does whatever it advertises. Its definitely a good buy. We had a Dyson before and it is defintinely better and also its less then half the price.