Customer Reviews

BISSELL 3910 Momentum Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(141)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

We needed another vacuum for our house and after reading many reviews decided to try the Bissell Momentum. Our criteria when were were looking were:

1. We wanted a bag model (hard to find these days and getting harder)

2. Price at around $100

3. Wanted a turbo brush type accessory (on board)

4. Excellent suction/cleaning

5. Long cord.

While the Momentum was bagless, it only has essentially one filter to change. Better than many others. Plus, the prefilter is washable! What a concept - a resuable filter.

We have owned a Kirby for about 15 years (very happy with it) and are amazed at the dirt lifting ability of this Momentum model. The amount of dirt you pick up with the Bissell makes us want to gag - and we clean often AND don't wear shoes in our house. I am always amazed at how much dirt gets in the carpet. The accessory hand held turbo brush is great for doing the stairs and furniture. We really like the extra long cord and for a manual push model, the momentum is easy to push and pull. The low front profile of the brush also allows it to get under the edge of our furniture - something more difficult with the Kirby. All in all, a great vacuum. We have been looking for months - and my husband who researches EVERYTHING also liked this one. Highly recommend, two thumbs up!

I bought this for my mother, who is over seventy and not able to get around that easily. She has a cat, and wall-to-wall carpeting, so a vacuum cleaner was a must, but I didn't want her to have to mess with bags, or lug around some leviathan. This machine was perfect. She says her carpets have never been so clean--the thing filled up instantly, about three times in a row when she first started using it. She was surprised b/c the carpets didn't look that dirty! Anyway, this is highly recommended. Great price, too.

WOW, sums it up. I've owned electrolux, Kenmore, and most recently Oreck. I have a weekly housekeeper and my home is pretty clean. Most people think I'm a bit anal over the cleaning. I have been using an Oreck for the past 3-4 years and really thought it was doing a great job.

Wednesday I borrowed a Miele from a local dealer. I came home and vacuumed my mostly carpeted 3200 square foot home. It did a pretty good job I thought, picking up about a sandwich size glad bag of dirt and hair. I started to question my $400.00 Oreck.

Thursday my housekeepers vacuum my whole house again with my Oreck and the place looks spotless.

Thursday I'm at bestbuy and the sales person in vacuums tells me to try this inexpensive $129.00 Bissell Momentum. He says I'll be shocked. I right away doubt such a cheap vacuum can suit my needs. I figure it is probably good enough for a younger couple in a smaller home, but not for me.

I bring it home and vacuum my home. I'm disgusted with how much dirt and hair this thing picks up. I had to empty the canister 2 times. I'm so impressed that I keep bringing it out of the closet and using it again. Each time it will fill the plastic container probably once per 2-3 rooms. It's disgusting. Dog hair, cat hair, dirt, and who knows what else. It's really unbelievable how much it continues to pick up. And I swear, you'd would have considered my home clean before I started.

THE BEST $129.00 I've ever spent. I was almost ready to buy the $750.00 XL21 Oreck. And I'm a really tough critic, believe me.

I bought this vacuum this month and it arrived yesterday, April 3rd. I had done quite a bit of checking on vacuums as we have owned many brands in the past, some of them being quite expensive models. Two years ago we purchased an Oreck upright with full warranty. Prior to that we had a Simplicity, before that an electrolux canister, some hoovers, a full Kirby ensemble and a number of other brands.

I live in the downstairs apartment of my parent's home and they live in the upstairs main level of the house. There is wall to wall carpeting throughout except for the kitchen and the entry hall. Between us, we have four dogs, and four cats. LOTS of hair! My mother also runs her business out of the house so at times there is a great deal of foot traffic coming in and out. Despite frequent vacuuming with both the Simplicity and the Oreck, the carpets never look clean. The Oreck refuses to pick up hair and has spent more time in the shop being serviced than it has been in the house. No matter which vacuum is used, prior to deep carpet cleaning with my Bissel Steam Pro, the deep cleaner still pulls up TONS of hair and I have to frequently turn it off and clean out what hasn't been redeposited on the carpet. It makes for a very frustrating time and one I do not look forward to. It has gotten so bad that I finally, out of desperation decided to look into purchasing yet another vacuum. I did my research and had my budget laid out. After choosing the Bissel Momentum 3910 I did a thorough vacuuming with both the Oreck and the Simplicity vacuums the day before delivery of the Bissel was scheduled. Upon getting the Bissel and putting it together <which really was pretty simple and easy> I vacuumed again. The amount of hair and dirt the Bissel picked up was simply incredible. Not only did it pick up a ton of hair and dirt, but the room actually did smell and look much better afterwards, as opposed to after vacuuming with the other vacuums. I then used the Bissel Steam Pro cleaner and got no hair build up at all. The old carpet in the downstairs actually looked fresher and newer. That carpet is well over 15 years old and has seen some hard use. Mother borrowed the new vacuum and went to town upstairs remarking that she couldn't believe the amount of hair and dirt it picked up. After spending hundreds of dollars on other vacuums she was also amazed that I got it for under a hundred dollars with free shipping no less.

Pros:

PRICE ! You really can't beat the price.

Picks up a ton of hair and dirt other vacuums simply do not get.

Easy to assemble.

Easy to empty the large collection cup.

Cord is long and wraps up conveniently on hooks to the back of the machine. Both hooks turn to make releasing the wrapped cord a snap.

GREAT suction. Could not believe how powerful this vacuum is compared to many other machines I've used.

Not so heavy as some but heavier than other machines. However, the vacuum rolls easily without having to push all that much and it has a variety of floor height settings.

NO bags to mess with. Some people said that they had difficulties with the cup but I've had none at all.

Lights on front of vacuum really do light up the area you are vacuuming. Not only that but because of the open design of the vacuum, it is easy to see the roller brush and the contents of the collection cup in case something does get sucked up and jams the brush mechanism.

Reuseable, washable filter.

Cons:

It IS a bit on the top heavy side of things.

I would have liked having more tools to work with such as brush and crevice tools. The air powered unit that comes with it is great though the other tools would be very handy to have. I will be looking into extra tools to purchase but I honestly don't mind with what this vacuum provides me already.

It does take some getting used to so far as the hose attachment. With use this becomes much easier though.

I noted that some people found the plastic hose guides a pain but so far I've had no trouble with them at all. Some found the power button in an awkward place but I don't mind that either. Because it is a bit top heavy especially after unwinding the hose for use, I learned quickly to brace the handle so that it wouldn't tip over.

I would like to thank everyone for their input on this machine. It helped me to make a more informed decision on the purchase of it and I am really thrilled with it. I'd also like to thank Mr. Bissel for creating inexpensive, powerful cleaning tools for home use. I haven't been disappointed with any of Bissel's line of products so far. I will also be purchasing another of these vacuums for the upstairs for my mother to use and another as a wedding present in the next few months. For the money and the incredible job it does, I would keep one of these around all the time. In time, Bissel may reconfigure the vacuum to be a bit less top heavy but that so far is the only "complaint" I have. I'm recommending it to friends and family, definitely !

I liked this vacuum at first. It wasn't as quiet as I had hoped (based on other reviews), but it picked up quite a bit of dirt and seemed to work fine. My only initial complaint was that every time I used the hose (which is nearly every time I vacuum), it didn't stretch out very well, so the base of the vacuum was constantly falling over. I have had vacuums where the hose will stretch out when you're using it and/or the base will roll with you. Not this one though.... if you use the attachments a lot, prepare for your legs to get smacked.

Anyway, after 4 months with this vacuum, I hate it! Within a couple of months, the hose had collapsed to the point where you have to manually straighten it out where the hose meets the attachment poles, otherwise everything will get clogged there. I have tried to bend it back into shape, but it won't. As someone who uses the attachments often, this is a real pain in the booty. One hand to vacuum with the hose/poles, another hand to constantly stop the base from falling over, and another to stretch out the hose where it meets the poles. So unless you have three hands, this slows down the vacuuming process considerably. Also, the "hook" at the top that holds the hose when not in use has come loose and won't snap back into place. It still holds the hose most of the time, but it leans over enough that the hose falls off sometimes (which in turn, pulls the pole out that allows the suction on the upright to work properly). Even with all of this, I continued to use it. I'd only had it for a few months. By the time I reached my 4 month anniversary with this vacuum, I was ready to hurl it through the window. I turned it on one night and it sounded like I was at a monster truck show, but it was a higher-pitched sound. I covered my ears and ran screaming like a little girl. Ok, not really, but I did cover my ears. The sound was painful. However, it still worked, so I sacrificed my hearing to get my carpet and floors vacuumed.
Another thing that I've had to watch out for is that during vacuuming, the pole that you have to insert in place before vacuuming as an upright will pop out a lot and then you lose suction power. Since I'm aware of this problem, I check it constantly and when it comes out, I just pop it back in.

I researched vacuum cleaners a good bit and decided on this one based on the reviews. Perhaps I just got a lemon since there are so many good reviews, but I wanted to share my experience with you all. I hate this thing. I have had good luck with Bissell in the past, but I think I'll buy another brand this time. I don't feel like I should have to replace a vacuum cleaner after just four months, but Amazon (who has never given me trouble when I had to return something), said I couldn't return it since it had been over 30 days. I have owned cheaper vacuum cleaners that held up better than this one. Granted, it did get used often, but I was the one who used it 99% of the time and I was careful with it.

$100 headache!

*Update - December 7, 2007
I called Bissell and it was still under warranty. They sent me a shipping label to return the vacuum to them. They said if the problems were manufacture defects and not caused by abuse, it would be covered and they would replace the vacuum. If not, they'd call with a price to repair. A few weeks later, I had a brand new vacuum delivered to my door. I like this vacuum new as it has good suction power... I just hope this one doesn't fall apart like the last one.

Maybe I will buy Bissell again - their customer service department handled the problem very well... much better than you see from many other companies.

So I just bought this vacuum at Sam's Club for $90. I feel confident in the vacuum's overall capability but chose to buy the extended warranty for 3 years for $15 just in case! After kicking my old dirt devil featherlite to the curb after about 5 years I've been doing a ton of research on what kind of vacuum to get. I contemplated between bagged and bagless (since I wasn't too happy with my bagless..it was so messy and the filters were ridiculous). Ultimately ended up with this one.

Pros

*I like the Cyclonic cleaning and the fact that there are no filters in the bin that captures all the dirt. This really cuts down on the mess you make emptying it and it saves you money on filters.

*Filters--there's only 2..the hepa (which I suppose is up to you if you really want to replace it..if you have allergies and stuff)...oh and it comes with an extra one too which is nice, and a little foam filter which easily pops out with a removable tray and you just wash it and reuse it! There's also a clean filter indicator which tells you if you have a clog or if your filter needs changed/cleaned

*The dirt container at first glance appears somewhat small...but without filters in there to take up room it really does hold a lot. I also like how you take it out...slide a lever and pull it out and wha la!

*15" of cleaning power baby! Plus it gets to within maybe a quarter of an inch of my baseboards with the side-cleaning capability. I actually find I get closer if I go along it by the side then straight up to it..ha!

*The hose is really nice too...my old vac had the plastic hose..this one's kinda rubbery and stretches out. It reaches an amazing 12' plus even comes with an extension piece too.

*Accessories--the pet brush is just too cool for doing your furniture in and anything to small that might get sucked up by the vac...like small rugs. It's also got the crevice tool and the lint/dusting tool. And best of all...they all stay right on deck and snap in and out easily and don't have any pieces that I'm afraid are going to break off.

*Noise/Weight--This baby's quiet (for a vacuum that is). Compared to my old one and the other vacs I've come across in my life..this is rather quiet. Nice since I have a 2 yr old and another one on the way. It's also very light and almost feels self-propelled. I don't find myself having to do the "knee jerk" every time I push it out.

*Cord length...this cord seems to go on forever...I have a 1200 sq ft ranch and was able to vacuum my living room..down my hall and 2/3rds of my bedroom (the last room at the end of the house)..without having to change outlets!!

Cons:

First let me say...these are just things that could be improved not necessarily negatives and for $80 I'd be greedy asking for all this on one vacuum!

*Cord length..yeah it's great..but a pain to wind up...a retractable cord would be cool.

*I kinda wish the power switch was up higher on the handle just for convenience sake.

*To be able to stop the rotating of the floor brush when using the accessories so it doesn't continue to beat on my carpet which can damage your carpet. Instead I find that I'm tilting the machine or setting it on the highest carpet pile button.

*Although I like the kinkeness of the hose..it's a little heavy and makes the vacuum tip easily..if this were made of a lighter material it would be better too.

Overall this is definately awesome and I hope I don't have to come back later and rip it up for losing suction or something stupid like that (but hey that's why I got the extended warranty).

Based on reviews on this site and others I recently bought a Bissell Momentum at a local hardware store, so in the spirit of giving something back here's some observations after about 2 months of ownership, with experiences written in order of occurrence.

Reason for buying:
Our trusty bagged Eureka couldn't cope with the new carpet we bought a year ago, clogging almost instantly all through the hose and suction route, requiring an un-bent coat hanger to dig out the impacted loose carpet fibers/cat hair combo (a byproduct of a new carpet, according to the installer, was that we would experience an unusually high amount of excess fiber for the first few months of vacuuming.) After renting an old hotel style vac to keep the carpet clean we decided to research a new unit. Since we knew that our fiber issue would produce debris quickly, we decided to switch to a bag-less and save money by avoiding bag costs.

Assembly:
As so eloquently stated in another review, the handle screws are a BEAR to get in correctly, requiring a good ratcheting screwdriver with a long handle to really get 'em in. My first attempt was inadequate as evidenced by the handle falling off after the first couple of uses, but a second attempt revealed that they needed to go MUCH deeper in that I had thought, now the handle is solid and problem free, and is nicely curved and pleasant to hold to boot. All other screws and items were very easy to attach.

Design & Attachments:
This baby is packed with just about everything you need in a modern vacuum, including a pet hair attachment, a corner attachment, and the Turbo beater attachment thingy, which I review later. The power cord is impressively long, going up 3 flights of stairs without re-plugging is nice. Excellent power cord wrapping hooks, with easy release feature.

The hose is plastic with reinforced rings and there are nice plastic hooks all around the back to attach it onto when not using the wand which work great. The hose itself does accordion up due to the mighty suction of the unit but extending it out is still not a problem, however you will need to hold down the vacuum to keep it from tipping over (this has been true of every vacuum I've owned so I don't see this as unusual or a problem). I liked the clear plastic of the hose, it even helped me to find a clog once (outlined later in review).

According to other reviews this engine is loud, but no more so than any vacuum I've ever owned (is there such a thing as a whisper silent vacuum?) I haven't heard any unusually loud squeaking or whining yet other than when the drive train got interrupted by a tough string wrapping itself around the beater cylinder, requiring me to stop and remove it.

I like the foot lever to adjust the angle of the sweeping, and the handle will lower down far enough for most of my under-furniture needs. This unit also has a hepa filter that is super easy to remove.

Dirt collection:
This "cyclonic" vacuum comes with a detachable bag less cup for dirt removal, and so far it's my favorite feature. The dirt visibly swirls around inside the cup in a tornado of filth. It's so easy to take out the cup with the smooth un-locking latch, even my 7 year olds can detach and re-attach with little effort. I haven't yet experienced problems with dust or dirt leaking during operation that others have described, but I have noticed that this thing will inhale tons of fine dust particles which will cake onto the bottom of the cup, requiring some tapping to get it all out, but aside from a minor dust cloud or two this is not a problem. I can only imagine how many bags I would have needed to go trough to dispose of the same amount of dirt. I don't mind repeatedly emptying the cup, it's a good thing that it's bringing up this dirt, so I just carry around a paper bag to deposit the dirt into as I go, but again I have an unusually high amount of loose carpet fiber to contend with so older carpets may not require the same level of emptying.

Suction/Brushes:
This is a really powerful vacuum, with tons of suction and strong beater brushes to scrape the dirt out. I like others have begun to wonder if the beater action is unusually strong or if I should be adjusting the level of the brushes (easy to do BTW) since the amount of carpet fiber coming up is astonishing, filling up the dirt cup to the brim in 3 minutes flat (see paragraph above). There is a "Clean filter indicator" next to the power switch to tell you if you're loosing suction, a nice feature I have already made use of. I have not noticed any damage to the carpet while using the attachments, but the beater brushes have stripped off a small amount of the electrical cord covering when it accidentally got caught under it, so watch out for that. I haven't tried this unit on hard floors yet.

The Turbo attachment is a really cool thing, attaching onto the hose wand it's so perfect for stairs that I can't imagine how I ever got along without it! It's driven by the vacuum's suction, which sounded dubious to me at first but has proven itself beyond a doubt, just don't bear down too hard or it will bog down, but the truth is you don't need brute force to get this thing to work, which is it's best point. It has a slight downside, which I'll discuss later in "difficulties".

Difficulties:
So far in two months this vacuum has only suffered one serious clog requiring me to stop operation and get out the trusty coat-hanger to remove debris from the hose area, a problem I had to contend with during every use of my old unit. Still, this was mainly due to me sweeping up a big wad of scotch tape that my kid had left on the floor, which accumulated with the dreaded excess-carpet-fiber. This has been the exception to the otherwise unstoppable suction. The Turbo brush attachment has also had one clog, where cat hair and string wrapped around the gear that drives the tiny belt that causes the beater to move, but by removing two screws I was able to quickly pull the unit apart, clean out the debris and re-assemble in five minutes flat. My concern is that little belt, I wonder if it will be difficult to get a replacement should it get worn or snap? Still...not a deal-breaker, unless you don't own a Phillips-head screw-driver.

Pros:
12 amps, great suction, awesome attachments, large dirt cup w. easy removal, long power cord, "clean filter indicator", easy hepa filter removal, general ease of use.

Cons:
Ugly copper color, handle screws need careful attention to get all the way in during assembly, hose will accordion up and pull unit over when trying to extend it (not a big deal), turbo attachment clogged after about 2 months (easy to fix), mid-to-loud range engine noise (didn't expect otherwise).

Overall: A good deal for the price!!

I literally received this vacuum the morning we had a dinner party. I'd already vacuumed with our old Hoover upright and there were no visual problems with the carpets (crumbs, leaves, toys from our 2 yr-old, etc.), but then I decided to "test" this Bissell out and see if the reviews I'd read were real (I'm a little skeptical when people use superlatives about a vacuum). Well, now I'm drinking the kool-aid - this vacuum pulled out dust and dirt and hair and I really don't want to know what else. And our home actually smelled better after I was done. This allowed me to enjoy the "clean" aroma while I spent 5 minutes feeling mortified that I had just pulled about 2+ measuring cups of yuck out of our supposedly-freshly-vacuumed home (~1500 sq ft is wall-to-wall carpets). So yes, I'm a huge fan. It's lightweight and easy to push. It will tip a bit when you're using the wand features, but it's so light that it's not a huge issue. It looks like a deep rose color in real life, not red. It took me about 5 minutes to assemble, which involved fitting the handle and wand attachments onto the base and using a phillips head screwdriver on 4 screws.

This vacuum is a great value. We were not in the market for a new vacuum since we were satisfied with our Hoover Wind Tunnel. We saw this Bissell on sale at Home Depot for $99 and gave it a try. I had our carpets cleaned professionally and then later that day we bought the new vacuum. The next morning I used the Bissell and I was amazed how much it picked up even though our floors were looking cleaner than ever!

What I like:

Long cord

Works great on pet hair and human hair as well as dirt and dust

Light

Super strong suction. (Don't get it near anything you don't want sucked up!)

Good value

Bright light on it to see in darker areas

Easy to empty the cannister. Does not make a mess when emptying.

What I don't like:

It does have a tendancy to tip over while you use the attachments. Over all, this is not enough to keep me from recommending it.

I am extremely pleased with this vacuum. And I don't work for the company!

I absolutely love this vacuum cleaner. I had no idea my rugs were that dirty, especially since I had just steam cleaned them. The amount of hair and dirt in the canister was amazing. Vacuuming has become an obsession since I purchased the Bissel Momentum 3910. My home smells cleaner and dusting has been cut to a minimum. The best purchase I have made in a very long time. Move over Dyson... this one only costs $100 bucks

Thanks Bissel !!!!