Bissell Catchall Deserves a Look ..Degree short of a Vaccalaureate
Written: Jan 09 '06 (Updated Jan 09 '06)
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Pros: Inexpensive. Works well on bare floors.
Cons: Can't waste time. Battery life's too short to mess around.
The Bottom Line: The CatchAll is not a BeAll or DoAll, but it has its place in one's vacuum collection.
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| nagels's Full Review: Bissell 3107 CatchAll Steam Vacuum |
Our Bissell Catchall is Mrs. Spudman’s toy. I use the big boys, the Shop Vac, the Eureka SmartVac, and the other floor appliances in my collection. This past week I’ve been using the Bissell myself for research purposes only. Read Vac Man Meets the Devil to find out why the Bissell has been relegated to the bullpen and ironically is mostly gathering dust, not capturing it.
THE BISSELL CatchAll
Mrs. Spudman had seen the Swiffer vacuum on television and not surprisingly wanted one. Also not surprisingly, I was more than willing to buy another vacuum cleaner, even a lightweight machine such as this. I had reservations about buying a vacuum from Swiffer, especially after reading they’d been recalled. When I saw the Bissell on sale, it was a no brainer.
The Bissell is a very light vacuum, even lighter than the similar, smaller Dirt Devil mentioned previously. From the floor to the tip of its swivel handle it stands a hair over 46 inches. The base or business part is about 8 ½ by 9 ½ inches in size. Its handle is bidirectional so that one may use the Bissell with or without the Swiffer cloth attached. On the bottom is a beater bar with brush strips and rubber blades to scoop up larger particles. On the other side of the bottom a Swiffer cloth may be attached. In the middle of the CatchAll is the four-inch dirt cup and filter. The dirt cup may be removed after sliding back the dirt cup release tab.
A removable battery pack powers this vacuum. To charge the battery pack, place it in the charging base for 6 to 8 hours. When completely charged, “the CatchAll provides over 15 minutes of full cleaning power. An additional Battery Pack may be purchased to extend run time.” I had planned on buying an extra battery pack until finding out the price of the battery pack was almost as much as a new Catchall. I bought the Dirt Devil product instead and paid considerably less than I would have paid for the extra battery pack.
To empty the contents of the dirt cup, the user must first remove the filter. The owner’s guide suggests cleaning the filter each time by shaking it. We do the shaking outside or within the garbage can. Often shaking doesn’t do an adequate job of removing debris; brushing it further and picking off fibers and dust balls is then necessary. The filter may be washed by hand in warm water and detergent. It should not be reinserted into the machine until it is dry. I bought six extra filters for future use soon after purchase. We’ve never replaced the original filter, and I don’t even know where the replacements are now.
Random Thoughts and Observations
For this review I vacuumed our living room, dining room, and foyer hardwood floors, and the Pergo kitchen floor with this little vacuumette. It only took about ten minutes; towards the end the battery began to weaken. To extend the battery’s duration, the user is directed to totally discharge the battery, fully charge it for six to eight hours and then do the process again. For extended battery life it is also suggested that fully charged batteries not be left in the charging base. With so many rechargeable battery products in the Spud household, it’s hard to keep up with these things.
If this mini vac is only used for a few minutes, it’s fine just to leave the battery pack in the CatchAll.
It wasn’t too difficult to attach and then remove the Swiffer cloth.(We use generics.) Mrs. Spudman throws these away, but I noticed the other side was pristine so I turned the cloth over and reattached it. The dirt cup was easy to remove and empty while the filter is a pain to clean and maintain. It’s satisfying to see all the debris in the cup picked up from the floors.
When the Ni-Cd battery is charging a red indicator light glows. It would be nice if the red light went out to indicate a full charge or a green light glowed. No such luck!
The Bissell is much quieter than its Dirt Devil cousin. It’s also larger and less maneuverable. For quick pick-ups on bare floor or carpet, the CatchAll can be used without the Swiffer and does a passable job. We mostly use it now for occasional messes on carpet or bare floor without the Swiffer attached. I even deliberately sprinkled some dry mustard of the floor and the Bissell did a passable job picking it up.
This modest, light machine is a pleasant addition to my collection and does pick up more than the Swiffer clone alone. Longer battery life and/or less expensive replacement batteries would make it more desirable.
THANKS FOR READING.
More Floor Care Reviews
Eureka SmartVac
Bissell Spotlifter
Capture
Shopvac
Hoover SteamVac
Dirt Devil Sweeper Vac
Rug Doctor Spot Remover
Online Vac Shop
Hoover Hot Spot Carpet Cleaner
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 30
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