Our very expensive vacuum ceased to work well … far too short a lifespan.  I vowed not to spend a fortune on another vacuum.  I bought the Bissell Rewind SmartClean (model # 58F8) for a great price, and have been vacuuming up a storm.


Description

This Bissell is 12-AMP upright vacuum cleaner with an automatic 25-foot power cord rewind.  It has an easy empty dirt container (no bags!), and a clean filter sensor with washable filters.  The machine also has a replaceable HEPA Media filter, which removes 99-percent of pollens and ragweed from the air passing through the machine.  It comes with a five-setting height adjustment, and a headlight helps illuminate the floor.

The vacuum comes with a TurboBrush tool, Crevice tool, Extension Wand, a combination Dusting Brush / Upholstery tool, and the Hose Wand.  There is also a 16-page instruction manual.


My Experiences

I have been putting this vacuum through some serious cleaning work for the last several months.  As you can imagine, I was not happy when my pricey vacuum cleaner went on strike.  When repair attempts failed, I bought this Bissell and have not regretted it.

This is not a perfect vacuum cleaner … but for me, the pros far outweigh the cons.  For one thing, this machine cleans well.  Two short-hair cats rule the house, and this machine handles their shed fur as well as foot traffic mess.  There is no problem picking up loose dry cat food from the floor or even the carpet shreds the cats manage to pull free from their scratching post.  The power head cleans great.  I came into the house the other day, and didn’t realize dirt had caked onto the bottom of my shoe.  As soon as my foot hit the carpet, the caked mess disintegrated into dark powdered dirt, which was really visible, and I had company due at the house.  This vacuum completely cleared the mess.  (Thankfully the dirt had not ground into the carpet, and my carpet is a medium-dark color.)   

My house has carpeting, hardwood, and linoleum flooring.  This Bissell vacuum cleaner handles it all.  The vacuum power head is designed to pull in dirt from hard-to-reach areas such as under baseboards.  The height adjustment comes in handy with a dial on the cleaning foot.  It is recommended to tip the vacuum backward to turn the dial if the dial is difficult to move.  The lowest setting is good for hardwood floors, while the higher settings are meant for carpet cleaning.  If you find the machine hard to push, move the setting to a higher one.

Bissell did not construct this as a lightweight vacuum cleaner.  It is heavy to lift.  I don’t have stairs to worry about, so this isn’t an issue for me.  This machine requires a bit of effort to move back and forth on carpet.  It didn’t take long for me to become adjusted to the extra effort needed to push it.  (My previous vacuum cleaner had a feature somewhat like a self-propelled lawn mower.)  For me, the extra pushing effort is worth it since the vacuum cleans well.  The vacuum moves more easily on flat flooring such as hardwood or linoleum.

I am disappointed in how the hose and wand clean.  There are some hard to reach areas such as behind furniture, and I wanted the hose attachment to whisk away dust and other debris.  The hose only lifts the lightest of materials, and I have to go over an area several times with the hose attachments to attain true clean.  By comparison, the power foot with rotating brush does a great vacuuming job.  I also like that the vacuum handle tilts backward to help reach beneath furniture.  In case you are wondering, the handle does not go completely horizontal.

This vacuum has a light on it that indicates when the filters need to be cleaned or replaced.  There is also a cleaning sensor, hence the name SmartClean.  While vacuuming, the light flicks between being green and red.  The red color indicates a reduced air flow.  Since dirt is pulled into the vacuum, depending upon how the debris moves through the machine, the sensor will fluctuate between the green and red setting, which is normal.  When the light turns a solid green, the carpet is clean.

There are three filters in this machine.  One of them comes in two parts (an outer foam filter with an inner pleated circular filter), and both pieces can be washed by hand in warm water.  Rinse them well and let the filters completely air dry before returning them to the machine.  The second filter is located beneath the filter cup and can also be hand washed in warm water (again completely drying it before replacing it in the vacuum).  The third filter is not washable.  It is rectangular and located behind a door on the side of the vacuum.  When replacing this particular filter, you will need to purchase another one (Part # 32076 – known as the Post-Motor Filter, Style 7/9/16).

The plastic dirt container is easy to remove.  It has a lock to keep it in place.  Once the lock is moved to the “unlock” position, just hold the container handle and pull the cup straight out.  While the cup holds a good amount of dirt, it could be bigger, but I’m being picky.  For some reason, this vacuum cleaner exterior never says dust-free.  It always looks as though it needs wiping down.

I have not had to change the belt, but the instruction manual provides maintenance and care instructions with illustrations.  There is also a parts list at the back.

And … I can’t forget the cord rewind.  I had one of these on a vacuum many moons ago, and I always missed the convenience.  Just press a lever, and the cord automatically rewinds into the machine.  There are also two marks on the cord.  A yellow mark warns that you should only pull the cord a bit farther out, and a red mark warns you had better not pull the cord again.  The automatic rewind is an excellent bonus feature.


Purchasing

I bought this vacuum cleaner from Target for $119.00.


Summary

While this Bissell Rewind SmartClean vacuum cleaner is not the perfect machine, it is above average and works well on both carpeting and hard floors.  Considering the price I paid for it, I’m very happy with this machine.

I hope you found this review useful.

Enjoy the day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com

Please read my other reviews:

Oreck XL Platinum Vacuum Cleaner

Dyson DC14 Animal Vacuum Cleaner

Dirt Devil Kurv Bagless Handheld Vacuum

Swiffer Duster

Swiffer Sweeper

PC Accessories Mini Vacuum

Copyright 2011 Dawn L. Stewart

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 119.00