Bissell Cordless Spot Lifter: Save your Money and get a Real Cleaning System
Written: Feb 09 '01 (Updated Mar 11 '01)
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Durability:
Ease of Cleaning:
Style:
Pros: Light, compact, cordless, can pick up wet messes.
Cons: Battery life is too short, recharging time is too long, cleaning solution capacity too small.
The Bottom Line: I'd recommend taking the $39.99 you would have spent on this toy, and put it towards the $99 Hoover SteamVac, a real cleaning machine.
netKat's Full Review: Bissell 1715-G Spotlifter Bagless Handheld Vacuum
I love gadgets. As I was walking through Wal-Mart one day, I spotted the Bissell Spot Lifter Cordless Hand-Held Deep Cleaner in a return basket. Hmmm. Looks like a great idea. Especially in view of the fact that my cat had just barfed on the hallway carpet. Well, not just, it was about two days prior, but I'm not good with barf, so I had just laid a towel over the spot because I was too lazy to haul the Hoover Steam Vac all the way upstairs. I was hoping somehow the barf would just disappear. It didn't.
Anyway, I figured I'd give this appliance a try. Besides, I knew I'd get to write a review on it... someday. :)
The Bissell Spot Lifter Cordless Hand-Held Deep Cleaner
- The Main Unit -
The cleaner is a very nice looking sleek design in ivory white shiny plastic with clear green cleaning solution and recovery tanks. It is ergonomically designed and fits well into both large and small hands. The on/off and spray switches are conveniently located and easy to use.
The unit is rechargeable and battery operated. It comes with a mounting plate for the wall and a transformer with which to charge it. The wall mount only supports the unit in one location, so it's best to mount this away from areas where someone or something might bump into it and knock it off the wall.
Both the cleaning solution compartment and the dirt collection compartment are easy to put on and off the cleaner and are easily cleaned after use. They are also transparent, so it's easy to gauge their fluid levels.
- How It Works -
The premise of this "spot lifter" is that you tackle the stain in question by spraying the liquid solution on it and then swiftly vacuuming it up, kind of a mini steam cleaner. It can also be used to simply suck up wet messes.
- The Accessories -
• The Scoop
This is pretty lame. It's a plastic piece that latches onto the bottom of the unit. When I first saw it, I thought it was the storage compartment for the other tools. In fact, it works really well to store the small tools here so they're conveniently ready to use when needed.. But this plastic piece is actually supposed to be used as a scoop to pick up chunks. I prefer to use a paper towel rather than clean this piece off all the time. Be careful, as the little latch that holds the compartment, err scoop, shut is just a thin piece of plastic.
• The Squeegee
Used to concentrate the sucking power when removing spills on hard surfaces, the squeegee accomplishes its goal. It definitely helps to get every last drop by maintaining tight contact with the floor or table, or whatever. Hint: Wash the squeegee when done before stick substances dry into a glue-like consistency. Yuck.
• The Brush
This attachment is for use on upholstery or when you need a bit of scrubbing action to assist in your cleaning effort. The brush is stiff enough to function well, but not so hard that it will ruin delicate fabrics.
• The Cleaning Solution
You'll get a trial size (8 ounce) bottle of concentrated Bissell spot lifting formula. The cleaning power of this product is very good.
- The Problems -
• The battery takes about 12 hours to fully charge, and the charge only lasts for five minutes. That's not much time when you're trying to clean up a wet mess.
• The cleaner storage tank only holds about 3/4 cup of cleaning solution when filled to the capacity line. This is a rather small volume and can empty quickly when trying to clean a tough area.
• Don't even try to clean anything resembling a semi-large area. First, you'll run out of cleaning fluid in the solution tank and shortly thereafter, you'll run out of power. Remember, it will take you 12 hours to recharge so you can finish the job.
• Don't try to pick up chunks. You will end up clogging the nozzle.
- The Warranty -
The Bissell comes with a full one-year warranty. They will replace or repair malfunctioning or defective parts, unless the parts are deemed to be ones which "require replacement under normal use". A Bissell is a company that has been around since 1876, so I think they're pretty reliable.
- The Website -
The easy to navigate www.bissell.com gives a good overview of a wide variety of Bissell products and offers replacement parts and cleaning solutions. The Bissell cleaning solutions are very good.
- In Conclusion -
This is a nice appliance, but it's really not worth it under most circumstances. In my household, where there are no babies and it's unusual for a pet to be in the house (except for our snake, Fred) this spot lifter got way less use than my DustBuster. For spills on the floor, it's simply easier to use paper towels. For a mess on the rug, it's worth hauling the Hoover SteamVac up the stairs and getting the job done right. The SteamVac also has attachments for doing upholstery, curtains, etc. I'd recommend taking the $39.99 you would have spent on this toy and put it towards the $99 Hoover SteamVac, a real cleaning machine.
I eventually gave my Bissell to a friend who has a toddler. She doesn't use it all that much either. Now I have space on my wall to try something else. :)
You may be interested in reading these other related reviews:
• Filthy Carpets get me Steamed: Hoover SteamVac
http://creditexpert.epinions.com/hmgd-review-2484-12EE19B4-387FBF54-prod3
• Dustbuster: It's a Classic that Works!
http://creditexpert.epinions.com/hmgd-review-513E-C1B61EE-39A53E78-prod6
• Kirby vs. Hoover: Celebrity Vacuum Death Match
http://creditexpert.epinions.com/hmgd-review-2354-16264808-3A11DD1A-prod2
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