Great product! I found this item for $99 at a local store and it works very well. I researched carpet cleaners priced up to $300 extensively before purchasing this model. It works wonderfully!! I followed the directions to the letter and it did an excellent job cleaning light beige carpets. It's not heavy and the cleaning solution is fairly inexpensive. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a moderately priced steamer.
Junk This is made of cheap plastic that crumbles apart after a short amount of time. It leaks and blows dirty water out of the air vents on the sides. This is a piece of junk - do not buy. The Dirt Devil version of this is much much better.
The Best Vacuum Yet! We were fed up with our top-of-the-line Kenmore vacuum, which we bought in the hopes that a more expensive machine would also be more effective than the previous Hoovers and Eurekas that we suffered with. But that expensive monster was a nightmare from day one till the very end...and we decided that it might be better for us to buy a cheaper machine and replace it every year. We got recommendations from friends of ours to try out Bissell vacuum, and reviews on Amazon pointed us to this line of vacuums. We couldn't wait for it to be shipped to us, so we went to Target and found it on sale for $89. Yay!
Came home, took it out of the box, and discovered that the hose had to be attached, which was a bit of a challenge to the men of our household ;) But after that, it was good to go. And boy, does it ever go!!! It sucks stuff right out of the carpet, tends to take out a good bit of lint too, and the dust cup got filled very fast the first couple times we vacuumed our house. I think we had to empty the cup a few times the first time we vacuumed! So, that was very rewarding.
It's been a few months now that we've had this machine, and it's still behaving itself. The only thing that seems a bit weak is the hose, which got twisted out of shape at the head end, but we can live with that. It still has the same suction power, and doesn't cause us any undue grief, and if it does, I believe the hose is easy to replace.
The dust cup is nice...I was wary of going the bag-less route, but the convenience of this surprised me pleasantly. Empty the cup into a grocery bag once the dust has settled (we do it before we run it again, rather than after a vacuum session) so that dust does not rise up in a soft cloud. There is an indicator light which tells you when the machine is not at its optimum suctioning power, and this is beyond useful! Wash your filter when the indicator goes to red, and you'll be back to normal.
The 35 (or 40?) foot cord is very nice. Make sure you do not get it trapped underneath the brush, as the cord's outer coating will get worn off; you will be an unhappy person when that happens! (A bit of electrical tape will take care of it when it happens, though.)
I took off one star because of the somewhat weakly-constructed hose, and the fact that the brushes can't be turned off when using the attachments or doing bare floors.
Dyson's are great....don't listen to the negative comments... Ok, look....
I sell dysons for a living, as I am a college student who works in the Sears vacuum department. Usually I ignore most ignorant reviews made by those who have tried them and do not like them. But this time, I decided to set the record straight for those who are looking to purchase one.
1. Dyson's are a mixed blessing. They have tremendous suction, and no they do NOT typically lose it after a year. If they do, they have a absolutely full two year warrenty that covers even maintainence, something unheard of in vacuum cleaners under a $1000 (the closest other than dyson is a 1 year limited warrenty such as kenmore's); simply call up dyson and they should fix it for you. However, I have seen certain people complain that the suction is sometimes too strong. That is because a dyson depends more upon the power of its suction than its beater bar to pick up most things. Works great on bare floors and 90% of carpets, not as well on some, so there is a possiibility of you having problems.
2. Few people have problems with the attachments, but occasionally it happens, mostly because those people tend to misuse the attachments for whatever reason. Consumers must understand the reason for purchasing a dyson. Dysons are great because they last longer than any other vacuum nowadays (and I stress nowadays, because they used to last longer); because they are easier to use (once you get used to it's unique design) than most other vacuums, and because of the fact that there are no running costs to operate it. If you look at the ratings on them by consumer reports, they will typically rate them around number 10 or so (mostly because CRs don't take into account how much longer a dyson will last you, or the running costs) but as far as straight suction goes, I would say they are only slightly above average.
Dysons are great because they are an investment in a vaccum that you don't have to buy bags or filters all the time, and because of its life and ease of use...thats all. If someone tells you that it actually will suck better straight out of the box, they're either lying to sell you one, or they're mistaken. Still, they do work great, and are worth it if you can find one for a great price, around 400 or less.
Last but not least, stay away from the ball (DC 15)its a nightmare...
If anyone is in the area, they could come and see me at sears vacuums in Albany, Oregon...I'd be glad to show them all about the dysons...thank you for reading my extremely long review...Ryan (541) 967 3200