
Rating 4.4 out of 5 stars with 61 reviews
4.4- Battery Life (32)
- Weight (31)
- Suction (24)
- Ease of use (22)
- Power (9)
- Dustbin Size (5)
Customer Images
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
- Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Cord-free vacuuming
BISSELL 1984 AIR RAM cordless 22V Vacuum I got our Bissel last evening and let it charge overnight (it needs about 5 hours charge time). This morning we needed about 5 minutes to get it ready for use. Everything fits together nicely, without the need for instructions. It’s all plastic, but the fit, weight, and finish left us with no concerns. Time will tell. Ergonomically, the Bissel has its act together. The weight of the vac from the user’s perspective is quite low because the balance is near perfect, with most of the weight in the head sitting on the floor. Maneuvering the Bissel was helped by the comfortable handle and a lower grab bar. The points of rotation provide comfortable control over the vac during any typical pushing or pulling, Upright “Lock” position is a reassuring click although you might wonder just how robust these plastic parts really are. The large ON/OFF power button is easy to push with your toe. The dust collector chamber releases easily. There is no indication that this is a HEPA filtered vac, if that is a concern. It also looks like you have to empty the dirt chamber manually, but the process is made easier with a lever that forces the dirt out. You will want to wash the filter occasionally. and can only use it when dry. I see no reference to replacement filters. Actual use was almost fun. The flexibility, size, and weight of the Bissell made using it quite easy in every room, getting under beds and sofas or into closets. The suction was powerful and lasted through an entire cleaning session in our 2800sq ft house. The 22V battery easily approaches the power I’ve come to expect in my power tools, full power for an extended period of use. A run across carpets and floors resulted in a full dirt canister. Transitions over rug edges required some care, because the suction will lift the edges. Sound level measured in my quiet room is typically 47dB, and the operating Bissell increased that to 78dB(rugs), and 81dB (hard floor). You might not even need to raise the TV volume. I liked the new Bissell quite a bit. I am concerned about the filtering issue, believing that this premium vacuum ought to have readily available filter replacements, maybe even a HEPA filter option for the exhaust. (The filter isn't described as lifetime.) Heavy users might even want an extra battery. [A cheaper device might be considered a throwaway. This feels more premium and should be supported as a premium product.] Other than that, I can highly recommend this premium quality vacuum.
Posted by TECHBEENGOOD
- Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Fresh design, well engineered
This vacuum is unlike anything else. Opening the box, I was pleasantly surprised on how organized it is, like opening a high end electronics. Inside the carton there is another box with a handle, which opens like a folder and each piece is neatly organized. Putting it together takes just as minute. The vacuum itself is very compact. All the components are on the base. The handle is quality plastic and aluminum, making it lightweight. It even has an extra handle to lift it. The handle swivels making maneuvering the vacuum very easy. The Li-Ion battery pack is removable (similar to power tools) and can be charged on the vacuum or stand-alone. This is great because it could have an additional battery pack, and the vacuum doesn't have to be discarded when the battery dies, like on some stick vacuums. Status LEDs are also part of the battery cartridge. It indicates charging, charge and faults. An very unique feature is that the roller is surrounded by rubber strips that when on the floor creates a vacuum so the suction is very good, on par or better than on corded vacuums. It picked up amounts of dirt from an area rug that the previous vacuum wouldn't. The base is fairly low profile and the handle goes flat to the floor so it can easily reach under beds. The front of the vacuum has LED strips that makes it easy to see where it goes. The roller has enough power to help push the vacuum forward, and is has a tangle detection feature that will stop the vacuum if it gets tangled. I haven't seen any other vacuum do that. The battery lasts about 30 minutes on hardwood floors, and feels like it's working harder on rugs. The roller can be removed if used on shaggy rugs. One caveat is that the roller can accumulate hair, although it's very easy to remove: Push a pin on the side and comes off. The bin and filter are all in one piece, and comes off easily by just lifting it off the vacuum. The bin is light and small. When opening it to empty, there is a handle to help push all the dirt out without having to touch the container. No need to shake it to get dust balls off. There is a replaceable filter in form of a tube that can be rinsed clean, and that's inside the bin, so all the dirty parts are self-contained. The handle stays upright on its own. I have to hold the base with one foot so start it, so it won't fall off when not in use. Having a swiveling handle makes it very easy to use. The handle can be retracted in half to keep it very compact, and can be completely removed with a push of a button or folded in half for storage. When it's turned on, there's a soft chime indicating it's all well and it immediately starts. Overall it's an excellent machine, with sensible industrial design and good engineering. I'm very satisfied with it.
Posted by emiliosic
- Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Powerful vacuum for small spaces
This vacuum is a slightly different take on your normal stick vacs. Most stick vacs are good only on bare floors or small spaces where there's not a whole lot of foot traffic. And being corded, they're weren't always the easiest or most convenient. This unit incorporates a bit of everything as far as vacuums go and does so in a very effective way. To start, this vacuum is cordless so no more cords to wrap up or get tangled up in. The vacuum itself comes disassembled into three pieces. Assembly time is negligible and takes less than a minute to do . In lieu of a cord, there is a battery which you slide into place in the base of the vacuum and charge up. The charging cable is no different than your phone/tablet charger and is very easy to store/travel with if needed. While most other cordless/stick vacs are bagless, this one uses a canister which is located in the vacuum head. It's easy to remove as well as clean the filter. It's on the small side so depending on where you're using this, you might need to empty it frequently. Due to the relative light duty aspect of this vacuum, I wouldn't imagine it would be used for whole-house vacuuming. I have hardwood floors in my place so the normal sized vacuum I have worked ok but didn't always pick up the debris from the wood flooring or would scatter it away due to the air flow. This unit worked quite well in that aspect picking up most everything on my floors...even in the small gaps between the wood flooring. Couple times I had to go over the same spot to pick up the debris. Glides quite smoothly on wood flooring and didn't scratch it up which is always nice. In my bedrooms I have rather thick pile carpeting and, while this vacuum was able to clean it, I don't think it got that deep down cleaning I get from the normal sized vacuum I have. Noise wise, it's less noisier than normal sized vacuums so you can vacuum without interfering with other household members. I haven't had this long enough to comment on charging either how long it takes or how long the battery lasts. Seeing as this is a light duty vacuum, I assume it should last throughout the week without needing to charge. Overall, I think this is better suited for dorms/apartments/condos rather than a full house. While it's able to vacuum an entire house, the power you get from this compared to a full sized vacuum isn't comparable. This is kinda of expected simply due to its size so it's not really a surprise here. But in terms of convenience/portability/functionality, I think this is a nice vacuum for smaller places or areas with wood flooring.
Posted by PickledHerring
- Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly Surprised
Bissell 1984 AirRam Cordless Vacuum When I first put this vacuum together I was not impressed with the quality. It took just a few minutes to slide the main handle into the base and then slip the upper handle to the lower handle. After that it was ready to use. The instructions were clear and it went together very easy. It came with about a quarter of charge which was enough to push a foot size button on the base and I was using the vacuum. I started on my wood floor on the downstairs of my house. My first impression was how light the vacuum was. It has a very bright set of led lights on the front that works very well. Without the cord and being so light it didn’t take me long to finish the first floor. I checked the dust container which pulls straight out of the base. You then go to a trash can and there is a small release on the container with a sliding mechanism that pushes your debri out of the container. Inside of the container is a second filter that slides out and according to the manual can be washed. So there are no bags or replaceable filters that could cost later. Slip the few pieces back together and it slips right back into the base. Do it once and its works pretty well. I then charged the battery overnight. There are four large lights on the battery so it’s easy to tell the charging level is at all times. The wall charger is very small and you can charge the battery in the vacuum or out. Once fully charged I tackled the upstairs which is all carpet. Since there is no height adjustment the going was slower. Still it did a very good job and you do appreciate not having to stop and find a new outlet. Once you start you can forget about the cord and finish without stopping. And your again reminded of the good job for the placement of the led lights. I did the downstair wood floors again and had about half of the battery left. My house is 1,800 square feet. There was no doubt I could do the whole house twice from a fully charged battery. The vacuum works much better than my first impression. The handle is comfortable and when you collapse the lower handle it is a very small package that is easy to store. It felt good to use and the battery life seem good for the size. It is easy to clean and I even did the stairs where the light weight made that easier than any other vacuum I have used. I would be tempted to get the extended warranty just because it is probably a value at this price level and does give you that small peace of mind if it ever needed a repair. But in my use I never felt like it was cheap or can’t do what I expected. This is a good value and I could get very used to not dragging a cord all over the house.
Posted by Reddog
- Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best Cordless Vacuum from Bissell
Excellent packaging design. Vacuum was easy to assemble. I've used the vacuum for few days and I am very impressed with the results. Removing Dirt is very easy. I owned heavy and high end vacuums and this vacuum design has been improved, especially with dirt removal. The low profile makes it easy to get under beds, sofas and furniture. Now, Vacuuming has become very easy and fun at home during weekends. My wife love it! I use it for both hard surfaces and carpeting. The Air Ram performance exceeded my expectations! Very easy to put together, charges quickly and last long, easy debris removal, compact, light, does its job! It has great suction power. We have a large dog and this vacuum picks up dog hair and dirt similar like my larger Bissell vacuum. The cordless is so light weight and easy to handle. We are pleased with vacuum results and definitely recommend to anyone who wants simple and elegant design.
Posted by Selva