Bottom Line Upfront: =================================================== The Bissell ICONpet Cordless Stick Vacuum lives up to many of its’ marketing claims, but falls short in some areas that would make it a true 5 star product from my point of view. It is definitely worthy of serious consideration if your in the market for a “pet centric” vacuum that can tackle moderate to heavy pet hair situations with ease. The ICONpet seems falls short in design and functionality in some small, yet potentially significant categories, such as dirt cup capacity, charge time from empty, and general usability issues - when compared to others in “stick” vacuum category. Summary: ==================================================== Battery life is reasonable (compared to others in this price/design category) and easy to gauge/manage on the illuminated built in control panel. The suction and cleaning power are more than enough for the average household with several pets and children. Noise levels are on par with what I would expect a vacuum of this type to have – loud, but not unbearable. The LED lights are nice and bright - for those dark hard to reach areas. The ICONpet is mainly let down by its physical design decisions. Heavy reliance on seemingly scratch prone plastics, a small and somewhat counter intuitive dirt cup emptying mechanism, but most frustratingly - the inability of the unit to stand on its own without having to be docked into the optional plastic wall charger station/ or leaned onto another surface. If you want to read more detail about my thoughts and observations after using it for a few weeks – read on! ==================================================== Detailed Thoughts and Observations: ==================================================== Chances are, if your reading this – you have discovered that shopping for vacuums can among one of the most difficult things for the uninitiated, inexperienced and under informed shoppers. There are so many types of vacuums these days and the choices range in shape from canisters, sticks, balls, and traditional upright silhouettes. Each shape brings many “PROS” associated within that form factor – while simultaneously introducing limitations with that same design choice as well. The Bissell ICONpet falls cleanly into the “Stick” Vacuum category that has become all the rage over the past few years. Back in the day, this particular “stick” category was often plagued with poor suction/cleaning power and inexcusably short battery life that limited most stick vacuums usability. Thanks to the advancement of modern engineering, these ICONpet boasts significantly improved suction – no doubt brought on by better designed motors and the use of lighter weight structural materials. Having owned and dearly loved a “heavy as a tank” traditional upright vacuum from a brand that has been making American made vacuums for the last 10 years – I finally took the plunge and started shopping around for something more lightweight and portable. In my recent experiences trying out many different stick vacuums trying to find the “right” one for me – I was pleasantly surprised just how well the ICONpet handled pet hair. No, this model does not have the same suction as my 10-year-old, plug in upright “tank” – but it was pretty close in all honesty. The difference was in how much better the ICONpet’s “Tangle Free” brush roll handled my dogs’ hair. For reference, I own a Beagle and Dachshund – nothing crazy pet hair wise – but regular shedder’s year-round. The unit arrives well packaged, and is very easy to get set up and going right out of the box. The suction and overall portability are why I gave the ICONpet 4 stars. The last star would have been earned if Bissel did a better job of addressing the following things (particularly when compared against other competitors in the same segment): --- Lack of built in stand / general instability of the unit – I know the engineers must be able to figure out some way to stabilize this unit while not actively in use. Other competitors have managed to do so – I trust Bissel can do the same in the future. For whatever weird reason, the ICONpet just doesn’t like to be leaned on things around my house and constantly falls over when I lean on things or against the wall. I often wonder if it may break prematurely because of this since I have a good amount of hardwood and tile in my house as well as carpet. To the ICONpet’s credit, it does come with a mountable “wall storage and charging station” plastic unit that you can drill into your wall (or use 3M tape if your feeling bold) – that helps reduce that somewhat. --- The “hand held” mode could be better – I am appreciative of the ICONpet’s ability to “transform” into both hand held / high reach vacuum – however it does not exactly do either very well. More specifically the hand held mode is let down by a short and relatively rigid/inflexible hose assembly – with a hard and rigid brush/head assembly piece on the end. I would have preferred to be able to remove that completely and more flexibility to reach in tighter more constricted spaces/crevices. --- Battery Life is good/OK – NOT outstanding – For the price point – the ICONpet is average in run time/battery capacity. If I had a wish list of things to have in the next go around – it would most definitely include more battery life. That being said the unit does have a battery bar and 3 cleaning modes to help you maximize your run time based on your cleaning needs. I found it would last anywhere from 15-20 mins on average in full suction mode to 45-60 mins in the lowest suction setting (depending on surface, i.e. carpet, tile, hardwood, etc). My main grip is having to wait several hours (approximately 4 hours) to charge the unit to a full state from empty. It would nice to have it “rapid” charge to half power or something along those line in 20 or 30 mins, although I imagine that kind of tech would require more expensive circuity – in turn driving up the price of the unit. --- The dust/dirt been is small and mildly annoying to empty and clean – Not to beat a dead horse – but this is an area where it would have been beneficial to have something more inline with what others in this category are using. A “Hands free” cleaning door or button would have been preferred. The design also requires you to disassemble the filter insert from the cleaning cups rubberized molding/insert – I worry about the durability of that seal over time with regular cleaning. The dirt cup is unfortunately on the smaller side of the “stick” model category and requires you to separate the filter part from the filter - EVERY time you need to clean/empty it. For comparison, its about the size of a 8oz can of soda (less if you factor in the internal design of the dirt cup).

Having experience with a competitor’s product with an MSRP almost twice the price of this Bissell makes it hard for me to not make the inevitable comparisons between the two, so I’ll try my best to give an unbiased assessment. The Bissell ICONpet cordless stick vacuum (model 2288X) is nicely made with a quality look and feel to it, especially at its price point. I find it interesting that a lot of manufacturers show their cleaning tool hanging out in the open in their advertising literature intending to showcase their cutting-edge, contemporary design. I’m sorry, but I am not having anyone’s stick vac hanging out in plain sight in my kitchen…maybe the mud room by the garage, but not where guests will see it and supposably ooh and ahh over it. They do get dirty, dusty and scratched with use and never look as good as when they first come out of the box. The handle on the motor unit of this vacuum has a soft-touch rubber covering on part of the handle which is welcomed as it improves your grip on the unit, but I found the shape of the handle, its relation to the motor unit and how my hand ends up gripping it to be problematic for me. It caused me more discomfort the longer I used it, and I would suggest trying out a display unit in the store if you can to see how it feels to you. Also compare it to differing designs from other manufacturers you might be considering. I think for me the issue is that the motor is below the handle and the weight of it causes my hand to slide on the handle to an area and angle that are uncomfortable for me. Other manufacturers place the motor above the handle which results in a better grip, at least for me (a male that takes a size medium glove). Since my main use for a vacuum is to pick up as much dirt and dust as possible, my inclination is to use it on its most powerful setting, which also results in the shortest run time. This most powerful setting is what the vacuum defaults to each time you turn it on. You should be able to vacuum 3 to 4 average-sized, carpeted rooms in this length of time even on the high setting. While using the large powerhead on frieze carpet, the ICONpet ran non-stop for me for a full 17 minutes on a full charge. While there is no digital countdown timer to let you know how much battery life remains, there is a three-segment, illuminated battery indicator. Fully charged, it starts off with three segments and when you get close to the end of the charge, the one remaining segment will start flashing to indicate the battery is almost depleted. The manual states it takes about 4 hours to charge completely, but it appeared charging was complete in three hours and ten minutes on my sample. The manual also states that when charging is complete the three-segment battery indicator will be completely lit up solid and not flashing. While this is true, the indicator remains lit up solid for just under ten minutes. Then this battery light flashes once for one second out of every minute. So, if you see the three segments on solid and not flashing, the battery is fully charged, or if you don’t see any segments lit up at all and the charger is connected, the battery is fully charged - you would have to wait for some part of a minute to go by to see the one-second blink of the light. Besides the battery charge indicator (that is illuminated when you are using the vacuum) there are three sets of two lights that indicate what power level you are operating the vacuum at, high, medium or low. These same lights also illuminate in a specific way to show various error codes which are listed in the owners manual. There are three buttons to control the vacuum - one is the power on/off, then there is the button to select one of three power modes, and lastly there is the release button for the Dirt Tank. These buttons are the same color as the handle they are mounted on (all are black plastic) and the markings are almost non-existent for as visible as they are - they are not illuminated either. This is probably intended to make the vacuum appear sleek, but makes it a little harder for people with less than perfect visual acuity to readily see the buttons and their function markings. The Dirt Tank (Bissell’s name, capital letters included) has to be removed completely from the motor unit to be emptied and then has to be pulled apart into two separate pieces to discard the debris. Emptying the Dirt Tank is a bit more cumbersome than I would like and is probably the biggest negative this Bissell possesses. There are also two filter mediums that require periodic attention, a motor pre-filter and a motor post-filter. The pre-filter is to be rinsed with water and the instructions suggest to do this after each use. The post-filter is a replaceable, pleated-paper filter that should not be rinsed according to the paper manual that came with the vacuum. The first manual I downloaded from Bissell’s web site states this filter CAN be rinsed with water. It appears a change was made somewhere along the line as a few days later I looked at the online manual and it was changed to match the paper manual. But looking at the instructional video on Bissell’s web site, it states that this filter CAN be rinsed with water as long as it is dried thoroughly before reassembly. The vacuum does not have an indicator to let you know that either filter needs attention. There are two features of the ICONpet vacuum that I really found useful and enjoyed their incorporation into the design. One is a power switch that does NOT have to be held for the entire time the motor is running. At times I prefer to not have the motor start and stop repeatedly as I reposition my hands on it or move an item in the room. This repeated stop and start is amplified with a powerhead on the unit where you have to wait for it to power up and start spinning again once it stops. The second feature is that two of the included attachments for the ICONpet have built-in LED lighting to help you see what you are doing. The main floor cleaning powerhead has seven LEDs that do a wonderful job of illuminating the floor and I find this most helpful for finding errant items on the floor that you may not want to vacuum up and dispose of, such the back for an earring or something similar. The smaller motorized head which I found is most useful for cleaning furniture does not have any lighting on it. The short crevice tool with integrated (non-powered) brush does have a one-LED light at its tip. My other cordless stick vac does not have any lighting at all and I really miss that when I go back to it. There is a wall-mount hanger to store the vacuum with three tools, one attached to the vacuum and ports for two other tools on the wall mount, which is the total number of tools it comes with. You do not have to use the wall storage hanger if you don’t want to as the charging cord can be attached without using the wall mount. When the rechargeable battery will no longer hold a usable charge at some point in the future, the owners manual shows you how to remove the battery to properly dispose of it, but it also states “disconnecting the battery will destroy the appliance”. I’m not sure why it couldn’t be designed to have the battery replaced so you could continue to use the vacuum rather than throwing it away, but maybe it has something to do with a limited life expectancy of other parts of the vacuum that make battery replacement questionable. This vacuum came with three tool attachments, a wall-mount/charging base, charger with cord, and an extension wand (the “stick” in “stick vac”). There are two round traditional-shaped wheels on the main powerhead that is used for floor cleaning. They have rubber treads to make them suitable for use on hard surface flooring, but there is a specific “hard surface brush roll” that is shown as an optional accessory part that this particular model of vacuum did not come with. The powerhead swivels as you “steer” it around furniture and other obstacles on the floor. It swivels easily but only to about a 45 degree angle in either direction which hampers its maneuverability somewhat during use. Bissell touts the brush roll in this head as “Tangle-Free”, and I must say that after using this vac quite a bit, there was nothing wrapped around the roller like I am used to seeing on other units - and we do have a dog. There is a narrower powered head that the literature alludes to using on stairs in addition to furniture, but I found the softer bristles on its brush roll to be less effective in fluffing up the carpet as compared to the stiffer bristles found on the wide powerhead. Neither of the powerheads have any soft edging attached to them to protect baseboards or furniture when rubbing or bumping against them. The Bissell ICONpet cordless stick vacuum is a solid performer at its price point with nice build quality and very good performance, however it does have a few deficiencies and compromises. Good products can be had at a variety of price points and this Bissell, while not great, is a good value even with a couple of hiccups in the product’s documentation.

Received the new Bissell, came very well packaged and with a handle on the package. Most of the instruction were easy to follow, and assembly is simple and quick. Appears to be well constructed and is a good-looking vacuum. Comes with a Wall Mount + Charging System that has its own built in bubble level (pretty cool) for installing the bracket to the wall. Comes with a couple of wall anchors and two good size screws, makes attaching the wall mount bracket easy and complete. There is also an attachment that snaps into the side of the wall mount and you can snap the Motorized Brush Roll Tool and LED Crevice & Dusting Brush Combination Tool into the attachment, very nice feature for maintaining your accessories. Written instructions and the Bissell video don’t show you this, you must push up on a button on the side of the filter head to remove the filter grill and pre-motor filter. I charged the vacuum until all three white charges lights were on solid and set out to test our new vacuum. I used the main floor attachment to vacuum our living room and kitchen, stained concrete, floors and two 2’ x 4’ door mats. I also used the LED lit Crevice Tool for some high up areas and around the legs of some of the furniture. When I attached the Motorized Pet Brush Roller Tool and attempted to vacuum our couch the vacuum motor would shut off after a couple of seconds, it did this a couple of times and then the vacuum motor began to run on/off intermittently. I turned the unit off, and I tried detaching and reattaching the Motorized Pet Brush Roller Tool, a couple of times, to no avail. Then the vacuum motor began to run continually on high and I could not adjust the speed or turn the vacuum off. I realized the only way to get the vacuum to stop running was to run it out of power, so taking advantage of the situation I attached the vacuum floor tool and began vacuuming our concrete floors. I was close to completing the vacuuming when the battery finally ran out of charge. I placed the vacuum on the charger and once it had completely charged, I attempted to use the vacuum once again. The vacuum worked fine other than when attempting to use the Motorized Pet Brush Roller Tool, at which time the vacuum motor once again shut off after a couple of seconds. Pros: LED light indictor lights to display the amount of charge. Wall charger for main vacuum and attachments. Three speeds with lots of power on all three speed settings and blue indicator lights to show what speed your using. Bright LED lights on the front of the floor brush roller. Will lay low enough to go under most furniture. Tangle free brush roller. Light weight. Easy to empty dirt tank. Easy to clean filters that can be rinsed out. Easy to change attachments. Great maneuverability. Cons: Motorized Pet Brush Roller; being replaced by the manufacturer. Cost: but again when you look at other cordless vacuums the price is in line and reasonable. It’s a lot of money for this little cordless vacuum however I will say that it does a great job of vacuuming, is versatile, and it’s quick, convenient, and easy to use. I find myself removing the vacuum from the wall charger and using it multiple times a day due to the convenience, when you have dogs that go in and out of the house a lot this is more than convenient. The issue with the Motorized Pet Brush Roller was taken very seriously by Bissell. Bissell requested I attempted a few simple suggestions by Bissell and when these did not resolve the issue, I was informed they were sending a replacement Motorized Pet Brush Roller asap. Great customer service. The more I use the cordless vacuum the more I like it.

Another contender in the booming cordless stick-vac category, Bissell ICONpet model 2288, reviewed on behalf of Best Buy, is a solid performer capable of replacing many conventional vacuums, at a current cost of $300. In my tests, Bissell ICONpet 2288 performed well, though not competitively, exceptionally so. It is easy and straightforward to use. This Bissell ICONpet model 2288 did a fine job vacuuming hard floors and carpeting here and at a neighbor’s. I also used it to vacuum my car’s interior, including the cloth upholstery. Easy! Attaching and removing accessories was accomplished without extraordinary effort. Battery life per full charge varies according to which of three power/suction modes is selected. Use per charge is specified at “up to 30 minutes.” Without a motorized head attached, my tests yielded 58 minutes of use before automatic shutdown occurred after the battery became depleted. This should be enough time to vacuum bare floors in a modest home on the lowest power setting. Using powered attachments and at higher performance settings expect the battery to be depleted in significantly less time. Regardless, this should be enough run time for most users to vacuum some bare floors and a few small low-pile rugs on a single charge, and more than enough run time to vacuum a vehicle interior and trunk on a full charge. Please read additional battery comments later. I do not recommend using this or any vacuum on deep pile rugs and carpets. This is a recipe for disaster! Why? The long threads can become wrapped around any brush head and ripped from their base. Please consult and follow the manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations for all rugs and carpets BEFORE USE! The LED lighted heads are useful, though the lighting is always on when the lighted attachment is in use. I do not expect runtime to be significantly negatively impacted when using lighted accessories. Charging was easy to accomplish. WHAT'S IN THE BOX? •Handheld vacuum •Motorized “TurboBrush” tool •Swiveling tangle-free brush roll with LED lighting •Crevice tool with slide-in-place dusting brush and end-lit LED •Extension wand with pass-through power connections •Wall mount with charging system, includes bubble level for accurate and level wall mounting •Includes one tool holder that attaches to the wall mount, though the instruction manual shows two tool holders •Product manual (Download and read the user manual available online) WHAT'S HOT? •Converts from handheld to whole-house stick vacuum •Strong suction •Three selectable suction/power levels •LED indicators show power level and remaining battery charge •Multi-surface cleaning – area rugs, upholstery, carpet, bare floors, per beds, stairs, low-pile carpet, and car seats, trunks, floors •Good battery runtime per charge •Cleverly designed CleanSlide Technology™ wipes clean the barrel in the dirt tank (see description in linked manual) •Wide LED-lit floor head features swivel, lay-flat design to clean under some furniture and beds •Narrower tangle-free motorized floor, stair, upholstery and pet hair removal head •Easy-mount wall hanger with pass-through power plug •Not excessively loud as compared with similar products •2-year warranty WHAT'S NOT? •Emptying dirt tank requires several steps and partial disassembly; messy when full of dirt •Filters require regular maintenance, advisable after each use; the post motor filter is pleated paper and cannot be washed •Reusable foam filter atop the dirt tank is washable with soap and water. •Heavier than some competitive models; main unit weighs just under four pounds without attachments, about seven pounds with attachments WHAT'S THE DEAL HERE? In the absence of competitive makes and models, Bissell ICONpet 2288 is a fine specimen. However, my review must be tempered by experience with other brands. Clearly, 800-pound gorilla DYSON has set the standard and is the target, and the reason competitors try to do better. The goal to beat the gorilla remains, to date, the impossible dream. DYSON remains a better choice with better performance and greater value over time, though many, but not all DYSON models have a higher initial cost. DYSON performance is better than this Bissell as well as every other known competitive product. No other reviewer of whom I am aware has covered the differences, so let’s get to them. •DYSON stick vacs and handheld models feature virtually permanent washable, easily removable filters, not replaceable pleated paper filters. Their filters SHOULD NOT require cleaning after each use, as is the case with competitors including this Bissell. In fact, DYSON filters need to be washed (easiest in a sink) only occasionally. •All DYSON models have easy to remove, easily emptied dirt bins (also called a dirt cup or dirt tank). Dirt bins are also easily disassembled and reassembled for more thorough cleaning and wiping. •The battery pack in this Bissell is not replaceable. The manual has instructions for removal and disposal of the battery, with instructions to also dispose of the rest of the product after proper disposal of the no longer rechargeable battery. By contrast, DYSON batteries are easily user-replaceable on all battery-powered models. Why do other makers not offer these beneficial features and benefits in their products? WHAT CAUSES LOSS OF SUCTION? Loss of suction can occur when filters become embedded with dust and debris. Loss of suction can also occur if the dirt cup becomes overfilled and impacted with debris. I have never tested a vacuum to this limit, but I have tested competitors without cleaning the filters after each use. Eventually, sometimes slowly, suction is diminished. Of this there is no doubt. The only other cause of loss-of-suction could be a clog somewhere in the air path. Any vacuum can suck up something that can cause it to clog and lose suction. By comparison, Bissell ICONpet does not exude a highest quality feel or appearance nor does it stand out among competitors from Shark, Hoover, Dirt Devil, Black & Decker or the numerous other brands with largely unfamiliar names. There are features on this Bissell ICONpet and on some other brands not found on DYSON models. One is the tangle-free brush. I have not found this to be an issue, as the brush roller on DYSON vacuums is also easily removed, any entangled hair or fibers easily cut and removed and then the brush can be easily put back in its place. You may feel differently. The brush inside the motorized heads on this Bissel ICONpet model is similarly easily removed and replaced after cleaning using the same technique. The brush can become entangled with hair and stringy material, such as loose carpet fibers, if the strands are long enough. I use a US nickel or quarter, or a wide-tip flat screwdriver to open and close the end cover. Also not yet found on DYSON models is a lighted head as has become popular on other brands, including this Bissell. It’s a nice touch when visiting dark corners or underneath furniture. The light makes some debris stand out. In conclusion, there is nothing patently bad about this Bissell ICONpet 2288. However, when it comes to stick vacuum value and performance, Bissell is one among many, superior to none.

My wife and I decided to accessorize our current vacuum game with the ICONPet cordless stick vac. We have a full size corded vacuum to manage most of the heavy work within the house on a weekly basis (roughly 1500 s.f. all in), but we have a dog that sheds a full-sized replica of itself every other day, and we decided that something a bit smaller and easier to manage would be a perfect fit to keeping this problem at bay. We decided to try the Bissell model advertised specifically for pet owners, and have been really pleased at how it has made the ‘in-between’ vacuum chores a lot easier to tackle. Out of the box it was an easy assembly, between the wall-anchored mount with attachment brackets and power cord to the three key pieces in the unit- the head/handle/bin component, the triangular-shaped tube neck, and your choice of attachment. They snap together intuitively and with ease, and it is a really well designed tool that is easy to handle- relatively lightweight, and interchanges between desired forms pretty simply and quickly. The vac comes with three base attachments provided: a large roller brush, small roller brush and crevice tool (both the large brush and crevice tool come with LED illumination). The large roller brush provides GREAT illumination, which is huge when you are hair or dust hunting on hardwood floors. It is so bright, it makes it pretty easy to see where you’ve hit already and where you still have some vacuuming to do. The roller is pretty robust, and after at least 4 work cycles I have yet to find any significant accumulation of hair or threads in the roller itself, which is pretty awesome, as I have to spend an hour cleaning my main vacuum head of this on a monthly basis. The small roller works well for stairs particularly, and the crevice tool is great for edges, corners, baseboard tops- anywhere dust can get. I had no issue using the unit almost flat to the floor to get under furniture, or almost straight up- the flexibility is great. I haven’t really had to test the full duration of it, our ‘sweeps’ generally take no more than 20 minutes tops, and it goes back to recharge. I’ve read that the battery can get you service of up to 30 minutes, I saw zero lag in power for my stretches of use to date. The suction power is really impressive, my hardwoods are pretty spotless with a pass, and the carpet gets visibly cleaned of hairs after a pass as well – we go to the corded vac for deeper carpet cleaning, but residual hair or daily junk gets tackled by the stick vac no problem whatsoever. The collection cannister mechanism and cleanout is designed pretty well, I like the rubber grommet that hugs the walls of the cannister itself, so that when you draw it out to dump the debris, it leaves nothing behind. The unit is also as intuitive to dump/empty as it was to build, an easy operation that doesn’t leave the opportunity for me to dump the dust and hair on the floor, which is a problem with my full sized vacuum (which has a trapdoor bottom that is prone to opening when it feels like it on my walk to the trash barrel…). At the end of the day it is simple, clean and easy…easy enough that having to tackle the daily dog hair grind isn’t so much a grind, the stick vac is kind of fun to use, and we feel better when the place is dog-hair free in less than a half hour. My only thoughts to improve would be to better the power/recharge cycle- I have had zero issue with my particular use, but if I didn’t have a main vacuum, 30 mins or less of use on a 5-6 hour charge cycle seems long for low use. I would also consider two additional tools that would be relatively low hanging fruit for the price point- a ‘neck’ of flex hose to join handle/cannister with a tool (for stairs or hard to reach places) and a simple smaller plastic vacuum head (no roller, just a dust collector similar to what you find on a shop vac). That type of head would be ideal for stairs as well, almost easier than a roller on hardwoods. Not deal-killers by any means, just some possible improvements.