This is a quality, well-designed vacuum. Setup took only 5minutes with the included optional-use Febreeze filter. Overall design is well thought out and quite functional. Worked great for pet hair and just as well for regular dirt. The lighted wand was a nice touch for those darker areas, but nothing mind-blowing. Definitely on the heavier side, but that is normal for a quality built vacuum. This vacuum is definitely louder than most vacuums and that's accentuated when the roller is on (for carpet). Standard accessories are included, with the addition of the turbo pet hair attachment. Anyone in the market for a quality vacuum with extra pet capabilities should definitely consider this model. Pros: Easy setup Quality attachments LED Lighted Wand Large Pet hair turbo attachment Pet friendly Maneuverable Replaceable filter Includes Febreeze scented filter Easy empty dirt bin Long cord Easy Carpet/hardwood level adjust Single press on/off and Roller on/off buttons Cleans well without having to go over many times This vacuum has a long list of pros and should be suitable for most users and especially pet owners since it is specialized to reduce hair tangles and includes a turbo pet hair attachment. The turbo pet hair attachment is great for couches, cars, pet beds, etc. I did not have any problems cleaning off long and short pet hairs, without tangling. I also appreciated the slightly larger size of this attachment, compared to other vacuums. Pet owners will definitely benefit from this model. The attachments in general are pretty well made and seem to be durable. The extension hose compresses tightly when not in use, reducing overall storage space requirement. Although a simple touch, the LED light on the cleaning wand is useful for dark areas, but not a jaw-dropping feature. The battery is simple to replace which is also nice. Maneuverability was pretty good but not great, I think there is some improvement to be made here, but this should be good enough for most people. However, if maneuverability is a priority I would compare other models in this price range before settling on this one. The filter is easy to replace and the included Febreeze filter was surprisingly pleasant and left a more "clean" scent post-vacuum. This vacuum utilizes the popular one touch removal and emptying of the bin, which is a good size and easy to operate. I appreciated the longer than average cord length. There is a small, easy to find knob that quickly adjusts between bare floor and carpet modes. I really liked the easy switch operation for power and the roller. Most importantly, this vacuum cleans well without having to go over areas multiple times. I would recommend this vacuum to anyone looking for a quality vacuum. Cons: Heavier side Loud Edge cleaning Overall, there are not many cons to this vacuum and I think most buyers will be very pleased. I still believe at this price point, the vacuum could be lighter, and definitely much quieter. There are multiple vacuums that achieve this at a similar price point. However, heaviness is very subjective and is probably only a concern (in this case) to those who may have limited lifting ability. The noise on the other hand is definitely much more than I would expect. It is even louder with the roller on. The edge cleaning is also not the best I've experienced, but it is good enough. Lastly, maneuverability and the smoothness of movement can be improved.

Initial Reaction: The brute suction of this powerful machine exceeded my expectations. Hybrid design allows use as both a powerful upright & portable. My Evolution: Although I grew up using Hoover uprights, I switched to Dyson (specifically, the Dyson DC41 Animal Complete) 5 yrs. ago. Though the Dyson was clearly overpriced, I felt that, performance-wise, it was in a class by itself … until now. This Bissell vacuum took some of the best design features of the Dyson & improved upon them. Priority 1: I believe the #1 function of a great vacuum is SUCTION POWER! Regardless of design, ease of use, specialized tools, etc., it must lift & fully extract the dirt, dust, & hair. This Bissell definitely meets that requirement. In fact, I was surprised by the amount of debris picked up by the Bissell only a day after a thorough vacuuming w/my Dyson. Mind you, I adjusted the Variable Suction Control to the strongest setting (intended for hard floors) for use on my cut pile carpeting, & it really sucked all the debris out of the carpet. On this setting, it gets 5 stars for suction! (There is also an on/off brush roll switch for multi-surface cleaning.) Hair!: We have girls w/long hair in our house; so, we joke that we can’t have pets, because there’s already too much hair flying around. Bissell touts its “tangle-free” brush roll, which incl. a large brush dowel & unique bristle design as well as a wide spiral groove where the brushes are fastened to the roller—all of which are supposed to help remove not just pet hair, but human hair, while preventing that hair from catching onto the bristles & wrapping around the brush. I was eager to test this because, once a month, I have to flip my Dyson over, get down on the floor, & make a mess trying to untangle all the hair & other fibers that have wrapped around its brushes. The problem of hair wrap is greatly reduced w/the Bissell, if not entirely eliminated. Emptying: The patented Cyclonic Pet Hair Spooling System is supposed to whirl hair, dirt, & dust until these particles form a tight ball at the bottom of the tank. Then, you’re supposed to be able to effortlessly dump the debris ball into the garbage w/o having to dig into the dustbin to remove stuck hair & fine particles. In practice, the emptying of the hands-free canister is similar to the Dyson, w/neither model being completely hands-free, especially when it comes to removing long hair that still gets wrapped around the filter. Portable Mode: This is 1 of the vac’s best features. The convenient “Lift-Off” system allows you to remove the canister w/the press of a button—leaving the frame, handle, & brush roller behind. This lets you travel w/just the guts of the vac, incl. the telescoping extension wand, to easily reach stairs, baseboards, ceiling fans/vents, & crown moldings, etc. Value Summary: Overall, I found the Bissell easy to use & empty. While it’s comparable in design to the Dyson, the effective suction power of the Bissell outperformed the more expensive Dyson. This vac offers good value for the price. The Bissell has the quality & best features of a Dyson w/a much smaller hit to the wallet. OTHER PROS Setup: Out-of-the-box easy/minimal assembly: Requires a screwdriver to attach the handle. Then snap on the hose, attach the 2 accessory pieces to the upright vac, & you’re good to go. Allergens: The SmartSeal filtration system forces air to pass thru the allergen filter—trapping particles, dander, & dust inside the vac so that you don’t have to breathe them. Includes 2 allergen filters. Additional Convenience Features: Lighting: LED headlamps on both sides of the floor nozzle allow you to clearly see the surface that you're vacuuming & whether or not you need to make additional passes. And the LED on the end of the crevice tool is a nice touch to illuminate tight spaces & dark corners. CONS Most Notable Negative: Instability: It’s not always desirable to remove the canister. So, if you choose not to go portable w/the ‘lift-off’ feature, & instead want just to pull out the extension wand for a quick suction, you can’t reach very far w/o the entire vac tipping over. It’s very annoying to have the tipsy 18-lb. vac come crashing down onto my foot or the floor. There must be some way for Bissell engineers to stabilize the upright’s platform w/o adding extra weight. Handle Release: The ‘foot’ icon on the floor nozzle is misleading in that it appears to indicate that you should step on the rear of the plastic base to release/lower the handle from its upright position. Instead, you have to awkwardly press your foot down much farther forward on the base, in order to release the handle, so that you can then push/pull the vac. Cord Wrap: The cord hooks are placed so close together (1 ft. apart) that it requires 20+ wraps of the 30-ft. cord—making storage slow/tedious. For the price, I’d hoped for an auto-retracting cord like I had on my Electrolux vac 45 yrs. ago. Attachments: It would be more convenient if all 3 of the accessory tools were storable on the upright vac. Unfortunately, there’s no slot for the TurboEraser nozzle (designed for removing hair from stairs & upholstery, etc.); so, it must be stored elsewhere. Febreze Filter: Even if you like the artificial smell of the strongly-scented P&G Febreze filter (we don’t), this extra filter doesn’t incl. the lockdown screw that the other 2 fragrance-free Bissell filters have. This oversight needs to be corrected.

This is a very versatile vacuum combining the usefulness of an upright with the increased versatility of a canister. The lift-off system where the canister and hose detach from the upright handle and roller head is straightforward to use and makes the switch pretty easy overall, after one or two tries, it was second nature. The power cord is exceptionally long at about 30 feet which makes cleaning in one shot easy without having to plug and replug back into outlets. The vacuum comes pretty much assembled except to attach the handle and hose and the only tool required is a Philips head screwdriver. Bissel includes a Febreze HEPA filter that can be used optionally in place of the standard filter. I left the original filter in and have not used the other filter yet. The vacuum is fairly heavy at a little over 17lbs but in canister mode become very manageable and even in upright mode it is still very easy to use due to the upright's great maneuverability. It has bright white LEDs on both the power head and crevice tool to assist with cleaning. The crevice tool LED is actually pretty helpful for cleaning tough to see areas like the lint filter of a dryer or dark areas where some illumination is always useful. Bissel provides in this vacuum so much suction that it is excellent at getting pet dander and dust in addition to all types of hair. The canister is easy to remove for emptying and as I said the lift-away system works very well. Push a big green button, lift the canister up and out and you now have a relatively lightweight handheld canister vac that is so easy to use for stairs (always a tedious effort for uprights or full canisters), on furniture, on blinds, around appliances, in automotive vehicles, underneath furniture, beds or any other places a normal full size vacuum makes it difficult to get to. The warranty is five years which is very acceptable but not as long as some of its competitors but overall a great value, with powerful suction, great maneuverability and easy of conversion and little to no maintenance. All the filters are washable and need no replacement per the manual other than every 3-6 months.

When I bought this thing I thought it was amazing. I have several cats and dogs and I have never had any vacuum cleaner pick up hair like this one. The pic below is just one time vacuuming the first time in my house. The issues are its kind of difficult to use. I swear I felt like my grandma trying to get the DVD player to work the first few times I figured everything out. Very complicated. And the tank you empty, if you don't line it up just right it's so hard to put back together. After 1.5 years this thing is starting to suck up less and less, which is very disappointing. It was so awesome in the beginning. Wish it would've stayed this way for the cost of it.

We all know that having furry companions like a dog or a cat can be a big responsibility with clean up sometimes proving to be a bigger challenge. In my case, I deal with a lot of fur from my cats and dirt from the dog. Using a vacuum to clean up the built-up fur or the dirt that is deep within the carpet is exhausting since it can require multiple attempts. Just when you think you’re finished, you notice that the suction has decreased or that the beater brush is tangled with various hairs or string. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Lift-Off Vacuum tackles these grievances and more with amazing results. The Lift Off has noticeable options in regards to floor types. There’s a knob that you turn which allows you to vacuum the high carpet, bare floor or adjust it for anything that falls in between. On top of that, you can flip a switch that turns off the beater brush when vacuuming a bare floor or low carpet. Let me praise the beater brush. In past experiences with other vacuums, the beater brush had a tendency to spit out various pieces debris that didn’t get pulled into the suction. The Lift Off pulled in debris like crystal litter pieces and KEPT it! It didn’t fling the litter in several directions. I also have to mention that the beater brush didn’t have hair tangled up within the bristles like I have usually seen with my other vacuum. Trust me, over time the tangled hair builds up and has an effect on the level of clean. And there’s nothing grosser than trying to clean tangled hair off a beater brush because it usually requires scissors or a razor blade and patience. Bissell means it when they claim, tangle free. Accessing the attachments is easy as you would expect. The nice touch is the telescopic tool that extends on its own when you remove it from the side for those moments when you have to reach the corners and it collapses when you place it back into the side compartment. Simple. Another great feature of the Lift Off vacuum is that it detaches from the main vacuum frame, allowing you to take the canister onto the stairs and vacuum using the small beater brush attachment. However, this is where I deduct a star from my review because the small beater attachment struggles to spin if anything obstructs the vacuum flow (it’s self-propelled). Other neat features are the LED lights that are on the vacuum head which I originally thought would be pointless until I was vacuuming next to the bed and since it’s dimly lit, I wouldn’t have noticed the small cat toy if it weren’t for the “headlights” on the vacuum. There’s another small attachment that has a LED light for those dark corners. What I really like about this vacuum is that it CLEANS. I didn’t have to think that I was done cleaning only to discover that the vacuum didn’t pick up dirt or something. The suction on the Lift Off is serious business. Finally, I have to address the emptying of the dirt from the canister. In the past, when I have had to empty the canister on my other vacuum, I’ve had to reach up and pull out the hair that wouldn’t shake loose. It’s nasty business that eats up time when you’re trying to wrap up the cleaning. Emptying the Lift Off canister is EFFICIENT! I pressed the button that releases the trap door and ALL of the dirt and hair simply slid out without any stragglers. It wasn’t a one-time thing, the canister empties fully each time. Whether you’re a pet owner or just want a vacuum that cleans thoroughly, this Bissell Lift-Off vacuum is a great investment.