Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My wife and I are very, very pleased with this lightweight vacuum cleaner. I should like to tell you how we came to buy it and why we are so happy with the purchase. Recently my wife stated that she wanted a second lightweight vacuum cleaner for quick touch-ups in addition to our two main Eureka 4870MZ Boss Smart-Vac Upright HEPA Vacuum Cleaners. (We live in a two-story house and keep one of these relatively heavy vacuum cleaners on each level.) We saw a Shark Multi-Vac, NH15 advertised at a very low price (even lower than Amazon's!) at a local "big-box" store but after doing some research here on Amazon, we saw so many customer complaints about this product (even from some who liked it), especially as regards changing the configuration, emptying the dust cup, and changing the filter, that we decided against buying it. (It seemed to us that this product was of very poor design.) After much more extensive research of Amazon customer reviews of many of these lightweight vacuum cleaner products, we decided to consider two: this Bissell FeatherWeight Vacuum, Bagless, 3106B and a Eureka Lightweight Easy Clean Upright Vacuum Cleaner. However, we could not decide, from the descriptions and reviews, which of the two would be "better" so we bought one of each! (We decided that it would be much more convenient to have one of these smaller vacuums on each level, an easy decision given their low prices.) Now Amazon may have thought we were going to try each and return the one we didn't like. We had no such intention. And, in fact, we like both of them and we shall keep both of them. Both of these are so easy to assemble right out of the box that few, if any, people would even need to look at the instruction manual. They both assemble easily and their parts fit together perfectly. Now there are some design differences which do not make themselves apparent until after you actually own the products. In our opinions, the Eureka is better designed physically than is the Bissell. The Eureka has a telescoping handle so that it is much easier to change the configuration to use as a handheld or as an upright. This has two further benefits: 1) you do not need to store the handle separately when using the vacuum as a handheld and 2) you can wrap the cord for storage with the handle extended or collapsed. You cannot do these two processes with the Bissell. You must physically remove the handle to use it as a handheld and you must replace the handle in order to wrap the cord for storage. Not that this would be a "deal-breaker" but it is an inconvenience, especially when compared to the Eureka. In addition, due to the placement of the cord on the Bissell, wrapping it for storage is somewhat awkward, again, however, certainly not a "deal-breaker." However, my wife feels that the plastic used for the Bissell's construction is of a much higher grade than is that used on the Eureka. In addition, the Bissell FeatherWeight and Easy Mate Filters are sold at a low price conveniently here on Amazon (we bought extras) but those for the Eureka are not. (The filters for both vacuums are washable by hand and would not need to be replaced until they wore out.) It is somewhat less awkward to empty the dust cup on the Eureka than it is with the Bissell. Replacing the filter on both is easy and convenient. My wife has complained that both vacuums have relatively short cords which may, in some parts of our house, require the use of an extension cord. Also she complains that neither has a place to store the included crevice nozzle. But ALL of these quibbles, especially as regards the slight inconveniences of the Bissell vs. the Eureka, are quite minor and are certainly forgivable in view of their VERY low prices. (The Bissell is less expensive than the Eureka but in our opinions both offer excellent value for money.) Really, at least according to us, it is a "photo-finish" as regards their vacuuming performance - excellent at what they are designed to do - and desirability. Now we have read that some people have complained that these lightweight stick vacuums do not deep clean carpets well. Of course they don't! That is NOT what they are designed to do. As I stated, this Bissell model does a simply excellent job at its actual intended purpose: cleaning of bare floors and light touch-ups on carpets. So does the Eureka. Obviously, as we received these units just two days ago, we cannot comment on their longevity. Were the Bissell to fail prematurely, I would update this review. So, if you are considering buying one, both my wife and I give our wholehearted recommendation to this little Bissell unit (as well as to the Eureka model). I thank you for reading this and I hope that it is of some help to you.