BISSELL is an American manufacturer of vacuum cleaners and floor care appliances. They offer a diverse selection of vacuum cleaners, ranging from compact handheld cordless vacuums to bulky corded uprights and everything in between. Most of their offerings are somewhat budget-friendly and use bagless designs, meaning that recurring costs tend to be pretty low. That said, quite a few of their more compact offerings struggle with clearing bulky debris, while their bigger corded uprights generally feel somewhat cheap. Our team of CNET experts, editors and lab technicians has been testing vacuums in a smart home and testing warehouse located in Louisville, for over 10 years.
You’ll find that the Miele will work well on carpet, bare and wood floors. The head is fitted with rubber wheels and a metal sole plate to prevent floor scratches. However, some models are better than others when it comes to cleaning different surfaces. This is why your needs are most important when deciding which of the many models is the best Bissell vacuum for you. While the ICONpet cordless vacuum did a great job cleaning up after Gunther, there were a few pieces of litter here and there that bissell pet vacuum still escaped.
Meanwhile, the Tineco Pure One S11 is the only cordless vacuum in the top 5 of our sand tests that retails for less than $500. At a price of $400 (or less, if you catch a sale), it offers a high level of performance at a strong value relative to the competition, which is a large part of the reason why it’s our top recommended cordless vacuum. Sucking sand out of carpets like those is a real challenge — most of the vacuums we test can’t even remove 80% of the stuff when all is said and done. If you have thick carpets like those in your home, it’s definitely worth a look. Designed for hard flooring, it shines a green laser out onto the floor as you clean, making it easy to see dust and other small bits of debris otherwise hard to spot with the naked eye. It isn’t much help under strong indoor lighting or sunlight, but it’s still a nice, unique feature that we found helpful as we cleaned.
The last time we updated our list of the best cordless vacuums, we pointed to the Tineco A11 Hero as an outstanding midrange option. Now, in 2023, it’s available for $260 or less, if you catch it on sale (we’ve seen it fall below $200 pretty regularly in recent bissell cordless vacuum months). That makes it more of a value pick — and as value picks go, it’s one of your best options. The Pure One S11’s black-and-white build is perhaps a bit bland, and we wish that it offered a bit more than 40 minutes of runtime under optimal conditions.
In that time, we’ve refined our testing methods and assessments in a controlled environment to measure the proficiency of robot vacuums, full-sized models and cordless stick vacuums alike. For more check out this detailed article on how we test vacuums at CNET. You typically hear about HEPA filters in regard to air purifiers, but vacuums also rely on them to clean your home’s air. In that time, we’ve refined our testing methods and assessments in a controlled environment to measure the proficiency of robot vacuums, full-sized models and cordless stick vacuums alike. Pet hairs find their way into every nook and cranny of your home, and different areas require different cleaning attachments.
Also interesting is the readout on the back of the vacuum, which lists the ratio of dirt collected by particle size. Bissell Zing’s canister vacuum is a great option for smaller homes or apartments. The retractable, 15-foot power cable lets you move around most average-sized rooms without having to drag the canister around the entire time. When it is time to change rooms, the large wheels and integrated carrying handle make it easy to move the vacuum. The Zing may be small, but it has good suction and cyclonic action to collect most dirt and debris.
Both types of vacuums can deliver a deep clean on both carpets and bare floors, but a canister vacuum is usually easier to control. Upright vacuums are one unit on wheels and typically can only move in one straight direction. A canister vacuum consists of a long handle with a cleaning head attached to a canister on wheels. It gives you more freedom to move around and roam without having to carry around the entire unit as you clean. Most vacuums will start losing power when the filters need cleaning or replacing.
From Dyson and Samsung to Tineco and Shark, here are the top models that cleaned up in our tests. It’s usually on the lower back or bottom of the machine (for Lift-Off® models, remove the Lift-Off pod to find label) or behind the cleaning tanks. Depending on the issue, having your vacuum serviced after the warranty has expired might not be worth the cash. To suss out any potential lemons, we dig through buyer reviews on multiple retailers to see if any vacuum brands or models have consistent breakage issues, either with the motor or external parts.
Still, those are fair tradeoffs at this price, especially considering how well it cleans. At $400 or less, it’s the first cordless vacuum we’d recommend for just about anyone in need of a new one. The dustbin is a cinch to empty and clean, and the battery is removable, too. Replacements are priced at $80 each, which is pretty reasonable by cordless vacuum standards. There’s also a handy trigger lock lever to keep the vacuum running without constant finger pressure. If you’re prone to allergies or have other respiratory issues, running the vacuum can trigger them as it blows particles around.