Bissell 37604 Bagless Upright Vacuum

I have three Siamese boys and one Boxer dog, all with short hair. I purchased this vacuum for the "Pet" label on it, but WOW was I disappointed!

First Impression...
I got it home, and assembled it with no problem. While not incredibly heavy, it is definitely no stick vac. I vacuumed for the first time on our regular residential-style carpet and was not blown away, but it did get the pet hair up.

But then... the "pet" attachment!
Then I tried the hose attachment with the rubber-type seal on it. The purpose of this attachment is to pick up additional pet hair than just a brush or plain plastic attachment. I couldn't believe how poorly this worked! I attempted to use it on a fabric-covered recliner that my dog frequents. I pulled the attachment over the seat, and it skipped along the fabric, just basically banging across it rather than vacuuming it. Applying more pressure, I was able to keep it from bouncing, but it really did not pick up any more pet hair than a regular attachment.

Canister Maintenance.
Even the canister was disappointing. Outwardly, it was neat because the canister seemed to be ergonomic and luckily wasn't difficult to remove. However, there were two sliding and removeable pieces that separated two parts of the interior from the rest of it. They are bowed to follow the interior circle of the canister, but are the same colour so you can easily reverse them. My daughters tried to cram the small pieces of plastic back into the canister, and chipped one of the piece's corners within the first week of us having the machine. I was incredulous.

And then, the (non-)sucking sound of disappointment...
It never really picked up all the pet hair, not even with that crappy little "pet" attachment. I would literally have to vacuum twice - something I'd NEVER had to do before - to get the same success I'd had with my previous Hoover (my mother broke it and gave me $200 to buy this monstrosity). Trying to clean in the corners or any upholstery immediately resulted in the attachment hose clogging up. I can honestly say that I spent more time trying to unclog the hose than I did using the vacuum on the floors.

Then in about the third month of me double-vacuuming my floors with this dreadful machine, the actual vacuum floor-sweeping effectiveness dropped down to 20%. I checked the whole vacuum, and nothing seemed amiss. I double-checked the hose; nothing. I unplugged it and disassembled what I could with a screwdriver; nothing. Took out the rolling wheel, checked the belt; nothing. I ended up pushing around crumbs and hair with it. Now I had to triple-vacuum and try to find enough money to replace the crappy thing.

Just say NO to deceptive marketing...
I honestly cannot believe that this pathetic machine is marketed for any pet owners. According to the Bissell.com website, this vacuum is "great vacuum for homes with pets; canister detaches to easily clean stairs and hard to reach areas; thoroughly cleans pet hair; Pet TurboBrush® works like a magnet on pet hair." I'm not sure what kind of magnet THEY'RE using in their labs to attract pet hair, but perhaps they're using dwarf hamsters in their trials. I'm sure after 3 months, though, it couldn't suck up even hamster hair.

This pathetic excuse for a vacuum was left on my curb for the garbage men. Good riddance.