Bissell CleanView 3590 Bagless Upright Vacuum

I have been using a FeatherLite vacuum for the last couple of years. It has always been rather loud and its cleaning ability is best described as adequate. Despite its name, it was cumbersome to carry up and down the stairs, and changing the bag was a real pain.

We tested out some Orecks but could not justify the prices.

After doing some research, I found the Bissell Cleanview obtaining consistently high marks from publications as well as customers. I purchased mine at Kohls for $89.99. After getting it home, it took only 3 screws (using a Phillips screwdriver) and 5 minutes from box to actually using it on my carpets. Ease of set-up was a dream.

The attachments clip onto the back/side in a compact fashion and are very easily removed, used and returned to their spots.

From a noise perspective, since I was so used to the noisy FeatherLite, I can only say that this is a fraction as loud. It is acceptably quiet.

Saving the best for last: Cleaning ability. WOW! What a job it has done on my carpets. Entrance ways that I thought permanently matted down sprang back and look better than they have in years. The easily adjustable height control switch on the front lets me quickly switch from using it on my wood floors (which it does a very nice job on) to my foyer rugs straight through to my wall-to-wall carpets. As powerful as it is, I was concerned about using it on my foyer and throw rugs (thinking it might suck them in) but it cleaned them nicely and didn't eat them up.

It is only adequate on getting into the tough spots against the floor boards and corners but a quick flick of the attachment hose along the baseboard and those corners are no longer dusty. I used the attachment to do my stairs and it did a marvelous job.

There's another attachment brush for furniture and blinds, which I used and, as expected, it did a great job there as well. Clean, dusted, no damage to blinds or furniture.

The soft bumpers around the edges of the main vacuum soften the blows against the furniture when you're not exactly paying attention or rushing. That's nice.

The on-off switch is exactly that: a switch on the side. I like that a lot rather than fumbling around for yet another foot pedal.

The cord is very, very long. I can go a long, long time without having to change outlets every two feet. However, you do need to be careful - because it is so long, you have be watchful not to run over the cord.

It's a little disgusting to be able to actually see the dirt and debris piling up in the dirt cup. We were walking on that! We were breathing that! It was a little addictive at first when I was using it to see just how much dirt I could accumulate to prove the worth of my new vacuum. The one and only drawback (certainly not a deal-killer) was actually emptying the dirt cup. Because there's no bag, when you open the dirt cup to empty it, a bit of dust tends to kick up. That gets all over the front of the vacuum. After I empty the cup and replace it, I usually have to dust or wipe off the front of the vacuum.

The two filters the vacuum uses are very accessible, easily removed, cleaned (with water) or just replaced. If you keep them well cleaned (clean after 2-3 vacuumings), they'll last for a few months.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with my new vacuum. I HATE cleaning and avoid it whenever I can. I know it sounds stupid, but I really don't mind vacuuming anymore because I get visible, tangible results of my efforts: fresher looking carpeting and I actually see the dirt we were living with.

I highly recommend this vacuum as not only a great value, (which was an excellent bargain), but simply because it is an exceptional vacuum cleaner.