Bissell CleanView 3590 Bagless Upright Vacuum

I bought this after noticing that all Bissell vacuum cleaners had high marks on epinions. We needed a new vacuum desperately. Our old one had many problems and got to the point that it wasn't doing much more than spreading stuff around on the carpet. So I came here to epinions, looking for a good manufacturer first, and then a specific model. This model got high marks and looked like an overall affordable and versatile vacuum. I found it at our local Walmart for $75. We brought it home, assembled it no problem (one screw to attach the handle, two screws to attach the hose, everything else slides in place), and "test drove" it on our carpets.

Immediately we could see the results through the clear collecting cup--all of the stuff (dust, lint, cat hair) that our other vacuum hadn't been picking up was collecting like mad in the cup. Wow. You could also feel the power through the handle of the vacuum. Pushing it back and forth over the carpet, you could feel the suctioning power. You could see it too--the carpet fibers were slanted all in one direction after the vacuum passed over, so you could tell where you had been, and it looked very distinct--not like the faint tracks left by our previous vacuum. This almost looked like it had been steam cleaned or something! The dirt container was easy to remove and empty and replace--slide a lever to the left, pull dirt container straight out (sides are grooved for easy gripping), dump, replace, slide a lever back to the right. You can wash the container with soap and water if you wish.

The upper tank and filter above the dirt collecting cup is easily accessed after removing the dirt collecting cup, and easily cleaned with soap and water. You can alternately access this tank and filter through the back of the vacuum.

The pre-motor filter is underneath the dirt container, and slides out easily without undoing any latches, etc. The post-motor filter is behind a door on the side of the cleaner. Both can be hand washed and air dried and replaced. You can also buy replacements if you want. The pre-motor filter protects the motor; the post-motor filter keeps dust from escaping back into the room you're vacuuming.

The cord comes out of the side of the vacuum, as opposed to the bottom of back, which at first I thought was strange, but then I realized it was an asset. You don't have to keep worrying about running over the cord this way--it's out of the way and to the side, so if you just hold the cord like you normally do, it's already off to the side and you don't have to worry about also keeping it off of the floor for fear of running over it and electrocuting yourself or at least ruining the cord. Since the cord comes out of the side, it also winds up there (manually), and that is a little awkward, but no big deal. To unwind the cord faster, the top "hook" turns down so that the cord loops can all slide off at once.

There are three handle positions, and the handle release pedal is in a convenient position on the left bottom of the vacuum on the top of the brush compartment--easy to manipulate with your foot. There is an upright position, normal usage position, and low position for vacuuming under tables, etc. You don't have to carry the vaccum by its handle to move it around--you can wheel it on its back wheels while doing a "wheelie" or you can pick it up by the carrying handle built into the top back of the main body of the vacuum.

There are seven height positions for the brushes--from bare floor to thick carpets. You change the height by turning a dial on the top of the front of the vacuum's brush compartment. The good thing about having it there is that you won't inadvertantly kick it out of place with your foot and change the height, which is something that was always happening with my previous vacuum cleaner. The down side to the brush compartment is that it takes a screwdriver to remove 4 screws to access the belt or brushes for untangling hair, replacing the belt, etc.

There is a thermal protector to prevent the vacuum from overheating--if activated, the vacuum will stop running. After about 30 minutes of cooling, the protector will reset and you can resume vacuuming.

The thing I like least about this vacuum is the attachments and extension wand. The tools and wand push onto the hose easily enough, and the hose does stretch out a little, and all store out of the way in easy-to-reach places on the back of the main part of the vacuum. BUT--Even though the hose attached to the extension wand stretches, with the extension wand stretched towards the ceiling and the brush attachment on, I couldn't get the brush near the ceiling unless the vacuum cleaner was absolutely directly underneath the attachment, and that's not convenient in the least. And even then, the brush barely touched the ceiling. To do the shutters in our living room windows, I had to pick up the vacuum with one hand and use the wand with the other. I never had to do that with any other vacuum cleaner before.

Also, there is no upholstery attachment. Just a round brush for lamp shades and such and a crevice tool for corners, etc. Neither is great for doing couches. In short, this vacuum is perfect for all floor surfaces, just keep it on the floor--at least don't use it higher off the ground than your tabletop lamp shades anyway, unless you want to make vacuuming a two-handed major calorie-burning exercise!

Troubleshooter guide included in user guide. Limited one-year warranty. Safety instructions, operations, maintenance, replacement parts list, etc. included in user guide.