There's A Reason This $99 Cordless Vacuum Sold Out – Here Are My Thoughts
Meredith Holser is B+C's resident affiliate writer. Meredith enjoys writing about a range of topics, but she's adopted e-commerce writing in all its many facets. Outside of work, you can catch Meredith hiking, trying new recipes, and dreaming about having a yummy little treat.
When it comes to investing in home essentials, I turn into a real skeptic. I want to know whether what I end up paying will really be worth it in the long run – thus, I dive into hundreds and hundreds of user reviews and don’t come up for air until I feel confident enough to pull out my wallet.
This was the case when I decided it was finally time to graduate from my small, dinky, under-performing vacuum that I used all throughout college. It was specifically designed for dorm rooms, plus it was one of the only actually affordable options when I needed to budget the most. But, adulting called for something more, and I never thought I’d be so excited about getting a new vacuum.
I got the Bissell PowerGlide Pet Slim Cordless Stick Vacuum 3080 this past Amazon Prime Day for a great deal – and this Prime Big Deal Days (October 10-11), it’s available at an even lower price. it was available at an even lower price and sold out. Here's why it's that good. I’m here to spare you from wasted time reading Amazon reviews and tell you if it’s really worth it. I’m breaking down *all* the selling points you could consider for vacuum, so you can get to shopping!
It's Extremely Effective
Superior Suction Power
I’d say that the Bissell PowerGlide Pet Slim picks up debris about 90% of the time. I don’t have to double back on certain spots very often, which is nice for executing a quick cleaning sesh.
The vacuum has a quite powerful suction, which I’ve found enhances its efficiency in picking up all the dust, dirt, and debris around my place.
Because of its power, though, I’ve faced complications with the corners and edges of my rugs getting stuck in the vacuum head. More on that below.
Hard Floor Mode Versus Carpet Mode
The vacuum has two modes – a hard floor mode and a carpet mode. When I run it, I can’t necessarily tell the difference in effectiveness between the two, other than the carpet setting having a stronger suction than the hard floor setting.
I found the hard floor mode to be a little slow to pick up larger pieces on my floor, primarily in my kitchen. Larger food bits, rocks, and paper scraps I find in my kitchen seem to get left behind.
The carpet mode is impressive on this vacuum. It works wonders on my area rug, which gets the brunt of *all* the crumbs, hairs, and the like. My partner and I eat, lounge, and basically spend most of our free time on the couch, so the heavily-trafficked area needs frequent cleaning.
The most annoying thing about the rug mode is that I can’t really push the vacuum back and forth beyond the corners and edges of my rugs before they get caught in the vacuum head.
Luckily, the vacuum can detect when there’s a blockage and it’ll automatically turn off. Unluckily, I still have to manually pull the rug corners out of the vacuum for things to reset.
Absolutely Perfect For Pet Hair...Just Not Human Hair
Though this vacuum is marketed to primarily clean pet hair, I noticed it picks up more of my partner and I’s hair, because we shed a lot.
Because the main hair-cleaning need for me from a vacuum is human hair, the longer strands posed an issue – the hair caused the Tangle-Free Brush Roll to actually…tangle. This was easily fixed by trimming the hair caught in the roller with scissors, but I realize this manual fix can be laborious.
The wound-up hair happens to me every time I’ve vacuumed, which has definitely proved to be a prevalent annoyance.
The Mechanics Make *Sense*
Simple Settings
I found that the vacuum being cordless was a massive pro. Like I mentioned, I was using a very scrappy, corded, $40 vacuum, so transitioning to this one felt very rewarding.
The controls on the vacuum are very easy to understand – it just has one power button and two buttons for the two different modes. Plus, the user manual lays everything out very clearly.
Long-Lasting Battery Life
So, upon the first use, I thought I’d have to charge this vacuum for at least half a day per the booklet instructions, but it only took a couple hours to get a full charge! This was a pleasant surprise and soothed my impatience, TBH.
It's never died on me while using it. I do have a smaller area to clean (I usually just vacuum my entire apartment when I’m cleaning), so if you have a larger square-footage to care for, the vacuum’s battery life could potentially pose an issue.
Fantastic Features + Attachments
There's a bright light that sits at the base of the vacuum that helps you better see hard-to-clean areas and detect debris. I found that I really appreciate the extra visibility from this feature! Plus, the head of the vacuum is quite flexible, which is really helpful in getting under my couch and other furniture I have throughout my apartment!
The vacuum comes with a wall mount that you have to install yourself. I think it could be great for storage in your home, like in closets or other inconspicuous places. I opted not to set my wall mount up because I’m renting my apartment and it might not be the best idea to poke more holes in the walls!
The vacuum comes with a kit consisting of different attachments – a pet hair upholstery tool, crevice tool, and dusting brush for special vacuum jobs. I admittedly haven't used any of them yet, but could see where each one could have a use for furniture, car interiors, and baseboards.
Manageable Canister Maintenance
The user manual for the vacuum suggests cleaning out the canister after every use. Since I do a full sweep (or in this case, vacuum) of my entire apartment when I use it, I’ve found this frequency to be accurate, but not hard at all!
The canister is really easy to detach from the vacuum stick. It comes fitted with an extra filter on the top that also locks into the canister for security – that way, the gunk you just cleaned off the floor doesn't end up on the floor again.
I make sure to open the canister above my trash can, just in case any fine debris try to escape.I’ve found that nothing sticks to the inside of the canister when I clean it out, which is great so I don’t have to move anything out with my hands. That’s a win, IMO!
A *Little* Top-Heavy
I do view the vacuum as a bit top-heavy. My arm starts to get tired when I near the end of my cleaning sesh, and I have to switch off arms every few minutes. But hey, when chores can double as a workout, I won’t complain.
Also, because I don’t use the wall mount that came with the vacuum, when I lean the vacuum up against a wall or piece of furniture, it’s not super secure and I’ve actually had it fall over once because of the top weight. Would not recommend letting it stand straight up on its own if you’re not mounting it.
It's Actually Affordable!
So here’s the tea on pricing: I bought this vacuum back in July for Prime Day. I paid about $180 down from the original price of $250. During Prime Big Deal Days (October 10-11 only), the vacuum was only $99.99!
All things considered, I think this vacuum is totally worth it. If you’re looking for a replacement for your sad, under-performing vacuum, this is the one for you. It will work especially well for you if you live in a small space, like an apartment. Plus, you’ll get it at a truly unbeatable price (one that I’m quite salty I didn’t get) when you shop during Prime Big Deal Days.
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Brit + Co. may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
Lead image via Amazon.
This post has been updated.
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Meredith Holser is B+C's resident affiliate writer. Meredith enjoys writing about a range of topics, but she's adopted e-commerce writing in all its many facets. Outside of work, you can catch Meredith hiking, trying new recipes, and dreaming about having a yummy little treat.