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BISSELL PowerEdge Pet Hard Floor Corded Vacuum, 81L2A (Same as 81L2T) - Bissell
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Bissell 1161 Hard Floor Expert Deluxe Canister Vacuum - Bissell

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BISSELL PowerEdge Pet Hard Floor Corded Vacuum, 81L2A (Same as 81L2T) - Bissell
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Bissell 1161 Hard Floor Expert Deluxe Canister Vacuum - Bissell
Rating info
eComparisons Score
eComparisons ScoreThe "Comparison Score" Is calculated based on the average number of times this item was compared with other items in this category by our users
8.4
7.8
User Rating (Amazon)
User Rating (Amazon)

Five Star Reviews:

62%
LOVE this vacuum!
September 23, 2016
This is a must have if you have wood floors and pets! My husband was so annoyed with me for buying another vacuum, but he has told me several times in the past few weeks how much he loves it. We had a Dyson at our old house, but needed something for hardwoods at our new place. I seriously can't believe how great this is, especially for the price. The Dyson was so heavy and almost impossible to maneuver. This one is incredibly lightweight and you barely have to do anything. My 12-year-old is vacuuming daily...on her own. If you have kids, you know this is a miracle. But the BEST part! It works! No hair, no crumbs, not even dust left behind. We have very dark floors and no rugs yet, so there was dust everywhere. This actually picks up all the dust. It's amazing. Picks up litter, stray carpet from the cats' scratching post, everything. We really have to vacuum daily around here because of pets and renovation work, and now it isn't a huge pain. For upholstery and stairs, try their Pet Hair Eraser hand vac. Bissell is my new favorite!
Finally found the one!
April 16, 2016
I love this vacuum. I have two cats and they use the Cat Genie--if you're familiar with it, it's an awesome self-cleaning cat box. The box is amazing, but the cats track these little granules all over the place. I have hardwood floors so I find them everywhere! I also have a long-haired cat with very fine hair (Norwegian Forest Cat) so that also gets into every crack and crevice, and tends to want to stick there!These are my first hardwood floors, so I have spent a fair amount of money on different vacuums and cleaners--a lot of it wasted. This was not a waste of money! This is the one! It cleans up the hair, the dust and the granules without any problem. The cord is long enough where it's not annoying, the power is strong enough for what I need. I like the fact that the front it split so I can get the corners!Now if it would only clean the floors itself when I'm at work. ;)
A great little vacuum
February 14, 2016
This is the perfect little vacuum. I live in a small apartment with hardwood and tile flooring with two long hair cats. It's fairly quiet so I don't have to worry about using it at odd times and waking up my neighbors which is good since I work odd hours and can't always clean during normal "awake" hours. The cord is long enough that I don't have to move outlets constantly and the light build and swivel head make it very easy to maneuver. I was concerned about the suction power as my old vacuum was a beast. While this vacuum doesn't come close to the power of my old one, it's more than adequate as long as the filter is clean, a lot of that is because of the squeegie/funnel design, it's really good it picking everything up.

I was worried about the squeegie blades before I ordered it. Were they sticky rubber that would grab the floor and make it hard to push? Were they so firm that they'd catch on the small nail heads that stick up occasionally on my beat up old floors? After getting the vacuum I'm happy to say that they're a fairly medium density rubber that doesn't stick too much and is also very pliable. The continuous blade in the rear is backed by a hard piece of plastic at about half it's depth that prevents it from bending too far back and adds some stiffness, as is the center of the front blade, while the edges of the front blade can bend more freely. This allows it to be pushed over the occasional small nail heads and even my beveled door sills without getting hung up or damaged.

The only thing that this vacuum doesn't have is a detachable hose, if they ad that in a future version I'd buy the new one.
LIFE CHANGER!!
November 6, 2015
This vacuum is a LIFE CHANGER!!! Last Christmas we redid our floors. We were so so excited to get rid of our carpet and replace it with some laminate. Since we've never done this before we didn't make the wisest choose in color or finish. And we went with near black/high shine. PALM TO FOREHEAD. We have 3 dogs and a toddler. Immediately after installation we realized our grave mistake. We had a shark vacuum which we loved for the carpet but it was so freaking bulky and didn't pick up all the dust particles. I started searching. I almost bought a Roomba but I think my husband would have killed me for spending anymore money. So I read reviews for this and have it a shot. It changed our lives. This thing picks up EVERYTHING. Every speck of dog hair and dander and dryer fuzz particles. I mean everything. It's incredible. I'd pay $500 for this thing. We've had it for nearly a year and we use it every. Single. Day. Sometimes twice a day. If you're contemplating this vacuum and in a similar situation as us. Do it. You will not regret it. Your life will change! I recommend this thing to everyone who will Listen to me!! I'm now really glad we picked such terrible floors because now our house is always super clean.
This Vacuum Sucks More Than This Awful Pun!
July 8, 2015
I paid 30 for a refurbished - I actually forgot it was refurbished/used until I noticed a small scuff and then remembered that that scuff saved me $20+ bucks. this replaces a broom basically - don't expect it to do anything a broom couldn't do ( It works great on our pergo floor - picks up dog food, pet hair, dirt and dust. there are a few gripes - the red top filter; for whatever reason its a PitA to line the threads up and put back on. just needlessly difficult, always misaligned. Also, I lost suction this morning and had to fumble around with it for awhile to release whatever it was that blocked it up. There appears to be a way to take the head off so that the user could remedy any blockages but I couldn't figure it out***. Also, I feel like the tabs that the cord winds around could be easily broken if you aren't careful. Other than that, this thing has been amazing - for $30 and delivered to my home...it gets used a lot more than the swifter and a lot more economical as well as effective.

***UPDATE: SO The head piece does in fact come off - its just a little tricky. push the white tab at the base and then lift the black latch around front at the opposite side, careful not to snap it off. from there you have access to everything else! Now that I know how to do that - I'm still pretty pleased with this thing - its for light cleaning so don't over do it, but for hair and dirt its pretty great and more effective than sweeping stuff around.
Our short hair dog SHEDS LIKE NOTHING I've ever seen
October 18, 2014
O M G !

I'm a newly minted Mr. Mom of about 3 years now. (Though that is another story.) Given that I AM NOW THE ONE "Cleaning" everything in the house, I have a new found appreciation for all the stay at home Mom's. Cleaning the whole house IS THE BANE of my existence! That and a 15 year old daughter........
I'll tell you something... I don't write a lot of reviews. But this vacuum deserves EVERY FREAKING 5 Star review it gets! Our short hair dog SHEDS LIKE NOTHING I've ever seen! IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP UP WITH! Our house HAS NO CARPET. So I've been "sweeping" (DUH!) for 3 years now. I just vacuumed the bulk of what I normally "sweep" in about a 1/4 of the TIME! Plus this thing gets UNDER EVERYTHING! Along THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING! And the V shape let's you get into places that you just COULD NEVER GET TO! It has... Awesome Power/Suction... Easy as pie to use and empty! Very well built! A STEAL AT Fifty Bucks! Works FANTASTIC! The only slight negative is the power cord is just a tad short.. NO BIG DEAL! Just add a 25 or 50 ft extension cord. If you are contemplating this? Or "On the fence?" JUST GO AHEAD AND AND BUY IT! This thing is a MAJOR TIME SAVER!!! And works on ANY HARD FLOOR! I'm beyond impressed!
54%
Not the best mix lol
January 16, 2017
I have a cat and a tiny studio apartment in Queens. Not the best mix lol. My floors are hardwood and the other vacuum I had just wasn't cutting it. This one is AMAZING. Gets in every nook and cranny pretty much and is super easy to use and walk around with it trailing behind you. The only thing is some larger pieces of dirt, like individual bits of cat food or litter (I use pellets) can be a little tricky to get up as you have to really make sure it's at the right angle if you have it on the standard brush attachment. But I would just take that off and suck up anything else if it didn't come up. Pretty quiet too compared to my other vacuum. Love it!
Awesome vacuum for the price. Highly recommend.
December 3, 2016
Great vacuum for cheap ($130+tax). We were a little worried switching from a stand-up to a canister but this thing works awesome. I have two dogs that shed a ton (80 lbs and 50 lbs). And this sucks up all the hair versus spreading it out like my old vacuum. You can go over hair forwards or backwards. The wand does extend if you use the gray plastic thing in the middle and pull on the two ends. I am 5' 11" and can use the vacuum fine with it fully extended. My wife is 5' 0" so she uses it on close to the shortest setting. The buttons on the handle are kind of useless as the batteries die fast. The cord is a hair short and the container is a little on the small side but these things are easily dealt with for the performance you are getting. Way worth it for the price to take the extra 30 seconds to dump it out or switch wall plugs.
Excellent hard floor vacuum!
October 16, 2016
Oh my gosh! I love this hard floor vacuum! I recently moved into a renovated 1956 home with the original hardwood floors throughout that had been beautifully re-finished. I wasn't sure how to care for them since I had never had wood floors before. Not wanting to scratch them, and after doing some research, I decided on this vacuum. I'm glad I did! It did a great job picking up dust, dog hair, and leaves that the dogs brought in on their hair. Not to mention that the brush on the hard floor head is very soft and the canister wheels are rubber, not hard plastic. My only complaint is the cord is very short. You won't be able to move from room to room easily without changing outlets. In my opinion, that is a small inconvenience to get such a great hard floor vacuum!
This vacuum has GREAT suction, which I was really worried about
July 24, 2016
This vacuum has GREAT suction, which I was really worried about. I have many cats and lots of cat litter, and hard floors. The hard floor attachment has a rotating brush which my old (very old) vacuum did not. That rolling brush in combination with the great suction does an amazing job picking up everything! Cat litter, cat hair, etc. I was afraid it would suck the "wood off the floorboards..." You'll love this vac, I do! (Nobody is paying me to say that!) It doesn't spread the litter around at all, which some people asked in the questions section. I researched a lot of vacs and finally decided on this one. Even tho some reviewers said that the dirt cup is too small (true) and the cord is too short (I find it fairly sufficient), I was willing to compromise on those things for other features that I was looking for. Good luck!
It really sucks... in a good way! :-) Highly recommend! I love it!!!
July 4, 2016
WOW. I am so happy that I got this vacuum after doing a lot of research and reading a lot of reviews.I am attaching lots of pictures of this Hard Floor canister vacuum so that you'll see the wonderful features it has to offer.First of all, I didn't read the product specs when I bought it, and I discovered them as I was taking the vacuum and its parts out of the box. I expected a regular canister vacuum, nothing fancy. One thing that caught my eyes was the 2 AAA batteries. I have never had a vacuum that uses batteries. So I read the quick 3 step instructions on putting the batteries in the handle which has a built in remote that allows the user to control the amount of suction and to temporary turn off and on the vacuum. Impressive!! In order to use the remote in the handle, you will need to first turn the vacuum on by pressing the ON button on the canister. Then you can adjust the suction and turn the vacuum off/on using the remote in the handle. When you press the ON/OFF button in the remote to turn it off, you'll noticed that a light going back and forth on the canister, indicating that the vacuum is on, but in like a pause mode. This is the same light used to indicate the suction setting.Another thing that I really like is the canister for the dirt/dust. I thought it was going to use a disposable bag or one of those canisters that require me to scrap the dust off the filter in the canister, which is very messy. Well, this one is very well designed, and the dirt/dust is trapped in one side of the canister, and once the door opens, I can easily dump the dirt into the trashcan without having to touch the dirt, and no dirty filter to scrub either. Very nice!The first thing I noticed during set up is that the parts can be attached and unattached very easily. It is so user friendly. I don't have to push and pull the parts part. They click into place, and by pushing the button on the side, the parts can be slide apart with little effort. When I turn the vacuum on, WOW... so quiet! It makes me naturally handle the vacuum more gently. I turned the suction setting up to a 5. I can feel the suction on my hard wood floor, sucking up the dirt/dust/fur.I used the carpet part to vacuum the rug, and it seemed to do a pretty good job. I don't have any carpet in my house to really test it out. I used the hand tool with the brush to vacuum the runner on the staircase, and WOW, it sucks up all the pet fur with little effort. I have 3 cats and 1 little dog, and they shed a lot. I am really thankful that I found this vacuum, because it really sucks up all the fur, and my house looks and feels so clean.Although I have only used it once and only vacuumed 2 of the 3 floors and 1 of the 2 flights of staircase, I am amazed by how much this vacuum sucked up. Not sure where it found all the fur! LOLI hope this vacuum will hold up. I'll update this review if I ran into any problems. Until then... I am so happy with this vacuum, and the price is so reasonable for the performance I'm getting. No, I can get rid of the old canister and the new handvac that is underperforming.
Stop searching for a hard wood floor vacuum you just found what you need!
December 8, 2014
So me and my wife live near a central shopping hub, you name the store we got it, from mom and pops to the big box stores. We bought 1 vacuum claiming it would do hard wood and area carpets tried it all it did was push the dirt around, back it went. Got a second one tried it and it would struggle on our tile to pick things up in the groves yet do ok on the hard wood floors, back it went. So I did some serious shopping and found this. I was not expecting much and just hoping it was a bit better from those others. Wow ot put those others to shame! My main level is 1200 Sq ft I have areas of tile and areas of hardwood and this thing handles it all. So with a normal vacuum you hear the head spinning with this the head is powered by suction now it is not like those you get on a vacuum for furniture powered by suction this works through everything. I have 2 german shepherds and this vacuum handles the enormous amounts of hair no problem. From dirt tracked in to dogs hair to flour it got it all without an issue. The baskets easy to empty and clean. With the area rugs it does clean them but obviously due to the tickets it doesn't use the head but at least you can pick up the stuff on the surface. I love that it has a holder in the back specifically for holding up the handle when your storing this. It also has controls for suction and power right on the handle without any cords running to the handle as it communicates through IR without an issue. The cord winds up ok as well no issues. Wouldn't trade for any other kind of vacuum for my hard floors. This is a must if you are have a place you hate sweeping and tracking the left over dirt.

Four Star Reviews:

19%
Not THE best, but works fine and does what I wanted it to (pick up larger food/craft items on the hard floor)
December 30, 2016
I like the design for getting around legs of furniture and end edges of furniture, but it is harder to use in an actual corner. It also does not work on carpet AT ALL. It also does not pick up fine particles like glitter. I have to use my general vac for that. However, it does pick up small hard candy like MNM's and food like peas. I have had other hard floor sweepers that worked better in corners and picked up even glitter, but those were cordless and all three of them stopped holding a charge within a year. Soooo... here we are with a corded one (not preferred, but I feel it necessary after three failed cordless). Happy enough with it and didn't want to spend more money, so... happy with it for what it is.
Favorite stick vacuum for tile floor
December 10, 2016
I bought this for the tile in my kitchen and love it. The 'V" shape did take a little getting used to, but once you figure out how to use it, it works amazing for getting the edges and corners. It has picked up dirt, crumbs, larger items like popcorn and cut up pieces of paper and everything else that has ended up on my floors. The suction seems powerful. The cord length is nice and long. Cleaning it is as easy as emptying the canister. Would definitely buy again, but it seems like this is going to hold up for quite a while!
you are not going to believe it @ this $$
December 1, 2016
unbelievable vacuum for the price! I would have given it 5 stars if the cord wasn't so darn short. but that would be my only complaint. works amazingly great on my wood floors & ceramic tile floors! we live in the desert and it seems like the floors are always dirty, love this quick easy vacuum to clean them right up.
Very good but very specific purpose
April 23, 2016
It's great for what it is designed to do.

1. It DOES NOT WORK on carpeting. I mean not at all -- I am a pretty strong guy and it won't budge on medium to thick carpeting so don't even think about it.

2. It will work on flat outdoor style carpetting (e.g., runners with rubber backing).

3. It has very good pickup power on tiling. It handles errant pieces of dog food fine.

4. It is light.

5. They added additional manueverability that allows you to turn the vacuum 30-40 degrees with a flick of the wrist.

6. They added the "V" shape to the front so it gets in corners fine.

7. The thing to get the head of the vacuum down is kind of at the bottom -- you have to bend down to get to it -- which is a pain. The small things we bi*&^ch about, right?

8. Very easy to empty.

Very light.
Love this vacuum for an inexpensive, light weight and quick solution for picking up dog hair
April 15, 2016
Love this vacuum for an inexpensive, light weight and quick solution for picking up dog hair. Works great on kitchen floor, picking up after my Springer Spaniel (sheds heavily). Have to get used to the rubber blades instead of brushes; doesn't work on carpet (which it's not designed to do); have a little difficulty maneuvering the edge of the vac along a straight wall as the video shows (but DOES work fine); the "V" shape really does help to gather up all of the dog hair. In addition, I did a test to determine the effectiveness of cleaning up against the bottom/sides of the dog crate - after which I swept the same area with a broom, and no extra debris. The 20-ft cord is a little shorter than some of the others, but should fit most kitchens OK. I opted for the corded model so as not to be bothered with charging, how long it's been running, etc.

Only real issue is vacuuming against the back wall under the desk - which is cumbersome and doesn't always get everything. All in all - very happy with my $50 solution.
Decent product, seems well built and has great suction - great for pet hair, but...
May 14, 2015
I bought this to replace my wife's swiffer. We have a large house with a lot of hardwood and two German Shepherds. She seems to constantly be changing swiffer pads and then having to pick up the little piles with a papertowel. She was initially excited and approved of the purchase. Unfortunately she only used it for a week and then went back to her swiffer.

The Vacuum itself is great. It swivels great to get in all the nooks and crannies, it has a long cord, and great suction and does especially well on the edges. The quality seems decent, it seems well built, I am not concerned about it scratching the floors, and like I said - it has great suction. It's a luxury item though and outside of the convenience factor, there's nothing this can do that my Kirby can't already do.

Her issues compared to the swiifer is she likes to listen to the TV when she swiffers and this vacuum is VERY LOUD especially echoing off the hard wood and the walls. She also prefers changing swiffer pads to winding and unwinding the cord and then moving the plug around when she changes rooms.

This review is for the product itself and it's a four star product. If my wife was to rate this compared to the swiffer, should give this a three star rating.
21%
good vacuum for the price
May 10, 2017
This vacuum is very light and easy to move around. We were replacing a vacuum we had for many years - and some of the modern changes were to the negative, some to the positive. The cord is not as long as I would like - I am sure that is a safety feature added. The hardwood tool is not as 'fuzzy' on the bottom as I would like, but does the job well.I love the ease with which you can dump the vacuum - and change the filters. It is easy to carry up the stairs and the attachments are handy.
Great Vacuum For The Price!
April 3, 2017
This vacuum is really lightweight. I had a Kirby Generation 3 before and was not expecting to be so happy with such an inexpensive vacuum. The suction on this vacuum is actually pretty good. We have hardwood floors throughout with a few rugs and this vacuum works very well for our needs. My only complaints would be the short cord (I have to plug it in in each room), the hose attachment is a little short for cleaning up high but the canister is really light and lastly the brush attachment is a little course. I would be worried about it leaving scratches. Thankfully I kept my old brush attachment.All in all I am very pleased with this vacuum.
Short Cord
March 21, 2017
Great bare floor vacuum. The turbine-driven floor brush is much more effective than the bare floor attachment on my other canister vacuum and the suction is very strong. I would not recommend this vacuum if you have a lot of carpets. The only reason that I am not giving it a 5 star rating is that the cord is at least 6 feet too short which means you have to frequently change wall outlets.
One big flaw of this vacuum
March 2, 2017
There's only one thing about this vacuum that is not good, and to me, it's a big one, when any part of the rotator of vacuum head comes off the floor (flat surface) the rotator stops turning and air suction stops. Therefore, if you have a hard to get to stop and need to angle the head you have no suction. In my opinion this is a big flaw. If someone knows how to change this setting, please advise me.
Does the job
November 7, 2016
I just got this vacuum today and had to try it immediately. My first impression is that the cord is very short. I had to unplug it several times and move the plug to reach other areas. The vacuum is very small lightweight and easy to handle. It gets in tight spaces and has different suction power levels. However it did not pick up bigger solid debris very well. The rubber grip is a little rough on my hands so you have to grip it lightly. It definitely picked up all of the dirt and debris on my hardwood floors. It was really good against corners and against the wall. The retractable cord is very useful and has powerful retracting. It took me a while to get a handle on twisting the tube to get under furniture's but it works good under furniture. I have long hair and just like most vacuums my hair got caught in the brushes and now I have to remove the brush to get the hair out and it does not look easy to do that. Overall I am happy with the vacuum it's lightweight and gets the job done. I vacuumed the majority of the house in no time at all it is way easier than sweeping. I haven't tried the carpet yet but that's next. The carpet accessory doesn't have a rotating brush so I don't know how powerful it's going to be. The value is good for the money. This vacuum had good reviews in most places I researched that's why I bought it.
Nice sleek, efficient floor vac.
November 17, 2014
Does a decent to good job on floors, the floor attachment seems to be picking up all the dirt and debri on the floor with no problems. Small and compact but will cause tall people abit of bending down as another reviewer mentioned. I didn't mind it as much for a 850 ft apartment. I do feel the cord is abit shorter than standard ones as I had to connect it in various outlets throughout the apt to finish the floors completely. Suction seems good with all attachments. The carpet attachment worked fine in the bedroom as well as on a living room square rug.The stand bye button on the grip is nice and I found myself using it alot when i needed to move furniture and chairs around. The retractable cord is nice for storing. Speaking of that, upright storage is convenient but I can possible see the hose craking once its upright after afew month. I may just unplug the hose from the main canister when storing.Overall I'm happy with this sleek non cheap feeling canister vac :) Only real con is the length of the tube attachment (I'm 6' 2"). Wish it was at least 8-10 more inches.

Three Star Reviews:

7%
Great for pet hair pickup but not so great for the user's lungs.
April 20, 2017
It's more than okay in terms of power, and how well it picks up all my long-haired cats' fur that tends to drift around the place, as well as all the shredded stuff off their scratching posts. It's also not too terribly loud, and I live in a partially adobe, fully stucco'd house with all ceramic tile floors that turns everything into something 2-4x louder than it feels like it should be.

I also had no problems with using it along wall edges, the weird-shaped head seems to really do its job well, and it IS super lightweight which is also very nice.

However, despite using the microlined filters and so on, it really releases a lot of very fine dust back into the air, and the exhaust, placed as it is pretty much on the front top of the vacuum, means that as you're following it along, you're walking right into everything it has expelled at around face level, especially if you aren't terribly tall.

And worse, if you bend forward, like to real quick shove a curtain out of the way or something, it pretty much is right up in your face. This might not be too terrible for people not living in desert environments where there is a lot of fine dust, but it had me coughing and wishing I'd put a face mask on before using it, and I'm lucky nothing got in my eyes. I'm positively ill even a good fifteen minutes later and coughing from all the fine dust I inhaled, and my house smells like a sandstorm.
Not crazy about it
July 30, 2016
I bought it because of all the great reviews it had. A testament to: just because it's popular doesn't mean t's as good as people claim. The vacuum is good at picking up dirt/dust wherever you run it, but it doesn't pick up any surrounding dirt as the advertisement states the V look should do. I try to vacuum the corners and edges of my apartment and it does not pick up any of the dirt. I have to follow up with a broom which is what I was trying to avoid. The vacuum would be better if it had an extension to pick up dirt in the hard to reach places. I do use it on ceramic floors.
Maneuvering Difficulty Negates Power
September 17, 2015
This vacuum was almost a great idea, but someone needs to go back to the drawing board and work out a better overall design. It does have three great features: (1) powerful suction—surprisingly powerful for a lightweight stic vac, actually; (2) a V-shaped head for angling around corners; and (3) squeegee type flaps on the bottom instead of a beater bar (rolling brush) to help pull in loose dirt, hair and debris. The problem is, the latter two features actually work against each other, making it very difficult to maneuver.

The V-shape of the squeegees on the bottom causes the vacuum to skid rather than move smoothly. I have to pivot the handle sideways and vacuum at an angle just to get it to glide correctly in one direction (which gets aggravating, and is taxing on the wrist). Then after about two or three strokes, I usually have to lift it up and place it back down on the floor in the direction/angle I need it to go.

The powerful suction does *somewhat* compensate for the lack of maneuverability, but not enough so that I would recommend buying this vacuum. What good is power if you can't move the vacuum around?
The wheels are made like they were meant for a toy
August 30, 2015
Used it just a few times so far. It does pick up the dirt and dog hair well, but its just seems very cheap. The wheels are made like they were meant for a toy, which makes absolutely no sense to me for a vacuum of this type. The noise from the cheap wheels and rubber front end scraping on the floor make it sound like I'm scratching it all up. It also makes the maneuvering more awkward - not smooth at all. I've reached down more than once to check the surface of the wheels to make sure the outer rubber layer on them is sufficient to keep from scratching the floor. I suppose it is, but its very thin, and on very cheap plastic wheels.

I've also realized that it's difficult to get under couches and other furniture with it because you cannot vacuum straight up against the wall with the front end. I have to move the couch to get along the edge of the floor by the wall. Not sure yet if I'm going to keep this one.
Adequate
January 31, 2014
Pros:
Good power given its lightweight.
Convenient to grab and go compared to a full sized upright. Gets small crumbs better than a broom.
Good value.
Sucks up moderately dense, 1/2" sized dry food pieces when they reach the center of the head, but they sometimes have to be encouraged by hand. Larger pieces don't fit.
The edge cleaner gets small stuff well, better than our upright.

Cons:
The right side wheel (when viewed from the perspective pictured) does not roll freely. It has loosened up with use but still occasionally binds and impedes pushing and pulling motion.
The "V" shaped head prevents cleaning the floor completely up to the baseboards when pushing it perpendicular them. This requires a second pass parallel to the baseboard. This requires extra motion and time and is aggravating.
Not as maneuverable as we would like. It has a large turning radius.
The cord is too short. We have to unplug and move to the next outlet to finish vacuuming.

We wanted something that would replace a broom and dustpan but would be more convenient that lugging out a full sized vacuum. This does fit that need; we leave it out ready for service in a corner in the pantry making it easy to grab and go. We had recently purchased the PowerFresh steam mop and were impressed enough with its performance to stay with the Bissell brand. Unfortunately this vacuum does not impress.

We have many small areas that require easy maneuverability to get too. Our bare floor attachment on our upright glides easily over the hardwood on bristles making this task easy. This vacuum has rubber on hard plastic wheels. It does not glide or move easily laterally. To cover the area immediately to the right or left of the head requires the user to retract the vacuum toward oneself and the push it away toward the area one wants to cover. This may not seem too much of an inconvenience but when there are a lot of small areas like this cover, it becomes a time consuming chore.

The "V" shaped head works as advertised to direct dirt toward the center of the vacuum head where it can be sucked up. But this only works well in large areas. The user has to push it forward several feet to get large crumbs into the center. What happens when one runs out of floor space? One has to bend over and push it by hand. Our upright's bare floor attachment doesn't blush at an oncoming wall. If it has not gotten it by the time it reaches the wall, it will get it at the wall by covering it and concentrating its suction power on the offending debris. The upright's bare floor attachment is straight, not a "V" design. This vacuum can leave them at the baseboard and requiring a parallel pass to get them.

Despite these few gripes, it still works well enough to find a place in our home.
6%
i loved it at first
December 9, 2016
so-so. i loved it at first, but after a couple months there are 2 issues: 1, you have to move the cord way too much and i don't have a big house at all. 2, the wheels on the bottom of the hard floor attachment tend to leave marks on my hardwood. if i scrub really hard they come up, so i guess they aren't scratches per se, but its a pain in the butt no less.
Buyer beware
August 17, 2016
I like the machine for my new hard wood floors but be aware that the warranty does not cover brushes and other parts. After only 8 months of use I have had to pay for an entirely new hard wood tool and the brush that goes in it because those parts stopped working. This entailed 2 separate phone calls to Bissell because the first person, who spoke poor English, did not understand what my issue was with the first call. Nice enough guys, but makes it hard for me to recommend a Bissell product. Also the company should stand behind it's product for at least a year.
No bad but I was hoping for better.
August 7, 2016
The Bissell 1161 Hard Floor Expert does a good job vacuuming my hardwood floors and tiled kitchen and bathroom. I was a little upset at first when I noticed the Hard Floor head had brushes and was worried they would scratch my 90 year old floors. However, they are made from a soft nylon and seem to be very gentle.Pros:1. Lightweight2. Easy to change out heads and attachments3. Telescopic wand arm4. Adjustable suction control5. Takes up little space to store, especially compared to other canister vacuumsCons:1. Not very durable - battery cover keeps popping off2. Vacuum tips over if you try to drag it with you - found it is much easier to carry3. Small debris tank - have to empty after each room4. Minimal results on carpets and accent rugs5. Automatically turns on when plugged in (I would prefer to push power button first)Bottom Line:This vacuum does a good job on my hardwoods and tiled floors. However, I find it relatively useless on area and accent rugs. I have had success in using this to dust blinds and other surfaces. Not sure I would recommend to anyone unless they are on a tight budget. Not sure this vacuum will last very long and it doesn't seem to have great suction right out the box.
Caution for those with little kids: very accessible batteries in handle
July 17, 2016
Seems like a good vacuum but disappointed in the lack of safety features for the battery cover on the handle. My small children like to try and vacuum as well, and when my 1-yr-old was pushing it around he dropped the handle and the cover popped open, shooting an AAA battery across the room. Yikes! Unfortunately I'll have to add electrical tape or something of the sort to keep the batteries secure and out of curious hands. Additionally, the cord is not very long. I can't even make it across our living room before needing to plug it in to a different outlet.
Works fine but creates a sort of suction on the floor ...
September 16, 2015
Works fine but creates a sort of suction on the floor so it only picks up what is directly vacuumed over. (Not a problem, just an observation.) The very, very short cord is mildly irritating. I have to plug it into 3 different outlets just to do the living/dining room area - and as mentioned by other reviewers, the dirt canister fills up very quickly.
Great on hardwood, but terrible for everything else.
September 8, 2015
This vacuum is fabulous for hardwood and tile floors, but it's absolutely terrible for rugs (even the flat, low wool ones). One major complaint we have is the size of the canister. We find ourselves having to empty the canister and empty the filter every single time we vacuum the house. It doesn't seem like that should be a big deal, but it's actually very inconvenient when you just want to vacuum a rug and can't get the vacuum to suck anything up. Another complaint is that the cord seems very short compared to other vacuums. We can't even make it across our living room or bedroom without having to change outlets. Such a pain! Just a couple feet more would make a huge difference.The long and short: this is great for smaller rooms with wood and tile floors, but I'd recommend an alternative if you have even the slightest amount of carpet, rug space or any larger sized rooms.

Two Star Reviews:

5%
Just ok....probably should have returned it.
May 24, 2017
I had high hopes for this vac. Its not very powerful, emptying the canister is messy and you have to do it every time you vacuum because the canister is too small. It does pick up cat hair...but just so-so on regular dirt and debris on hardwood floors. It barely picks up the 1/2 eaten cat food nuggets that my cats drop next to their bowls. It's fine for a quick touch up to ke it look like you cleaned more recently than you did...but can't replace my broom and dustmop...which was the whol point of owning one.
Really tried to like it but ended up disappointed.
January 21, 2017
I bought this about a year and a half ago and have really tried to like it. Thought I would like the v-shape base feature that allows it to go into corners but it just hasn't measured up. It just doesn't have enough suction to pick up everything and stuff like cat food just seems to get pushed around until you literally pick up the vacuum and put it over the stuff. Cat and dog hair gets caught up in the plastic guides on the bottom and again, you have to pick it up to get it to suck up the hair. Tried to vacuum up some spilled talcum powder the other day and it just wouldn't do the job. Just don't think it has enough suction.

Sincerely disappointed with the vacuum. Think I'm going to order a straight hard floor vacuum without the plastic things on the bottom and without the "V" shaped base.
I Still Had To Pull Out The Big One
January 3, 2016
Ok, so here's the deal. I bought this to pick up dog hair in between my regular vacuuming. This is not going to replace a broom or a regular sized vacuum. With that said, it does pick up dog hair. Anything heavier is left behind. Also, the "V" shape floor piece makes it impossible to get up close to the wall when pushing forward. You have to do a quick twist of your wrist to try to get close to the wall, turning the unit left or right. I don't find this practical. I'm also not so happy with the design for the exhaust. It blows out in front, blowing the dog hair away from the unit and stirring it up into the air.

If you already have a vacuum that has a beater bar you can turn off for floors and attachments, just use that. Chances are-- if you have dog hair on the floor it's also on your shelves, TV, cable box, furniture, etc...

This product didn't help me with vacuuming dog hair. I still had to pull out the big one... and for that, I cannot recommend this product.
For the first 4-5 months I absolutely loved it. The v-shaped head took a few minutes ...
July 25, 2015
I have owned this vacuum now for almost 8 months. For the first 4-5 months I absolutely loved it. The v-shaped head took a few minutes to get used to, but it quickly became my favorite feature of this vacuum. I feel a little spoiled by it now and can't imagine using a flat head vacuum again on my hard floors...it's fantastic for vacuuming around furniture legs and corners.

However...for the past 2-3 months, the suction has just greatly diminished. I empty the canister and clean the filter after every single use...so it's not a problem of anything clogging up the vacuum. It just seemed to continually diminish over a few weeks and now the suction is so light that it will only suck up dust and dog hair that it directly passes over, rather than pulling it in from the sides a bit. This makes for a lot of extra time vacuuming with having to cover every square inch of floor. The first few months of use...I could run it into tight spaces and it would literally suck my dog's hair into the vacuum head...now the tight areas have to be broom swept into the open floor areas in order to vacuum up. For me...it's turned what was once a very impressive little vacuum into a vacuum that feels more like a chore to use on an already undesirable chore (vacuuming).

I don't feel like the suction should be diminishing on a vacuum after such a short period of time and only used a couple times a week...so for me it feels like a bit of a waste of money. Although I really love the v-shape head...I can't see buying another of the same one when I finally give in an purchase another vacuum.
The angle is more of an inconvenient than a benefit
February 18, 2014
As a mom of several rescued dogs that shed year round and live indoors, including two golden retrievers, I was really looking forward to this purchase to help me deal with the madness of living in pet hair. First of all, to be fair of the task at hand and my expectation of the vaccuum, while the dogs do shed tremendously we sweep daily and vaccuum regularly so the floor is typically clean but with the inevitable clumps of hair that form and fly around daily. While the idea of the angle was appealing, I do not like this vaccuum at all; the V shape is more of an inconvenience than a benefit. Picture the V angle, and note that the suction is at the base of the V only and not the "legs", which means that every time you reach a wall the "legs" reach the wall first and prevents the suction from reaching the edge. Therefore to clean along the edge of the wall you have to vaccumm alongside the wall, not facing it, which is inconvenient and not possible in tight spaces. Also where the V should be more useful, such as around furniture legs, if there is hair slighly caught under the furniture it does not suction enough to vaccuum it so I find myself pulling the hair from under the furniture to be able to vaccuum it. As to the overall suction aside from the angle, it does not suction clumps of hair that well unless the suction goes over the clump directly. Also the cord is pretty short, so you will likely not be able to vaccuum more than 200 square feet using the same socket, so a longer cord would be a plus. I decided to keep it to avoid the return shipping cost but unfortunately it does not meet my expectations.
6%
Comes up short
August 26, 2017
Save the money and put it towards something better. Suction is subpar at best, I find myself having to pass several times to pick up debris if it doesn't then taking off the floor head and using the open pipe to get it. The powerhead attachment, or whatever they call it, is useless. Never picks up on the first pass...or second...third if I'm lucky. Canister is light and so you have to hold it down to pull cord, if not it will follow you to the socket. And the power cord needs another few feet to avoid having to unplug it so frequently. The hose is a little too short but it's not terrible. The handle controls only work while it's plugged in, and you power it on with the foot button on the canister–once you disconnect it, you default to having to turn it on with the physical switches again. The power level buttons on the handle, in my opinion, are backwards. The increasing of power should be on top, and the decrease on the bottom. I often find myself mistakenly pressing the closer button (power down) and having the vacuum lose a bunch of the already minimal suction. Would make more sense the other way.I will probably give this one away sooner rather than later.In all, I bought this in the hopes of finding a bargain, but no avail. If I had to do it over again, I would save up and buy a better product. But if you need to clean very small spaces and don't want to spend a lot, then maybe try it out. But look for other options first.
Great for a few months
July 1, 2017
Initially I thought it was the best vacuum cleaner I had ever purchased however, a few months later it is working at about half power even though I keep the head and the filter clean. Unfortunately the filter is not one that you can take out and rinse you have to actually buy a replacement so unless you want to buy a new head and filter every six months I would recommend purchasing something else. I'm now in the market for yet another new vacuum cleaner
Disappointed
December 31, 2016
Pros:Quiet, decent, adjustable suctionBag-free canister easy to emptyCons:Cord too shortThe bare floor vacuum head has to be kept at an awkward angle in order to function.Does not store well, i.e., the wand/head falls down unless it is leaning against something and in a particular way.The carry handle for the base is awkward and makes it difficult to carry one-handed.
Scratches, Hard to Clean Canister
October 18, 2016
SCRATCHES the Hard Wood Floors. They claim it doesn't, and it has felt wheels which is why I bought it. Well, sorry 4 wheels are plastic and two tiny ones are felt. That's six wheels that make indentations and marks in the floors.:/Suction- It couldn't pick up a small pebble, dragged it across the floor making a huge scratch.:)Quite operation sound! Seriously, is it on?! This is its only plus!:(Small container which is hard to clean out all the dust and dirt due to the compact design.$$Want to return but too far past the purchase date:( Waste of Money.
I returned it
July 10, 2015
I returned this vacuum after several weeks using it every couple of days. Although it has many nice features described in more positive reviews, my main reason for returning it was that it scratched my floors in several places (both recently refinished red oak and older hardwood floors). This vacuum sucked up more fine dust than any other I've used. I found the cup too small to hold all the dog hair from two dogs over about 1100 square feet (every two days), though I didn't mind emptying the cup halfway through the job. I did like that most of the cup is washable except for the paper filter. Finally, it is a bit heavy and awkward to use in part because of the big handle and the attachments clipped to the hose.
Sucks good functions poorly
May 26, 2015
The electric cord is short.The accessory attachment holder is in the way when you disconnect the vacuum tube and want to use as a short hand vacuum.The vacuum foot is larger than my other vacuum and does not fit in spots that my old vacuum did, hence the short hand vacuum problem.The rotor brush only works when on solid floor so to pick up larger debris the suction hole needs to be over the debris. The vacuum foot will not suck it up because the brush is not rotating and gets in the way.It does have good suction and the reduced suction is needed for carpets.I have used it 4 times and it still smells like toxic fumes are being emitted when the motor heats up.I wish I had put more research into this before I purchased.

One Star Reviews:

7%
Pass on this one!
April 21, 2017
I bought this because of the positive reviews - should have returned it right away but thought I was just being fussy and needed to use it a while and get used to it. NOT. In a busy household this is way too small and not nearly strong enough suction. Difficult to tilt from upright position into usable position. If you have a one room apartment with little dirt maybe this will suit you. Otherwise run away!
I do NOT recommend. Mine broke after just a few weeks, less than ten uses.
November 25, 2016
I used this less than ten times. For no reason at all, the head broke free from the canister unit. Since this happened shortly after my return date, both my husband and I tried in vain to repair it but it's proven impossible. I am extremely disappointed.
I know this gets great ratings still
June 6, 2016
I've owned this vacuum for a year now. I had originally given it five stars shortly after purchasing it. I've downgraded it to three. Frankly, it just doesn't pickup anything anymore -- dust, kitty litter, sand, and dirt tracked into the house. I've cleared out the filters and the suction hasn't improved at all. I know this gets great ratings still, but it wasn't money well spent. I'm looking at other options for hardwood floors.

Update 11/2016
Broke just after a year and outside the warranty repair period.
Don't waste your money.
March 8, 2014
Bought this because I have all hard-surface floors and a dog and most of the reviews seemed to be favorable. At this price I didn't expect it to be great quality but it's a piece of junk -- seems like everything is cheap plastic. It's very noisy. It's bagless but it sucked dog hair up into an area above the dirt canister and it's very difficult to remove -- I had to use a little shrimp fork to reach up through a very small opening and pull the hair out! It's totally useless along baseboards and actually unusable on the stairs. Even though it's lightweight it's exhausting trying to maneuver it around the floor -- the head is sort of floppy and seems to go where it wants to go. You have to keep picking it up to shift its position. If you try to vacuum under furniture, the head usually gets stuck and falls off. When it's right on top of something the suction seems to be adequate but it also has a pretty powerful exhaust that's down low on the front (!) and while the vacuum is trying to pick up the dog hair, the exhaust is blowing it around. Do not waste your money on this vacuum.
Inadequate, poorly built, breaks easily, another unhappy "broken handle" customer here, folks!
August 2, 2013
Suction-smuction. Everyone is talking about the great suction. Are any of you paying attention to the notably many issues about the handle breaking off?
Well, trust me. The machine may pick up some dog hair, but it's a cheaply built, slipshod, weak-jointed tool and so please do not waste your time on this. I lost the handle on the second use. I have a small, light-duty bare-floor 900 sq ft area that i need to occasionally sweep. I thought this guy was going to do it. Boy, was I wrong. I am easy on machinery; nevertheless, the handle snapped right off at the screw moulding down inside the base. One reviewer said that he used duct tape after his second machine broke, but that is not good enough. Bissel, you just lost yourselves a customer --and a vociferous one at that. You stuff stinks, plain and simple. Don't ever darken my doorway with your lame products again.

As to my next move, sweep-wise? I will pick something else and let you know how it goes with that one. Hopefully Hoover or one of the other companies
understand (unlike Bissell) the meaning of "durability"
13%
Worst vacuum ever!
September 12, 2017
This is the worst vacuum I ever used. I vacuum every one to 2 days and have mostly hardwood and ceramic floors. It picks up the dirt, but I have to clean the filter at least twice during vacuuming and I also have to use a skewer to reach the dirt that gets trapped between the filter and the side of dirt tank. If I don't stop and do this, there is no more suction. Also, the cord is way to short. I have to use an extension cord. To cut down on the frequent cleaning of the filter and dirt tank, I now use by black and decker handheld for some of my vacuuming. It does a much better job than the bissell for half the price!
Don't waste your money
June 24, 2017
Fairly useless. It's quality on hardwood floors can best be described as "meh", and it doesn't clean up a damn thing on rugs with the attachment. I have to empty the cartridge every five minutes it seems because it's so small, and the filter has to be cleaned with every use, because if you have a pet it will get covered in hair almost immediately. Not a fan.
would love to return or exchange it but too late now
May 18, 2017
the roller quit working after the 2nd use. would love to return or exchange it but too late now. don't buy
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY
May 8, 2017
While the vacuum can clean, the handle is not designed well. The buttons are placed such that one repeatedly turns the power down while one is trying to vacuum. Also, it is very clumsy to handle. Further, it is IMPOSSIBLE to clean the filter and other removable insides. I wanted to like this vacuum, I tried. For 6 months I tried to like it. I DON'T LIKE IT AND I DON'T RECOMMEND IT.
FIRST in 6 years!
November 30, 2016
This broke after 3 months of use! Just took it out for my weekly vac, and after plugging her in she won't start. I've just checked the Amazon site and unfortunately it seems unable to be returned since the return window has closed. Anyone with any suggestions please reply. After almost 6 years of deliveries this is the FIRST product that has failed it's reviews.
Very weak suction.
November 5, 2016
The suction on this vacuum is extremely weak. I had to go over spots which had cat littler 20 times before it picked some of it up. For the most part, I have to use the hose directly against the pieces of dirt to get it to pick it up. I empty the dirt container and clean it out every time and it still doesn't help. I wish I realized it soon ( I wasn't using the vacuum for a while) and now it's too late to exchange it for something better.
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Pricing info
Old Price
Old Price
Price
Price
$69.99updated: Mar 19, 2020
$142.20updated: Mar 10, 2020
Features
Answered Questions
Answered Questions
Article Number
Article Number
0011120031638
0791769559860
Binding
Binding
Misc.
Misc.
Brand
Brand
Bissell
Bissell
Color
Color
Gray
Bronze
Currency
Currency
USD
USD
Formatted Price
Formatted Price
$49.99
$149.99
Height
Height
1704.7 in
340.9 in
Length
Length
417.3 in
420.1 in
Manufacturer
Manufacturer
Bissell
BISSELL Homecare Inc.
Model
Model
81L2A
1161
MPN
MPN
81L2A
1161
Number of Items
Number of Items
1
1
Number of Parts
Number of Parts
81L2A
1161
Product Group
Product Group
Home
Home
Product Type
Product Type
HOME
HOME
Publisher
Publisher
Bissell
BISSELL Homecare Inc.
Quantity
Quantity
1
1
Reviews
Reviews
Score
Score
8.4
8.2
Studio
Studio
Bissell
BISSELL Homecare Inc.
Weight
Weight
0.4 oz
32.1 oz
Width
Width
444.9 in
517.7 in
Feature
Feature

Captures debris along edges and in tight spaces-- no attachments or broom needed

The V shape directs larger debris into the center suction path, while the ends of the V capture small, fine debris

Easily cleans around furniture legs and on low pile area rugs

Swivel head allows you to easily clean around furniture legs

Easy-to-empty dirt cup makes project cleanup a breeze

20' Power Cord

Designed for hard floor

Powerful, yet cleans delicately to protect your floor surfaces

Non marking rubber wheels with felt treads

Compact and lightweight it is easy to maneuver and store

Fingertip control allows you to power the vacuum and control the suction to safely clean delicate surfaces like drapes and upholstery

The Easy Empty dirt tank opens from the bottom for no-mess disposal

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