Bissell 89Q9 Lift-Off MultiCyclonic Pet Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner with Detachable Canister

5 comments

1. 

   kayakesva on December 14, 2009 at 11:34 pm

   i bought this vacuum based on some reviews (which were mixed) on another site. i talked myself into this vacuum because it seemed to have everything i would ever need in a vacuum. i have NEVER been more wrong about a purchase. i would give this vacuum negative stars if it were possible.
   
   first, let’s start with the weight. i am a 39 year old male who is in good shape. this vacuum is a struggle for me to carry up the stairs- i have no idea how an older or less strong person could handle carrying it up stairs, unless they took it apart (the “lift off” feature) carried the lift off up, and then went back for the base/ chassis part, which would necessitate two trips up the stairs. completely ridiculous.
   
   next, let’s talk about the marvel of “bagless”. this, in my opinion, is one of the greatest scams ever perpetuated upon the consumer. we are led to believe that bagless is better, and (ha!) cleaner. NOTHING could be further from the truth. you have to practically carry this thing outside to dump the cup (again, meaning you’ve got to carry it outside) because when the cup is removed, inevitably dust and dirt fall out of the unit and onto the carpet you’ve just cleaned. pointless. THEN, you’re not done with emptying just the cup. if you don’t empty the filter chamber above it every single time, the dust/ dirt/ pet hair will quickly build up in the filter area, meaning you’ve got an even BIGGER mess to clean up and spill on your floor. thus, you pretty much have to carry it outside every single time.
   
   also- if you don’t empty the cup every time, you will quickly fill it up with dog hair, and then clog your unit the next time you start it.
   
   so- to review so far— it is insanely heavy to carry up a flight of stairs, and you have to make sure the cup is empty before you use it every time and dump it after you’re done. every time. this should already talk you out of it, but i’ll continue.
   
   IF you have the misfortune of letting your unit clog in the filter chamber (which is very, very easy to do), when you turn the unit back on, a cloud of debris and dust will be blown out of the back filter of the machine. this has happened to me twice. i can definitively say that this is the messiest, dirtiest, heaviest, and worst vacuum that i have ever had the displeasure of purchasing. if i hadn’t thrown the box away, this piece of junk would have gone right back to the store the next day. if this review hasn’t dissuaded you from buying this vacuum and you decide to buy it anyway, i promise you that you will know first hand the things that i have said here within weeks of having your vacuum.
   
   i have just attempted to vacuum my house (again), and once again i experienced the horrible cloud of dust and crap coughed out through the back filter. i decided that before i go dust my living room to get rid of the mess, that i was going to sit down and tell the world what a horrible piece of equipment this is and try to save someone else from throwing their money away.

2. 

   Paul D. Marsh on December 15, 2009 at 1:59 am

   Our old Dirt Devil upright started giving off some burning smells (not the brush belt) a couple of weeks ago, so we decided to start looking around for a replacement. We have a two story house, so something to effectively vacuum the stairs without purchasing two units would be nice. Oh, and under $200 please. Dyson’s are cute, but $500 is over the top for such a basic device. That led us eventually to Bissell’s two lift-off canister units, the Revolution and this one, the MultiCyclonic design.

   Initially, I couldn’t tell the difference between the two models. Then, another reviewer pointed out the two “wings” on the side of the dirt container on the Revolution model that one customer accidentally threw its two inserts out with the dirt, only to render his vacuum useless the next time he tried to use it. That narrowed it down to the MultiCyclonic for us. The Revolution also has an additional foam filter to be cleaned in its top section, which the MultiCyclonic doesn’t use, which was one less consumable to buy.

   Both units have a special tool for grabbing pet/human hair off the furniture and the carpet, powered by the suction in the hose, and it works just fine. After “turbo” brushing our carpeted stairs, I had to take the tool apart with a phillips screwdriver, which entailed removing two screws and gently pulling the unit apart. I paid attention so I could put it back together correctly, but it was easy to clean out the hair clogging the unit, and to put it back together.

   Some have commented that the unit seems noisy to them, but I actually found it quieter than my old Dirt Devil upright. I also found the suction from the 12 amp motor to be completely adequate. Although some have reported they were wowed with its power, because it was quieter it didn’t seem any more powerful to me than my old Dirt Devil had been in its day.

   Another reviewer felt the unit was too heavy. I’m 62, short, an avid reader, and certainly NOT athletic, and had NO problems hauling it around.

   Another commenter noted that the central dirt/cyclonic unit on the Revolution was completely removable, allowing the whole messy part of the vacuum to be hauled to the trash can for emptying, whereas only the dirt receptacle is directly removable in the MultiCyclonic unit. This is basically true. Removing the dirt receptacle for emptying in the MultiCyclonic allows dust/dirt hanging around above it to fall on the unit, requiring a wipe-up if you’re not careful. But, it’s easy to reach up and remove the cyclonic unit with a twist and clean it. A regular clean-up after a major vacuuming will minimize the potential mess. A well placed paper towel will catch any dirt dropping down from the top of the cyclonic unit.

   I didn’t have any problems with the hose connections, cleaning the foam filter, or removing/replacing the HEPA filter on the back of the unit. The extension rod uses a friction twist to lock it into a variable length, and it worked fine. After two hours of vacuuming around the house, I had NO problems with dirt/dust blowing out of any of the hose or filter connections, so I can only assume the reviewer who had the problem had perhaps not been performing regular cleanup/maintenance of the unit, or had inadvertently allowed a hose connection to come loose. When putting the unit together, you have to twist a hose into a connection to lock it in place. If you don’t perform the twist, I suppose it could pop out at an inopportune time, but this is a suction line. I don’t see any way that anything could blow out of it. The exhaust is via the HEPA filter on the back of the unit, literally inches from the exit of the suction motor. If dirt is squirting out around the foam filter atop the suction motor, it must be mostly clogged. There’s really no excuse for this. Take the foam filter to the sink and rinse it out and you’re done. Be sure it’s dry before reinserting it, or you’ll be risking getting moisture into the motor, never a good thing for an electrical thingy.

   Overall, my first impression of the unit is quite positive. Unless there’s some underlying defect, I see no reason not to expect years of satisfaction with our new Bissell 89Q9 MultiCyclonic vacuum cleaner.

3. 

   R. Tucker on December 15, 2009 at 2:00 am

   We went out and bought a few essentials and passed through the vacuum section. I figured our old one is 7 or so years old, maybe its time for a new one. After comparing the stock available which ranged from 70.00-400.00+, we agreed on this one.

   I was not optimistic about the “turbo brush attatchment” deal for stairs, but was pleasently surprised with the brushes. They actually have a bit of horsepower to them and scrubbed the stairs without a problem. We had just vacuumed two days prior and this bad boy sucked up a decent amount of debris from what I thought was “clean” carpet.
   
   The brush shut off button is a nice feature for bare floors, and if I remember correctly the brushes shut off when the base is in an a fully upright position which is nice.

   The only complaints so far are…….It weighs quite a bit in my opinion. Sure u can detach the canister and use it on the stairs, but lugging the entire thing upstairs to clean your other rooms can be a chore. Also the filter cup seems very small, but its very easy to empty.

   Overall, I am happy with it……We will see how long it keeps going.
   

4. 

   Harry Potter on December 15, 2009 at 4:51 am

   Bottom line: This vacuum has excellent suction and picks up the dirt and hair. It is heavy. Once you get the hang of the bagless thing, it isn’t as messy as another reviewer noted. This machine is rather loud; however, I am grateful that it actually works. I have a golden retriever and a lab; hair is just a part of our life. The attachments seem to have more suction when directly attached to the hose (vs. the extension). This vacuum replaced my Miele (if you can believe that) and is frankly, doing a better job w/ the hair. I’ve only had the vacuum for a short time, but I am so grateful to have something that works that didn’t break the bank.

5. 

   D. Case on December 15, 2009 at 5:27 am

   After vacuuming our home with our Oreck, we purchased this Bissell 89Q9 later in the day, and to say we were amazed when we saw all it pulled out of our carpets would be putting it mildly. It’s hard to explain until you see it. You will be amazed to see what comes out of (what you believe to be) your already vacuumed carpets. Our carpets look like we just cleaned them. The bag-less canister is very easy to take off and empty. The snap off vacuum canister feature is also very easy to use. It’s large back wheels make maneuvering a snap. The feature to turn the brush off for hardwood or ceramic floors is also a unique feature that works geat. We have carpets with different naps, and it pulls and cleans exceptionally at any nap length. It was exceptionally easy to put together as well. I not only give this vacuum five stars, but an A+ in value.