Vacuum review: Electrolux EL6985 bagged canister vacuum cleaner

My wife and I went in search of a new vacuum several years ago.  After looking around online and visiting a couple of stores, we came across the Electrolux Harmony EL6985 Bagged Canister model at Boscov's and thought we'd found "the one."

It was expensive -- $300 -- but it seemed to be everything we wanted in a vacuum.  It was lightweight, portable, quiet, and since it was an Electrolux, we figured it would certainly run well.  So we bought it.

At first it was a let-down.  The vacuum IS lightweight and portable, which is nice, but it had next to no cleaning power.  Our house is almost completely carpeted, and the vacuum only pulled up a fraction of the dirt and debris that was present in the carpet.  Dog hair accumulated in the carpet because the Harmony refused to pick it up.

The vacuum comes with several different attachments, and once we discovered the "turbo" brush, the suction got a lot better, but still left something to be desired.  Vacuuming the house had become a tiring chore of going over every bit of carpet two or three or sometimes four times to get up whatever dirt was there.

On tile the vacuum seems to work marginally better.  The vacuum can be set for tile or carpet, and the switch is located right on the head so you can change the setting with your foot.

The EL6985 is certainly quieter than most other vacuums I've used.  It comes with a HEPA filter, and it has a button that (at first) would cause the 20-foot power cord to retract like a hyperactive snake when you were done cleaning.  Now the cord has become temperamental -- sometimes it will retract, and sometimes it will just lay there and twitch.

Once the bag starts to get full, the suction power drops dramatically.  And hair easily gets tangled in the brushes, reducing the vacuum's cleaning ability.  But with a new bag, the turbo attachment, and clean brushes, the vacuum runs fairly well.

The canister weighs 12 pounds, so the vacuum is portable, but it's bulky and awkward when used on stairs.  It comes with several different attachments that each have their own uses, but the turbo brush is the one we've used the most, especially since the regular head doesn't work very well.

I haven't used too many other vacuums, so there's not a lot I can compare it to, but it seems to me that for the money we spent on this thing, it could pull dirt a little better.  However, we've had it for a few years and it hasn't had any serious problems or malfunctions.  I would recommend buying a cheaper vacuum that may not last as long, but will hopefully have more suction power.

(Originally published on Helium.com, August 2009)

Vacuum cleaner review: Bissell Cleanview Helix upright vacuum

When it comes to buying a new vacuum, the choices are almost limitless.  If you've decided to go with a standard upright vacuum, the Bissell Cleanview Helix (model 82H1) is a good choice.

The Cleanview Helix is a powerful 12-amp vacuum with plenty of features and capabilities.  Rather than using a bag, it uses a removable dirt cup that fills with dirt and debris (so you don't have to buy new bags).  The vacuum has two main filters -- one that sits below the dirt cup and can be cleaned as needed, and a HEPA filter on the side that can't be cleaned and must be replaced.

The Cleanview is not a lightweight vacuum (it weighs 16 pounds) and carrying it up a flight of stairs can be a chore.  But it packs a lot of power and does a great job of picking up whatever is in its path.  It has variable settings for low carpet, high carpet, or a bare floor (ie. tile).  Mounted on the front of the vacuum is a small headlight -- very helpful for vacuuming under beds or tables, or in dimly-lit rooms.

Emptying the dirt cup is easy.  It's transparent, so you can look in from the outside and see when the cup is getting full.  When it does fill up, all you have to do is unlatch it, remove it, dump it, and lock it back in.  But sometimes dirt and dust can also get stuck above the dirt cup, and when that happens you'll have to lay the vacuum on its back when removing the dirt cup, then scoop out all of the debris from above it.  The outside of the vacuum can become dusty as well, but a damp cloth will clean it off.

A hose attachment comes with the vacuum and is conveniently stored right in the back -- easy to pull out and use and then put back in.  There is also a turbo brush attachment which makes vacuuming the stairs easy, an upholstery attachment, and an extension tube for the hose.  The power cord for the vacuum reaches 27 feet, so you can do several rooms without having to unplug the vacuum and plug it in somewhere closer.

The Cleanview Helix's main drawback is its weight, making it a good vacuum for one-story residences, but not so good for multi-floor homes.  Other than its weight, this is a good vacuum that will run for years.

(Originally published on Helium.com, April 2011)