The Bissel Featherweight is an affordably-priced stick vacuum. Despite its lightweight nature, it doesn’t shine much in performance and ranks relatively low in our tests. It might cater to those who prioritize cost over features and performance.
Ease of Use:
The Bissel Featherweight stands out for its simplicity, boasting a single-button operation. However, the 15ft cord reduces its convenience, especially for users who might be accustomed to the flexibility of cordless options. Ideally, stick vacuums are favored for their handiness in quick cleanups, but the cord acts as a hindrance here. Moreover, its design, essentially being a handheld vacuum extended with a stick, limits its functionality due to the lack of additional attachments.
Performance on Hard Surfaces:
On hard floors, the Featherweight’s results were a mixed bag. While it managed to pick up rice and pet hair reasonably well, it faltered with finer particles. The vacuum seemed to spread flour around, and larger debris like cereal often clogged its suction channel. Surprisingly, the vacuum could collect some debris while moving backward, indicating a lack of consistent suction strength.
User Comfort:
Despite its simplicity, the Featherweight is not the most user-friendly stick vacuum out there. Its reach under furniture is limited to a mere 8 inches, which restricts its cleaning range. Noise-wise, while it isn’t exceptionally loud, the high-pitched sound it produces might be bothersome for some.
Carpet Cleaning Proficiency:
Carpet cleaning is arguably a weak point for this model. Although it showed decent performance with rice and oatmeal on carpets, it struggled with pet hair, cereal, and flour. Especially on thicker carpets, the vacuum required multiple passes to achieve satisfactory results.
Final Verdict:
While the Bissel Featherweight may attract those on a tight budget, its performance doesn’t justify a purchase, especially when there are better alternatives in the same price range.
Pros of the Bissell Featherweight Stick Vacuum:
Budget-friendly: It is a low-cost vacuum, ideal for those on a tight budget.
Lightweight: As its name suggests, the Featherweight is easy to carry and maneuver.
Simple operation: The one-button on/off design offers straightforward to use.
Efficient on specific tasks: It excels at picking up rice and pet hair on hardwood floors.
Able to collect debris while moving backward: The vacuum can pick up materials even when moving backward.
