BISSELL PROlite Multi-Cyclonic Upright Vacuum Bagless 17G5

Quiet, super-easy to clean, has everything I need for whole-house cleaning., December 31, 2009

By 

Heath L. Buckmaster “_heath_” (Sacramento, CA USA) –

  

  

  

Customer Video Review Length:: 7:15 Mins

I put together a video review of the Bissell Prolite. Here’s what you’ll see in the video…

1. A review of how easy it is to put the thing together.
2. Basic features.
3. Included attachments and the use of the hand-wand.
4. A demo of the cleaner in-action.
5. How to clean the chamber with 2 clicks.

It really is a great cleaner, because it’s quiet, powerful, has a variety of attachments and cleaning options, and more importantly it is SUPER easy to clean.

I hope you enjoy your new Bissell Prolite!

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 Comments (17)

Bissell vs Oreck, December 22, 2009

By 

Brad Willis (San Diego, CA United States) –

  

  

I currently own an Oreck XL and I’ve just compared this Bissell to the Oreck side-by-side. Here are my overall impressions of the Bissell 17G5, as well as a comparison to the Oreck XL Classic.

Assembly: Putting the Bissell together is a piece of cake and doesn’t really even require instructions. Simply slide the top half into the bottom half, secure with two Phillips screws, and you’re pretty much ready to go. You do need to plug the hose into the base, but that’s quite simple. The total assembly time was less than 5 minutes.

Quality: The Bissell seems to be well-built. I sense that with a little care, it will last for a long time. Comparing it to the Oreck, it’s my view that the Oreck’s build quality is probably superior. However, Bissell did a nice job with this vacuum and I would expect it to last.

Performance: The Bissell outperforms my Oreck, although the Oreck is also quite good. This Bissell has a 12 amp motor versus my Oreck’s 4 amp motor. Don’t get me wrong, the Oreck XL is a quality, efficient product, but it’s my sense that the Bissell picked up more stuff from the carpet. The Bissell seems to handle non-carpeted floors better due to the self-adjusting feature. The Bissell also offers a hose and attachments that allow you to get into crevices and difficult-to-reach areas that would be tough or impossible for the Oreck to get to.

Value: The Bissell vacuum is considerably cheaper than the Oreck, so I’d consider it the better value.

Weight: The Oreck is the clear winner here. It only weighs about 8 pounds and I’d say that the Bissell 17G5 is roughly 17 pounds or so. The Bissell isn’t difficult to use, but the lightweight nature of the Oreck XL is very attractive.

Attachments: I’m not crazy about the way that the various attachments secure to the hose. There’s not really a latch or anything that clicks into place. Friction and force alone seem to hold the accessory heads to the hose. I had a head pop off of the hose while vacuuming several times and had to really push the head onto the hose end to keep it in place. I’d much prefer some sort of a more secure mechanism that clicks or locks into place. I also wish that more of the Bissell’s attachments could be stored on the vacuum itself, rather than having to store them in a separate draw-string bag (provided).

Brushes: I like the fact that you can turn the Bissell’s brushes on and off. The switch is illuminated and located in a convenient location on the upper handle of the vacuum. I also like that the Bissell’s brushes stop spinning when the handle is in a vertical position, even if you don’t turn the brush switch off. My Oreck does not allow me to shut off the brushes, and this could result in a burn to your carpet if you leave it running while the unit is stationary.

Noise: The Bissell is quite a bit quieter than the Oreck XL.

Operating costs: The Oreck has a smaller motor that presumably uses less electricity, but how long are you going to run a vacuum for anyway? Probably not all that long. The Bissell uses a bagless system, which seems to be superior and certainly more cost-effective, as you won’t have to buy replacement bags. The Bissell’s bagless dust bin (if that’s the right term) is very easy to empty. Changing the bags on the Oreck isn’t rocket science, but it takes a bit more work.

Verdict: Both the Oreck XL and the Bissell 17G5 are excellent performers. However, if you are looking for more performance at a lower price and with lower operating costs, I’d recommend the Bissell. If owning a very lightweight unit is important and you don’t mind paying more for a lighter unit with good, but slightly inferior performance, but perhaps a marginally better build quality, you might like the Oreck XL. One thing is for sure, the Bissell is a quality performer and you get a lot of vacuum for the money.

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