tech guy "tech guy" Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
BUSSELL Healthy Home Vacuum, 2011-01-08
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
I purchased this vacuum directly from Sylvane (instead of going through Amazon) since I had a coupon. The coupon was $20, which brought the price from $199.99 to $179.99. I see that Amazon is now matching the lower price. I like this vacuum a lot. We bought it because our old Vacuum sucked up a screw buried in the carpet and it destroyed the impeller blade. (In the old vacuum, the air flow started at the floor, through the impeller and then into the bag/filter. I wanted a vacuum that the air flow went from the floor through the filter and then through the impeller and then out into the room. This has two advantages which are demonstrated in the Healthy Home Vacuum. First, I vacuumed the entire house and there was no layer of dust generated. Since the bag/filter section is in the suction path, all the dust stays in the vacuum. The second advantage is that small objects won't get stuck in the impeller and cause destruction.The vacuum is lighter than my old vacuum and it has nice big wheels at the back. This combination makes it easy to maneuver the vacuum all around. I had no problems vacuuming the whole house without getting tired. With my old vacuum, my arm was about to fall off if I tried to vacuum the entire house all at one time.The front end of the vacuum is small enough to fit under the edge of the bed. My old vacuum could not do that. I would guess that it is about 1/2 inch smaller. This makes it easy to get under things that I could never get under before.The tools are easy to use. When the tool-hose is disconnected, the suction automatically switches to the hose. This makes it very quick and easy to grab the hose, suck up dirt near the edge of something and then replace the hose and continue on. I don't even have to turn off the vacuum when I do this. This is a great feature that my old vacuum did not have and I never appreciated how it slowed things down having to stop and redirect the air to the tool-hose when I wanted to run it along a window sill or whatever.The nose of the vacuum is quite a bit wider than my old vacuum. This is both a plus and a minus. On the plus side, I can vacuum a larger area with each sweep, so the job gets finished sooner. On the minus side, there are several tight areas that I can no longer get into. I have to use the tool-hose to get these areas clean. Another minus, the suction is spread over a larger area, so it tends to be diluted a little. I noticed that I had to make several passes over some areas that had lots of pet hair. This was most noticeable on edges of the room against a wall.The vacuum has a smaller motor than my old vacuum. It runs much cooler (but still gets warm). I bought my old vacuum 20 years ago when the manufacturers were all trying to get more AMPs in the label. My old vacuum was listed at 12A, which is about as much current as is practical to draw from a normal socket. When vacuuming a small room like the power room or bathroom, the temperature difference is really noticeable. I am guessing that come summer, I will be glad to have the smaller motor even more. The smaller motor also means the vacuum is much quieter than my old vacuum. I can wear my noise cancelling headphones and listen to music. The old one was too noisy for that.An interesting comment: The new vacuum does not slow down the WiFi like the old vacuum did. I ran the network throughput test and WiFi was not degraded at all. When I plugged the vacuum into the same outlet as my DLink power-line Networking hub, it slowed down to 1/2 speed, though. And my Bluetooth headphones were not affected either.Lastly, the dust bin/filter is huge on this thing - I am guessing about 2x the size I am used to. With my old vacuum, I had to empty the bin 3 to 4 times when doing the whole house. With the new vacuum, I only emptied the bin twice. (Let me say that we do have an especially dirty house. We do rescue dogs, so we have pet hair everywhere. You haven't seen dog hair until you get a new dog that is scared and shooting hair everywhere.)Overall, I gave the vacuum 4 stars out of 5. I will update this review in several months when I know about the reliability of the vacuum. Every other vacuum I have owned has lasted 15 to 20 years and I expect no less from this one. It seems built well. I would have no problem recommending this vacuum to my friends/parents, etc.

CLEANING MACHINE Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
very powerful, 2010-11-27
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
My sister has owned this vac for three years no problems. I have owned the healthy home vac for 1.5 years no problems at all.This is flat out the most powerful and versatile machine I have ever owned and I am 51 years old. It has tremedous suction. The upolstery rotating brush attachment runs very powerful. All the attachments are fabulous along with the long power cord.I tried a dirt devil and returned it for this machine. The dirt devil was a complete failure.The only down fall of healthy homes vac is it is very heavy. It really pulls up the nap. Push it before you buy and make sure you can handle the weight. Highly recommended !!!

IggyD Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
Best vacuum for removing pet hair from rugs, 2011-01-15
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
I finally decided to bite the bullet and purchase this vacuum after borrowing my friend's to remove the imbedded dog hair from my large area rugs and hardwood floors. It is amazing in picking up the hairs that my other vacuums left in the rugs after using them. It works! My dog sheds like crazy and this does the trick.

Crisscat Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
Great Suction!! Powers off easily!!, 2011-07-14
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
I own a Dyson and it started making "noises" so as a back up I bought this Bissell.It was easy to assemble and I was vacuuming the floors in no time! I was really pleased at how much suction power this unit has...wow. I only vacuumed for about maybe 5-6 minutes and it just shut off on its own....I thought oh crap I hope I dont have a dud here. After looking it over I found that the canister was already full with dirt, dust & pet hair. I quickly emptied the canister (wasnt too impressed as I had to manually pull out the "dust fluff & pet hair" with my hand). I put the canister back on the unit and away I went again only to again have the unit power off as it was clogged with pet hair! Emptied that out again and had to pull out the hair manually with my hand. Now one of two things is happening here....one...my floor was that dirty that it was picking up all that mess and filling the canister to where it would power off in order to be emptied OR two...I have a faulty vacuum. I only got to complete the vacuum in the Dining Room and half of the Living Room before I had to stop. Im hoping that its just cleaning that good that its picking up everything and requires frequent emptying. I find it a bit too temperamental and have my fingers crossed it doesnt have an unseen "issue". Also while emptying numerous times I did notice it does get rather hot. I hope this unit works out as it really does have great suction power....if it does then that means my Dyson is crap for leaving all that dirt and pet hair behind!

T. Anderson Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
Mostly Great Vacuum, but a few Flaws, 2011-04-22
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
We bought the Bissell Healthy Home 16N5 a year ago (how it compares to variants and new models you'll have to judge, but in inspecting them, I've noticed no substantial changes). I wanted to wait to review it until I could comment accurately on long-term performance and maintenance issues. Yet, I am a compulsive pre-purchase researcher and chose this vacuum only after researching, comparing and testing almost everything else available (including the Dysons), so I'm still confident it is the best $200-and-under range vacuum available, despite its flaws (one of which is significant).First, the essentials. The vacuum has worked great: great suction, not overly noisy, easy to empty, and no breakdowns. And while some reviewers of Bissell vacuums have said the front floor light is purely cosmetic, I disagree; it's saved me from sucking up Legos and Barbie shoes more than once. But it is heavy (the specs say 29 lbs; mine weighs in at 23.4 on our home scale), thus it is hard to lift and awkward to haul up stairs, even for a man. The hose uses diverted power to work, and must be plugged back in (which takes some pressure and getting used to, especially for kids) in order for the floor vacuum to suck--which I like, because you don't have to worry about accidentally sucking up something with the floor intake while you're using the hose. The floor brush also shuts off automatically when the hose is used (even if you forget to turn off the brush power switch--which is another important feature, by the way), which prevents carpet burns--this lack of this essential feature eliminated from our shopping list many brands and models, like cheaper and better-rated (by CR) Hoovers, etc. The included accessories work with mixed results (see below). Lastly, the canister is easy to empty, but contrary to some user comments does not have much capacity: it LOOKS big, but most of the internal space is lost to a clear internal intake cylinder, so plan on emptying it frequently, usually after vacuuming a couple of rooms.Now for the problematic aspects. While the hose, crevice tool, and even the power brush work great (which surprised me, because the pet hair power brush is powered by hose suction and not an electrical feed), the upholstery brush has bristles so long and thinly-spaced that it doesn't suck well at all. This may be fine for delicate drapery, but for nothing else. Which is a real annoyance. The extension wand collapses and stores in a clever fashion, with the crevice tool slipping inside it, but since the wand is collapsible and doesn't lock or twist tight, it often collapses while you're using it. Another annoyance. But the biggest problem with this vacuum is that those are the only four attachments: there is no bare floor or under-bed attachment available--not even as a separate purchase. Since the vacuum is big, it will slip a few inches under beds and furniture, but it doesn't fold flat to the floor (and is too high even if it did), so you literally cannot vacuum under beds, dressers, coffee tables, etc., with this machine. To make matters worse, the designers have made the hose and tube to a size that (intentionally, no doubt) prevents you from using aftermarket attachments or attachments from other vacuums. This might make sense (though it would still be a cheap shot) if you could at least buy such an attachment from Bissell, but you cannot. I have had to resort to duct-taping the floor attachment from our old vacuum to the hose of this one whenever I clean under low-clearance furniture. The engineers responsible for that decision ought to be hung.In short, a (mostly) great performer, with the exception of the non-power brush and especially the lack of a bare-floor type tube attachment. (And we bought ours at Bed and Beyond with a 20%-off coupon.)

P. Cole Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
Little pet brush fantastic; everything else not so much, 2011-12-05
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
We have a dog and two cats, so we bought this for the pet brush tool, which works very well. In fact, in spite of the rest of my comments, I'd probably buy it again JUST to have the brush. But, other than that brush, this vacuum doesn't hold a candle to my old Hoover in about the same price range. Here are the main reasons where I think this vacuum misses the mark:Suction:Fairly good, but, for some reason (maybe the way the main revolving brushes work), this vacuum won't pick up a lot of things my old Hoover would suck up in an instant. For instance, just today, I tried to vacuum up some long bare fern stems off my carpet. My old Hoover would zip those away; this vacuum pushes them around, but just can't seem to ever get them into the machine.Edge cleaning:Frustrating, as this vacuum often seems to blow more into the corners than it picks up. Yesterday, I was trying to pick up some little dry plant leaves which were close to the wall. First, I took the hose and cleaned as close to the wall as I could because I knew this vacuum would never get along that edge. Then, I vacuumed over the area; instead of sucking the rest of the little leaves up, this vacuum blew many of them back up against the wall, so I started the process all over again.Switching between tools and machine:Irritating. My old Hoover had a switch on the top of the machine so, once I got my tool connected to the hose, I could vacuum, then switch to the tool, then switch back to vacuum the floor again, switch to the tool, etc., without ever having to remove the tool from the end of the hose. This machine requires you to physically remove the tool from the hose and then fairly forcefully stick the hose back into a hole on the machine to vacuum. To go back to using the tool, you have to pull the hose out of the hole and then put the tool back on. What a hassle in a room where you're using a lot of tools along with the vacuum!Tools:Who designed these? A guy who never uses the vacuum? The crevice tool is too wide to go into many of my house's "crevices." The little brush (not the pet brush, the regular brush attachment) has very short, stiff bristles which make it useless for dusting. I have even tried duct taping my old brush with its long, soft bristles onto this vacuum hose to use it to dust all those little corners up in the tops of my tall windows because this vacuum's little brush (which actually comes apart so you have two brushes with short, stiff bristles) is useless for much beyond sort of "scrubbing" flat surfaces. And, the angle of the little brush makes it impossible to get into tight spaces.Clogging:This vacuum's hose clogs easily if you're using the hose with or without the tools. If you're vacuuming up a lot of little "stuff" like little bits of paper, or maybe a pile of spilled dry cat food, or a pile of dry flower petals, be prepared to go really slowly, vacuuming up just a few bits at a time or you'll be taking the vacuum apart to clear the clog. I probably clear clogs from this vacuum every fourth time I vacuum up a pile of "stuff." And, our house is reasonably clean; I am not waiting until I have ankle high piles of things to vacuum.Vacuum itself (without using the hose or tools):Pretty good just for vacuuming flat carpets on the floor. I like the ability to turn the brushes off when you need to. The one area I find this vacuum to fail is trying to vacuum under fairly low things, like my bed. My old Hoover had a flatter body and would let me put the handle down almost all the way to the floor so I could vacuum anything I could get the head of the vacuum and the relatively flat body under. This one won't let you put the handle down anywhere near that close to the ground, and the body of the vacuum is large, so you can get the head of the vacuum just under the edge of the bed before you hit where the handle/body is sticking up and you're done. I am glad I still have another old Hoover I use upstairs, or I guess I'd have to move my bed out every so often to be able to vacuum under it.Bagless:On TV, the people with bagless vacuums who show how easily the bagless canisters are to empty seem to have only small marbles or uncooked elbow macaroni dirtying their floors. Around here, we have dirt, dust, and pet hair which fly all over at the slightest breeze while you're emptying the canister. To avoid a big mess in the house, we take the canister and the trash can outside to the deck to empty the canister. And, this vacuum has an added issue -- the pet hair seems to get clogged up around the top of the canister, so I have to get a long-handled screwdriver and pry it all out when I empty the canister, which is another sure way to get filthy while emptying this canister.Pet brush:I LOVE this thing. Sure, the little brushes stop turning if you push too hard on the brush against the surface, but I have never, ever had anything as effective as this for getting pet hair off of pillows, the couch, my car upholstery whatever -- I LOVE the pet brush. It honestly makes me glad we bought the vacuum, although many other things about it drive me nuts. The pet brush is why this got two stars instead of none -- if the rest of the vacuum was as great as this pet brush, I would give this vacuum ten stars.

il_camerlengo Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
This is a great product!, 2011-06-15
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
I bought this vacuum becasue I was looking for something sturdy with a lot of suction power. One of the biggest problems I have had in the past is long hair getting caught around the agitator and belt of the machine, which is gross to say the least! Having to actually cut the hair out of a vacuum amongst the dust and dirt was a disgusting task. I puposely was looking for a vacuum that had enough suction power that it would clean well and actually remove any hair so it could be disposed of properly. I could not be more pleased with the Bissell. It has enough suction to pick up everything! I was shocked the first day I used it to see just how much dirt and dust it took out of my carpet, which I vacuum regularly. I love the fact that it is hypoallergenic in keeping the dust locked inside once it is vacuumed up. I do think that my home is cleaner overall since I began using this vacuum. I also think that my carpet actually looks cleaner and brighter. The only down side to this product is that I could see it being heavy for a smaller or elderly person. Personally, I think it makes for great exercise and I like that it feels more sturdy! Overall, great product!

Carla Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
Great design - love this vacuum!, 2011-06-02
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
I just upgraded to this vacuum after my Bissell Powerforce had a puncture in the hose from vacuuming up glass. I liked my Powerforce, but this has some features that are a great improvement:1) The brushes can be turned off and on easily. Also - they turn off automatically when the vacuum is upright, so if you are using the attachments to clean you don't have to tilt the vacuum up to avoid destroying the carpet below. This is a much better design than the Powerforce.2) Emptying the dirt is soooo easy. Just hold the canister over a trash can, push the button and the bottom opens to dump the dirt out. Much less dust this way than with my Powerforce.3) Lifetime belt is huge. I hate changing belts.4) The suction is great. Of course, it's new so that should be expected. The directions did not explain that the hose must be pushed into it's resting spot until it clicks when not in use. I did have to call Bissell to find this out, but their customer service was great.5) The only time I had trouble pushing it was when the brushes were off. You do have to make sure the brushes are turned on and then it pushes quite easily. Also the wheels are rubber and not noisy on a hard floor.I have had Hoovers before and got so tired of changing belts and bags. I think the Bissell is a much better made vacuum.

phsychic "phsychic" Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
Nice, 2011-08-26
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
Talk about fast shipping! It arrived 5 days ahead of schedule!I purchased this one to make it easier so I didn't have lug a 30lbs vaccum up or down the stairs (we just moved into a 2 story house). It's an newer model than the one I currently have had for almost 3 years now (which is still working like a champ and just love from day 1!). It has every bit amount of power than it's older model(possibly even more) and picks up difficult, and impact pet hair from carpets like it's nothing. You may have to get use to the weird wistling sound it makes during use, but you're carpets/floors/upholstery will be clean for sure. The air in the room actually feels a bit cleaner and less dusty after each use.A few design flaws: #1 the power cord and the hose isn't as long as the older model. #2 the power on/off switch and the beaterbar on/off switch is difficult to reach one-handed (older model was much nicer in the switch placement). #3 the cord holder may break after a while if it's not used carefully. #4 Extension wand needs to be replaced with something a little more durable. First use and I found that any pressure causes it to give :-\Otherwise this is a pretty good and well purforming vaccum cleaner. I've always been a big fan of Bissell's products ever since I first came across the older model of the Healthy Home vaccum as well as the pet stain/spot remover. Both I just fell in love with their performances. Like I said the older model of this vaccum is still running like new after almost 3yrs of intence use against pet hair and dander. (I'll be updating this review in another few years to let you know how this one's holding up.)

Tereasa C. Marshall Say: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
Love This Vacuum, 2011-03-05
This review is for: Bestsellers BISSELL Healthy Home Vacuum 16N53 Online
I got this vacuum yesterday. I had already vacuumed my floor with my older model Bissell. I couldn't believe how much dust this picked up. It's a power house!. I was a die hard Hoover Windtunnel fan, but I wanted a bagless vac. so I bought a bissell bagless at a yardsale and like it so much that I decided to buy another Bissell. My carpets look great. The cup is easy to empty from the bottom. The turbo brush actually works (great), unlike the Hoover one that works until you actually touch something with it. So as long as it holds out. I'm IMPRESSED. If not, I'll let you know.