Bissell CleanView Helix Series 82H1

The Bissell CleanView Helix 82H1 earns mixed feedback in reviews. It's one of the least expensive upright vacuums we found (*Est. $80), and many owners say it's a great value. This upright vacuum has a 13.5-inch cleaning path and five pile-height settings, although there's no on/off switch for the brushroll. Some reviewers say this is a problem when cleaning bare floors, because it can send dirt and dust flying instead of sucking it up. On the other hand, the Bissell CleanView Helix 82H1 excels at picking up pet hair with the handheld TurboBrush attachment, designed for use on stairs, furniture, upholstery and similar surfaces.

However, reviewers say the TurboBrush's drive belt tends to break easily, and it isn't sold as a replacement part. Instead, owners must replace the entire TurboBrush (*Est. $30) -- more than one-third the price of the vacuum cleaner itself. We also read a number of complaints about the dirt canister; several owners say they empty it outside because dirt and dust tends to escape. The Bissell CleanView Helix 82H1 is backed by a one-year warranty. Note that this model is different from the Bissell CleanView Helix Deluxe 21K3, which boasts a 15-inch cleaning path and air-flow indicator and is backed by a three-year warranty.

The Bissell CleanView Helix Deluxe 82H1 isn't covered in any professional reviews or comparison tests, so we turned to consumer reviews to evaluate this upright vacuum's performance over time. We consulted more than 800 owner-written reviews in all from Amazon.com, Target.com, BestBuy.com, Kohls.com and Viewpoints.com.