Bissell Total Floors Complete Bagless Upright Vacuum (52C2) Review

Bissell 52C2 Overview & Features:

If you think you’re content with the vacuum cleaner you’ve had for years, it could be time to think again. Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side, and the BISSELL Total Floors Complete Bagless Upright Vacuum (52C2) makes a compelling case. This is a versatile appliance with a variety of features that make cleaning fun (well, as fun as cleaning can ever get) and certainly efficient.

The 52C2 is the brainchild of Bissell’s long and storied history. For the uninitiated, Bissell has been in the business of developing high-quality cleaning tools since 1876. Over the last sixty years, Bissell has shifted their focus towards the perfection of deep cleaning. Once the exclusive domain of commercial providers, today this technology is fully available to the consummate household clean-freak. When it comes to the BISSELL Total Floors Complete Bagless Upright Vacuum (52C2), they truly do stay true to the company slogan: “when we say clean…we mean clean.”

The BISSELL 52C2 upright vacuum cleaner boasts a Multi-Cyclonic vacuum mechanism, which easily moves from carpets to hard floors — offering satisfying flexibility when it comes to residential cleaning. In addition, the vacuum cleaner also has a multi-surface feature, coupled with a brush roll on and off switch, making it hardwood floor-friendly.

While the average vacuum cleaner requires rooms to be cleared of furniture in order to achieve a thorough cleaning, here you can save the elbow grease of moving those chairs and tables away, thanks to the Bissell’s Edge Cleaning Port. It diverts suction to the edge of the vacuum to effectively clean typical problem areas, such as along baseboards and under/around furniture.

If you are a fellow pet-owner, you know that fur shedding is just one part of the problem; there are plenty of instances where unpleasant smells linger in an otherwise clean and vacuumed space. The Bissell 52C2 is equipped with a Febreze Vacuum Filter, which eliminates unwanted odor and freshens the surrounding air while you vacuum. Another nice touch is the 40-foot power cord, which allows for a longer reach. and reduces the hassle of having to deal with unplugging and replugging constantly as you clean.

 

Performance:

In our testing of the Bissell bagless upright, the appliance certainly met our expectations. Being a Bissell product, we were already expecting strong suction performance. Sure enough, the vacuum did a great job cleaning, and worked well on a variety of tested surfaces such as hardwood, carpet, and rugs. Details such as the Febreze air filter and rubber covered rear wheels — which helped avoid marking up and scraping the floors — were also welcome surprises.

However, the Bissell 52C2 is not without its share of quirks. While the suction power and air filtration is impressive, accessory design (including the dust container) could be improved. Switching to the wand was not as seamless as it could be, and the vacuum’s shape can be cumbersome — especially when compared to something like the Hoover Platinum. We found the dust container tends to fill up rather quickly and is a bit awkward to empty.

Another thing worth keeping in mind is that none of the vacuum accessories are interchangeable with other Bissell models, which makes it uninspiring if you’re planning on building a cleaning system under this brand. Finally, although it could have just been specific to our test model, we observed that there was a lack of seal between the upper rim of the dust cup and the lower rim of the upper housing, which resulted in the dust that the vacuum cleaner picked up being redeposited onto the power cord when the unit is running.

Conclusion

If you prioritize function over form, then the Bissell Total Floors Complete Bagless Upright Vacuum 52C2 could be just what you’re looking for. Much like its name implies, the 52C2 is an excellent all-rounder that performs well on carpets, rugs and hardwood, and offers deep suction from the edge of the vacuum. The mobility afforded by the 40 foot cord makes you wonder why more vacuum cleaning companies don’t follow suit. While some of its design elements could definitely use an update, at the end of the day the Bissell 52C2 holds its own when it comes to making sure your home is a cleaner, healthier environment.

The Good: Excellent value for the money; powerful suction on variety of floor surfaces; edge cleaning ports on vacuum head; Febreze vacuum filter eliminates odors and freshens while vacuuming; 40 foot power cord.

The Bad: Accessories incompatible with other Bissell models; vacuum is bulky in design; dust container awkward to empty.

VC Reviews Verdict: If you want an effective vacuum cleaner that’s also versatile on a variety of floor surfaces, the Bissell Bagless Upright 52C2 offers a great bang for your buck. Give this a serious look if you’re a ‘substance over style’ sort of person.