For anyone who’s ever struggled with keeping their floors tidy amidst the chaos of daily life, dealing with dust bunnies and pet hair can feel like an endless battle that needs a practical solution.
Life gets messy, and keeping a clean home, especially with pets or kids, can feel like a full-time job. You’re constantly battling crumbs, dirt tracked in from outside, and the never-ending shedding. Letting dust and debris accumulate isn’t just unsightly; it can impact indoor air quality and make your home feel less comfortable. For years, I wrestled with this, either relying on bulky, heavy vacuums that were a hassle to drag out for quick cleanups or sacrificing cleanliness for convenience. Finding something that was light enough for everyday use but still effective was a real challenge.
Key Factors to Weigh Before Acquiring a Stick Vacuum
A stick vacuum is designed for those who need a lightweight, easy-to-access tool for everyday cleaning tasks. They’re perfect for quick cleanups, spills, and maintaining cleanliness between deeper cleans. If you live in a smaller home or apartment, have mostly hard floors with some low-pile carpets, or struggle with the weight of a traditional vacuum, a stick vacuum could be ideal. However, if you have a large home predominantly covered in thick, high-pile or shag carpets, or require deep cleaning suction for embedded dirt across vast areas, a stick vacuum, especially a lightweight one, might not be sufficient. In such cases, a full-sized upright or canister vacuum designed for deep carpet cleaning would be a better investment.
Before committing to a stick vacuum, consider a few things:
* Weight: How light do you need it to be? This impacts how easy it is to carry upstairs or use for extended periods.
* Power: Will it handle the types of debris you typically encounter (crumbs, pet hair, larger particles)? Check the wattage or suction power.
* Versatility: Does it convert to a hand vacuum or offer tools for different surfaces and areas (stairs, upholstery, corners)?
* Corded vs. Cordless: Cordless offers freedom but has limited runtime. Corded provides consistent power but restricts your range.
* Filter Type & Maintenance: Is the filter washable? How easy is the dirt bin to empty and clean?
* Storage: Can it stand on its own or does it need to be mounted?
Introducing the Bissell Featherweight PowerBrush Vacuum
I’ve been using the Bissell® Featherweight™ PowerBrush Vacuum, 2773A for quite some time now, and it has become my go-to for daily tidying. This little machine promises powerful suction and versatile cleaning in an incredibly lightweight package. It’s positioned as an ideal tool for quick, easy cleaning across multiple surfaces. What you get with the Bissell 2773A is the main unit, including the handle, foot with motorized brush roll, and the dirt bin, plus a crevice tool for getting into tight spots. Compared to some market leaders in the stick vacuum space, which often boast cordless convenience or higher suction power for deeper cleans, the Featherweight PowerBrush is a more budget-friendly, corded option focused squarely on being lightweight and versatile for everyday messes. It’s definitely a step up from simple stick vacuums without a brush roll, offering better agitation on carpets and rugs.
This specific stick vacuum is perfect for individuals or families in smaller homes or apartments with hard floors, low-pile carpets, and area rugs. It’s also great for anyone needing a lightweight option for stairs or above-floor cleaning. It’s less suited for homes with large areas of high-pile or shag carpeting where deeper cleaning is necessary.
Here’s a quick rundown:
Pros:
* Extremely lightweight (under 4 lbs)
* Versatile 3-in-1 design (stick, hand, high-reach)
* Motorized brush roll for enhanced cleaning
* Easy to empty dirt bin and washable filter
* Affordable price point
* Supports BISSELL Pet Foundation with purchase
Cons:
* Corded design limits range
* Struggles with high-pile/shag carpets and significant pet hair on carpets
* Durability can be a concern for some users over time
* Smaller dirt bin capacity
In-Depth Look at Performance and Advantages
Having used this vacuum cleaner for an extended period, I’ve really gotten to know its strengths and weaknesses in a real-world setting. It’s become an indispensable tool for managing the daily dust and debris that accumulates surprisingly quickly. Let’s break down its key features and how they translate into practical benefits.
Feather-Light Design: Effortless Maneuverability
One of the most significant advantages of the Bissell Featherweight PowerBrush Vacuum is right there in the name: it’s incredibly lightweight. Tipping the scales at less than 4 pounds, this vacuum is genuinely easy to handle. Before getting this, dragging out my old, heavy upright vacuum for a quick pass through the kitchen or living room felt like a chore. Now, I can just grab the Bissell 2773A off its hook and zip through messes in minutes. This lightweight nature is a game-changer for cleaning stairs – instead of precariously balancing a heavy machine, I can simply carry this one step-by-step. It also makes above-floor cleaning, like tackling cobwebs on the ceiling or dust on high shelves, completely manageable without straining your arms. The reduced weight is a direct benefit to solving the problem of inconvenient, time-consuming cleanup; it makes vacuuming feel less like a heavy task and more like a quick sweep.
Powerful Motorized Brush Roll: Tackling Multiple Surfaces
Despite its modest size and weight, the Bissell Featherweight features a powerful motorized brush roll. This is a crucial feature for a stick vacuum, as it significantly enhances cleaning performance, especially on carpets and rugs. On hard floors, the brush roll effectively sweeps up dust, crumbs, and debris, directing it towards the suction path. For low-pile carpets and area rugs, the rotating bristles agitate the fibers, helping to lift embedded dirt and pet hair that suction alone might miss. I’ve found it works really well on my low-pile rugs, picking up surface dirt and hair surprisingly effectively for a vacuum of this size and price point. This feature directly contributes to the product’s promise of quick and easy cleaning on multiple surfaces, making it much more versatile than a simple suction-only stick vacuum. It helps solve the problem of surface messes on both hard floors and carpets without needing different cleaning tools.
3-in-1 Versatility: Adapting to Any Mess
The 3-in-1 design is where the Bissell Featherweight PowerBrush truly shines in terms of adaptability. It transitions seamlessly between three modes: a standard stick vacuum, a high-reach vacuum, and a hand vacuum. Using it as a traditional stick vacuum is straightforward for floors. The Quick Release Handle allows you to easily remove the foot, converting it into a powerful hand vacuum. With the foot still attached to the handheld unit, it’s great for cleaning stairs – the brush roll still works on the treads, and the compact size is perfect for navigating steps. Removing the foot entirely gives you a handheld unit ideal for upholstery, car interiors, or quick spot cleanups. You can attach the included crevice tool in this mode for tight corners or edges. This versatility is a major benefit; it means one tool can handle a wide range of cleaning tasks, from floors to furniture to ceilings, making it incredibly convenient for addressing different types of messes that contribute to overall home untidiness.
Included Tools: Reaching Tight Spots
The Bissell Featherweight comes with a crevice tool, which, while seemingly basic, is essential for thorough cleaning. When you convert the vacuum to hand vac mode, you can attach this tool to reach into narrow spaces that the main foot or even the handheld unit alone can’t access. This is invaluable for cleaning along baseboards, between couch cushions, in corners, or getting into the nooks and crannies of your car. It ensures that dust and debris hidden in these hard-to-reach areas don’t get left behind, contributing to a more complete clean and helping to keep your home truly free from accumulated dirt.
Easy Maintenance: Simple Cleanup After Cleaning Up
Nobody wants a vacuum that’s a hassle to clean. The Bissell 2773A makes maintenance pretty straightforward. It features an Easy Empty Dirt Bin – just detach it and pop open the bottom flap to dump the collected debris directly into the trash. This is much less cumbersome than dealing with vacuum bags. The filter inside the dirt bin is also washable. Being able to wash the filter is a great benefit; it saves money on replacements and helps maintain suction power over time, although you do need to make sure it’s completely dry before putting it back in. The cord wraps easily onto the handle for neat storage. This simple maintenance contributes to the overall ease of use and helps ensure the vacuum is always ready for the next quick cleanup, reducing the barrier to keeping things tidy.
Considerations Based on Experience and Reviews
While the Bissell Featherweight PowerBrush Vacuum, 2773A excels at quick, light cleaning, it’s important to manage expectations. As mentioned in the cons, it is corded, which requires you to stay within range of an outlet, unlike the freedom a cordless model provides. More significantly, based on my own use and experiences shared by other users, the motorized brush roll can struggle with thicker carpets, particularly high-pile or shag styles. It sometimes slows down or even stops if the fibers are too dense, requiring you to turn it off and restart it. While it picks up surface pet hair on low-pile surfaces reasonably well, it may not have sufficient power to lift deeply embedded pet hair from carpets, especially thicker ones. Some users have also reported concerns about long-term durability, with issues like loss of power or the brush not spinning correctly appearing after a year or so of use. However, for its intended purpose – light, daily tidying on mostly bare floors and low-pile carpets – it performs admirably for its price point.
Feedback from Users Online
Looking at experiences shared by others online, the sentiment is largely positive, especially regarding the vacuum’s primary function as a lightweight, convenient tool for quick cleaning. Many users echo how incredibly easy it is to maneuver and store. People appreciate its performance on hard floors and low-pile carpets for daily messes and find the hand vacuum mode particularly useful for stairs and furniture. However, some reviews confirm that it’s not built for heavy-duty tasks or deep carpet cleaning, noting its limitations with thicker carpets and significant pet hair, aligning with my own observations. The ease of emptying the bin and cleaning the filter is also frequently mentioned as a plus.
Final Thoughts on the Bissell Featherweight PowerBrush
Dealing with everyday dirt and debris can feel overwhelming, and if left unchecked, it can make your home feel less clean and comfortable. The Bissell® Featherweight™ PowerBrush Vacuum, 2773A offers a practical solution for this common problem. Its lightweight design makes it easy for anyone to use for quick touch-ups. The 3-in-1 versatility means you have the right tool for different cleaning needs around the house, and the motorized brush helps tackle messes on various floor types. If you need a simple, effective, and budget-friendly vacuum for daily cleaning on hard floors and low-pile carpets, this model is definitely worth considering. To learn more or purchase the Bissell Featherweight PowerBrush Vacuum, 2773A, Click here to check it out.