Bissell Bolt Ion XRT 2-in-1 Cordless Vacuum 1311 Review

In this BISSELL Bolt Ion XRT 2-in-1 cordless vacuum, 1311 review, we’ll look at the pros and cons of this model.

Pros of the Bissell Bolt Ion XRT 1311

It is a cordless vacuum cleaner. The lack of a cord is a significant advantage if you have to clean in between pieces of furniture or have trouble stepping over and around a cord due to limited mobility.

The user has the option to turn on and off the brush roll, such as turning off the brush roll so you don’t scratch up hardwood floors.

This is a highly maneuverable vacuum, even for a cordless vacuum. It has a 180 degree swivel head.

Many cordless vacuum cleaners die after twenty minutes of use, lasting perhaps ten minutes on high power. The Bissell Bolt Ion lasts up to forty minutes on normal power, though boosted suction does shorten the battery life.

The edge bristles means it cleans along the baseboards as you vacuum the carpet edge along the wall.

This cordless stick vacuum is only six pounds. That makes it easier for someone with limited upper body strength to manage.

This is a two in one vacuum, with a removable “hand” vacuum that separates from the wand that turns it into a cordless upright vacuum. This is convenient if you hate vacuuming the floor and then having to come back with a hand-held vacuum for spots on the furniture. This feature is also useful if you have trouble getting around and don’t want to have to come back a second time with a hand-held vacuum.

The handle can be flexed forward and backward. This coupled with the 180 degree head means you can turn around without having to turn the vacuum around, or you can simply put it in the position that allows it to best fit in your storage compartment.

It does a great job on tile and hardwood floors and good job on short carpet.
Its light weight and flexibility makes it much easier to use on stairs than a standard upright vacuum cleaner.

Cons of the Bissell Bolt Ion XRT 1311

The high quality lithium battery is a restricted technology under ITAR and other Department of Defense regulations. Sorry, Canadians, you aren’t allowed to buy one.

It doesn’t do well on thick carpets. For that, you need the high suction of an upright, corded vacuum cleaner unless just spot cleaning.

Observations

This vacuum’s release date of November 2014 means there is no history on which to judge its reliability. However, we can look at the reliability of the Bissell brand overall. Bissell has one of the most reliable vacuum cleaner brands on the market, according to Consumer Reports.

The 2014 Consumer Reports buying guide rated Bissell the third most reliable upright vacuum cleaner brand, behind only Kirby and Dirt Devil. Only seven percent of its vacuums broke down in a given year, a rate that rivaled Dyson and beat premium brand Electrolux by three percentage points.

Between the hand-held vacuum and wand that turns it into a cordless upright vacuum, this is a versatile machine. However, the battery and its limited life means the Bissell Bolt XRT Ion is ideal for someone who lives in a small apartment or RV that has little floor space to be cleaned or needs an upright vacuum equivalent to get the spots the Roomba or other robot vacuum cleaner didn’t quite get.

This vacuum is over $200. This is expensive if you can’t replace an upright vacuum cleaner with it.

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