Bissell AirRAM Vacuum Cleaner Review

I love gadgets and tools that make life simpler, and I’m always on the look-out for ways to make housework easier. So I was excited to get the opportunity to review the Bissell AirRAM cordless vacuum cleaner.

After having kids, I fell in love with cordless vacuums. These machines are so much more powerful than the old dust-buster, making a quick vacuum of the house easy with no plugging and unplugging or knocking things over with the cord.

Let’s take a look at the Bissell AirRAM. At first glance, it looks a bit like the manual carpet sweeper that my Mum had when I was a kid (do they still exist?):

But don’t let looks fool you. This is a powerful vacuum cleaner. The motor and dust collector is in the base of the vacuum. Since air doesn’t have to flow through a long pipe or through cyclones (like your normal vacuum cleaner), this makes the AirRAM really efficient. The major advantage of this is battery life – where other models of cordless vacuum have a 15 minute run time, this one lasts 40 minutes. This is more than enough for me to vacuum my whole house (4 carpeted bedrooms, plus two large living areas with cork floors), and ends up using less power so saves dollars.

(This is not how I look when vacuuming! Photo from Bissell)

The AirRAM also seems to have greater suction power than my previous cordless. I was shocked at how much extra dirt came up from my bedroom carpets. It also lifts the pile of the carpet so it looks like I’ve vacuumed (I like to leave little signs like that so my hubby might notice all the boring housework I do!).

It also picks up much bigger food crumbs (that my kids love scattering around the house no matter how hard I try to keep them at the dinner table when eating). My other vacuum just pushed them around the room and I’d have to pick them up myself. There is a higher opening at the centre of the head (see picture above) that I aim at to pick up those larger crumbs (and pieces of nuts).

The dust is collected into a container in the head of the vacuum and is the fluffy dust is compressed into two bales. Sand and larger/heavy crumbs drop to the bottom of the compartment, so it’s not quite as tidy as it sounds. The whole container lifts out of the vacuum and has a lid to empty. Taking that to our outside bin so it’s still a simple, and bagless way to get rid of the dirt and dust.

The compartment holds a lot more than you expect due to the compressing. It’s not very full in the picture above, but was filled to overflowing below:

There’s no indicator when the dust compartment is full though, which is a little frustrating. You just have to notice when it doesn’t seem to be picking up dirt. Not so good if you zone out when vacuuming and aren’t paying attention!

The AirRAM handle can lie completely flat, making it easy to get under (some) furniture. The head has a reasonably low height so it fits under a lot of furniture, like my change table and entertainment unit. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit under my couch (aka lounge suite/sofa) – the holiday home for crumbs and dirt in my house.

It’s a light vacuum cleaner at only 3.7kg. The head can lock into a right angle position and there is a grip half-way down the handle which makes it easy to move the vacuum from room to room (if you’re not vacuuming as you go) and is easy to lug up and down stairs. The manual mentions it can be used by kids from 8 years of age, but I think a younger child would be able to manoeuvre it (although I haven’t yet trusted my 4 year old to have a try). As it’s bottom heavy and all the important parts are in the bottom, you don’t have to worry so much if the handle gets dropped.

The AirRAM also turns on and off with a button about half way down the handle – much better than the squeeze trigger on my other vacuum!

On the downside, with the motor in the head of the vacuum, there are no small attachments. You can’t use it to vacuum right in the corners or along skirting boards, or to get cobwebs (and spiders) in the corner of the ceilings.

The battery charger isn’t “smart”, so you need to turn it off when the battery is fully charged. It’s not a big deal, but you’ll reduce the battery life if you keep it charging all the time (and at least the battery is easily removed for replacement). Also, the indicator for the battery charger is on the machine and not the battery, so if you remove the battery to charge it, you can’t tell when it’s fully charged. Charging is quick though – only 4 hours from empty (and yes, I timed it!)

It’s a bit louder than my other vacuum cleaner – which may or may not be a good thing, depending on how much I want to drown out the noise of the kids or want to hear the doorbell!

It fits nicely into the storage cupboard in my laundry. If you don’t have a space like that, you can remove the top part of the handle via a very small push button. This would be a bit fiddly to remove regularly, and did look a little flimsy compared to the rest of the machine. Even removing that section, it’s still quite tall to store, compared with a standard corded floor vacuum.

Overall, it’s now my go-to vacuum for cleaning the floors. It’s easy to grab and I can rely on it to get my whole house clean without the battery running out. I do still need another vacuum for jobs like getting cobwebs and spiders off the ceiling, catching bugs and cleaning edges. There are cheap options like brooms and dusters that could replace those duties, but I’m happy to grab my other vacuum for those jobs.

Wow, that’s a lot to say about a vacuum cleaner! The bottom line is I recommend the Bissell AirRAM for quick and easy floor cleaning. The Bissell AirRAM can be purchased at major Australian retailers, with an RRP of $399.

Disclaimer: I received a free cordless vacuum cleaner for review purposes, and no other compensation for this review. As always, all opinions are my own and this is an honest, open review.

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