Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Thank God for those who try.  I can't always give high scores in regard to the worth of their efforts but they do help to keep life interesitng.  And per the news link -- http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/080926/0437655.html -- Bissell certainly is trying.

I can't find any information about the new Bissell Versus (see below) but the article states that HSN has it and that it will be in the hands of retailers this month.

Best,

Venson

Hello DIB:

I believe you made this comment earlier and Venson responded to it, with no reply from you at the time.  Did you miss/misunderstand the previous response?

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Hi DIB,

You're missing the spin here.  Notice the white arrows at the ends of the nozzle wings.  That would mean that a forward pass along a floor edge with the "wing tip" is meant to clean corners and along baseboards.  You turn the cleaner one way or another to clean the next floor edge.  Not  a practical idea but Best Buy has been talked into carrying the Versus online.  I'm curious to see who follows.  If they move, it means that you can sell anybody anything.  But . . . at 80-bucks it will prove of interest to the non-thinking because it's cheap.

Venson

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My post was an answer to Venson's curiosity: TARGET follows BEST BUY.  I suspect other retailers will too and carry the BISSELL VERSA.

Carmine D.

Carmine,
I am getting older...  I may of missed his reply and I may of posted the pic before too.  I was blown away Target is using this pic on their site, that was my motivation for today's post.        DIB

DysonInventsBig wrote:
Be ye not astonished!  Though this is to my mind a rather silly spin on a vacuum cleaner Target, purveyor of Fruit of the Loom for six bucks per pack, isn't Nieman Marcus or Bloomingdale's.  Who ever approved the Versus design believed that there is enough of a public more taken by form as opposed to function who'd think, "Isn't that cool"  because they know there's also enough of a public -- that I shall not be so rude as to call uninformed or kind of dumb -- who'll pop the 80 bucks on the counter to give it a go.  The cheap trash you see on the shelf ain't out there for nothin'.  (I confess -- I've shopped in a 99-cents store.)

We're a populous of 303,500,000 souls, per early 2008 findings, and few give much deep thought to household devices until they feel they need one and don't think about them much after they get them -- until something goes wrong..  Of course the wonderful thing about us is that today as opposed to the good old days in which you simply got used to walking if you couldn't afford a horse -- there's now something for everybody.  And everybody wants a chance to have.  For that reason alone, rest assured big business wants everbody's money, not just that of those who are well-heeled to afford quality or real science.  The folks who do fall for the high-amp and unique design hype will love it until the nozzle gets fractured in two or three months. BUT -- there will be more affordable junk available when they go back to look for another one.

God, how I wish I too still believed in fairy tales.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hello Venson:

BISSELL's answer to the Dirt Devil designer series Kruz and Kurv!

Carmine D.

These have also been featured on a dedicated Infomercial. You know how successful they are in getting idio ummm sorry "consumers" to buy second rate garbage. Note SHARK.

Lucky1 wrote:

Hello Lucky 1:

Alot of vacuum consumers who knew better bought Regina Electrik Brooms and used them like full size vacuums.  And swore by them [not at them].  The product couldn't stand up by itself.  Had to be hung/leaned.   $19.95 to $119.95.  Go figure.  It's called the greater fool theory. 

Carmine D.

Men,

It’s marketing suicide photographing the vacuums major weakness (above) while highlighting a minor strength.  The need to vacuum up to a straight edge - a wall, furniture, etc. is far greater than the much rarer need of poking around in a corner suctioning renegade debris.  Bissell fixed a “problem” that does not exist...  many/most sticks on the market and in the past can and did suck up debris from inside of corners.

I understand Bissell has a desperate need for new products or different than normal products. Too bad Grandma Bissell is not around leading product development.


DIB

Hello DIB:

To BISSELL's credit it offers a full complement of floorcare cleaning products: Stick vacuums, hand vacuums, carpet sweepers, floor washers, rug extractors both full size and portable, canisters and uprights.  Its top of line HEALTHY HOME with a 5 Year Warranty, makes the Consumer Reports cut for best upright ratings, still carries its MSRP of $249 among all the retailers.  With some retailers offering a $25-$40 Giftcard on Holiday sales.  While less expensive BISSELL models like the Clear View and Momentum uprights are always rated a CR Best Buy.  And very popular sellers among all the big box stores.   BISSELL's signature model, the carpet sweeper, is a US vacuum industry and American household icon and classic. 

As Venson points out with the Versa, at $70 a pop, before discounts, there is not much thought needed/given by consumers to make a buy decision.  Marketing/advertising probably never enter the process for most buyers.  Just the $70 price and the BISSELL name recognition. 

Despite your Grandma BISSELL analogy and perhaps due in large part to it, BISSELL with over 100 years in the vacuum industry in the USA, thru good and bad economic times, is very well positioned as a big box venue brand, to flourish in short/long lived recessions.  In the final business analysis, this is the only marketing edge that matters.   

Carmine D.

The March 2009 Consumer Reports tested new held held and stick vacuums, corded and cordless, and compared them with the best previously tested models.  The results?  New top performers.  BISSELL lands the top spots for both:  For sticks, the BISSELL corded Versus for $80.  The boomerang shaped head, according to CR, fits into corners and edges better than almost every other stick CR tested.  Consider it, per CR, for quick clean-up on bare floors.  Yet its not an option for carpets since it lacks a brush [according to CR].  On the last point I would agree too and note the DIrt Devil Cruz, for a similar shortcoming.  Great on floors, pass on rugs due to no brush.

For hand helds, the new BISSELL corded Pet Hair Eraser for $35. Superb on carpets, floors, and edges, according to CR.  But despite the name the worst tested for pet hair.

Carmine D.

The March 2009 issue of C/R actually praised the 'V' for its ability to get into corners. Looking at the narrow front and rear slots on the underside view of the nozzle, it may create enough turbulance when directed intoa corner to pick up loose debris