The Bissell CleanView Swivel Pet 2252 is an affordable upright that does better than expected on both carpet and hard floor tests, particularly with pet hair. TechGearLab praised its suction indicator and powered pet tool, and Vacuum Wars called it strong value for budget-conscious buyers. Reviewers flagged filtration problems, a brush that is hard to clean, and no suction control. It suits anyone who wants an economical vacuum that still delivers solid performance; allergy sufferers may want to consider alternatives.
Full review
Pet hair is what it is good at
The Triple Action brush roll pulls embedded fur out of carpet and rugs better than the price suggests, and the Pet TurboEraser tool handles upholstery and the gaps between cushions. Vacuum Wars found the pet hair result strong enough to carry the machine's overall recommendation for buyers on a tight budget.
The cost of that is maintenance. Vacuum Wars reports the roller clogging quickly with hair, and the bars over the brush make it awkward to cut tangled strands free, so this is a vacuum that needs attention with a pair of scissors more often than most.
The head plows debris on low pile
TechGearLab's carpet testing found the cleaner head sits low enough that it pushes debris ahead of itself instead of rolling over it, which shows up worst on low-pile carpet with harder particles like rice or sand. Their workaround was to run the height adjustment higher than the recommended setting for the carpet type, which improves pickup at the cost of the seal.
Forward strokes work considerably better than reverse ones on both carpet and hard floors, so results depend on technique in a way that better vacuums do not require. Vacuum Wars found it competent on hard floors with forward passes, particularly for crumbs under counters, but the reverse stroke scatters what the forward stroke collected.
Two-axis swivel and a clog indicator
Two features stand out for the money. The head swivels on two axes, which makes it noticeably easier to steer around furniture legs than a fixed-head upright, and Vacuum Wars rated that highly. There is also a suction power indicator that shifts from green to red as airflow drops, which turns a clog from a mystery into something visible.
What is missing is any suction control at all: the motor runs at one level, so there is no reducing it for rugs or curtains. At 15 pounds the vacuum is manageable, and the 27-foot cord covers a decent area, but the height adjustment knob is fiddly to set accurately.
The filtration is the disqualifier for allergy sufferers
The washable foam disc filter is not part of a sealed system, and TechGearLab found filtration the weakest area in their testing, with fine particles escaping rather than being contained. For a vacuum marketed at pet owners that is a pointed failure, because pet dander is exactly what a filter is supposed to trap.
Anyone with asthma, allergies or a sensitivity to dander should treat that as a reason not to buy rather than a footnote. There is also no HEPA option to upgrade to, so it cannot be fixed with a consumable.
Cheap, and it behaves like it
Build quality is adequate for the price and no better. TechGearLab described the components as basic but functional, and owners run into the brush roll refusing to spin often enough that the troubleshooting procedure and belt replacement are well-trodden ground. Plastics feel thin in places.
As a budget pick for pet hair on carpet, with a user who does not mind picking hair off the roller and who does not have allergies, it earns its place. As a vacuum for hard floors, for fine dust, or for anyone with a respiratory sensitivity, the compromises are the wrong ones.
Strengths
- +Good pet hair collection
- +Suction Power Indicator shows clogs visually
- +Two-axis swivel head for better maneuverability
- +Powered pet tool included
Watch-outs
- −Brush roller hard to clean
- −Poor filtration system that releases airborne particles
How it compares
The Bissell CleanView Swivel Pet 2252 costs less than the Dyson Ball Animal 3 and both Shark Navigator models on this page. Its washable foam filter releases airborne particles, where the Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 and the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360 include HEPA filters. Its 27 ft cord is slightly longer than the NV360's 25 feet, and it has no suction control.
Rating sources
Counts as 3.09/5 in our score — this publisher's 138 scores on the site average 3.66, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 2.74/5 in our score — this publisher's 1 scores on the site average 4.50, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
“The Bissell CleanView Swivel Pet is an impressive budget upright vacuum that punches well above its price class.”
“I happily discovered it has exceptional suction, incredible pet features, and outcleans any other model I've owned. This is my love story.”
Not in the average — we derived this score from the review's words, and a publisher printed a score for this product, so the printed number counts instead.
Our 2.9 score is the average of 2 of the scored reviews above, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. 1 derived score above is not in the average because a publisher printed a score for this product. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
