Bissell ANNA Vacuum.. Great in theory, but already discontinued

[honestjoe68]

Hey guys,

Our talks on here sparked by the New Dyson V10 got me thinking of one of my prize collectibles, now unfortunately on its way to being made rare since Bissell discontinued them.. my Bissell ANNA Hybrid Cordless Vacuum. Even though Bissell stopped selling them, I added their direct link if anyone wants the specifics and details of this vacuum.

I Really LOVE this vacuum and find it cleans very well and enjoy that is it cordless if you want or if you so desire.. plug the cord into the side and it’s a corded upright. It has a nice, convenient wrap around storage hook for the cord when not using it. The vacuum is a Lift-Off design for cleaning with the attachments. It’s very quiet and has very strong suction, suprisingly good suction. I love that all the tools are stored on board and the only one that is in an odd place, is the upholstery tool. It’s located under the body, so when you use it in Lift Off mode, it’s easier to grab then. I think the most FUN feature is the touch controls, new when this vacuum was first introduced and a nice feature. Also, as far as Bagless vacuums go, this one is very easy to empty and maintain. It even has a design element where you cannot close the dirt bin if the HEPA filter is not installed. All together, I love this vacuum and just wish other manufacturers would get into Hybrid vacuums. I Loved the Miele S4812 Hybrid, but they too stopped manufacturing it. Anyone else think of a hybrid.. please post it and pictures if possible just for fun.

I bought it on a whim but then started to think how genius is this idea, but it needed some design tweaks. The major design frustration I have with this vacuum is that it has No carpet height adjustment, but instead a “floating head” type which will NOT work on heavy, plush carpeting.

But my thoughts are this, maybe Sir James Dyson should develope a full sized vacuum that is a Hybrid? With battery technology getting better and better BUT the always nagging question of what good is the vacuum when the batteries are depleted... this might make everyone happy. Just a random thought I had and I have always said since the Dyson V8.. I WISH this thing had a cord.

Ok, I’m adding a bunch of pics for fun.. if any of you have questions, please feel free to ask. If anyone wants to see anything specific, I will take pictures and post them. Since Bissell discontinued the ANNA, I bought a lot of extras for it, filters, parts, etc. now while they are still available. Thanks guys!

http://https//www.bissell.com/anna-upright-hybrid-cordless-vacuum-1422

 

[broomvac]

It was a rarity even when the ANNA was still being made. Years from now, yours could very well be one of a kind--and to top it off, it's spotless!

Does this vacuum use a cyclone of any kind, or is there a pleated filter behind the shroud?

Thanks for sharing!

P.S. I read somewhere that to prolong their life, lithium-ion batteries should be stored with about a 40% charge.

 

[honestjoe68]

@broomvac

Hi, thanks for the nice comments! I hope instead of a rare find, it becomes the original of one they release again with all the improvements. But if not, it will be kind of fun to have something so rare.

I’d never heard about the 40% battery storage, but thanks for the info and I’ll look into it. Right now, I store it will a full charge, per the manufacturer instructions and you slide a switch (See pic 8) to “storage” in order to maintain the charge and to keep the battery in a non draining storage mode.

The Pleated HEPA filter is in the center of the shroud, I added more pics to show stuff I forgot to photograph in the previous set. The dirt and dust spins around as it enters the vacuum, but there are not cyclones. I’m very suprised at the effective filtering and the power of it even without cyclones. The first pic is with the HEPA filter removed and sitting at the other end of the shroud so you can see it’s a long cylinderical chamber. It also suprised me now non of Kermit’s hairs get to the HEPA filter pleats and they all stay inside the dirt bin.

I also added a pic (# 3) showing the flip up tab that prevents this vacuum from being used with the HEPA filter removed. And I took a picture showing it in Lift Off mode as well as how the hose stretches easily (pic 10) and similar to a Sebo Automatic X, the hose nests down inside the wand when not in use. Also the elbow where the hose attaches to the vacuum swivels 360 degrees for convenience. I am very impressed with this vacuum cleaner, the quality of its build is excellent, very sturdy, high quality materials. Even the back wheels are coated, similar to a Kirby to protect delicate floors. Everything that touches the floor for that matter is made well and of soft, non-marring material. The tools are high quality too, even though the dusting brush is synthetic instead of hair like Sebo & Miele, it is super soft. The one extension wand, I’m normally not a big fan of vs. two wands.. but this one is easy to use, very long when extended and Locks firmly into any position you choose with a twist.

Also, a funny note.. Bissell took an idea from Dyson in that everything on the vacuum that causes an action or is a switch to change or clean something is in the neon Yellow/Green color... the HEPA filter has the three rings shown in the pictures (# 4 & 5), you stick your fingers in those holes and twist, that causes the filter pleats to vibrate/shake the dirt out of the pleats from the inside out. Also the pedal (pic 13) that is for Lift Off is the same color to stop confusion as to which reclines the vacuum and which is Lift Off. The Switch that you slide from Standby to Storage is also that color.

The picture (# 17) showing the hose against the palm of my hand is to show the very strong suction on it’s lowest setting, in battery mode. I can wiggle my hand around and the suction keeps the hose firmly against my hand. Sorry, I don’t have any of the testing equipment for air watts, water lift, etc.

Thanks to everybody for all the views.. I hope for more questions too as I love “talking vacuums” and it’s fun to hear others viewpoints and ideas. Thank you!

 

[gj3476]

Oh yeeaahhh. I completely forgot about the Bissell ANNA, they were first introduced in I think 2011 or 2012, not sure when they discontinued them, but I’ve NEVER seen this model like that before!

 

[honestjoe68]

@gj3476

Hi Gabriel,

They were available for purchase on the USA Bissell website until January 2018. Then the next time I was looking around, it was labeled “discontinued” but I think you can find NIB at Amazon still, but the prices are going up.

Thanks for the nice comment! Have a great day!

 

[crazykirbydude]

I thought looked neat, but it was too expensive and it is bagless. Besides, I strongly dislike complicated electronics on board. Those things have capacitors that blow open after a couple of years of use. Give me my metal vacuums! The only Bissell I would consider buying would be the bagged PowerForce.

 

[myles_v]

I've seen the Anna on Amazon before and had a hard time finding much info about it. Would you be able to make a video of it for Youtube? I can't even locate it on Amazon anymore, but the last time I saw it the price was over $500 and that's a lot more than I'm willing to spend on a Bissell with such little info available.

 

[huskyvacs]

This vacuum was named after Anna Sutherland Bissell, president and later chair of the board of the Bissell Corporation. She died in 1934. It looks like this vacuum (Model 1422?) was released in 2014 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of her death.

PS: From the side, this vacuum looks like the Mr. Fusion (aka Krups Coffina 223A) from Back To The Future Part II. http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/backtothefuture-mrfusion.jpg

 

[honestjoe68]

@myles_v

Hi Myles,

I’ve tried to make videos before and gave up. I don’t have to patience or the proper equipment to make videos and really just take pictures for my own inventory purposes to keep track of all my vacuums. The only problem is, I have missed taking pictures of a lot of my vacuums, so one day hopefully soon I will get all the vacuums that are carefully packed away out.. and take more pictures.

So, sorry I can’t help you with a video and I couldn’t find any on YouTube either... I didn’t realize how rare this Bissell is or just how little they advertised it. Also, I found out that Amazon has sold out of the Anna and will not be getting anymore for sale. I looked online and could only source a few places to buy it and they both looked suspect. I guess, sadly she’s Off the market for good now. If I ever find someone who does have the equipment and knowledge to take great videos, I will do it. I have quite a few special vacuums I want to make videos of and will keep this in mind. Thanks.

Hey @huskyvacs .. Thanks for the pic, very cool. Yes, this vacuum came with a booklet that was full of information regarding the Anna’s namesake Anna Sutherland Bissell. If was very interesting but it’s a shame that Bissell didn’t do a lot more advertising and spend some time trying to promote this great vacuum. I understand a lot of people would find it too heavy these days, or just in general find things they don’t like about the Anna, but I think it could have been a much bigger hit and had higher sales if they had just promoted it. Heck, I LOVE vacuums so much I’m practically online every day trying to find new vacuums and unique things.. but I never saw the Anna until about 2 years ago. That is another reason I love this site, as I find you guys post whenever you see new vacuums and it helps.

Thanks

 

[myles_v]

I completely understand, thanks!

 

[myles_v]

Aha...

So I found a brand new Bissell Anna on eBay for under $200. Now you and I both have them! I'm quite impressed with the machine actually, I'd love to use it more frequently but I want to keep mine spotless just as yours is.

 

[honestjoe68]

@myles_v

Hey Myles!

Congratulations on your new Bissell ANNA purchase! I’m happy you shared your great find and it’s so great you found a new one to buy!

I don't use mine for cleaning anymore as I want to preserve it’s new, clean condition. I do however bring it out often and admire it. Lol I also turn it on and run it for a while every 2 or 3 months so the battery gets discharged and charged. It’s amazing though because, before I was running it every few months, I found it never lost a bit of its charge, no matter how long it was stored.

Thanks for sharing and I’d Love to see you post your pictures too. Maybe you could share some pictures of the bin with dirt and dust in it as mine was never used long enough to see what it could pick up. Also I’m curious to see how long you can vacuum before the pleated filter needs cleaning. If you can and want to share, that would be great. Regardless, congrats on your Bissell Anna!

Patrick

 

[myles_v]

I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow!

I'm happy with the cleaning performance, it seems to groom carpeting very nicely as well. I fear the battery will go bad if I don't use the machine, much like what happened to an old Roomba of mine. The pleated filter clogs relatively quickly with fine dust so I vacuum the pleats out with another machine after every use. I haven't used it while plugged in much, but I have found that the performance is the same whether it's unplugged or not.

Once I get a new storage unit for vacs it'll be going away for safekeeping. I figure it'll be okay if the battery degrades since it can be used while plugged in as well.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Very interesting, and different. The dusting brush looks like a Shark one. The power connection looks like a computer power cord without the ground pin.

 

[huskyvacs]

@ myles_v

If worried about the battery discharging in storage, and if you have a power outlet nearby, you could get a programmable timer and leave the vacuum plugged into the timer, and set the timer to come on once a week for whatever the maximum charge time is listed in the vacuum's manual. It would not be running 24/7, only on that day for a few hours, and it would give the battery a top-off charge and keep it active so it won't go bad, sort of like a battery tender for your car. Just an idea I had that I thought might work, never tried it myself.

 

[myles_v]

Here are some of my photos! Ths is my favorite machine for vacuuming out the cars, being cordless and having the lift off feature makes it super convenient. The fact that it matches the color scheme of one of my cars is just a plus

I’m a fan of the attachments, they’re well-made and I think that them being branded much like Miele’s attachments is a nice touch. It would be nice to see an Anna 2.0 but I don’t think it’ll happen.