Bissell Pet Hair Upright Vacuum

We purchased this in December of 2007, and I still like it, BUT... The best part was the stair and upholstery cleaner, and it stopped working within a month. I have replaced it three times since, and finally gave up and I de-hair my carpets and stairs with a rubber brush. The cord is awkward as well, but all in all, it is easy to clean and really does work well enough. Next time though, I'm going to splurge on something better.

Pros: good vacuum

Cons: accessories break/ awkward cord

Well, at this time we have 10 dogs and 5 cats plus assorted reptiles, hamsters & fish. Despite regular brushing, grooming etc... there is still just gonna be pet hair in my home.
I've used other non-pet vacuums on a daily basis and they just didn't measure up. After the death of my last vacuum, I purchased the Bissell Powergroom Pet not really believing it would be much different than any other vacuum. I was quite surprized and tickled that it did perform better than the regular vacuums.
We have always vacuumed daily, but with the Bissell Powergroom Pet we even get to skip a day every so often.
As with other vacuums, I do clean the beater bar brush with about every use and clean the plastic filter regularly. The little bar in front of the brush does seem to make a real difference and the wider brush attachment is nice and the rubber-tipped cleaning attachment works really well on my stairs and furniture.
I generally give a life expectancy of a vacuum about 6 to 8 months, I think this one even may make it a year, but if not its still great because it does do a better job than the non-pet vacuums.

Pros: does get most all pet hair, tool assortment is better

Cons: must frequently empty canister