Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: July 25, 2023 by Crystal Uys
When you share your life with cats, you’re going to be vacuuming. A lot. Whether it’s litter or cat hair, there’s always something that needs to be picked up. And when you only have a heavy, clunky old vacuum cleaner, and a two-story house, like I do, vacuuming is not the most fun activity. I had been researching cordless vacuum cleaners for quite some time, but until I received the Bissell Air Ram® for review, I had no idea just how wonderful a cordless vacuum really is.
A house full of carpet and a heavy vacuum cleaner
My entire house is carpeted (with the exception of the kitchen and bathrooms.) The carpet in my living room, hallway, and upstairs bedrooms is off white. And it’s the original carpet, so it’s about 35 years old. It has been through as many years of homeowners with cats. Between the original owners and me, my carpets have dealt with a total of seven cats so far. Nobody who walks into my house believes me that the carpet is that old. And yes, it needs to be replaced, but I’ve been holding off – mostly because I know a major floor replacement project will create a lot of stress for Allegra and Ruby, and it’s just not worth it to me as long as I can keep my old and tired carpet looking good.
Until I received the Bissell Air Ram®, my only vacuum cleaner was an upright commercial-grade heavy duty 20+-year-old Riccar model that weighs close to 30 pounds. It does a fantastic job, and I give it (and weekly vacuuming) full credit for my old carpet being in the amazing shape it’s in, all things considered. But I was getting really tired of hauling it up and down the stairs, and I dreaded the weekly housecleaning.
Enter the Bissell Air Ram®.
Bissell Air Ram® Features
This lightweight yet powerful vacuum comes equipped with a 22V Lithium-ion battery. On a full charge, it delivers up to 40 minutes of suction on carpets, hard floors, and area rugs. The swivel steering and lay flat handle make it easy to maneuver under and around furniture.
- 40 Minutes of Cordless Power – Removable Lithium Ion battery for 40 minutes of fade-free power and cordless convenience
- Lightweight & Compact – This cordless powerhouse weighs less than 8 pounds and has a collapsible handle for easy storage
- Powerful Multi Surface Cleaning – Innovative power foot design and multi-surface brush roll delivers high performance cleaning on hard floors and carpets
- Maximized Maneuverability – With swivel steering and a lay flat handle, Air Ram maneuvers under and around furniture with ease
- Easy Empty Dirt Bin – Removable dirt bin with built-in Easy Empty slider that pushes out debris, hair and dirt for a mess free empty
- LED Lights – Bright wide range LED lights illuminate hard floors to assist in seeing fine dirt and debris for effective cleaning
My experience with the Bissell Air Ram®
The vacuum was super easy to put together: simply insert the lower handle into the head of the Air Ram, then insert the upper handle into the lower handle. Insert the battery, and you’re ready to go!
The Air Ram did an absolutely amazing job on my carpet. It was so easy to maneuver! My carpets looked better than they ever did using my heavy duty Riccar, and, judging by the amount of dirt, dust and cat hair that I emptied out of the dirt bin, it picked up way more dirt.
But the best part: using it on my carpeted stairs. Even though I was able to use my heavy Riccar on the stairs, it was a battle to move it from one stair to the next, and it never quite picked up everything. The Air Ram performed beautifully. It was so easy to move it from one stair to the next, and cleaned the entire stair all the way to each edge.
Allegra and Ruby’s take on the Bissell Air Ram®
The closest I’ll ever get either of the girls to the Air Ram is with Photoshop. Allegra gets so upset by any vacuum cleaner that I put her in a safe room behind closed doors while I vacuum. Ruby usually runs under the bed or to the very top of the cat tree when the vacuum comes out. She was curious about the Air Ram, but kept her distance. She briefly hid under the bed, but eventually, she hung out on one of the chairs in the dining room while I vacuumed the adjacent living room. Of course, going by the glare on their little faces, they would probably prefer that I never vacuumed at all…
I am so happy with this vacuum cleaner. I no longer dread my weekly cleaning, and I’m never going back to a corded vacuum. The only thing that’s missing are attachments, but I don’t use those for regular weekly cleaning anyway, and I can always haul out the old Riccar when I need them.
The Bissell Air Ram® 1984 is available from Amazon, directly from Bissell, and at many other retailers.
About the author
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
