The Bissell FurFinder stick vacuum promises to beat pet hair, but does it deliver?

If you're a pet parent and struggle with fur, you'll need one of the best vacuum cleaners. My dog spends most of his day lazing in his chair in the living room. Yes, his chair. You probably have one, too: the chair no one ever sits in, the one where the dog sleeps day and night. It’s chock full of fur, as is the floor around it.

So the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum is made exactly for such spaces. As the name suggests, it promises no trace of pet hair, and I couldn't wait to get to work cleaning my dog's chair with its impressive tools. But did the FurFinder live up to its name? Here’s what happened when I cleaned my home.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum review: Specs

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum review: Price & availability

The Bissell PowerClean FurFinder 200W Self-Standing Cordless Vacuum costs $179 on Amazon and the same price on Walmart.

You can purchase it directly from Bissell’s website, and you can split the purchase up into payments using Affirm if you choose.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum review: Design

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Similar to the regular PowerClean, the PowerClean FurFinder features a swivel head, and it's freestanding. That feature sets it apart from a lot of other stick vacuums on the market, and I consider this a big bonus.

Bissell calls this a 3-in-1 machine: a stick vac for floors, a hand vac, and an extended reach machine. All of this comes down to what configuration you use.

Additionally, three heads are included: the floor brush roll, the FurFinder tool, and a crevice tool. Depending on your needs, you can use it as a short-hand vacuum or use the included extension tube to use it as a regular height vacuum.

I also liked that the brush roll for floors features a tangle-free design. It’s mounted within a plastic casing that features super-bright LED lights up front to help you spot dirt, fur, and debris more easily.

The FurFinder attachment is much smaller. It features bristles and a de-furring flap that Bissell says will dig deep into upholstery to loosen more fur. According to the Bissell website, the FurFinder tool removes 95% of embedded pet hair on upholstery, “two times faster than the Shark IX141.”

Plus, the PowerClean FurFinder vacuum features a built-in HEPA Allergen system. This captures and holds “99.97% of dust, pollen, and dander allergens”, ideal for pet households.

The tank capacity is .4 liters, which means you’ll have to empty it fairly frequently. Fortunately, that’s a super easy process: simply press the release button, pull off the top, and dump.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum review: Performance

During my first use, I vacuumed the living room rug, surrounding hardwood, and the dog’s chair, where he sleeps most of the day and night. These are the highest-trafficked areas for my dog. While the PowerClean FurFinder did dig up a good amount of fur when using the floor attachment, I can’t say it appeared to suck up more than any other stick vacuum I’ve used.

I then attacked the chair using the FurFinder attachment. This chair isn’t something humans generally sit in — it’s covered in my dog’s fur, and largely his domain. So it’s the perfect testing grounds for the FurFinder.

However, the performance of this attachment was immediately underwhelming. The brush gets bogged down and even stops entirely, and it did not appear to be any more effective at picking up fur than the floor attachment.

The corner tool is pretty useful, especially with the brush on the end. That seemed to grab more fur than the actual FurFinder attachment. Plus, I was able to really dig out a lot of fur from between the chair cushion and chair arm using this tool.

I was particularly impressed by the lights on the floor unit. In fact, I rated the lights on the standard PowerClean best in class among the vacuums I’ve tested so far, and the PowerClean FurFinder matches that performance.

Although I didn’t fill the entire cup after vacuuming the carpet, floor, and chair, I did empty it because I wanted to see if an empty cup would improve the power of the FurFinder attachment. However, I was disappointed that it didn't help.

After the battery died, I fully recharged it before attempting a second try, but the FurFinder attachment's performance remained unimproved.

Ultimately, this vacuum works best using the floor attachment. It seems to be more powerful than the regular PowerClean Stick Vacuum, but sadly, not significantly.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum review: Comparisons

Generally, the PowerClean FurFinder slots into a very crowded category of lightweight stick vacuums. I tested the regular Bissell PowerClean cordless vacuum, and the features of the PowerClean FurFinder are largely the same. The two vacuums function the same, though the FurFinder does seem louder. It registered 80 decibels on the highest setting, which is fairly loud for a vacuum of this size.

It also feels as though it has more suction power, though Bissell does not list suction specs for either vacuum on its website. In addition, the FurFinder seems to grip carpets — both high-pile and low-pile — much better than the standard PowerClean.

That has its pros and cons. The pros are it digs in deeply to root out dirt and dust, and pet fur. While the bad news is that the roll can get hung up on the carpet sometimes, making it difficult to push or pull the vacuum.

The LG CordZero Stick Vacuum is among the best I’ve tested so far. I found it has better suction than both of the Bissell models, and a slightly longer run time.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum review: Accessories

The PowerClean FurFinder Stick Vacuum includes a wall mount, charging cable, and three attachments: the floor brush roll, the FurFinder tool, and a crevice tool.

Beyond that, there aren’t many accessories to complement this unit aside from replacement parts. That said, it’s plenty versatile with the included accessories.

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum review: Verdict

The Bissell PowerClean FurFinder Cordless Stick Vacuum is good, but it misses a few key elements that would make it even better.

Since the FurFinder attachment is one of the key selling points here, I’d say Bissell missed the mark. This is because there’s not enough suction to keep the FurFinder brush roll spinning freely as you’re trying to suction upholstery.

That said, the vacuum does work well with the floor attachment, and like its predecessor, the PowerClean, the PowerClean FurFinder has excellent bright LEDs to help you see dirt and debris very clearly.

Overall, it’s a nice upgrade from the standard PowerClean, but the fur-finding features aren’t quite up to snuff.