Bissell launched their new range of Crosswave Edge last month, releasing three new models covering almost every budget. Bissell has sent across their Edge Cordless model, to give me a chance to check it out. 

The new range includes the CrossWave EdgeFind which starts at $349, with the CrossWave Edge Cordless offering a cord-free option at $449, with the CrossWave OmniForce EdgeFind priced at $699 and offering longer run time.

The three models offer 2-in-1 Vacuum and mop, combining two cleaning steps into one for a more efficient clean. The rollers come with ZeroGap technology so they reach all the way to the wall or skirting board leaving no gaps.

Bissell’s tangle free technology on the Crosswave range prevents hair wrapping around the rollers,stopping clogs before they tangle to keep the machine running smoothly. 

The party trick for the CrossWave Edge cordless is the ability to clean hard floors and area rugs with the push of a button. 

I’ve been using the Crosswave Edge for a few weeks now and here’s how it went. 

Setup and What’s in the box?

You get everything you need inside the box to get started. The Crosswave Edge arrives in two pieces with the handle slotting easily into the body with a satisfying click. 

You also get a charging dock with the power supply already connected and ready to plug in. There’s an Antimicrobial Filter which is washable already in the top of the and the brush roller pre-installed for easy setup. 

The only thing you need to do is remove the paper from the dirty water tank, then fill the clean water tank to the line, then add in the included Hard Floor Sanitise Formula before inserting it into the rear of the body with a nice click.  

There’s no ‘app’ for the Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless, so all you need to do is hit the power button on the front, choose between hard floors and area rugs and you’re done. 

Consumables

You’ll need to replace some consumables for the Crosswave Edge Cordless, including the Hard Floor Sanitising formula, Mutli-Surface Brush Roll and Antimicrobial filter. 

Bissell says you should remove the Antimicrobial filter and rinse it between cleans before storing it on the side of the drying dock. Depending on usage, you’ll need to look at a new one every three to six months – which costs $18.95 through Bissell.

Bissell also says the roller should also be removed between washes, recommending you air-dry it on the side of the dock so it lasts longer, but Bissell recommends replacing it every 6-12 months depending on wear – at $17.95 each through Bissell.

For the Hard Floor Sanitise Formula, there’s a 236ml Sample included, but the 1 litre bottle will cost $16.95 – and when I used around half the sample bottle per fill of the clean water reservoir, it’s worth counting in the price of the Sanitiser.

Battery and Charging

The Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless has a 22 minute run-time according to the specs and the unit includes the charging dock for it to sit on while it runs the cleaning cycle, and then charge when you’re finished cleaning.

You’ll want to give the battery a full charge when it first arrives. The battery takes around four hours to go from flat to full with the battery indicator on the top filling in three segments until it shows full – the same indicator that shows your battery life while it’s in use.

Bissell says you’ll get up to 22 minutes out of the Crosswave Edge Cordless – though they do add the caveat that it depends on how you use it. I found it did over the 22 minute mark on a full battery doing a fairly thorough cleaning of the hard floors. 

Cleaning

Using the Crosswave Edge Cordless is easy, though a little different from other upright vacuum/mops we’ve seen. 

To start with, the controls are mounted on the top of the body, not the handle. The three buttons include a power button, mode select which switches between hard floors and area rugs, and a cleaning cycle button – so operation is very simple. When you’re ready to go, hit the power button and give the water about 10-15 seconds to hit the roller and then start cleaning. 

There’s no powered drive-train on the wheels, so it’s a simple push/pull clean. What it does have is a good swivel head to get it around furniture. While the unit doesn’t quite lay-flat, you can reach under furniture a certain amount before the roller lifts. 

The 750ml water tank lasts a full cleaning cycle of the battery – though it’s worth considering the cost of the sanitising formula as it’s around 100ml per fill. The 580ml dirty water tank is sufficient to catch the detritus as well with a simple and easy catch that releases it from the body for cleaning.

The hard floors were quite wet when cleaning, but dried quite quickly as well with a streak-free finish.

Switching to the CrossWave Edge’s party trick, cleaning area rugs is as easy as pressing the button. Switching to area rug mode seems to reduce the amount of liquid being used to clean significantly reduced. The clean is good – impressing my wife and mother in-law. I also found the ‘rug mode’ a little better for cleaning up spills, though switching back to the hard floor option allowed for a better clean for sticky messes, but this is possibly just me.

The design of the CrossWave Edge roller guard allows the roller to get almost all the way to the corners – but only on one side. The unit can clean right up against your skirting boards or cabinets.

The roller itself is covered by Bissell’s ‘Tangle-Free Technology’ which counters all the hair and fur you find in any home becoming tangled on the roller. We have an ‘oodle’, so fur isn’t too much of an issue – but the other source of hair loss in the house didn’t present any issues for the Bissell CrossWave Edge Cordless. 

Cleaning Dock

The cleaning dock works well, though this is my first encounter with drying the filter and roller outside the unit, but it works well – simply adding a little time before and after each clean.

I also had to clean off the clear plastic cover after each cleaning session as it got quite grotty from the splashback, but it wipes off quite well – especially after you run a cleaning cycle. The cleaning cycle is very thorough though, leaving the roller looks quite clean once done. 

Final Thoughts

The Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless is a great entry level upright cleaner for your hard floors and area rugs. 

The cordless option is a definite must over the corded model, with the 22-minute runtime plenty to get through most, if not all your house in one hit. 

It’s pertinent to recognise that this isn’t the flagship model, so there’s some compromises to the design – the controls on the body, air-drying parts on the dock etc. – but it all works really well.

I’m a fan of the Bissell CrossWave Edge Cordless and even with some limitations, it will leave your floor sparkling clean.

You can check out the Bissell CrossWave Edge Cordless, and the rest of the range over on the Bissell website.