a really nifty-looking battery-operated sweeper.
The Swivel Sweeper is a great new battery-powered floor and carpet sweeper with Quad Brush Technology, featuring rotating brushes on all four sides of the sweeper head, as opposed to one or two. Other features include:
* 360º swivel for easy maneuvering
* 3 slider buttons that allow sweeper to glide effortlessly on hard or carpeted surfaces
* Low-profile design to get under sofas, beds, and other furniture
* Bagless - has easily removable and reusable dirt tray
* Lightweight
* Extended pole
* Rechargeable 7.2 volt Ni-MH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batter with charger
* Brush cleaning tool
Assembling the Swivel Sweeper is easy. There are 4 sections - 3 pole sections and the sweeper head. All you need to do is align the arrows on the ends of the pole sections and snap together, then snap the pole into the sweeper head. Unfortunately, you"re not quite ready to go yet... the battery needs to charge for about 8 hours the first time. The enclosed charger will plug into any 3-prong outlet. Simply align the arrows on the batter and charger, and snap into place.
The batteries have about 45 minutes of power between charges (I usually end up recharging mine once every couple of weeks or so). When the charge completely runs out, it should recharge for 6-8 hours, but not past 24 - this will shorten the overall life of the battery.
After all that charging, the Swivel Sweeper is ready for action. Take the battery out of the charger, insert into the battery compartment on the pole, and press the switch on the compartment to "on." The sweeper does make a slightly loud whirring noise, but whaddaya expect - it"s motorized... and it still isn"t quite as loud as a vacuum.
Performance
In the advent of "effortlessly gliding" sweepers and vacuums, the Swivel Sweeper really is effortless. It"s almost as if it floats, it is so light. The sweeper head has these hard plastic "slider" balls on the four corners, which really helps with the maneuverability. It is certainly much easier on the arms as well as on the back - no stooping down on hands and knees to sweep under things and into dustpans. Most of the time, I don"t even have to move the chairs out to sweep under the table. The 360º swivel action allows me to go right around them.
As far as how well the Swivel Sweeper picks up, it is an absolute dream. The powerful rotating brushes on all four sides of the sweeper head leave a clean path. The only time I have to go over a spot twice is when a particle is in the grout of my textured tiles. I"ve never seen any other broom or sweeper get everything away from the edge of the baseboards with as little effort.
The only thing I have an difficulty picking up is our parakeet"s tiny, downy tail feathers. They blow and fly all over the place. They also do that with a regular broom and vacuum, too, unless I use the nozzle. So I can"t fault the Swivel Sweeper too much for it. Besides... he"s a little bird. There aren"t that many feathers.
On to carpet... The Swivel Sweeper is equally amazing on carpet as well. The sweeper gets a little less loud on the carpet, but don"t let that fool you. It still has the same sweeping action and effortless maneuverability. It actually woks better on the carpet. While it won"t exactly fluff or flatten the pile, it makes dirt, cereal, leaves, and other such particles disappear. Heck... it even picked up a penny once.
The Swivel Sweeper is a dream on bath and kitchen mats - short or shaggy. No more shaking them out or over-suctioning them into the big vacuum.
A Few No-No"s
The Swivel Sweeper is meant for indoor use only, and is not designed to be used on rough surfaces like concrete. It"s also not for any type of liquid mess, especially not flammable or combustible material. Common sense and the instruction manual both state to not use the Swivel Sweeper to clean any burning or lighted materials such as cigarettes, matches, or ashes. Of course, you can sweep them up if they"re out, old, and cold.
Maintenance
Emptying the dirt tray is just as easy as using the sweeper. Just set the sweeper on a flat surface. Squeeze the light gray lock clips on both sides at the base of the pole with one hand and lift the sweeper off with the other. After you"ve emptied it, simply snap the tray back into place.
As with any vacuum or sweeper with a rotating brush, hair and thread will wind around it. Swivel Sweeper offers you a solution... They include a device that looks a lot like a seam ripper to clean it with. To clean the brush heads, it"s a good idea to first remove the batter in case you accidentally bump the power switch. That little cleaning tool is razor-sharp. Unlock the gray-tinted cover by pressing the two frame lock clips on each side - can"t miss them, they"re right on the edges. Lift the cover up and over the pole to expose the brushes (I find it easier to just remove the pole). Use the tool by sliding the blade along the brush heads and removing the debris. Slide the cover back down and snap into place.
It"s an unpleasant job any way you look at it, but the tool makes it much easier. I even use that little tool on my Dyson - works like a charm.
The Swivel Sweeper is a tad on the expensive side at $39.98, but you do have the option of splitting that into 2 payments of $19.99 each. You also receive a couple of extras with it, too. I got two hand sweepers (which work OK) and this amazing chamois-type cloth called a Micro-Fiber Cleaning Cloth. I"m going to have to review that cloth because it works better than a regular chamois.
Anyway... I am truly impressed with the Swivel Sweeper. I feel vindicated with my infomercial habits now, even after the Smartware debacle. For once, an As-Seen-On-TV product actually works exactly as advertised. I love my Dyson, but I find it stays in the closet most of the week. I"ll drag it out on weekends for the good old-fashioned housecleaning session.
My Swivel Sweeper gets lots of use by everyone in the house, including the kids. It has been so fun to use, no one in the house leaves a mess behind for me anymore. This little gem is worth every penny I paid for it, and I highly recommend it.
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