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The Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless does what it's designed to do: vacuum and mop in a single pass. But compared to the competition at a similar price point, it falls short on cleaning power, intelligent design, and handling of stubborn spills. For $449, you're paying for cordless convenience rather than performance.
- 22-minute runtime is enough for most houses in a single pass
- Edge-to-edge cleaning reaches skirting boards and corners
- Compact enough to handle most spaces without major hassle
- Two-tank system keeps clean and dirty water separated
- No intensity adjustment means it can't handle stubborn stains without manual help
- Leaves thick trails of water on one side after running self-cleaning cycle
- No alert when clean water tank runs empty, leaving you with a mystery
- Doesn't pivot or manoeuvre well around furniture legs and corners
Vacuuming, mopping, vacuuming, mopping. It's a never-ending cycle. So rather than do one and then the other, I thought I'd test out the new BISSELL Crosswave Edge Cordless all-in-one to vacuum and mop in a single pass.
The combo wet/dry vacuum is a growing segment. I’ve tested a heap of Tineco models over the last few years, and companies like Dyson, Roborock and Dreame have all released similar products. They all promise the same thing: to vacuum and mop at the same time.
This becomes really useful if you've got little kids or pets and you just don't want to live the life of a cleaner 24/7.
I spent the last month testing BISSELL’s Crosswave Edge Cordless to see if it stacks up against what's already out there. While it’s cheaper than other models, I couldn’t help but come away disappointed.
What makes the Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless stand out?
The Bissell is positioned as the cordless middle option in the new Crosswave Edge range. But the real promise is premium performance at a less than premium price.
It sits at $449, which puts it well below the pricier Tineco models I've tested (which typically run around $1,000 RRP).
On paper, the BISSELL’s cordless runtime and edge-to-edge cleaning promise are solid selling points for people who just want a quick all-in-one solution.
The ZeroGap technology is engineered to clean all the way to the edge of skirting boards and furniture, giving your floors a full clean with minimal effort.
At the same time, the two-tank system keeps fresh and dirty water separate, and there's tangle-free brush roll technology to manage pet hair.
Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless specs
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | $449 RRP |
| Model | 4328F |
| Battery | 25V lithium |
| Runtime | Up to 22 minutes |
| Recharge time | 4 hours |
| Noise level | 69 dBA |
| Weight | 4.8kg |
| Clean water tank | 750ml |
| Dirty water tank | 580ml |
| Warranty | 2 years + 60-day money-back guarantee |
| What's in the box | Charging dock, FreshStart antimicrobial filter, ZeroGap brush roll, Hard Floor Sanitise formula sample (236ml) |
Design and build quality
Pulling the Crosswave Edge out of the box, it’s a fairly simple, and robust design. There’s not much manual assembly, and it doesn’t have complex LCD screens to make it difficult to understand.
That said, this is the first wet/dry vacuum I've tested that hasn't had controls in the handle.
With the Crosswave Edge Cordless, the buttons to control the vacuum are down on the body.
This is obviously great for costs, as there’s no need to run wiring or cables into the detachable handle. But it’s also more inconvenient, because if you want to just stop the vacuum, you have to reach down to press the button on the body.
Fortunately, the Crosswave Edge cordless feels robust, without weighing too much. It doesn’t have motorised movement, so you do need to push it and pull it as you clean, but at 4.8 kg, it’s light enough you don’t wear yourself out.
It’s hard to notice from images, but the body of the vacuum is quite chunky. That means that even though it lays quite flat, it's not flat enough to get under furniture.
The shape of the main body unit just gets in the way.
It may not be able to get under low furniture, but the ZeroGap tech does get you right up to the skirting board, cleaning the entirety of your floor, so long as you use the correct side of the mop head.
Perhaps because the head isn’t motorised, I noticed the Crosswave doesn't twist overly well either, so manoeuvring around corners and furniture legs can be a little bit awkward compared to some other models.
Perhaps the biggest design flaw is that there's no alert if the clean water tank runs empty. After cleaning most of my house and needing to run a clean cycle because the tube was blocked, I returned to try and finish the job. After a few moments I realised it wasn’t doing much, so I checked and it was out of water.
It didn't alert me. There was no flashing light. There was no indication whatsoever that there was anything wrong.
More than that, the bottom of that water tank is concealed within the back of the unit, so it's really difficult to know you’re out of clean water without pulling the water tank out to manually check.
Performance
One of my frustrations with some premium robot vacuum cleaners is that despite having a dedicated detergent compartment, the manufacturer fails to include any in the $2,000+ vacuum cleaner box.
BISSELL has bundled in a small 236 ml sample of its hard floor sanitiser in the box of the Crosswave. But looking at the lines of the clean water tank, you need a lot of detergent compared to some of the other models I've tested.
As a point of comparison, Tineco requires just a single cap full of its floor cleaning liquid.
Because the BISSELL uses a fair amount of liquid detergent, you’re going to be buying more of the detergent more frequently unless you adjust the quantity when you fill.
In practice it also means that there's a much stronger fragrance when you're using this through the house. Now that can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether or not you want the fragrance. I think it's quite a nice smell, though at $16.95 a litre, the cost of filling it to the recommended line will quickly outweigh the cost of the cleaner itself.
In terms of cleaning performance, the Crosswave definitely makes your floors cleaner. The muck that comes out of the dirty water tank after a whole-home clean is a harsh reminder that even the cleanest homes get dirty quickly. On that front, it delivers.
For maintenance cleaning, the Crosswave is more than adequate, but if you have a stubborn stain or mark you want to remove, there's no adjustment for the intensity of the scrubbing, either in terms of downward pressure or increased roller speed.
That means this device isn't going to do the job properly without some level of manual intervention. Call me old-fashioned, but if I'm spending that much money on an appliance to mop my floors, I wanted to come out with a really solid job at the end.
During my first clean, I ran over something while cleaning and it sounded like the vacuum was blocked. I’ll note that there was no indication in the machine's response – no beeping or flashing lights, for example – but it sounded like it was blocked.
I took the lid off and what I found was hair and small debris hadn't actually cleaned up into the dirty water tank. It was just stuck around the brush and the entry to the dirty water tank.
I cleared it up manually and ran a self-cleaning cycle, which is arguably the most important feature of one of these products so you avoid the stench of old, gross dirt water around the home.
The self-cleaning did not clean the brush roller anywhere near enough for my liking. Not only was the roller a bit dirty, but the casing around it was filthy, seemingly untouched by the self-clean. Every cycle, you will need to get down and clean the cover properly.
Beyond that, there’s no base-driven drying of the roller, so you have to remember to remove the roller and stick it on the stand to air-dry. I wonder how effective this approach is in avoiding bacteria growth
Given the promise of convenience with a singular approach to vacuuming and mopping, there is a real lack of convenience when it comes to machine maintenance.
Verdict
The Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless does what it's designed to do: it vacuums and mops in a single pass. The 22-minute runtime is useful and will get through most homes without needing a recharge. The cordless design is more convenient than hauling a power cord around.
But the execution falls short. The water tank design is flawed and frustrating. The lack of cleaning intensity adjustment means you're locked into one speed, which doesn't work for anything beyond a simple maintenance clean, or mopping up freshly spilled liquids.
The self-cleaning cycle leaves the brush in a state that shouldn't require extra attention after a machine that costs $449.
The design quirks, including controls on the body, inability to pivot well, and bulky frame all add up to something that feels like a compromise product rather than a confident design.
At $449, you're getting something cheaper than competitor models, but you're also getting noticeably less performance and less polish in the design.
For what it's designed to do (daily maintenance cleaning on mostly clean floors), it does the job reliably.
But if you're expecting to rely on this for regular cleaning with the kind of performance you'd get from a dedicated mopper and vacuum separately, you'll be disappointed.
If you shop around, you can pick up the Tineco Floor ONE S7 FlashDry for as low as $479, which introduces powered movement, dual-sided edge cleaning, and hot-air roller drying in the base, as well as a 40 minute runtime.
Buy the Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless if
- You've got pet hair and want one appliance to handle vacuuming and mopping. The tangle-free brush roll does help manage fur without constant tangling.
- You're cleaning mostly dry floors with occasional spills. If your cleaning is mostly about dust and light messes, the single-pass convenience is useful.
- You want cordless freedom and don't have massive floor space. The 22-minute runtime is enough for most homes, and there's no cable to deal with.
Skip the Bissell Crosswave Edge Cordless if
- You deal with regular sticky messes or stubborn stains. No intensity adjustment means you can't amp up the cleaning power when you need it.
- You want something that handles edge-to-edge cleaning without getting stuck. Despite the ZeroGap promise, the chunky body means it struggles under low furniture and in tight corners.
- You've tested Tineco or Dyson models and know what performance you're looking for. This is noticeably behind both in terms of cleaning power and design thoughtfulness.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 22-minute runtime enough for a whole house?
Yes, in most cases the battery is enough to clean a whole home. I was able to clean a full house in a single charge, though it depends on how much of your home is hard floors versus carpet. If you've got a large home with significant floor space, you might need to plan a recharge mid-clean.
Does the self-cleaning cycle work well?
The self-cleaning cycle did not work particularly well. After running it, the brush and the surrounding parts still had a lot of debris. You might need to do some manual cleaning between uses to keep it running properly, which defeats some of the convenience factor.
Does the Crosswave Edge cordless leave water streaks on floors?
For the most part, the BISSELL generally did not leave floors streaky. Though I did experience thick trails of water running along one side of the brush, after a self-cleaning cycle following a blockage, which suggests uneven cleaning or an issue with how the water is being distributed.
How much detergent does the Crosswave Edge cordless actually use?
The BISSELL Crosswave Edge cordless uses significantly more detergent than other models I've tested. Every refill of the clean water tank uses about 100 ml, so plan on going through a 1-litre bottle every 10 uses.
Can the Crosswave Edge cordless handle area rugs as well as hard floors?
The Crosswave does have a dedicated “Rug Mode” which reduces the water flow and adjusts the suction to “refresh” rugs without soaking them. But I personally don’t feel comfortable using a wet vacuum on a rug, and the BISSELL isn’t suitable for use on carpets.
