Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024
I have been a Bissell shampoo owner for years as my children have 4 paws. I have tried the super high-end ones down to the more entry level to the little handheld spot bots. Every model I've tried over the years has some unique design issues that unfortunately have me getting one of these every couple of years. My dogs are big dogs, labs and a whippet mix (think a medium sized greyhound). They all shed. Obviously, the labs much more than the whippet due to the undercoat. Keep that in mind with this review as your circumstances may be different.
As I mentioned, I'm a regular owner, so I'm going into a bit of a novel to hopefully provide you with lessons I've learned through the years. Amazon returns have become a PITA, so hopefully this will help make a return unnecessary.
Let's start with the things I really like about this model.
First, and one o the most important things for me is the overall weight. As I mentioned, I've tried various models. I talked myself into the super duty with the on-board heater previously. That sucker was HEAVY. Almost to the point where utilizing it was beyond cumbersome. This one however, is much more manageable. I'm a woman, so I don't have a lot of upper body strength. I was able to carry this around, one-handed, and down stairs without difficulty. They did a good design job on this one. It has a little cut out handle about halfway down the unit on the front, which helps the distribution of weight to make it easier to carry. In other models, the carry area is on the back, so it's much harder if you're not a guy.
I loved how easier the water compartments were to access and empty. Traditionally, you'd have a smaller unit that mounted at the back on the super duty models and the entry level ones. Then the dump compartment you'd have to lower the arm portion to the ground to access the handle for removal. This wasn't like that. They designed it so it's super easy to pop in and pop out for both compartments from the front. The upper one has the same guide indents as on other models to ensure you have it securely in place. I also like that when both parts are in, they sort of pop in to let you know there in their place.
I also LOVE the new design of emptying the dirty water compartment. Traditionally, it's this awkward portion at the upper back of the compartment. It was cumbersome to get all the water out and the inside would stay dirty because of it. This one has a really nice rubber liftoff gasket at the top. It makes it so easy to empty and add water to clean the unit.
I was really surprised at the suction on this. It really felt like it was cleaning the carpet and not just surface cleaning. I also loved the width of the brush area. It was much wider than other units I've had, so it made moving through a good sized room a breeze. They also did a good job on keeping it low-profile, so it can easily go under the bed and furniture. Since I've done this rodeo before, dog hair will kill these machines just like a vacuum. I always double vacuum my room by going vertically and horizontally in the room to make sure I'm getting as much dog hair as humanly possible. My vacuum did so good, that I didn't see a single dog hair caught in the suction portion or the dirty water tank. (NOTE: DON'T skip the vacuum step or these units will die in 6 months if you're lucky from over straining the motor with the clogged dog hair. The machine will also start to smell since it won't clear all the water. Lesson learned)
I loved that this came with a lot of cool little attachments. The hose has really nice length, however, I haven't tried it yet. If my experience with the rest of the unit is anything to go on, I feel like they will be useful. I also liked that they put the attachments in a separate bag instead of attached to the unit. With my old units, those stupid things would always fall off, get separated from the machine where I never saw them again, and the hose would compete with the space of the cord for storage. This is much better designed that the other models I've purchased.
This unit seemed in line with the noise level of the other units I've had. These do run a little louder than a traditional vacuum, based on what type you have. They're no annoyingly loud, so your neighbors won't complain at 1 am. However, if you run this during a football game, be prepared to have popcorn thrown at you unless it's an urgent cleaning need.
For the things I didn't like as much as other models, luckily it isn't a very long list.
The cord. Oh my goodness the shortness of the cord. Both the super-duty units and the more entry levels ones has a substantially longer cord. Don't get me wrong, it's not short, but it's not long enough to span a 20 FT room without moving it. The other units I've had, had no issue with easily maneuvering the room from one outlet. Is this a deal breaker, no, but it's a pain depending on where you started in your room to access plugs where you haven't already cleaned. I will say that the cord is much thicker than previous units, I don't feel like it will fall apart with consistent use. (NOTE: make sure you always start at one end of the room away from the door and clean so you're backing into your door when you finish. Your feet will get slightly wet and with the cleaner, it can be slick. I learned that the hard way and my ankle has never forgiven me).
Another thing I really didn't like was how the water compartments interact with the other. The clean compartment is super easy to fill. It has a simple screw off cap with lines to show you where to fill the water and then the solution. As I was cleaning, I always keep an eye on the portion where the water gets sucked in. That little area will tell you there's not blockages because it's consistent with the water pulling from the rug. It will also help tell you when all the water has been sucked i, should you want to go over areas more than once. I'm just going back and forth and then there's a popping noise. It's a single pop. There are no other notifications for what it was. Instinctively, from using other units, I pull out all the compartments to inspect for anything that's stuck or a buildup of dog hair. The brush area and the dirty water area were completely clean. I then thought that perhaps the clean water compartment got too low on water, so there wasn't enough to keep going. I emptied the dirty water and setup a new cleaning fill. It happens again. It's then that I realize that the dirty water compartment is full. It has an automatic shutoff. I like that it does that in one regard, because the other units Ive had don't do that. They essentially overfill or the cleaner will bubble up in the air vent portions. However, the dirty water unit is comparable in size to the clean portion. I have no idea why they made this so big. It only will fill about half way up the black portion inside the tank. In a 20 FT room I had to empty that container twice in order to keep going. The clean water compartment didn't have to be refilled. It's not a deal breaker because there needs to be limits, but I'd rather have something more noticeable that it needs to be emptied. Had I not utilized these units before I would think it had broken. As soon as I emptied the water, it started like a champ.
The other thing is the amount of solution it uses. I was a little shocked at that. On the one hand, it makes me feel like it gives a better deep clean than the other units I've had. On the other hand, that solution isn't exactly cheap. The little bottles included will be 1 tank fill samples only. I also have a little BIssell Spot Bot, because again, I have dogs. :) I had some handy to keep going.
I started with the antibacterial cleaner and I'm not sure how I felt about it honestly. It's not an overly chemical smell, but it's not a pleasant clean I'm used to with other cleaners. Since I had to fill the tank twice, I swapped over to one I had on hand that's the Pet + Oxy solution. I felt that did a much better clean than the antibacterial. I'm not convinced it's needed and the Oxy smells much better. The only caveat, is that the Oxy solution did cause a little foaming, be sure you read the solutions and get the one that matches this unit. Personally, since it doesn't fill the dirty water compartment to excess, I don't think it's a big deal but I'd use care.
As I mentioned above, I've had the super-duty units, the entry level units, and the little handhelds. I feel like this is a solid machine and I'm much happier with this one than the other stand units I've had. The entry level one has a very small profile, it has OK suction, but I feel it's best used on area rugs or smaller rooms with lighter traffic. The super-duty ones I don't feel are worth the money. Both of the super-duty units I've had are heavy, don't offer much more clean/dirty water compartments, don't maneuver well due to their weight, and always broke around the one year mark. That's why I'm super excited about this one. I feel it was a solid unit and worth the money. It is easy to setup, easy to fill/empty, not too heavy, has solid suction, has a wide cleaning area, and is easy to maneuver. I don't feel you can go wrong with this unit if you're looking for something to clean various sized rooms that have moderate to heavy traffic. I figure if it is solid with pets, I'd assume it's solid with kids as well.
One last note. I mentioned I have this in addition to the spot bot. I use the spot bot for the in between cleans. The muddy foot prints, occasional accidents, and of course when they decide to introduce the carpet to their food. Those little units are stellar and work really well between deeper cleans you'd do with this unit. I don't feel you'd have to have the spot bot too, but it's super helpful vs pulling out this unit as there's no on board heater to reheat the water you don't use. That's money down the drain when you add in the solution.