Bissell Steam Vacs

[scvacuumguy]

Just out of curiosity, I'd like to hear some opinions on the Bissell Steam vac series (ProHeat, etc). There's a Hoover steam vac thread underneath and some of you really sing the praises of the Hoover Spin Scrub (also my favorite).

We get a ton of Bissell machines on trade constantly. In order to keep from having to take out the 1.5 Million screws and spend 30 minutes trying to piece back together the Bissell after repair, we normally offer the Bissell pump repair (very popular) for $80 or a trade-in on the Hoover Spinscrub resulting in a final price of $129.99. Last time I checked, our turnover rate for getting the Bissell off of the customers' hands was 90%.

Let's hear from everyone about Bissell machines...

 

[bagintheback]

I have a BOL Proheat and I'm not impressed. I constantly have to clean the bottom and pet-hair get stuck in the nozzle. The heater works well though. The suction on this thing is worse then my Buster B. I'm still amazed it pick up most of the water.

It cleans my carpet well but it resoils VERY quickly. Woolite does better than the Proheat, and Bissell owns Woolite! But for $99 it's not bad. I use it a lot because of my dogs, but with your trade-in deal I'd trade mine in. Why can't all vacuum stores accept trade-ins?!

 

[hoovercelebrity]

I don't especially love the Bissell machines.. I think they're not built with quite as much quality behind them -- as some of the Hoover machines.

I think the heater is unnecessary, and problematic. That was the #1 repair I would see on Bissells... detergent residue would dry and clog up inside the heating element, and then the entire machine wouldn't dispense water. Many screws and Q-Tips later, that generally got water to dispense. As I understood it, also, the heating element robbed power from the motor -- yes the cleaner as a whole may use 12 amps.. but probably 6 of those amps go to power that heater -- and then you're only left with 6 amps for the suction motor (estimates). How much water is then left in the carpet?

I'm also not a fan of the one-tank with a bladder system. I think two tanks are just easier to use, and just make more sense overall... and gives the user a better visual. There's also, never a question of whether or not the bladder gets punctured and leaks dirty water into the clean water tank.

I also don't love the fact that they used Belts. Or a brushroll (sometimes multiple) that only spins in one direction -- like a vacuum cleaner. I think Hoover's 5 or 6 counter-rotating brush design was far superior. However, one could argue, similarly to my power argument above, that Hoovers were driven by an air-turbine -- which robbed a bit of the suction power (I was always honest about this when selling them). Personally -- when using my own Steam Vac, when I'm done, I always shut the brushes off and go over the carpet one more time to pull any excess water back out of the carpet.

Granted, I say these things about Bissell -- when Hoovers did have a few shortfalls from time to time. In the end, though, if machines were used properly and cared for properly, I doubt anyone would have (many) problems with them to begin with. Mis-use or improper care of the machines is usually always a foundation for problems down the road.

Good topic of discussion!

~Fred

 

[djtaylor]

Pro Heat Pet...

I would have preferred the Hoover, but mom gave me the Pro Heat Pet for Christmas. I had not used it until yesterday(My cat got mad at me for getting cheep litter and is now doing his business on my carpet). I have not used the heater, I don't care for the idea of it. I do like the option to turn off the soap solution and just use clean water to rince as I go along. The suction is good. It's not nearly as loud as the old Hoover Spin Brush that died in September. All in all, I like the Bissell. I just wish the Pet Formula cleaner was not so damn expensive.
Next up, shampoo the sofa and chair.... don't know what to do with the cat. I changed the litter with what I normally use, and he's still 'messing' on my carpet.
Justin

 

[jodan3399]

Found a very nice Bissell steamer (not the proheat) model curbside, also had my neighbor's 4 month old Pro Heat Pet for awhile to test while I unclogged it for her.

Ran across a Hoover Spin Scrub with a leaky quick disconnect valve a few weeks later (looks almost like new) sitting at the curb, I replaced the valve & gave the Bissell to my other neighbor that wanted one.

The Bissell is okay, having them both apart I'd definately say the Hoover seems the more complicated of the two and a bit better made, I'm not fond of the one tank bladder set-up and for me it makes the tank harder to clean out, overall the Hoover just seems to do a better job for me.

 

[godfreys_guy]

I have to disagree..

I have the Bissell Pro Heat Turbo2x and a Hoover Brush'n'wash. The Bissell easily wins on:
* Cleaning performance
* Ease of tool use
* Faster Drying
* Easier to fill/empty

I would have to award the the easiest to clean the machine to the Hoover though. The hoover removable brushes and flush, flat bottom are easier to clean.

I find that the double brushes work better than the spinscrub brushes, I am also a fan of the self mixing detergent set-up.

Keep in mind that in australia the only model available was the Hoover Brush'n'wash and that we didnt get any of the Steamvac series. Bissell accounts for more than 75% of the market in extractors here.

 

[scvacuumguy]

Another very good machine is the Royal RY7910 Extractor. Two counter rotating brushes, nothing overly complicated in the design, and a 3 year warranty.

 

[scvacuumguy]

Also......

If anyone wants pictures of various Bissell and Hoover models, Saturday is our typical "dumpster day" where we take all of the traded in machines during the week and dump them off. Any good machines are serviced and resold and ultra rare vintage machines are saved for the collection. As of today, I'm sitting in front of 8 Bissell Steamers that will make their way to the dumpster tomorrow, 3 Hoover Steam Vacs, and a myriad of plastics- looks like a full truckload for tomorrow.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

I feel the same way about the Bissells.... would rather have spinning brushes (my vacuum already grooms the carpet with the brushroll, no reason for the steam cleaner to as well, it needs to scrub)... the tank in tank bladder system is just inane, not to mention they always hide the power switches and make you have to reach for them. The Bissell Spot Bot does intrigue me though!