Hoover Steamvac F5914-900
I agree with the majority of people on here that the Bissell Proheat shampooers are cheaply made, & don't last long, nor clean well. However, I would NOT buy a Rug Doctor instead.
I did rent a Rug Doctor back a few years ago, to clean a house I was living in that had brown, medium cut pile carpet thruout, that was filthy & in dire need of cleaning. The Rug Doctor did do a good job. I liked the solid construction, build quality, & the vibrating brush was very good. BUT, compared to the Hoover Steamvac, & most other extractors that use 4-litre tanks, the Rug Doctor uses TWICE that amount-8 litres- and it cleaned the same amount of carpet approximately as the Hoover, with a full tank of solution, when used as directed. And, despite going over the carpet a couple of times after extracting, to make sure it picked everything up, the carpet was still very soaked! Much more than if I was to use my Hoover Steamvac. Took about 8 hours for the carpets to completely dry....and this was in the middle of summer, with all the windows open. That kind of soaking to me is unacceptable.
I personally own a Hoover Steamvac F5914-900, and another Hoover Steamvac before that, & have always gotten great cleaning results with the Hoovers. This is the ONLY residential carpet extractor I would buy besides the Rug Doctor....the others in the marketplace are too poor quality machines for my liking.
Rob