Customer Reviews

Bissell Spotlifter Powerbrush Handheld Deep Cleaner, 1716B

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(53)

 

 

We struggled between buying this unit and the comperable Dirt Devil offering, when we saw them at the local discount stores. Liking the stiffer dual-rotating beater-bar style brushes on the Bissell better than the much softer brushes on the spinning disk the Dirt Devil had, we settled on the Bissell. At the store, the only negative factor for the Bissell appeared to be it's one-year warranty, versus the two-years offered with the Dirt Devil.

We did not consider a cordless model, presuming they would be less powerful. We also did not consider a model without scrub brushes.

I used our new Bissell briefly last night on a couple of recent pet stains, and it did a good job. Today, I used it on all the rest of the pet stains on our light living room carpet, many of which were old. Almost all of them lifted well.

The Bissell clean tank will hold a full 8 oz. (3-4 oz. cleaning product and 4 oz. water), compared to the Dirt Devil that only holds a total of 6 oz. It does a decent job of suctioning up liquid. Many with the Dirt Devil seem to complain that it's suction is inadequate, and we did test its suction at the store and agree that it is weak.

The manual doesn't document the total clean tank size, how many ounces the "Formula" fill line is at, or how many the "Water" fill line is at, but I measured them. This way I know the proper dilution, if I choose to mix some of the cleaning product into a regular spray bottle for pretreating convenience, without hauling the heavier unit around. (They suggest leaving the pretreat on for 3-5 minutes.)

Note that once you've filled the clean tank, if you have a lot left over you do not have to empty it. You can save it for next time. (The disadvantage to doing this is that you would no longer have warm water to help you clean better.)

The 20' cord was more than adequate for us to get to the areas we needed to clean. Others complain that the Dirt Devil's cord is too big, but I'm not sure if that means diameter or length. The cord on the Bissell flows nicely. It isn't stiff and doesn't stay too curled up to be able to be used easily. It even had a convenient velcro strap that stays attached, to help you manage the cord for storage.

The unit is really easy to fill, operate and clean. Both the clean tank and the dirty tank detach and reattach very easily. Even the beater brush cartridge removes easily for cleaning. It only took me a few minutes to have it ready for storage again. Dirt Devil users complain that reattaching a tank is not always easy.

This is not a full size steam cleaner and I don't think it's fair to expect it to behave like one. It's great for the purpose it's designed for. Be sure to vacuum your capet before using it, if you haven't done so recently. This will minimize the amount of hair etc. to clean out of the brushes when you are finished using the Bissell. I did not do this, and it still wasn't bad to clean out the brushes.

The unit has a solid and durable feel to it. Dirt Devil users seem to think that unit is flimsey and has an awkward manual solution/water sprayer.

I think the product works well and would recommend it over the Dirt Devil. I am happy with it

I have mostly hardwood in my home, but I do have a little bit of carpet, so I bought one of these for the small spots and spills. I have 3 kids and 2 dogs, so it seems that accidents are a daily occurence. I used this Spotlifter on some old pop stains that have been on the carpet for months, and it got them out no problem. I couldn't believe how well it worked and how dirty the water was that came out of my carpet. It worked so well that I decied to try it on my couch and chair, and it did a great job on them as well. Next stop was my car's interior, which was no small feat. It made my 6 year old minivan look and smell almost new. Buying this Spotlifter was definitely money well spent.

I feel bad about giving this review, but I must. This is the worst machine ever created. Let me say that I think Bissell has excellent quality machines (Little Green) but this is not one of them.

First of all, this machine has absolutely NO suction to it whatsoever. I managed to trigger out around a cup full of solution, and the spotlifter only 'sucked' 1/4 of it back up. My carpet was soaking wet. I had to lug out my Hoover Steamvac to suck up the rest of the water. Naturally, I thought I had a faulty spotlifter, so I exchanged it for another one. I got the SAME thing, a spotlifter without suction.

Secondly, the trigger mechanism is horrid. Instead of it releasing a steady stream of liquid, it is spray oriented, where you must continuously spray it like a spray bottle. That becomes extremely tiresome, and it actually hurts your hands, as when you 'try' to suction the liquid, you have to tilt the machine forward and it is very cumbersome and large.

All in all, I hated this machine. It was clunky and did not clean anything. It is horrifyingly loud for no reason. The rotating brushes actually mat the carpet to the floor. This is a very bad buy. If you are looking for something that is easy to use for those quick stains, buy the 'Little Green Clean Machine'. It is wonderful and has amazing suction. You actually get what you pay for.

I'm not totally impressed with the Spotlifter 1716B. My main complaints:
1) It is REALLY noisy, to the point that I have to use earplugs.
2) The sprayer is wimpy.
3) Hardly any water is sucked back up by the unit.

But it does clean upholstery well, and does pretty well removing set stains on my berber carpet (and imagine it will do even better on new stains). It has a nice long cord, which comes in handy. We fill the tank with 50% nature's miricle cleaner, 50% water. It works really really well for removing pet stains and odors.

this little machine is worth every penny.. i have pets and just spraying and blotting up accidents was really grossing me out..i tried the dirt devil steam cleaner and please "do not buy that machine!" it cooks the stain and stinks.. yuk.. the bissell is amazing ..it scrubs and lifts out everything.. i've waited for something like this for a long time.. it even does steps..
rose mary
wyoming pa

We bought this product along with our new puppy. After three days we returned the Bissell. The machine was heavy and had absolutely no suction power. After three tanks of water and solution, the dirty water tank barely had any water and the carpet was soaking wet (even after holding the machine at the recommended angle and really pressing it into the carpet). I would not recommend this product.

I had a small similar machine many years ago. This one is a very inferior machine. The suction is very very poor, it will pain your finger putting down fluid since it is not an electric pump, but a manual trigger like those on bottles of cleaning fluids. Also, the tank for the cleaning solution is very very small. Basically, a can of woolite carpet cleaner and a good brush can do the job as well and more conveniently than this rip off item that is over promoted by the info from the manufacturer.

We were able to use this three times before defects in manufacture ended its very short life. After three uses, the gearing in the powerbrushes was completely worn away, meaning that we now own a very expensive spray bottle. I would stay away from it, unless you have VERY light cleaning up to do -- my guess is that it is totally unable to handle spots on carpets that require brushing. It could probably handle a little spill on a vinyl floor ok.

I am so disappointed with this Bissell. I purchased it to replace an older model Spotlifter that was a good product, but we just wore it out. The new version is complete junk. I am returning mine today. It is very noisy, much heavier than the previous model and IT DOESN"T HAVE ANY SUCTION! Basically, you are buying a machine that squirts formula+water onto your carpet (the trigger is fairly stiff, too) and brushes it in with the rollers! It says "tilt for suction" which still doesn't work, but if it did that means you have three steps: squirt the formula onto the carpet, use the brushes in the regular position, then go over again with the machine tilted! I, in fact, did do this. I used nearly the whole tank of solution and in the dirty water tank was at most 1 tablespoon of water that had been suctioned! Don't waste your money.

After many years of good use my battery operated Bissell finally would not hold a charge. It was time for a replacement and thinking this 1716b (with a power cord) would be better (more power, no charge time and continuous use) I made my purchase.

To my surprise, the sprayer was BROKEN right out of the box! On the first use. I called Bissell customer service and they asked me for the serial number. According to Bissell the units serial indicated it was over a year old. I guess Amazon is selling OLD stock? Anyhow Bissell has agreed to replace the unit at their expense.

One last thought, The battery operated unit has an electric pump for the spray which is nice, however this unit requires you to pump the spray like a Windex bottle. Hey Bissell why the down grade on this spotlifter?

PRODUCT - 1 STAR
BISSELL CUSTOMER SERVICE - 4 STARS