Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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274 of 281 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great concept - poor performance, December 27, 2007
I purchased this steam mop because I love "clean", but hate the time it takes to get there. Here are the pros and cons on this product IMO: Pros: generates lots of steam FAST; the mops are very easy to put on and take off using hook and loop fasteners; very light appliance and easy to push around; loooong cord; the powerful steam really does pick up dust and dirt effectively. The reason I'm giving this two stars is because: the handle is weak and feels flimsy to use (and if you have to constantly be pushing it forward to generate steam it should feel sturdy); the mop head stays in a fixed position and does not swivel, therefore; does not get in hard to reach places like the base of the toilet or tough corners. Because the above is my main reason for purchasing an appliance like this I was disappointed it didn't perform up to my expectations. I returned this product and purchased the Bissell Green Tea instead and love it!
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197 of 202 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent cleaning, but flimsy, August 28, 2008
I have engineered BR-111 hardwood floor and laminate floor in the house. I actually bought both Bissell's and Shark's steam mop, but had not decided on which box to open until last night, after reading all the reviews about both products. I decided to take the Shark for a spin because the reviews suggest steam from Shark's isn't as excessive as the Bissell's as people there complain the cloth to be too wet, and can take a long time to dry. For those who complains about streak marks, I don't know if they have mopped the floor using the most traditional method, or their arms are so strong (unless you use cloth and knee on the floor all the time) that can keep the moisture in the cloth/mop at the minumum. I want to start the experiment by using the least steam and heat possible.
Now, I don't understand why someone here needs to wet the pad before start mopping using Shark's, I wonder if they ever read the manual suggesting to "pump" a few times to get the steam out and wet the pad that way. You definitely don't want to get the pad too wet.
Then there're those who expect the mop to "pick up dirt". Again, I don't know what size of dirt they expect the mop pad to pick up, but it's fairly large when the mop just push those things back and forth. Besides, you don't really want the pad to pick up those things as it would be trapped in the pad and too hard to wash, whether hand-wash or machine-wash.
Having said all these, I do agree with others that, to be more specific, the grey connection between the aluminum handle and the purple body near the tank is flimsy. I would expect some material sturdier than this. I did not break anything from my first try, however!
The device is easy to assemble and use. The steam comes only if you push the mop, causing the long handle to be pushed into the tank at the bottom, allowing the steam to vent. I haven't seen or used Bissell's yet, but there's only one hole in the middle of the pad area that allows the steam to vent. I wonder if more holes would allow the steaming and cleaning to be done more effectively. As you pull the mop back, you're actually wiping the excessive steam on the floor away, keeping the streaks at the minimum. From my observation, I see the steam is released at the right amount as long as you're not pushing it too slow.
Is the floor clean? I think it works fine on my hardwood floor, but the result on my laminiate isn't as good... there's a layer of haze on the floor and it felt a bit sticky to touch even after a while. Because the laminate area is small, I decided to use a dry cloth to give it a wipe, and the surface turned shinny and the stickiness was gone, and felt clean.
In all, I believe the mop does the job fine on my engineered hardwood floor and laminate, and I would give it a 4-star if it's better built. And to all of you who don't like this mop (except for those who have broken it), please read the instruction again and take a couple minutes to understand how the mop works, and get real that a mop is a mop, but not a broom or vacumn.
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Edited for comparison with Bissell Steam Mop: I also purchased a Bissell Steam Mop as mentioned above, and I decided to give that a try as well. Here's my comment, also posted on Bissell's product review:
Let me start with the review by saying that I'm waiting for the floor to dry after using the Bissell steam mop AND drying the floor with a white towel.
Construction: Bissell wins hands down. Not only the build is more uniform, you do feel how solid it's built. No doubht it's twice as heavy as the Shark's (7lb vs 3lb), the added weight is a GOOD thing (as long as it's not too heavy) because it puts slightly more pressure on the floor for better clean.
The pads: Bissell wins again in this department, I feel Bissell's will last longer than Shark's. I don't like the shark's Velcro-approach. Bissell's has elastic band around the top, and it's adjustable as well.
The move: It's true that Bissell's allows 360-degree spin, while Shark's only allow front-back move, Bissell's got the right idea but failed to execute properly. There're times that the mop doesn't go in the direction that I want. Having said that, I still prefer Bissell's over Shark's.
The steam: The size of water tank on both mops are similar, but the Bissell's can run out quickly given one would conveniently pull the trigger on constantly while mopping, not to mention the mop releases TONS of steam. It generates so much that the pad is already soaking wet in the first couple of minutes. Now I see why some people who have used Shark's feel like it's mopping with a dry rag. It may not be an issue for those who live in dry weather, but it definitley is a concern for hardwood floor owners, sealed or not, or even those who want to use the mop on tiles (or other hard surfaces) but the surroundings is humid. I would suggest Bissell adding some tips so users wouldn't apply too much steam, or simply modify the design to reduce it. Bissell's has a water filter which could mean the mop can last longer, but then I also wonder how much the replacement cost could be.
My verdict... as much as I like how the Bissell's is built, I'm going to keep the Shark's with me. The Bissell's just generating way too much steam that it will take a long time to dry if not being addressed.
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88 of 88 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly surprised, February 5, 2008
This mop is not going to be a magic wand, but it is better than most products.
Okay, here are some ways that it could be improved: The handle is a bit flimsy. Also, if the mop itself would pivot, that would be a big plus. Also, the replacement pads are way to expensive. The mop cleans super well, but does not do well with corners and you will still need to bend over to wipe up the dust mess that the mop pushes in front of it. The pads don't pick that stuff up well, but the more I use the mop, the less I see of it. I think that even though my floors looked clean, they were really dirty when I first used it. The cord also slips off the handle - there's a system to keep the cord out of the way, but it does not work really well.
I do feel like my floors are far cleaner than other methods I've tried - swiffers and I had a Hoover Floormate that bit the dust after a couple of years. Neither of those products did corners well either and the floor just feels cleaner with steam than with either of those devices. The Steam mop takes me about 10 minutes to use on my kitchen floors. They are vinyl and the dimensions are about 18 x 15. You do have to vacuum before you mop.
Several people commented that the mop is hard to push. I have found that it is a bit harder on floors that have texture, but on my kitchen vinyl it just glides. If the mop is wet when you start or if the floors are super dirty, it will stick. I had some trouble with that on my bathroom floors because of the hairspray stuck to the vinyl. The more I use it, the cleaner my floors get, and the easier it is to push. On my laminate and tile floors it is even easier to push. It did streak a bit on the laminate when I used tap water, but with distilled water the streaks were minimized.
So, all in all it's the best choice I've found out there short of cleaning on hands and knees. With the steam mop, you'll still have to do your floors the old fashioned way on occasion.
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