Thread Number: 42145  /  Tag: Recent Vacuum Cleaners from past 20 years
Ranking The Consumer-Level Carpet Shampooers
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Post# 444126   7/24/2021 at 14:51 (978 days old) by wstonehocker96 (North Carolina)        

I'm glad to be back on this site after taking off for a few years. Anyways, I'm ranking the consumer-level carpet shampooers. 1 is the best and 4 is the worst.

1. Hoover: If you like shampooing your carpets and want something that lasts forever, this will do the trick. The TTi-era shampooers are pretty good for the price, but the old Maytag-era shampooers are indestructible.
2. Dirt Devil: The models made prior to TTi's takeover are pretty good. Royal has taken over, which is nice.
3. Bissell: I give these guys credit for being the leader in the carpet shampooer market. At the same time, they have reliability issues. The only Bissell shampooer worth buying is the Big Green, but don't bother with Bissell's crap warranty if you buy one.
4. Eureka: These had the tendency to leak like crazy, but the Atlantis having a fold-down handle is a good thing.

What do y'all think?


Post# 444151 , Reply# 1   7/25/2021 at 17:25 (977 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Issell

lesinutah's profile picture
Is the leader in this category. The big green clean machine, proheat, little green clean machine etc. Its still owned by the original family owned company.
Dirt devil I've only seen handvacs. Hoover is Being branded in the commercial line.


Post# 444160 , Reply# 2   7/26/2021 at 17:42 (976 days old) by wstonehocker96 (North Carolina)        
Lesinutah

I can neither confirm nor deny your claim.

Post# 444162 , Reply# 3   7/26/2021 at 20:51 (976 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Bissell

lesinutah's profile picture
Eureka has it's version of the shark vacuum. Hoover is rebranded royal commercial vacuums, dirt devil is always the little brother never the baddest on the block.


Post# 444163 , Reply# 4   7/26/2021 at 21:37 (976 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)        

huskyvacs's profile picture
Your post is worded in both past tense and present tense. Are you talking about shampooers available for sale today, or do you mean for all time past and present?

Post# 444228 , Reply# 5   7/30/2021 at 10:37 (972 days old) by Tekjunkie28 (Western Va)        

I have had 2 Bissell carpet shampooers. The first one I wore out and couldn't source a brush. Now I have the pet pro heat 2 or whatever. I love it except I wish I held more waste water. I also try not to use soap but my carpets are still fairly matted.

Post# 444236 , Reply# 6   7/30/2021 at 15:34 (972 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        

dysonman1's profile picture
Currently, Eureka has no shampooers as Eureka isn't even Eureka any more. They were bought by the Chinese a few years ago. Good luck getting Eureka parts.

Bissell is awful. I refuse to even estimate them for repair. I tell people "we don't work on Bissell".

The Hoover Smart Wash is a decent shampooer. They made shampooing as easy as vacuuming. BUT, the only repair parts are the brushes and the tanks. Nothing else.

Hoover, Dirt Devil, Royal, and Oreck are all the same company (TTI).


Post# 444350 , Reply# 7   8/2/2021 at 10:11 (969 days old) by loganvac (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania)        

loganvac's profile picture
Personally I like alot of the Bissell carpet cleaners from over the years. The biggest issue of all that I've seen with the Proheats however is the models with the built in heater would often clog up with residue from the carpet cleaning solution.

Post# 444406 , Reply# 8   8/3/2021 at 18:50 (968 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)        
I'll chime in

mark40511's profile picture
I just recently got a Hoover Turbo Scrub (very similar to the old Hoover Steamvac's) but more cheaply made I'm sure, but easier to clean.

I'm not sure why, but Hoovers just extract MORE WATER than Bissell's. The only thing I can think of is the motor amperage. Mine is 10 amps (some are even 12 amps) but all the Bissell's are lower.

But about reliability - I can only go what I've read online.......the turbine rusting.......belts breaking on the smart wash which can't be repaired and Hoover just sends you a new cleaner every time it breaks, etc. I just make sure to take the brushes off and just put everything in front of a fan for hours before storing it. I definitely like Hoover better than Bissell...

I will say this: I have a bissell portable deep cleaner.....It's got to be approaching 10 years old and still works.


Post# 444424 , Reply# 9   8/4/2021 at 13:14 (967 days old) by loganvac (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania)        
Water Extraction

loganvac's profile picture
Amperage doesn't matter as much as the design of the motor fan and waste water containment does. Perhaps a Hoover could hold more water than a Bissell, however most Bissell models combine a bladder inside of the waste water containment that holds fresh water. This bladder takes up space, so I could understand how its perceived that a Hoover extracts more water than a Bissell. I have a Spinscrub and a Proheat and I don't notice a suction difference at all personally.

Post# 445682 , Reply# 10   9/6/2021 at 12:11 (934 days old) by wstonehocker96 (North Carolina)        

A Bissell shampooer without those breakable heaters are actually good machines...are they? At least for Hoover, it's not often when they need major repairs.

I agree with the fact Eureka is not what they are these days thanks to the Chinese. The fact there are no videos of Eureka shampooers on Youtube is for the better, as they are leaky pieces of dog crap.


Post# 445695 , Reply# 11   9/6/2021 at 17:53 (934 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
I’ve had…

A few of the original steam vac with spin scrub by Hoover. Fantastic machine and heavy duty plastics in comparison to a Bissell which I received and found many broken plastic parts inside. The plastic of the bissell a is hard and thin and cracks very quickly. The plastic of the Hoover’s is by far thicker and more flexible.

With ANY of these machines you MUST fill the solution tank with water and run a tank full of water through it to clean out the soap residue. If you don’t then next time expect the machine to be clogged and gummed up. Those small dispense holes are susceptible to clogging from gummed up soap solution. If you are lazy and don’t do it you might as well throw the machine out after the job is done because likely it won’t work the next time you go to use it and you’ve basically stored a machine you destroyed.

The machines are NOT cheap and so many go right on the trash from broken parts and clogged dispense tanks.

Every Bissell I’ve experienced has been horrid in comparison to the Hoover products but I also know some of the Hoover products haven’t been very good either. I bought my own spin scrub model because I knew the original was very reliable so I got that design instead of the newer models which had problematic reviews. I had one issue with it but the local vacuum store which is a Hoover warranty service place gave me a new brush unit as that’s what wore out on mine under warranty and since then then never had any issues and I NEVER loan the machine to anyone as I don’t trust anyone to wash it out properly or even maneuver it properly so as not to break the suction nozzle corners.

Jon


Post# 445722 , Reply# 12   9/7/2021 at 12:01 (933 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

suckolux's profile picture
I have a friend whose grandmother has pets and carpet and she's always trying to clean her carpet with the neighbors Bissell then I have to come out and clean it because it's still wet days later. My Hoover spin scrub gets it out just fine.

Post# 445730 , Reply# 13   9/7/2021 at 16:11 (933 days old) by ralph123 (Little Rock, AR)        

Rug Doctor would likely be disappointed in not being mentioned given that they have consumer machines as well.

Post# 445765 , Reply# 14   9/8/2021 at 11:57 (932 days old) by vacuumdevil (Vacuum Hell )        

vacuumdevil's profile picture
I think your post belongs in the vintage section at this point.

Post# 445784 , Reply# 15   9/8/2021 at 21:43 (932 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
I agree

The Hoover spin scrub really sucks the water out quite well.

These “steam vac” type machine as not much more than 20 years old so this is the right place for the topic.

Jon


Post# 446597 , Reply# 16   9/27/2021 at 19:19 (913 days old) by wstonehocker96 (North Carolina)        

I have to agree with you guys, the Steamvac is the best extractor if one is on a budget.

Post# 446619 , Reply# 17   9/28/2021 at 02:33 (912 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)        

panasonicvac's profile picture
I always thought that the Dirt Devil Platinum Force or the Royal Procision were the best portable carpet cleaners for the money. Thereby I would've personally ranked Dirt Devil as the first, Hoover as second, Bissell third, and Eureka the very last.

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Post# 446621 , Reply# 18   9/28/2021 at 12:10 (912 days old) by Kloveland (Tulsa)        
Oreck….

kloveland's profile picture
This weekend I bought an Oreck Rinse o matic at the flea market. Aka Regina steamer. It’s kind of awkward but to me works better than the Hoover. It seems to allow you to dig deeper into the carpet with its nozzle design. It’s the model with the power brush similar to the helix shaped Oreck brush roll. The only problem is the shampoo cartridges are no longer made. I think. So I tried refilling them by
prying the cap off with a fork and it worked. I got the tip from another collector.


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Post# 446622 , Reply# 19   9/28/2021 at 12:25 (912 days old) by kloveland (Tulsa)        
B8

kloveland's profile picture
The best shampooer for me personally is my Electrolux B8 (the older metal model). Depending on the job and if it's a house with pets I'll follow up with an extractor or use the B8 alone. I use Kirby shampoo or Electrolux Turbo shampoo depending on what I have available at the time. I like using Kirby shampoo in my B8 better than the Electrolux Turbo Shampoo. I feel the Kirby shampoo does a slightly better job and I enjoy the lavender scent.

For a heavily soiled carpet. I feel one machine by itself does not do enough. I get the best results when I use a rotary shampooer (like my B8) and then follow it up with an extractor (Hoover, Bissell, Oreck..). For me this is the best combination. Aside from hiring or recommending a professional with a truck mount system.

Sorry I got slightly off topic. To answer your question:

I've never tired the Eureka shampooer. The Hoover steamvacs do a good job. If the gears in the spin scrub don't break on you. The Bissell is good but the bladder system is a pain because it can be hard to clean out. The Bissell seems to leave more water behind than the Hoover. The Oreck I just bought seems to do well but is a little awkward. I like the fact that you can press downward on the nozzle/power brush to extract more water. On the Hoover Steamvac I usually taped a weight to the front so the nozzle would dig deeper into the carpet pile.


Post# 446624 , Reply# 20   9/28/2021 at 12:55 (912 days old) by ralph123 (Little Rock, AR)        

I like my Bissell Big Green upright best because, it pumps the water at a decent pressure to really spray the carpet, has good suction to pull out the dirt and water, and the belt driven brush roll with soft brushes seems to clean well. The Bissell has handled all of my dog's messes in an acceptable manner. Bissell has excellent detergents for removing dog "presents".

Post# 446675 , Reply# 21   9/30/2021 at 03:29 (910 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)        
I got a response to a comment

mark40511's profile picture
I made a LONG time ago on a carpet cleaning video. Someone who cleans carpets for a living.... They said absolutely do not use any soap in the machine. None. Zero. They said in bad cases spray pre treat or stain spray on bad spots....but just use HOT water in the machine. Why? He said because you can never EVER get the soap out and soap attracts dirt.

I kind of agree with him but not completely. I think you can get the soap out of you use just a LITTLE....and say, go back over the area you just cleaned with plain vinegar and hot water. I haven't had any issues with feeling like there was soap left in the carpet. If there were, I'd think my rainbow vacuum would suds up like crazy


Post# 446972 , Reply# 22   10/10/2021 at 01:50 (901 days old) by sanitaire (anchorage, alaska)        

tti corp bought dirt devil,royal. hoover..

Post# 447087 , Reply# 23   10/14/2021 at 12:40 (896 days old) by loganvac (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania)        

loganvac's profile picture
I like to use any of my Regina carpet cleaners, and I have a couple Oreck Rinse a Matic's to choose from too. I'm stocked up on small o ring seals and cartridges because I use them fairly often. If you can get over the awkwardness of using them, they're great performing extractors. I love to clean with them personally, but ofcourse the late 80's early 90's Regina build quality was horrid.


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