Hoover SteamVac - Blue (F5914-900)

Hoover and Bissell side by side comparison
After owning Hoovers, I recently tried this model. I have been generally happy with my last two Hoover carpet cleaners and they have been durable for me. I used both TONS -- the 1st one was a very early model that was still going strong after 5 or 6 years of hard use, and I replaced it with one that had rotating brushes. It also got years of use but I accidentally damaged it thru my negligence. (Used it in an unheated cabin, left it overnight, and it got well below freezing - I broke the spray trigger when I impatiently tried to use it.) My last one still worked if you pushed the surge button and then pried it up again, but I decided to get a new one.

I purchased the Hoover 914-900, but it leaked before even starting to use it, so I returned it and bought a Bissell Proheat 2x. I liked that it seemed easier to clean the machine than the Hoovers, and that it had a rinse option, although not conveniently located. I noticed immediately with first use that it wasn't as good as even my old (trigger broken) Hoover. The Bissell didn't extract water well at all, even though I went over and over an area trying to get the water up. It was obvious by looking that it also didn't clean as well (probably as a result of leaving dirty water still in the carpets.) If it'd been my first carpet cleaner I might have thought it great since it did get dirt out, but I knew they didn't look as clean as in the past and mostly they were WET. The next day, before returning it I bought ANOTHER Hoover 914-900 thinking the first leaky one was an anomaly. The 2nd one leaked initially also, but once I used it for a minute, pressed and released the trigger a few times and the seals got wet, it stopped leaking. Thus I had two new cleaners to try side-by-side. Where I used the Bissell after the Hoover, there was no difference, the Bissell didn't get the carpet any cleaner. Where I used the Hoover on where I'd cleaned with the Bissell the night before -- a BIG difference. The carpet was visibly cleaner; (it's a very light carpet so it's easy to see that) the dirty water collected confirms that it picked up dirt the Bissell left behind; and the carpet was drier. This was a return to what I expected based on my last 2 Hoovers -- damp carpet, not WET carpet, and I think it's why the Hoover cleaned better. The Hoover isn't perfect -- the tanks need to be bigger for fewer trips to the sink (if too heavy for some people, they wouldn't have to fill as full), and there is no good way to clean it! I did like the idea behind the Bissell of having clean water with which to either mix with the detergent and spray, or to rinse with, and it would be a plus if Hoover would find a way to do that. (Especially if the "rinse" button was on the handle and easily accessible.) But Bissell's technique of inserting a plastic bladder for clean water inside the dirty water tank means neither holds much water which makes for extremely frequent trips to the sink. Also, having to stop, bend over, and switch a dial on the base to "rinse" and the same to switch back to cleaning mode was highly inconvenient. Last, Bissell's on-board water heater didn't seem to make a difference. Leaving behind too much dirty water was its downfall, it didn't matter that the water went in "heated." I used the hottest tap water I could in the Hoover and it worked just fine. The "proheat" seems to me to be just another unneeded gizmo that can break. Overall, I guess it depends on what's most important to you. For me, clean carpets that dry in a couple of hours trumped ease of cleaning the machine.

Dirt Devil Rechargeable Broom Vacuum, Pink Bissell 30861 Style 7 Enviro Fresh Micro Filtration Dust Bags Remanufactured Dyson DC17 Animal Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner Metro Vacuum B3-CD Air Force Blaster 10-Amp 4-HP Motorcycle Dryer Dyson DC16 Root 6 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Bissell Style 8/14 Lift-Off Bagless HEPA Filter bissell bags Home Care Industries #1175 Single PK Bissell Up Belt Bissell BISSELL 2104706 FLEX HOSE Eureka 96 B Quick Up Upright Cordless Stick Vacuum

Nice, but not what expected
My dog enjoyed being groomed with this item, but I didn't feel that it removed much hair. Really about the same as normal brushing. He's a lab, so not really long hair, but it just didn't get down deep enough. There was still a lot of loose hair when I was done.

Koblenz All Purpose Wet Dry Vacuum - Pink/ Gray Bissell DigiPro Canister Hose BISSELL VACUUM POST MOTOR FILTER GRILLE 3570 Shop-Vac 58602-04 2-1/2-Gallon 2-Horsepower Wet/Dry Vacuum Type 3 Bissell Vacuum Cleaner Replacement Filter Metro Vacuum, Data-Vac, 2BA, Pro Series, 120V, 60Hz Shop-Vac 925-28-10 Industrial 8-Gallon, 6.5-HP Wet/Dry Vacuum Filtrete Bissell 7, 9, 10, 12, and 14 Belt, 2 Belts Per Pack Bissell Water-Calcium Filter 218-5600 Craftsman Clean N Carry 4 gal. Wet-Dry Vac, 5.0 Peak hp

great product-speed is the key
We've had this in our house for the past several years and it works great. The key is speed--getting to the stain as fast as possible. Dont expect miracles-youre not going to be able to remove that year old, ground in stain. Remove/soak up as much of the cause as possible without pushing it further into the carpet, then spray a liberal amount in/around the area. Wait a few minutes and scrub out with a towel (best to use a sturdy bath towel instead of paper towel), scrubbing in numerous directions. Repeat if necessary. Not sure about darker stains like the one reviewer mentioned, but works great on pet and lighter-colored stains.

Bissell BISSELL 2031329 HEALTHY HOME BELT BISSELL FILTERS 6594 (HEPA/FOAM COMPLETE) Bissell 1770 Quicksteamer Lightweight Upright Deep Cleaner Carpet Cleaner Dyson DC18 Slim All-Floors Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner 1058Z Brushroll Metal Upright Vacuum Shark EP187 Retractor Clean Air Cyclonic Power Vac Bissell Replacement Vacuum Cleaner Bags 32023 bissell filters Factory-Refurbished Eureka Capture™ Upright Vacuum (Orange) 8802AVZ Shop-Vac 925-24-10 Industrial 6-Gallon, 6.5-HP Wet/Dry Vacuum

Quick picker upper
I just love my little Eureka bagless vacuum- it's lightweight,picks up cat hair and crumbs easily. No need to drag out the big heavy one. The price is easy, compared to the big ones, many of which don't do as good a job!! Can easily be taken upstairs. I heartily reccomend it.

Shop-Vac 925-29-10 Industrial 10-Gallon, 6.5-HP Wet/Dry Vacuum Honeywell H31008 Bissell Style 8 Replacement Belt Shop-Vac Super Performance Disc Filter #901-13-2 Shop-Vac 925-13 10-Gallon 4.5 HP Wet/Dry Vacuum Drywall Package Eureka The Boss Mighty Mite Canister Vacuum Dirt Devil 110006 Reaction Fresh Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner Metro Vac N Go AM-6B Stainless Steel Finish - Made In USA! Metro Vac N Go VM-2B - Made In USA! DTVMDV1BA VACUUM,DATA-VAC,W/ATTACHMT Shop Vac Two-Stage 2.5 HP, 12 gallon poly tank w/ drain

Great for sports cars.
Great for sports cars. Use it along with a waffle weave towel. It gets water out of the areas like under the air spoiler, the mirrors, the door handles, and especially the tire rims. Blow the water out of these areas water drips from to prevent water marks. The long nozzle is rubber, so if you bump the car it will not leave a scratch.

It uses warm air and has like a mesh filter on bottom. A leaf blower stirs up too much dust that gets on your car and cannot be handled along with a towel like this product.

Used it 4 times to wash the car since I bought it, and would buy it again for sure.

Metro Vac Replacement Bags (5) - Made In USA! Shop-Vac 999-19-10 Industrial 1.5-HP Hippo Portable Handheld Vacuum Bissell Deep Cleaner Pump Motor Hoover F5505 SteamVac Spot Carpet Cleaner Metro Vacuum OV-4BCSF Professional 13-Amp 4-Horsepower Compact Canister Vacuum with Quadruple Hepa Filtration and Inflator Adaptor Bissell 32028 Style 5 Vacuum Bags 3 pack Bissell Pet Odor and Soil Removal Formula - 128 oz. Euro Pro Shark Steam Mop - Pink Metro 6'hose 120v 4.0php Compact Car Vacuum Dyson DC18 Slim Total Access Bagless Upright NEW