Bissell HydroSteam Pet Carpet Cleaner

Edit 1: my first impression was mildly inflated because my review was primarily made as a comparison of the Hydrosteam Revolution vs the previous generation. Taken as its own machine—viewing its pros and cons independent of the purple revolution—I think a 4.5/5 is more appropriate. I’m still very favorable to this product, but bigger tanks or a a medium solution usage mode are what it needed to get that extra 0.25 points. To get to 5 stars they would have needed to find solutions to some other quirks listed at the end of my original review that potentially impact user experience. Original Review: My first impression is 4.75/5 stars. I'm coming into this review as someone who extensively used the prior generation of this product. These are initial thoughts after doing a test cleaning on a medium sized area of unsoiled, freshly vacuumed carpet. I'm not leaking urine or any other type of pet mess residue on my rug! lol As such, my first impression review cannot vouch for cleaning performance on severe soil or spills, but I hope you'll see why I'm 100% sure this product would outperform its predecessor by a large margin. Also, sorry that my photos are a little out of order—they’re not displaying how I intended to upload them. Any parts with purple or lime green are the OLD model. Packaging: the packaging was pretty basic. A manufacturer cardboard box with the various parts and components securely held in place with Styrofoam cutouts. I don't really care about aesthetic packaging for products like this. What matters is everything got here safely. The box is fairly heavy. Assembly: Putting this product together is so much easier than assembly for the prior purple generation. You just insert the metal handle rod down in the proper orientation until there is a firm click. Then you're basically done! It feels so solid and secure. Already a great start because the purple version has a plastic handle that is secured with a single screw. I accidentally overtightened the screw and stripped some of the plastic threads off, so as a result my purple Bissell always had a rickety handle rod. Product Appearance: Right away you'll notice that this product has a MUCH more premium build quality and lux appearance. They did not just add a steam nozzle onto the previous generation and call it a day. Every single part of the machine has been remanufactured to be more stable and robust. The color palette is more in line with what LG and Samsung use for their appliances. It's also obvious that the machine incorporates more metal into the structure and uses much thicker plastic. This adds to product weight (which I argue is a good thing--I'll cover that in Suction) and gives it a feeling of much higher durability and overall build quality. The higher quality extends to even minor details like the little hook that holds up the power cord so you don't run it over. The new hook is more petite and secure. New Tank System: The new machine maintains a dual tank system with a solution tank on top and dirty water tank underneath. I believe the tank capacities are the same as on the purple generation, but the new shape makes the tanks look significantly smaller. Build quality on both tanks is also MASSIVELY improved. The plastic feels much thicker and stronger. Both tanks also have major quality of life redesigns. The clean tank now uses a latch handle that is much more secure. As you can see in my image comparisons, the old clean tank handle was just a dent in the plastic that got glued onto the tank. After repeated lifting, it started to leak and I had to seal the entire seam with glue. The new clean tank will never have this issue. For the dirty tank all I have to say is HALLELUJAH! There are now just two components that lock together to create a pass-through channel for the water collection. And the top pops right off, but is secured shut via the handle latch when clicked into the machine. Very similar handle design philosophy to the dirty tanks on the Big Green rentals. The new system is SO MUCH easier to clean. I attached the purple dirty tank for reference. The tube pathway was its own separate component that had to be screwed into place. It's a pain the tush to remove and has so many crevices for fibers to snag on. All the crevices also make it significantly more of a chore to clean. Cleaning Modes: the old version had Express (Light Solution Use), Deep Clean (Medium Solution Use), and Max Clean (High Solution Use). These functions were controlled via a switch on the body of the machine. The power button was also on the main body of the unit. The purple version also had the clean shot where you could step on a pedal and aim solution at a stain via a little squirter gun. Tbh, I never used the clean shot function except to test it out once. If I spilled a drink or tracked in mud, I'd pretreat with designated carpet stain remover. And for pet messes, you should always preclean with an enzyme cleaner anyway. The new version now just has Pure Steam, Steam + Max Clean, and Express. The little squirt gun is gone and will not be missed. I LOVE the steam function. You can use it as the new pretreatment to loosen dirt. I'm sure it also helps with allergies by potentially killing dust mites. The steam comes out of its own designated pathway on the cleaner head at the very front. So in Pure Steam mode you will only be firing steam directly into the carpet via the steam path at the very front. You'll be able to see the wisps of steam because the suction function is not activated. In Max Clean Mode you will not actually see steam because the dirty water suction will pull the steam under the cleaner head out of view. The new mode selection controls and power button are on the handle by the trigger which is a much-welcomed change. I don't like loud noises, so there is a comfort in being able to flick it off the instant I want to. The new trigger also has a less janky feel. A much more secure click that doesn't wobble. Ease of Operation: Not as much to say here. It's about as easy to use as the old one (which was overall an easy experience). The new version is heavier, but I think some of this weight is mitigated by better build quality. What I mean is the purple one might be lighter, but because of the wobbly handle rod I found myself having to do lots of micro adjustments to maneuver it. The new machine is heavier, but you truly just push it forward and back without any components wiggling and requiring a corrective motion. Suction: I think the new unit has greatly improved suction. I don't think the motor is any more powerful, but my theory is the added weight and new cleaner head design create a much better seal for moisture pickup. This is evident by the new 8 hour dry time for Max Clean Mode when following their guidance vs 24 hour dry time for Max Clean Mode on the purple version. And I actually think the new version sprays even more solution on Max mode than the purple version! Granted, I still recommend running a fan, opening a window if it's not humid out, or even running a dehumidifier for a few hours to help speed up drying. Cleaner Head: This is another area that has been completely re-engineered. There is now only a single plastic cover to remove. It's much easier to pop on and off and feels much more secure. The bottom cover plate on my purple unit does not want to stay clicked into place. It takes a great deal of force for me to get both snaps to fully click. One of the snaps still has a tendency to unsnap itself even after a full click. The updated design means you have one less component to clean between light uses. The new cleaner head also has a MUCH more robust plastic housing which not only keeps the brush bars locked into full contact with the carpet, but I believe this (in combination with the additional product weight) helps achieve a much better seal for dirty water suction. Accessories: the new version has full compatibility with past Revolution hoses and tools. It has the same hose slot at the cleaner head. I have not tested hose tools on the new unit, but I firmly believe it would perform either equally or better than the purple version. I do not believe that the new version can project steam through hose tools, but that's probably best for user safety and having fewer potential points of failure (since they don't have to build a steam pathway for new hose tools). The Amazon version of the unit came with the 8 ft hose, a 6 inch firm bristle brush, and the rubber upholstery tool. The Bissell website version looks like it also includes a rimmed plastic sheet for you to store/dry the unit on as well as the stair cleaning hose tool. The plastic sheet would have been nice to have in the amazon version, but I am not sad about missing out on the stair tool. I've tried it before and it's a janky mess. You're way better off going at stairs with the 6 inch brush tool for the flat surfaces of carpeted stairs and a 3 inch brush for the edges. My package also came with an 8 ounce sample of the natural lemon pet cleaning solution and an 8 ounce sample of the non-febreze version of the Urine Eliminator solution. The lemon one was okay and all fragrance quickly dissipated. I'm just not a fan of the Urine Eliminator formula though. It smells pretty nice as liquid solution, but something about the "oxy" leaves a funky after-scent that lingers. My overall favorite carpet solution is the Bissell 4X Pro Formula (the non-Febreze version), but obviously without the oxy action it's probably not as suited for a mess like old cat urine residue. With all that said...I hope I've been able to show the many improvements to design, user experience, appearance, performance, added features, etc. Now a few potential negatives: Wind Tunnel Noise: So because the seal is so greatly improved on the new cleaner head design, my unit makes this high pitched howling sound when sucking up the dirty solution. It's similar to powerful winds in a hallway or like under an overpass. In terms of volume, it's greatly overpowered by the sound of the motor, but the higher pitch still cuts through and is kind of annoying. Granted, for loud appliances you should probably always use either earplugs or noise cancelling headphones unless you're tackling a super small/quick project. Starts on Max Clean Mode: When you turn on the machine it will start on Max Clean Mode which is LOUD. If you're sensitive to loud noises that can be mildly annoying--Plus, it would make more sense for the machine to turn on in Steam Pretreatment Mode (which is almost silent) so you can quietly use that function and then click into a Cleaning Mode when you're ready. Heating Element Odor: This is nitpicky, but I just think the heating element that produces the steam is kind of smelly in use. Granted, the new machine almost instantly produces steam, so the heating element probably has to rapidly ascend in temp vs gently building up its heat. I doubt the odor is harmful, and it doesn't alter the after-scent of cleaning solution on the carpet. Just a temporary sensory thing some people might not enjoy. Max Clean Mode Solution Usage: As mentioned earlier, I think the Max Clean Mode on the newer unit pours more solution than the purple unit does on Max Clean Mode. I don't have any scientific or measured proof of this, but in my test cleaning I definitely felt like I was able to cover less square footage per tank on the new version. Loss of Deep Clean/Medium Mode: I feel like losing this mode is the biggest negative for the machine, especially compared to the purple version. I think this machine would have GREATLY benefited from keeping a medium mode because on Max Clean Mode you will truly have to do a substantial number of refills to clean an entire carpeted room. I'm sure the Steam Pretreatment followed by Express Mode will still work great for general cleaning/maintenance, but it would have been great to keep that Medium option. Longterm Hard Water Concerns: This isn't a true negative just yet. More of a question for the future. I live in a region with pretty hard water. Thankfully, the steam channels are pretty wide. This means I won't be having to unclog any little nozzles like I have to do for my shower head. A water softener is not a viable option for my current living situation and using distilled water would be wildly impractical, so it is what it is. The wide steam channels on the Bissell give me hope that descaling maintenance will only be a once-a-blue-moon type of ordeal, but I can't help but think that the unit will eventually require descaling maintenance. Belt Access: The purple unit had a less robust construction for its cleaner head, but this meant you had much more direct access to the belts and rollers for removal/replacement. That will be a negative for some people, but I much prefer the new cleaner head design because it improves the performance of scrubbing and suction so much. Plus, I think the sturdier new design will keep the belts on their tracks better. The belts on the purple unit have leeway to wiggle a little from side to side which I'm sure speeds up fraying. The belts on the new model are secured to their track and don't wiggle as much. False Sense of Security: I know you have common sense and life experience, but I guarantee at least a handful of people will think the steam means they can just run this machine right over a fresh puddle or dried crust of animal pee. For animal bodily fluids YOU MUST PRECLEAN WITH ENZYMES BEFORE STEAMING OR SHAMPOOING. Especially if it's older urine. Like if you find a sticky and stinky patch of cat or dog urine, do not go right into it with steam and shampoo. Saturate it with something like Nature's Miracle or Rocco and Roxie, let sit overnight, blot up excess fluid, and repeat again if it's especially old or if it's a repeat pee spot. And when I say saturate, I mean a legit pour. After you've done an enzyme cleaning, then feel free to go in with your new steam shampooer. If you didn't know that before, then please take my advice and rest assured there'll be a version of you in the multiverse having to either throw out their favorite rug or rip out their carpet because they thought my advice was too over the top. Final Thoughts: Despite a few sacrifices or new quirks vs the purple version, I think the new Bissell Revolution Carpet Cleaner with Steam is worthy of being considered an incredible generational improvement. I do believe they could have re-released the exact same purple machine with just the addition of the steam element and pathway and still gotten away with a price premium over the current purple model without too much fuss--but that is not what they did. Every single element of this machine has been re-engineered with stronger and more attractive parts. There are so many quality-of-life improvements such as the revised tanks, the handle controls, ease of assembly, and improved suction performance. And that's all before factoring in the addition of steam. It's also a massive plus that it maintains compatibility with the Bissell Revolution hoses and accessories. I listed some minor quirks, negatives, and concerns for the future, but those are all massively outweighed by the improvements to this machine. If you primarily clean area rugs or small carpeted rooms, you will adore this machine. For higher square footage applications, this is probably not for you because of the loss of that Deep Clean/Medium mode. In my opinion, this machine fully justifies its higher $400 price tag. I think this machine is appropriately priced and the purple machine is vastly overpriced for what it is. The two machines are in such vastly different leagues of build quality and performance that I would not even consider purchasing a new purple unit unless it was priced at $250 or less. Honestly, probably no more than $200 for a new purple unit. At the $300 range it is truly a shameful markup of aged technology and fragile plastic. After writing all that, I reaffirm my 4.75 star rating. I'll update if anything catastrophic happens. This unit also has me hoping that a similar generational upgrade is coming to the Big Green Machine. If they can incorporate the improvements introduced in the Steam Revolution into the Big Green with even bigger tanks while keeping the price under $600...it would be game over--that would be the ultimate consumer carpet machine for homes of all sizes. But for my little apartment the Steam Revolution will likely serve me well for years to come.