Customer Reviews
Bissell compared to the Shark Steam Mop 
2008-07-19
This product is just OK. For some with lots of tile that not too dirty, it may be fine. It is a light cleaning tool. If I had lots of heavy regular filth due to heavy animal and kid traffic, I wouldn't buy either steam cleaner. I am returning the Bissell because I have a lot of wood laminate and it leaves the floors WAY too wet and streaked. But you ought to be aware of the pros and cons since some things may not matter to you. I also borrowed my sister's Shark Steam Mop so I will compare the two for you as the cost is identical.
*The Bissell has a swivel head which is great around the toilet and the Shark does not swivel at all.
*The Bissell is well made for a such a low profile appliance and feels sturdy with a nice thick cord. The Shark feels cheaply made with a flimsy cord. The lengths of the cord are similar. You'll need to use an extension cord with both.
*The Bissell has a removeable water bottle (convenient!) and the shark does not.
*The Bissell weighs more than the Shark (about 8 pounds), but is very easy to push. The Shark is harder to push, but weighs only 3 pounds. You'd get an aerobic workout if you cleaned a whole house of flooring with the Shark and was a lightweight like me!
*The Bissell leaves you with a VERY wet floor even if you go easy on the steam trigger. I also had lots of streaks on my laminate wood flooring. I would not use it on laminate or wood w/o drying them off ASAP. The Shark does not leave streaks and did not leave a sopping trail behind. The floors dried on their own in under a minute. This is a HUGE plus!
*The Bissell pads have a drawstring and are pretty thin and not absorbant which is a contributing factor to the soppiness the mop leaves behind. The Shark pads are velcro attached (easier!)and are thicker and more absorbant. They are also much more expensive to replace, however.
So, my conclusion is that if I had tile floors, I might consider keeping it as the excess wetness wasn't as huge streaky issue (I went and cleaned my in-laws white tile with it) and it's a sturdier product that seems like it will last for years. I would just find some elastic pads that were ALOT better (I was considering the Tersano pads sold here Tersano lotus Wet Mop Cloths, 2-Pack #LMC28 as a possibliity since they will fit). But since the drier steam and the better pads are VERY important to me, I may actaully go with the Shark even though the machine is rather flimsy feeling and appears more cheaply made. I'd just use distilled water in it and hope it goes few years before falling apart. You'd think that by now some manufacturer would be able to provide the best of both products. What happened Bissell? You could have had a GREAT product if the pads were thick and absorbant and you provided us with the dry steam that the infomercials imply!
A big Timesaver!!! 
2008-07-17
I usually wipe the floor with a regular mop or on my knees as I thought that was the only way I could get the floor really clean! This mop has steam, so I know the steam will kill all the ickies away and my knees are thankful too!I can now mop my 1500 s.q. home in about 20 minutes and one tank of water. Amazon's prompt shipping is the icing on my cake :)
This mop is great! 
2008-07-17
I was debating between the Shark and this steam mop and read quite a few reviews for each. I finally decided to give this one a try and have not been disappointed. My house is almost completely ceramic tile and I wanted to get away from using chemicals on my floors.
Overall I really love this mop. It's done a great job on my floors and it is extremely quiet. I do agree that the power cord is a bit short but that's easily remedied with an extension cord.
Do:
-Wash the pads before the first use. In my excitement to use the mop as soon as it arrived I immediately went to work mopping my kitchen floor. The pads had an odd odor when I opened them, it was worse once they got wet. Worse than that wet dog smell =(
-Sweep or vacuum your floor prior to mopping.
-Use distilled water to extend the life of the filter
-Buy extra pads
-Change the pad frequently for large areas
Don't:
-Use on hardwood floors (based on what many other reviewers have said)
-Expect your floor to dry in seconds. As the pad gets wetter the more wet your floor will be. Drying time is about the same as regular mopping.
-Expect this to work miracles on grout
It's a great mop for the money, I strongly recommend it!
Good Produce 2008-07-16
Did a good job and very quick expecially on the bathroom tile floor. Kitchen will still require a good scrubbing once on a while.
too wet for wood 
2008-07-14
I have an elderly dog, who unfortunately leaves quite a bit of mess on my wood floor, so I really needed a simpler mopping solution.
When I read reviews for this product, most were glowing, so I took the plunge and got one.
While I am happy that it cleans well and in half the time than the traditional mopping, it leaves the floor very wet. It's fine for summer, but in the winter, it would take much too long to dry, and having that much water can't be good for my wood floor. It also enhanced the dog smell somewhat, probably from the moisture and the heat. But I figure it's been built up and will take several mopping to get rid of it.
Last summer, I saw a steam mop for the first time being demo'd at a local fair. I should've bought it then, as that one left no wetness behind. It was straight steam and that was it. But at $120, it seemed to be too expensive. But in retrospect, if that mop does what it claims, it would be really worth it.
While I am generally happy with its performance, I'm not happy enough to keep it because of the excessive wetness. I shall have to wait for the fair to come back in August.
You've got to be kidding me.... 
2008-07-25
I'm going to make the assumption that the positive reviews on this steamer are from folks who have never used a good high-pressure canister steamer, because no way no how does this Bissell contraption come close to doing what a good steamer should do. I have an EnviroSteamer canister steamer, and I also used to have an EnviroSteamer floor mop steamer. I wanted a new floor steamer mop (the old one finally broke after many years of service), as admittedly it is more convenient than the big canister, but EnviroSteamer is no longer made. Enter the Bissell.
First off, who is the idiot that designed a trigger finger-style mechanism? In order for steam cleaning to work well, steam should be released constantly, not an on-and-off type of maneuver. If there is a trigger mechanism, there should be a way to keep it on constantly without having to manually depress the trigger (i.e. a lock button). My hand was fatigued after using the Bissell on just two small bathrooms. Plus, its a little on the heavy side, so keeping the steam button engaged while pushing is not easy on the hand.
That would have been overlookable if the unit would have actually cleaned well. Like I said, I really think the folks who posted positive reviews never had a good steamer, but this thing is laughable in terms of getting things "clean"; it also isn't efficient. The steam doesn't seem hot enough, and isn't under much pressure. I had to hold the unit over very lightly soiled spots on the tile, and even then had to push back and forth to get very light grease spots out (you know those light grease spots that spatter around the stove and such). My other steamer zaps stuff out like that on the first pass effortlessly and quickly moves right onto the next.
After a few minutes, the pad on the Bissell gets absolutely sopping wet; hence, the floor is sopping wet and takes a long time to dry - not convenient in the least when you want to clean the floor and get on with the day. Again - a good steamer dries the floor on the reverse pass, there is very, very little, if any, wetness left on the floor when I use the other model, and only towards the end of a long steaming session when the pad is ultra-saturated with moisture.
Essentially, this Bissell performs as a wet mop, not a steam mop. It doesn't have the steaming power (temp. or pressure) that a good steamer should, and the pad gets so saturated it like mopping the floor with water only - my floors are not getting cleaned as they should.
All in all, good concept, poor machine. I'm boxing mine up and returning it. I'll stick with the canister - yea, it's bulky, but it truly CLEANS the floor at a high steam temp. on the first pass, it DRIES the floor, and its easy to push and not fatiguing on the hands. Save your money on the Bissell - piece of junk as far as I'm concerned.
Best purchase in a long time 2008-07-24
I sold my iRobot Scooba because it couldn't get into tight spaces. The Bissell steam mop is easy to use, gets into tight spots, corners, etc. I actually like mopping the floor now. It's easy and it's efficient. It does tile and wood flooring very well. Because the steam is hot, the floor dries faster. I wish the cord was longer, but I can live with it as is. I recommend this unit highly.
Love my bissell steam mop 2008-07-23
This is my second steam mop my other one finally wore out after six years of weekly use. The steam mop allows me to clean my floors without harsh chemicals that can dull tile. I have alot of tile through out my home and highly recommend it.
Wish I had found this sooner 2008-07-21
After several weeks of online research and reading reviews of different steam hard floor cleaners, I decided to order the Bissell. I was a little skeptical of all the glowing reviews, thinking that nothing works that good. Well, was I surprised. I was worried that the mop would leave too much water on the floor,but there is just about the same amount of water left behind if you were using a regular mop.
The only negatives that I can find are easily solved. I have 2500 square feet of tile and hardwood floor to clean..a longer cord would be nice. I fixed this with an extension cord. And, my finger gets tired holding the trigger for the steam down, so I just rubberbanded it down. Worked like a charm.
works great 2008-07-20
I haven't use any other kind, so no comparason. However this works pretty well so far. removes tough spots, marks. Water heats fairly fast enough.
