BISSELL DeepClean Premier Pet Carpet Cleaner, 17N4, Grey

Bissell Premier Pet Model 17N4 Carpet CleanerI bought this to replace a much older Bissell Big Green Machine which had given great service for about 15+ years. My first choice was the new model Big Green Machine, but it was way out of my price range. I ended up choosing this one because of the mostly positive reviews. This will be a fairly long review, so I’ll try to organize it so it’s readable.SHIPPING AND PACKAGINGOnce again, Amazon comes through with their fast shipping and two day delivery. i ordered it on a Friday and it arrived the following Monday. Bissell packaged the machine very well in sturdy cardboard with the smaller pieces enclosed in plastic bags. There were no parts missing and it arrived undamaged.INSTRUCTIONS AND ASSEMBLYSome reviewers complained that only a Quick Start Guide was included while the full manual had to be downloaded from the Bissell site. Bissell must be listening as my machine arrived with the Quick Start Guide and full manual. Assembly was very easy with only a Phillips head screwdriver required to attach parts with 3 screws. The illustrated instructions made it easy.DESIGN AND EASE OF USESome people have complained about the bladder system, where the clean water/detergent bladder is inside the dirty water tank. I found this system to be ingenious and space saving. It worked very well and was easy to clean. If Bissell used two separate tanks, the machine would have to be much bigger and even so, the tank would probably have to be smaller. It’s easy to fill and I found that the dirty water can be dumped without emptying any remaining clean water. The tank removes from the machine easily and it’s easy to fill and then reattach. Pushing it back and forth on the carpet is also pretty easy and one can see the dirty water being sucked out by looking at the top of the tank while cleaning. It takes a little longer, but making several passes with just the suction on will remove most of the dirty water from the carpet. Using this method, mine was completely dry within 3 hours.HOW WELL DOES IT CLEAN?Let’s put it this way. This machine is FAR superior to my old Bissell. I would say it does as well as a commercial cleaning service, but of course it takes much longer than a truck mounted system. There is a border between my dining room, where I cleaned, and the living room, where I did not clean (because the dining room table was moved there) and this morning the difference between the cleaned area and un-cleaned area was incredible. The dirty water that came out of the carpet was almost black. Some reviewers recommended going back over the carpet with just clean water. I took this extra step and the dirty water coming out was still pretty gray. Hopefully, rinsing the carpet like this will keep it from attracting dirt. We’ll see.AFTER USE CLEANUPThis is the only area where I rate my old Bissell as superior to the new one. Cleanup took about 10 – 15 minutes with my old machine. The new one has more removable parts to clean and although they are all easy to remove, it takes about 30 minutes for a complete job. I do believe that a thorough cleaning after each use will increase the longevity of the machine.MINOR DISAPPOINTMENTSFirst, as some reviewers have stated, the machine does leak some water after it’s turned off. The easy work around for that is to roll it to a hard surface before shutting it off. Then it’s an easy matter of wiping up the small amount of dirty water.It takes longer to suction out the dirty water than my old Bissell. On the other hand, it gets the carpet MUCH cleaner, so it’s worth the extra time.It would really be nice if I could turn off the suction while using either of the included attachments. This would enable me to spray a small spotted area with the hose and use the attached brush to work the cleaner into the carpet. What I did as a work around was to hold the hose about 3 inches above the carpet and spray the spotted area, and then cleaned as normal. I had no spots remaining.DURABILITYAs I have only used it once, long term durability is an open question. It appears to be well made and if it holds up as long as my old Bissell, I will be happy. Bissell backs this model with a full 3 year warranty, so I’m happy about that.OVERALLUntil I determine its durability, I will rate this at 4.5 stars. The positive qualities of the machine far outweigh the negatives in my opinion. I will try to remember to update this review after I have owned it for a couple of years.

I've purchased this carpet cleaner as a replacement to the popular Hoover SteamVac (F5914900). The Hoover model broke down after being regularly used for over 3 years now. The plastic housing cracked. Hoover now has an updated model available (FH50150) and it seems to address some of the problems I had with the original SteamVac but I've decided to make the switch to Bissell. Here's how the Bissell compares to the original SteamVac (still being sold on Amazon):CLEANING PERFORMANCE:Both models seem to clean the carpet very well, but the Bissell seems to be slightly better and has a wider cleaning path. I've been able to completely eliminate stains the SteamVac was unable to remove. I believe the cleaning solution (also made by Bissell and supplied with the machine) helped make a difference. The Bissell model features edge brushes, which actually help, but lacks the power scrub function found on the SteamVac. Also, Hoover uses the circular PowerScrub brushes while Bissell uses two separate rollers with six rows of brushes each. The brush system on the Bissell seems to be better and was noticeably more effective in brushing out and rejuvenating worn carpet. Hand held attachments, especially the pet attachment, are better designed on the Bissell and seem to be more effective. Advantage: Bissell.CONVENIENCE:There are two significant differences between the Hoover and Bissell. One, the Hoover uses two separate tanks for clean and dirty water while the Bissell uses the "bladder" system. However, the Bissell has 25% larger capacity. This is a huge plus for anyone with at least a few rooms to clean. Both systems are effective but I personally found the Bissell "all-in-one" approach to be more convenient. The second difference is the way on-board hose and attachments are used. The Hoover required you to take off the top of the return tank, flip down the intake slot, attached the return hose and the water supply and reinstall the top of the return tank. The Bissell has the attachment permanently built into the tank return outlet, so all you have to do is return the washer to an upright position, which automatically shuts off the cleaning brushes and diverts the suction to the hose. Take off the hose from it's holder and you're ready to go. It's incredibly simple to use. Even the new Hoover model still requires you to assemble the hose for accessories. This was a major difference when I've made the decision to purchase the Bissell. Advantage: Bissell.MAINTENANCE: Cleaning the Bissell is very easy. Once the tank is removed it can be easily rinsed. I found no issues with the "bladder" system. It's also very easy to remove the clear top cover to get to the cleaning rollers. Also, each hand held attachment can be opened to clean out the insides. Cleaning the Hoover was actually more difficult because the return tank has many crooks and crannies. Overall, the easy of maintenance is top notch on the Bissell and pretty solid on the Hoover model. Advantage: Bissell.DESIGN AND WARRANTY:The Bissell is clearly better built as compared to the old Hoover (F5914900). The SteamVac cracked right above the clean water tank and the locking mechanism which holds the machine upright failed within three years. The Bissell isn't perfect as the handle feels like it's going to break and flexes even when you move the machine gently back and forth. It's only noticeable when the tank is really full. Hoover came with the standard 1-year warranty while the Bissell is covered by a 3-year guarantee. Advantage: Bissell.FEATURES AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS:One of the key features of the Bissell is the Heatwave technology. It sounded like a gimmick, so I decided to test it. I filled up the container with hot water measuring 120 degrees. Half way through the cleaning cycle, I once again measured the temperature of the remaining clean water and it was around 109 degrees average. This is pretty good considering the clean hot water is surrounded by the returned dirty water which has been cooled as it washed the carpet. Also, the pet hair basket works as advertised by catching most of the pet hair as the dirty water reentered the tank.Overall, I'm really impressed by Bissell's DeepClean 1ZN4. It works very well.

We couldn't even clean our house once till it broke. It did a fantastic job, we liked it, but sure didn't last. I haven't found out about the guaranty yet, but will do so.