Carpeted (Bissell 7920)

Member Name: SueMagee

Product:	Bissell 7920
Date:	20/07/05 (4341 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent for cleaning large areas of carpet.

Disadvantages: Cumbersome, heavy to move and frustrating in use.

I am blessed with two large dogs, an endless stream of workmen who need to tramp through the house, and dirty carpets. What I needed was a carpet cleaner which I could use to do regular shampoos of the whole carpet or to spot-clean any problems. Unfortunately what I got was the Bex Bissell 7920.

I bought by mail order from the Bex Bissell web-site and the machine arrived adequately packaged, but this was when my first doubts surfaced. I couldn’t move the box without help. It was large, cumbersome and very heavy. The second doubt came when I realised that a degree of self-assembly was required.

Getting it going:

Essentially the machine arrived in three parts: the handle, the main body and the tool caddy. Instructions are given for the self-assembly and these should be followed to the letter. Don’t do anything which seems obvious, if you’re not told to. Aligning screw holes does not mean putting screws into them – or you will find yourself having to take the machine apart and start again, as I found to my cost.

Before you take the tools out of the tool caddy (as you will have to, before you can attach it to the main body) make a note of where the different tools fit or you will be lucky to get them all back in again. I bought the machine in 2003 and every time I use it I end up with one piece or another that I can’t fit in. Quite why so many different tools are required I’m not certain. In the average domestic situation I would have thought that the main cleaner plus something that attaches to the end of the hose to do smaller areas would suffice. I have several brushes and nozzles, most of which I’ve never used.

When you come to put the screws in to hold everything together you will need a Phillips Cross-head screwdriver. Two of the screws go into hex nuts which will be loosened by vibration when the machine is in use. You might like to put some sticky tape over the back of the nuts – when they loosen you won’t lose them as I did.

Once assembled this machine is a monster. I had fondly imagined something of a similar size to my Dyson upright, but the Dyson is dwarfed. You will need a substantial area for storage. Even Bissell’s own site is silent about the size of these machines. The footprint is 51cm by 31.5cm (or approx 20” by 12½”) and the handle stands 115cm (45¼”) tall. The weight is unforgiving. My husband thinks nothing of carrying a full golf bag for miles but hesitates if I ask him to carry this machine upstairs.

Cleaning the carpets:

The water used is stored in a “bag within a bucket”. Clean warm water is poured into the bag (it won’t fit under a tap so it’s necessary to use a jug and possibly a funnel) and when it’s sucked back into the machine it’s stored as dirty water in the bucket around the bag. As the water in the bag decreases so the water in the bucket can increase. The bucket snaps neatly into and out of the machine with the handle locking it into place. This is an excellent piece of design and one part of the system which always pleases me.

Various shampoos are marketed for the machine and they area readily available on the internet and in specialist shops. Prices vary but would seem to be inline with other cleaning solutions of this type although use is lighter than with other carpet cleaners I’ve used.

In use this machine is very efficient if you are cleaning a large area of carpet. My living room is some thirty feet long and sixteen feet wide and I can shampoo the entire carpet in a few minutes once the furniture is out of the way. There’s even an indicator light which tells you if you’re moving at the right speed. The brushes clean and groom the carpet and the suction nozzle effectively removes the excess water. It doesn’t take long to master the trick of squeezing the trigger to release the water (which is automatically mixed with cleaning solution) on the forward movement and releasing it as you pull the machine back. The suction then removes the moisture. The carpet immediately looks cleaner and brighter. Provided that you’re not too generous with the amount of water that you trigger onto the carpet you’ll find that it’s dry within the hour.

Bissell advise that you should vacuum after the carpet has dried to remove any fluff which has been loosened. I’d recommend giving it a very good vacuum beforehand too. Even then you may find that you have to stop regularly to remove clumps of fluff which have built up around the brush. If left they eventually make the machine judder. You may find that this isn’t a problem with older carpets, but with newer carpets it can be frustrating.

Cleaning smaller areas is not so easy. The machine has a 12” cleaning path, which is why large areas can be cleaned quickly, but it’s impossible to access any area of less than 12½” wide and even then you need a straight run at it. Turning the machine is like persuading an elephant to do ballet – possible but difficult. For niches and places such as stairs there’s a hose with various brush-and-suction fittings for the end.

The hose is coiled around the tool caddy, which might seem efficient, but the power flex comes out from the centre of the caddy so unwinding the hose means feeding it round the flex two or three times. I’m constantly getting tangled between the hose and the flex as there’s no way of getting them out of the way quickly. There always seems to be far too much hose – until you come to do the stairs when you find that it won’t reach to the top of a very modest flight in a modern house. The tools should click onto and off the end of the hose, but I’ve found this impossible. In fairness I do have problems with my hands, but even my husband finds this difficult.

Cleaning the machine after use is not easy. The bucket empties easily enough, but there are a number of areas where dirt and fluff lodge and which are impossible to clean.

The instruction manual:

This is adequate. The self-assembly is well-covered and so are the basic actions. I found it a little confusing that each tool was described and instructions given as to how it should be used. I would have preferred to start with “Very muddy carpets? Use the turbo tool to…” As it is I have to wade through all the tools to find the best way of dealing with a particular problem.

I would like to have a more extensive “when something goes wrong” section too. There are instructions on how to replace the pump belt but little in the way of hints as to how you might realise that this is the problem. Why does this worry me? Well, this morning there was a strange smell and the spray has stopped working. I’ve rung Bex Bissell’s Customer Service department before and found them to be decidedly unhelpful, so I’ll be taking the machine to a local repair shop.

So, would I recommend it?

It’s recommended: if you have a large clear area that you wish to shampoo, adequate storage and no need to take the machine upstairs.

It’s not recommended: if you need to clean in restricted areas, lack manual dexterity or need to move the machine up and down stairs. It’s also not the machine if you want to use it to spot treat problems.

How much?

The best price for this machine as at July 2005 would seem to be £199 from 24-7Electrical.co.uk. I have dealt with them on several occasions and found them to be reputable and efficient.

Summary: An efficient cleaner for large areas but with a number of problems.

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