BISSELL SpotBot Hands-Free Compact Deep Carpet Cleaner, 1200B

My wife and I bought the Bissell SpotBot over a year ago and has it ever lived up to its name! If you have ever wondered whether or not it's worth the money, then read this review and judge for yourselves. However, I'm certain that you won't go wrong.We have a little boy who likes to make messes. However, most of the time, his messes are in a small area and doesn't require the use of the SteamVac. It would be like using a backhoe to dig a hole for a tree. Not the right tool for the job.We use the SpotBot at least 2-3 times per month. Not only do we have a small child, but we also have a small dog who likes to dig in the dirt and then run across the carpet immediately upon entering the house. Also, I admit that I can be messy at times as well. Can I help it that I like a lot of ketchup on my hot dogs?When I was first researching the SpotBot I read reviews that it worked great, but left rings in your carpet. I agree with that statement. The SpotBot is meant to clean a circular area. So if you have many spots that are in differing places on your carpet, then when all have been cleaned, it will look like some alien has just made "crop circles" in your front room. There is an easy solution, and that is to clean your carpets regularly. That way, the only circles you will see won't be because one spot is cleaner than the rest of the carpet, but because the brushes have made a circular pattern in your carpet. These circles can be easily taken out by either rubbing them out with your hand, or using a vacuum once that area has dried.Features:There are 3 main settings on the SpotBot. They are rather self explanatory, Surface Stain, Set-In Stain, and Manual (Hose).The Surface Stain option doesn't use as much cleaning solution and only runs for about 5 minutes or so. You can watch the brushes move in a circular pattern, and hear the suction as it engages. This option should be used for recent stains, like when my son ate too much candy and it came back up... Well you get the idea.The Set-In Stain option uses much more cleaning solution and runs for about 7 minutes. This should be used on spots that have been there for a while, like when the dog went number one in the corner of our closet, and we didn't find it until much later.The Manual Hose option is probably my favorite for a few reasons. First of all, you can control how much solution is used on a particular spot. The spray covers a good sized area and saturates the spot quickly. The hose extends about 5 feet and is very flexible. The attachment is fairly small which is good for cleaning hard to get at areas, like under the passenger's seat in my car. I found a year old baby bottle under there recently, which had leaked and made the car smell like "pus and feet" as my wife put it. The smell started just recently as the weather has begun to warm up. After a few passes with the SpotBot and its hose, the smell is gone and so is the stain. The attachment also has brushes so you can scrub the spot out. The suction strength is great, and leaves the spot damp, but not wet.Observations:From what I've seen and experienced over the past year, I am sold on the effectiveness of the SpotBot. It does what it is designed to do, and that is get out spots. It has taken out spots from makeup (which my son thought would be fun to draw on the carpet), to candle wax (don't ask), to fruit drinks and much more.The solution tank is rather small, and you will have to refill it a number of times depending on the amount and size of spots you are attacking. Also, the SpotBot is not quiet by any means. You will not be able to hear the TV if it is running anywhere nearby.Conclusion:The SpotBot is a miracle worker. So long to the days of getting on your hands and knees scrubbing out spots. This is one of the best cleaning tools to have come about for quite some time. In the end, I must state that every home should have one of these, because as the saying goes, "Spots Happen!"

There's no denying that this is a useful little tool--that's why it got more than 1 star. However...First, you don't need to buy much of the cleaning solution. For most jobs, just use water--much cheaper, and 90% of the time that works fine.The big complaint though is that it just isn't built to last. After 3 years of occasional use, it started jamming and making a god-awful racket. I took it apart to clean it, hoping there was just a big bit of fluff caught in the gears. Nope...it turns out that some of the plastic ball bearings are worn flat. Further, it was missing some, which caused those bearings to receive extra wear. After some quick online research, I found out that they shipped them *all* like this.I'm annoyed. I feel like Bissell is taking advantage of us by making cheap crap. For a few more cents per unit, they could have made them last many years longer--but they decided to cut corners instead. I'll think twice before buying *anything* from Bissell again. If this is their design philosophy, they don't deserve your hard-earned money.

My old dog had an "accident", so we got out our BRAND NEW Spot Bot. Looks Good, Sounds Good, Did NOTHING!!I have double checked all instructions, filled and installed cleaner tank properly, installed the waste water tank properly, and while the cleaner brush revolves nicely, and the machine appears to go through all cycles, there is NO SPRAY, not in the automatic settings or in the manual hose cleaning function.This just happened Saturday evening, so I have to wait until Monday to contact Bissell.Purchasing an item like this from a local retailer is probably a better bet. In many cases I could jusr walk in and exchange it since it is brand new. Purchasing on-line adds a little more stress since I may have to deal with the vendor, with Amazon and if necessary, the Credit Card company. Meanwhile PHEWWWWWWW