Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsComparison of the Bissell Symphony Vacuum and Steam Mop to the Shark Pocket Steam Mop (or Why I Love My Symphony)
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2016
I have had, and really liked, the Shark Pocket Steam mop for several months. But there were a few things about it that I didn't really love, and then...one day I was vacuuming my hard floor, preparing to steam mop it, when it hit me: why wasn't there a device that both vacuumed and mopped at the same time? I did some research - and guess what, there is! It's called the Bissell Symphony! :-)
So, here are a few things to note about the Symphony, and also things that I like about it compared to the Shark.
First, when your Symphony arrives, the box will feel very heavy (much heavier than the Shark). I expected it to be somewhat heavier, because it has a vacuum built into it, but I didn't expect it to be *that* much heavier! Fear not, because it turns out that a lot of that weight is the packaging (both the external box from Amazon, which is large, and the actual Bissell packaging). Once you are dealing *only* with your Symphony, it is much lighter - still heavier than the Shark, of course, but not horribly so.
Second, I love that with the Symphony the steam isn't on automatically all the time, like it is with the Shark. With the Symphony there is a little trigger button in the handle that you hold down if you want steam. Some people may not like that (having to hold down the trigger) but it is inside the handle so it's very easy and natural to hold it down, but if you don't want steam you can just take your finger off the trigger. (So yes, you can use it as just a vacuum, or, for that matter, as just a steamer - the vacuum on/off button is independent of the steam, and vice versa.)
Third, the buttons to adjust between high and low steam are right there on the handle. On the Shark, the buttons are down at the bottom, so that you have to bend down and around to the front of the unit to switch between steam levels. (To be fair, with the Shark there are also three steam levels (dust, mop, and scrub) - with the Symphony there are only two (high and low), but I have never found myself wishing for a third level with the Symphony.)
Fourth, the Symphony will actually stand up and stay here you put it. In other words, if you need to stop for a bit, or when you store the Symphony, it is free-standing. With the Shark, you need to secure it, or hang it up, or be very careful resting it against a counter or wall, because it does not lock into an upright position - the head always swivels.
Fifth, I *love* how easy Bissell has made it to add water to the Symphony! And you can do it from a standing (the Symphony) position! You just flip open the little water 'door' on the back of the unit, and pour your water in. With the Shark, you have to lay the thing on its side on a counter or table, unscrew the cap, and then use a funnel or else pour the water in veeerrrry slooooowly because the opening is so small (otherwise you'll get water everywhere).
Sixth, that Bissell had the foresight to team up with Swiffer to make it so that you could use a disposable Swiffer pad with the Symphony is just pure genius! With the Shark you can only use the reusable mop head covers. Now maybe that's all you *want* to use, but having the option to use either is brilliant! (In case it isn't clear how you use the disposable Swiffer pad, there is actually a second, replacement head that snaps on to the bottom of the Symphony - it is just like the other head *except* that it has a hinged rim that you open - put the Swiffer pad on - and then close the rim down over the Swiffer pad to hold it in place. And switching between heads is as easy as it gets - you step on a tab to remove (release) the one head, then set the Symphony down on top of the other head, and it just snaps into place!
So, the big question is, how does it clean?
How does it clean??? See that picture?? YUCK! :-)
It's absolutely *brilliant* being able to mop (steam mop) and vacuum all at once. And if you find a place on your floor where you have a bit of extra solid stuff on the floor that you need to vacuum up (hey, it happens, especially with pets and kids), just take your finger off the steam trigger, vacuum it up, and then start steaming away again!
And yes, the handle can be adjusted to go under tables, under beds, etc..
Now, we have a lot of shedding going on here, so yes, it *has* happened that at the end of mopping there may be a tiny fine line of wet pet hair that didn't get picked up (you know, like happens *whenever* you mop in a house with lots of animals, no matter how much you have swept and vacuumed first)...seriously, that has happened only one time, in one spot, and I just picked it up with a paper towel. Given that the 'lingering wet pet hair after mopping' *always* happens, with any type of mop (I think that after I sweep or vacuum, the dog and cat go behind my back and shed on the freshly swept floor *just* so I can have pet hair on the mop! .. "Wow, all of our hair has disappeared, she'll be so sad, let's go put some back on the floor right now!"), I'm not going to fault the Symphony for that - especially given what a fine job it does, and, compared to pretty much anything else!
