dpn0121 wrote:Anyone have one for over a year that uses it weekly? Reviews on Amazon brought up some longevity issues.

I love my Shark and never had a problem with it - use it on hardwoods and tile. I started with floors that were pretty gross and tore through some pockets while I was playing "catch-up" but but now that i'm in "maintenance" mode i use less pockets and it still works great. I'm always amazed it's just hot water!

I bought one of these at Costco (not the "pocket" one), but I think they are quite similar.

THIS IS THE BEST MOP YOU CAN BUY!

Seriously, every time I use it I think about how well it works - a lot of home appliance/cleaning machines are crap but this one works very well. We sweep the floor first (3 kids 2 dogs) then use the mop, and will usually have to take a washcloth around the edges to wipe up the access hair/food/etc.

We DO always fill it with our filtered water (Reverse Osmosis 5 stage unit), have had no issues - but will exchange it at Costco if I ever do!

-proud steam mop owner

I had one of these with all the attachments about 2 years ago. When it worked, it worked pretty well, definitely picked up the tough spots so you don't have to scrub the floor.
I liked the added triangle head so I could do the bathroom floor and get around the toilet.
I found the carpet attachment a waste...it basically admits that it doesn't really clean the carpet anyway. You just put a plastic bumper around the pad and it glides over the carpet and steams it so it may feel cleaner but it really isn't.
I thought the thing felt cheap though and worked sporadically. Sometimes it steamed a lot and seemed to work well and other times it didn't do as good a job.
After a few months it just stopped steaming up and that was it. I returned it and just went back to the swiffer mop I was using.
At 39.99 might be worth a shot though since i paid around $100 back then for it.

I've purchased (and subsequently returned) two Shark Steam Mops. They both worked great for a small period of time (maybe two or three months) and then stopped working altogether.

As such, I don't hold out much hope for a refurbished model.

So not something I'd want to buy to clean my classroom floors? Our custodian, bless him, is not the world's best cleaner; I don't think my classroom has seen a mop all school year.

Any better recommendations?

Sears has it for $99 - refurb

Be cautious about this item. My wife has now gone through two units and is on her third. They just break precipitously and can burn with the pressurized steam!! The company has replaced the unit, twice! The last replacement is definitely an upgrade with more attachments, etc. Maybe they have given up on the model you show??

My first purchase on Woot...can't resist the steam, so what the heck...

Have it, love it. Bought it at Big Lots for $55 about a year ago. It gets hot and steamy fast and does a nice job. It's not a miracle worker but it does take up the dirt without leaving icky chemicals on the floor. Which is good for me because one of my dogs looooves to lick the floor constantly!

Steam cleaned my pocket once. Found it works better if you take your pants off first. Started to buy one of these at Wally World yesterday for much more. Glad I didn't.

One of the reviews on Amazon is mine. I bought this Shark Steam Mop a little over a year ago. Last Nov. I was using it and wasn't producing steam. Then, it made a loud noise and steam started coming out the seams. While the mop worked I loved it.

I've REALLY missed it & hate using the regular mop again. So, even though I had bad luck with the Shark, I'm going to buy another one at this price. But, this time I will use distilled (rather than well) water! It takes so little water that a gallon of distilled will last a very long time.

balisane wrote:In for one; I saw these at Costco yesterday, wanted one, but passed it up because they were $85.

My mom tends to drop food while she's cooking and can't bend over to clean it up, so I'm hoping this will save me from spending so much time in the kitchen on my knees with a scrub brush like a '30s housewife.

Small dogs also work great for this task!

figgers3036 wrote:I don't get it... how is this supposed to work on a carpet?

I wondered the same thing until I got my mop last year. There is a glider place that comes with the set. It's the picture-frame looking plate. Place that over a pad, and it glides over the carpet, lightly steam-cleaning it. I use it to remove odors from my carpet; steam kills the bacteria causing odors left from pets, etc., and freshens the carpets. It does not steam-clean them like a conventional carpet cleaner, though, so don't expect that.

uninvitedsaint wrote:how about hardwood?

Works great on real hardwood. I have all hardwood floors, even in my kitchen, and carpet in one room. The Steam Pocket really steams - but does not get the floors really wet, so it works great. Been using it two years now, with no problems with my real wood floors.

Neotacha wrote:So not something I'd want to buy to clean my classroom floors? Our custodian, bless him, is not the world's best cleaner; I don't think my classroom has seen a mop all school year.

Any better recommendations?

I think you'd do fine with this mop! I love the Shark products, and have had good luck with them! Just take care of it, and I think at this price it would be worth it for you to try. I've had mine two years. My son accidentally broke the handle, so I ordered a replacement and it works just fine. I use tap water, and it still steams perfectly! I am buying two more today.

KarenMarie wrote:I agree. I am on my third - the first two being replaced by the company when they just died out.

and they are awful on wood floors. !!!

but, if you are too lazy to use a mop and bucket and are willing to take a chance --- we paid well over $100 for our package.

I disagree about the wood floors - my Shark cleans them very well. I bought my Steam Pocket from the Shark website two years ago, and it's still working perfectly.

Would this make a good anniversary gift? Or should I go for a new one?

karenatravis wrote:I love my Shark and never had a problem with it - use it on hardwoods and tile. I started with floors that were pretty gross and tore through some pockets while I was playing "catch-up" but but now that i'm in "maintenance" mode i use less pockets and it still works great. I'm always amazed it's just hot water!

I have had my Shark Steam Pocket two years now, and purchased it from their website. I paid close to $200 at the time, with extra sets of pads coming with it. It is still working fine, and I bought one (much cheaper price) for my son and his house. I am buying two more today. I have hardwood floors and one room of carpet.

zeekz wrote:Would this make a good anniversary gift? Or should I go for a new one?

Go for it - at this price, it's almost a no-brainer. My experience so far with Woot's refurbs has been very good. Each item I've ordered, from Dysons to computers to monitors, has come packaged like NIB (new in box).

does this pocket mop come with a pad or extra pads. I hope i can use it when it gets here without having to purchase anything for it.

The description says it comes with the:

Steam Duster Pad
Rectangle Pad
Triangle Pad
Carpet Glider

If a pad gets really dirty while you're cleaning, you can just flip the machine over and use the other side. No need to take the pad off and reverse it.

Be sure to follow instructions for washing the pads - use only liquid detergent - and they'll last a long time.

Amazon Customer Review Pictures!
I found these customer picture reviews, love the one where the guy mopped twice with a swiffer, then showed what he picked up with the Shark. SOLD! ;)

dpn0121 wrote:Anyone have one for over a year that uses it weekly? Reviews on Amazon brought up some longevity issues.

I'm not sure about how faithful I am about cleaning weekly but we've used our an awful lot, for well over a year and it still rocks like it did the day it came out of the box. I LOVE my Shark and I may get one of these for the kiddos to use upstairs.

We have hardwood floors all over. This thing works very well to get up must scuff marks and dirt from the floors.

One note, though - reliability can be a problem. We've had two break over the past few years, and not because of anything we did - the hoses holding the water just broke.

ThunderThighs wrote:Ok, I'm told that both the triangle head and pad are listed on the box as included. It appears the triangle pad didn't get in the photo for some reason

We blame the monkeys.

ThunderThighs,
Thanks for following up, you're the best!

Had one of these a few years ago; good steam but the handle broke off easily. You have to "pump" the handle occasionally to keep the steam coming and if you push too hard. . . I think the new version looks stronger but that's not this one. .

Piece of crap had one lastsed 3 uses in 3 months there warrenty scam cost almost as much to ship back and forth as a new one. took 2 months to fix then died again.
I hate this company

Its cheaper at Wal-mart and it's new not refurbished.

Great for "touch ups" otherwise, the Hoover Floormate makes my cheapo laminate floors shine. I did not know my slate-gray tile and grout was so dirty. Fast and vacs up the pet hair etc. Going on 2 years and still running strong. I bought it at Costco, just in case it turned into another gadget and I wanted to easily return it.

Finally tossed all my buckets, mops, and other Miracle Moppers in the trash!

I have had one for a year and paid a lot more.
My opinion, it's a piece of junk.

Is it possible to cancel an order before it ships?

missbonnie wrote:Its cheaper at Wal-mart and it's new not refurbished.

This model is $79 at Walmart. Granted, it's new. But, it's also more than double the price.

Okay, after a long mental debate, I'm in for one. If I use distilled water and don't beat the crap out of it, it should work for a year or so.

*edit* Um, Why isn't the temperature of the steam expelled listed in the product description? I just finally saw the info in a review on Amazon and now have to double check. 110°f?

Woot, what is wrong with your Servers? Slow to get to and once I did, a flipping Mop?

rfclef wrote:Literally bought this today for 2x the price at MalWart... Returning it tomorrow!

Me, too, rfclef. I feel your pain. And your savings.

Seeversjm wrote:I bought this for my wife for Valentine's day.

I hope you have a heated dog house...

missbonnie wrote:Its cheaper at Wal-mart and it's new not refurbished.

I don't know what Walmart you are shopping at but this model right now is rolled back for $80. You are most likely confusing it with the cheaper model, that was $39 on Black Friday. This is a great price if you don't mind it being refurbished.

My only beef with it is the temperature. My mom has one, as does my mother in law, and they do 'okay'. I agree, it's like a slightly better swiffer. In reality, when the steam makes contact with the floor it's only about 100F (i.e., already cooling to the point where its basically hot water), so you could get the same effect spraying hot tap water on the floor and wiping it up with a cloth, this just simplifies the process.

I have a monster, the steam hits the floor at around 250F. This is more of a safety hazard, however, you don't wanna touch the bottom of this thing! YOWCH! (Speaking from experience), and more delicate floors may not appreciate the temp. It's also a bit more expensive, I got mine for $100 on Amazon, but it retails higher than that.

So basically, there ARE advantages to the shark, namely- cheaper, cooler (less cleaning power and virtually no sanitation power, but less of a safety hazard and less risk of damaging flooring), and... cheaper!

Not bad for the price. It's not the flagship steam mop, I don't know who was first but there are certainly alot better ones out there now, but it's really not a bad deal.