Head-to-head · Best Carpet Cleaners

Bissell Revolution HydroSteam 4120 vs Shark CarpetXpert EX151

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Shark CarpetXpert EX151 comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.2 vs 4.5). The gap is mostly about Budget-conscious users seeking good suction and easy maintenance — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #2 in Best Carpet Cleaners

Bissell Revolution HydroSteam 4120

4.2

3 sourcesall derived$309.99as of Aug 1

Bissell's Revolution HydroSteam adds a steam pretreat stage to a conventional upright carpet cleaner, and that is what it is for: sticky, set-in stains that soap and hot water alone leave behind. Vacuum Wars scored its stain removal 89.2 against a field average of 83.5. The trade is extraction - carpets come up wetter than average, the tanks need refilling often, and coverage is only about 105 square feet per clean tank. Buy it for stain removal, not for fast whole-house cleaning.

Strengths

— Well above average performer in upright stain test, especially cleaning syrup stains
— Uses steam in addition to soap and water, which helps loosen dried-on stains
— Good build quality and easy to use and maintain

Watch-outs

— Leaves carpet wetter after cleaning than most competitors
— Requires frequent refilling of clean water tank and emptying of dirty water tank

$309.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Carpet Cleaners

Shark CarpetXpert EX151

4.5

2 sourcesall derived$199.99as of Aug 1

The Shark CarpetXpert EX151 pulls strong suction, particularly at the nozzle, and keeps maintenance simple with easy access to the brushroll and cleaning components. It does poorly on certain stains, peanut butter and tomato sauce among them. The small dirty water tank limits how much ground you cover, though the hose storage system and integrated spot cleaning tool give it more reach than competitors. Buyers who want a budget-friendly machine with good suction are the fit; anyone expecting heavy-duty stain removal is not.

Strengths

— Above average sealed suction at the hose and well above average unsealed suction at the nozzle
— Brushroll is highly accessible and easily removable for cleaning
— Hose stores on the carpet cleaner itself, which makes transitioning from upright cleaning to spot cleaning very easy

Watch-outs

— Below average performer cleaning tomato sauce, grape juice, and especially peanut butter in upright stain test
— Dirty water tank has exceptionally low capacity, which gives this cleaner a very small area of coverage before you need to empty this tank

$199.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Bissell Revolution HydroSteam 4120

The Bissell Revolution HydroSteam 4120 outperforms the Bissell TurboClean Pet XL 3746 in stain cleaning, particularly with syrup stains, thanks to its steam technology. However, it leaves carpets wetter and requires more frequent tank refills compared to the Shark CarpetXpert EX151, which has better suction but worse stain performance.

Shark CarpetXpert EX151

The Shark CarpetXpert EX151 offers better suction at the nozzle than the Bissell TurboClean Pet XL 3746 and has an integrated hose for easy spot cleaning, but it performs worse on tough stains like peanut butter compared to the Bissell Revolution HydroSteam 4120. It also has a smaller dirty water tank capacity than the Bissell Big Green Pet Pro 3288.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Bissell Revolution HydroSteam 4120	Shark CarpetXpert EX151
Weight	20 lbs	15.9 lbs
Cord Length	20 ft	25 ft
Hose Length	7 ft	5 ft
Tank Capacity	1 Gallon	—
Cleaning Path Width	10 in	10 in
Suction	2.5	Well above average at nozzle
Coverage	105 Sq. Ft. Per Clean Tank	56 sq ft per dirty tank
Material	Plastic	—
Dimensions	—	13.2"D x 12"W x 43.5"H

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