The Bissell ProHeat Clear View Upright Steam Vacuum 1699 is a strong performer when it comes to cleaning carpets, but lacks the durability we'd expect in a heavyweight steam vacuum.

The Bissell ProHeat Clear View has several features we like. Perhaps the most important is a built-in heater. This mechanism increases the temperature of hot tap water by 25 degrees. This is important for two reasons. One, the Bissell ProHeat Clear View's internal heater can produce steam, unlike some models that misleadingly use "steam" in the name but don't actually create steam. Two, steam power cleans more efficiently to loosen and remove dirt and stains.

At 32 pounds, the Bissell ProHeat Clear View Upright Steam Vacuum certainly qualifies for the "heavyweight" category. The Bissell ProHeat releases cleaning solution when pushed and extracts the solution when pulled. The solution dispenser is adjustable, and works well initially. However, after several uses, we found that it became finicky. Sometimes it released great quantities of solution and other times, it did not release as much as we would have liked. This impacts how wet the carpets become, and is an important feature because excessively wet carpets can breed mildew and bacteria before they dry. In addition, the Bissell ProHeat Clear View comes with a stain tool that can also be used on upholstery.

Aside from these two performance issues, the Bissell ProHeat Clear View does a good job of cleaning carpets. We used it to remove organic stains from carpet samples, and even allowed a food stain to set-in before going over it with the Bissell ProHeat. The ProHeat removed this stain just as easily as the fresh stains.

The water and solution canisters are easy to remove, fill and replace. Overall, the Bissell ProHeat Clear View Upright Steam Vacuum is a solid performer that cleans carpets well. If you're up for buying an extended warranty to address durability issues, the ProHeat may be a good choice.


Pros: Cleans well, steam heat
Cons: Solution dispenser is erratic

Warranty
1 year, limited