An unusual product, the Euro-Pro Shark Ultra Steam Blaster S3325 has its fans and its detractors. It's all a matter of your expectations.

Those in a hurry to breeze through cleaning are not likely to endorse this little machine. It takes 10 minutes to heat up and requires cooling periods of 5-15 minutes before changing tools and refilling. The S3325 is also best used in conjunction with a vacuum cleaner and lots of paper towels for wiping. So, if you decide to go with Ultra Steam Blaster, be prepared for a fairly time-consuming cleaning project.

If on the other hand, you've got a big job on your hands and are prepared to spend some time cleaning, the Ultra Steam Blaster can be a remarkable supplement to your repertoire of cleaning tools. We used Shark's steamer on a tile floor, the toilet, a granite countertop and on a very grimy oven. On lightly soiled surfaces, the steamer was very successful, if a bit wet and messy. On more serious soil, you'll need plenty of patience and some elbow grease. You'll need to spray the surface with steam and wait a bit for grime to loosen up. For heavily soiled surfaces, you may need to spray more than once before scrubbing and wiping up the substantial amount of water that's left behind.

Packed with plenty of tools, the Ultra Steam Blaster is sure to have one that will work for your job. There's a flat pad for floors, a wire brush, a gentle brush, a diffuser, a concentrator, an angled tool and more. The biggest challenge will be keeping all the parts together, because there are so many. It's a very good thing that this model has onboard storage for most of the components. Just make sure you replace all the tools as you go and you should be able to keep everything together and not lose an essential part.

Based on appliances coming into favor in Europe, the primary benefit of cleaning with this or any steamer is the ability to clean successfully without chemicals. Allergy sufferers and those with product sensitivities are the biggest fans of this model. Sensitive or not, you can't help but applaud a way to remove so many toxic chemicals from your home.

Although we did not test the durability of this product over time, we were nonetheless impressed with the quality of the components used in its construction. We found metal threading in the cap of the steam chamber, a heavy-duty power cord like those seen on commercial equipment and a very durably constructed flexible hose. The inclusion of these components leads us to believe the Shark Ultra Steam Blaster S3325 offers plenty of value for the money.


Pros: Best for those who are very detail oriented in their cleaning or have very large grimy jobs they need to accomplish, heavy cord protects against shock when cleaning with water
Cons: Window squeegee drips lots of water, lots of paper towels required for wiping up as you clean, can melt soft plastics and harm unsealed wood and waxed floors

Warranty
1 year