I got my first carpet cleaner less then a year ago, but I've grown quite familiar with them as this is now my third. I got this unit for a second house I own... not a very old house, but it's used for various 'get-togethers' and has off-white carpeting. The carpets have gotten quite dirty and were in desperate need of a good cleaning.First, the instructions are actually exceptional... my wife, who never setup our other two cleaners, found setting this cleaner up to be very easy with the detailed manual. Cleaning with it was easy at the beginning, but halfway though my wife found the unit's weight to be fighting against her... as time went on, she grew increasingly tired and found the cleaner to be more and more cumbersome. I used it for a hallway section and found it to be about as heavy and maneuverable as my current favor cleaner, the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Washer, when both are filled with water (the Hoover is lighter when empty, but holds more water). In the end, the Bissell cleaner did a FANTASTIC job on our carpets... they look brand new again.Emptying and washing out the waste water container was quite easy... something my wife was very happy about after wrestling with this unit for some time. We both had the same single complaint about this unit though: the clean water and shampoo is kept in a bladder inside the waste water container, so when the waste water container begins filling up, you can't tell how much clean water you have left.Comparing to the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Washer, FH50150 ([...]):Both are roughly the same price (the Hoover is currently a bit cheaper on Amazon).1) The Hoover uses two tanks... one for clean and one for dirty water, so the levels are very visible. As mentioned, the Bissell uses a bladder within a tank, so it's difficult to see the amount of clean water left. You have to estimate how much is left by how much waste water is in the tank... something that will become more familiar in time. Cleanup is easier with the Bissell, but the Hoover wins here in my opinion.2) The Hoover keeps the water and shampoo separated and is mixed as you use the cleaner, so you can switch from wash to rinse on the fly... huge advantage here for the Hoover as the bissell's bladder must be emptied and refilled with fresh water in order to rinse your carpet.3) The Bissell's upholstery attachment has a hose that's slightly longer then the Hoover's (9' vs 8'). The Hoover comes with several attachments for upholstery and stairs, while the Bissell comes with a single 'upholstery/tough stain' tool. Both seem to do an equally impressive job on upholstery, so the advantage here goes to Hoover for the variety of attactments.4) The Hoover uses five small rotating discs with brushes to clean carpets while the Bissell uses two horizontal spinning cylinders with brushes (similar to a vacuum). I haven't compared them side by side, but just the way the unit feels when cleaning and watching the way the brushes scrub the carpet, I'd give a big advantage to the Bissell's system. The Bissell clearly does a better job getting down in deep into the carpet. The Hoover got our colored carpets very clean, but the Bissell got our off-white carpets spotless and looking brand new.Currently, the Hoover is at my home where it's used 60% for upholstery and 40% carpets (w/stairs). The Bissell is at a second house where it's used 80% for carpets (no stairs) and 20% for upholstery. I would say it's the perfect matchup... the Hoover has various attachments for use on upholstery and stairs, while the Bissell's strong point is by far its carpet deep-cleaning abilities. If I could only keep one, I would stick with the Hoover due to it's ability to switch between wash and rinse on the fly... that option is just way too convenient to live without. If you plan to clean mostly carpets that need a serious deep-cleaning, I would recommend the Bissell quite highly.