Euro-Pro Shark S3501 Deluxe Steam Pocket Mop

5 comments

1. 

   Kimmy in Valencia on May 14, 2010 at 6:19 pm

   It started simple enough. A friend said, “You HAVE to get a Shark steamer mop thing. It’s awesome.”

   But if you’re a type-A like me, that’s where the simplicity ends.

   I researched the (older model) Shark and because of the not so great reviews, I ended up ordering the Eureka ENVIRO STEAMER. I chose the Eureka primarily because of a comparison review by a user. Turns out, alot of the qualities written in the review, like water tank size and cord length, didn’t apply anymore.

   So then, I ordered the Haan FS20-Plus 800-Watt Steam Cleaning Floor Sanitizer with Deluxe Sanitizing Tray based on the same reviewer’s awesome comparison. But again, the info didn’t match up to what I ordered/got.

   Today, I finally broke down and just went to a brick and morter Bedbathandbeyond. The guy was very helpful and showed me the various Sharks and told me this new model (the most expensive at $119) had a bigger tank than previous.

   So, here I am with 3 different steamer mops. Since I buy most of my stuff based on reviews, I thought I would take the time to do a very non-scientific comparison.

   *Euro-Pro Shark S3501 Deluxe Steam Pocket Mop ($106 with my 20%coup plus tax at BBB)
   
   *Haan FS20-Plus 800-Watt Steam Cleaning Floor Sanitizer with Deluxe Sanitizing Tray ($90 via Amazon)
   
   *Eureka ENVIRO STEAMER ($69 via Amazon)

   OUT OF THE BOX:
   
   All three were very easy to put together. Handle either snapped/or screwed into base.

   HANDLE:
   
   All are plastic and for the most part, feel a bit flimsy. None really stood out above the others.

   CORD:
   
   Shark has 30′ (the longest)
   
   Haan and Eureka were same… about 18′.

   WATER TANK: ((my top priority, behind obviously cleaning))
   
   Shark — approx 1 3/4 cups* (fill cup provided is not marked)
   
   Eureka — 1 1/4 cups* (fill cup provided is not marked but manual says capacity total 12 oz)
   
   Haan — 1 cup* (fill cup provided is marked)

   *cup is based on the cup that came with Haan, the only one clearly marked. So I just filled the others and then dumped into the Haan cup. Hence, minor discrepancy. If you convert 12 oz into cups, it’s 1 1/2 cups… but for some reason when I filled the Eureka container and dumped it into the Haan cup, it only filled it 1 1/4 ways. Go figure.

   CLEANING PAD:
   
   Shark’s cleaning cloth covers the head but the design allows you to flip it so you can use both sides with ease. The whole head actually flips on the mop so it’s not like you’re taking the cloth off and then putting it back on. (2 rectangular cloths included, along with 2 triangular cloths, for the triangular head — I guess for corners or tight spaces. But I have not used or tried out. Also, 1 fluffy looking thing that’s for dusting…again, have not tried this out either.)

   **edited to add 1/8/2010** I’ve used the purple duster on wood floors and love it! Cleans great.

   Eureka — waffle type of towel, held in place by clamps on the base. After 1 wash, the trim started coming off and it already had a very worn/old look to it. Not sure how long it would have held up. (2 included)

   Haan — a thick, microfiber trapazoid that just sort of velcros onto the bottom. Very sturdy. (2 included)

   OVERALL CLEANING (see photo):
   
   Obviously, not very scientific but I swiped a wet paper towel on a portion of my tile that I was planning to clean.

   I split the area into thirds so each steam mop was used in one section (I have large stone tile with deep grout lines (see photo).
   
   Then I went over that cleaned section with another wet paper towel to see how much dirt could be picked up.

   NONE: (first paper towel on left) Clearly, the dirtiest.
   
   Haan: cleaned the best (again, not scientific just how much was picked up on a paper towel after using the steam mop)
   
   Eureka Enviro: cleaned the worst (but obviously, still great, compared to nothing)
   
   Shark: in the middle.

   CONCLUSION:
   
   I’m keeping the Shark because of several factors:
   
   *big water chamber (thus longer steam time)
   
   *long cord (convenience of not using extension cord or unplugging and re-plugging)
   
   *dual head cleaning cover (pretty handy)
   
   *complete swivel head… but because of this feature, the drawback is that you have to lean the handle up against a counter because it won’t stand on its own, like the Haan or Eureka.

   I won’t go into detail about the wetness factor because frankly, all three left the surface wet but all three dried pretty quickly (much more quickly than when I use a traditional sponge mop/pinesol). This was really not an issue for me.

   OVERALL, seriously, I would be thrilled with any one of these… because they do cut down tile floor cleaning time tremendously– and without using chemicals. Any one of them clearly beats the old mop and bucket method.

   I guess it comes down to how you prioritize the features. For me, after this exhaustive research — I’m sticking with the Shark! Good luck on yours… and my you NOT find yourself in a similar dilemma where you’re obsessing over minor details like I did.

   EXTRA FYI:
   
   “Pocket” vs “deluxe” — what’s the difference between the gold and purple set?
   
   Both Pocket (gold) and Deluxe(purple) are priced the same but the Pocket comes with ONE set of cleaning cloths. But you do get a third head — that’s an XL rectagular head. The purple set comes with two sets of cleaning cloths. I think for the money, the purple set is the way to go.

   Hope that helps!

2. 

   C. K. Shubin on May 14, 2010 at 8:33 pm

   First off, I researched for days before buying this Shark Mop. Many of the reviews slammed it due to lack of pivoting head, small tank and flimsy handle.

   Well, the NEW model has NONE of these issues! The head pivots, the water tank is much larger (I cleaned my medium sized kitchen and entryway floor and still have almost a full thing of water) and it feels pretty sturdy – not flimsy. The handle is also adjustable in height to make it easier.

   Now to how it performed. Let me start by saying house cleaning week saw me with 2 or more different mops! I have laminated wood flooring, hardwood flooring and kitchen tile. The Swiffer Wet Jet I bought left streaks on my laminate, was afraid to use it on the hardwood and since my kitchen tile is bumpy and uneven it left puddles and some areas would not even get touched by Wet Jet pad. So, I would clean my laminate with windex on my knees, my hardwood with hardwood cleaner and mop and my kitchen with a rope mop w/ammonia and water (ONLY thing that would pick up the grime this horrible floor attracts). Having been diagnosed with a spinal disease, I would be hurting and exhausted from the bending, lifting bucket of water and mopping action. I finally got fed up and went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to try the Shark Mop – bad reviews and all.

   I have NEVER mopped so many floors so fast, had them ALL looking great AND not be hurting or exhausted. I can actually say mopping if FUN with this! Now remodeling the second bathroom, it will have a different type of laminate – i’m so glad I will NOT have to have a 4th mop or system to clean it too. The grime on the horrible, bumpy white tile in the kitchen? It is so clean and streak free I’m keep looking at it with the thought of “wow” going through my head. It NEVER looked this good and ALWAYS had streaks unless I squirted some Jet Dry in the mop water.

   In addition, after cleaning the kitchen floor, while preparing dinner, I had dropped the spatula with butter and egg on the floor. Then the youngest child decided to walk through the garage with bare wet feet and then onto my clean white tile floor. 30 seconds of heat up and less than 60 seconds later, floor was clean again. SO EASY. I will NEVER go back to regular mopping ever again. I can’t wait to try it in the travel trailer (I do that linoleum on my hands and knees after trips).

   You won’t be disappointed in the new one – spend the extra $$$ to get larger tank, pivoting head, extra mop head attachments and steam duster!

3. 

   grovemommy on May 14, 2010 at 10:49 pm

   I just bought this steam mop today in my local Bed Bath & Beyond and I couldn’t wait to get it home and try it out! Once I unpacked all of the accessories it comes with, ( 4 double sided floor pads – two rectangular and two triangular, two quick switch cleaning heads, a purple duster pad for hardwood floors, and the carpet glider) the assembly was a piece of cake. You simply snap the 3 pieces together, fill it with water and you’re good to go! I cleaned every floor in my house today (2,800 sq. ft.) in less than an hour and they are spotless! I have a variety of flooring also–hardwood, laminate, and tile. Cleans equally well on all surfaces and does not streak at all! It glides easily across all surfaces and the swivel head makes cleaning in tight spots so easy! My harwood floors do need to be refinished in the near future, but this mop actually took away some of the cloudy appearance abd they look quite a bit better! I also cleaned my garage floor with it and I cannot believe the dirt it picked up! I would definitely recommend getting this mop! It does a great job cleaning and will make your life much easier!

4. 

   Laura B. on May 15, 2010 at 1:08 am

   Admittedly, I’ve only taken the Shark for one spin so far, having purchased it at Bed, Bath and Beyond only the day before (with the ever-popular 20 percent-off coupon.) It’s the first such “steam mop” I’ve ever tried, though I did a lot of online review searching on a variety of steamers in advance. Anyway, I’m absolutely sold on this model, which I understand is Shark’s newest entry in steam mops. Here was my initial experience:

   My kitchen floor extends to another room and is pretty large. The tile has a decorative “dimpling” in it, which has defeated other types of cleaning instruments in the past. But the Shark did a fabulous, fabulous job, going beneath surface dirt to grime below. I have the cleanest kitchen floor I’ve had since I moved in six years ago. Also nice? The cord is wonderfully long, liberating me from the necessity of stopping to find a new outlet. The water in the steam container lasted my whole cycle as well. (I did use both sides of two pads, but as I said, this was a pretty tough job.)

   I later used one side of one wedge pad on two bathroom floors and blazed through them in a heartbeat. I also used it on my tiled shower floor. Amazing. I love the idea I can do this without chemicals or having to constantly buy new pads. I also love that the machine is light in weight — a real plus if you have a bad back or other such issues.

   Bottom line? I’m far more impressed than I expected to be and if it lasts a good long while and the pads really do wash up nicely, Shark will have found itself a new customer for other products as well.

5. 

   J. Petrozzi on May 15, 2010 at 3:47 am

   I’ve tried multiple steam mops prior to this one (bissell, original shark, steamboy) and have returned all of them to the store for one reason or another. I was skeptical trying another one, but this one looked to have some nice features. I have to say, this one is by far the best steam mop that I’ve used. Large water reservoir allows you to mop a large area without refilling. This is the ONLY steam mop I’ve tried that works as advertised as far as steaming the floor. All of the others left the floor soaking wet, but not this one. It cleans amazingly and dries very quickly. Cleaned my whole kitchen, dinette, foyer, and bathroom and only needed to use one side of the two-sided pad, so the other side is ready for the next use.