Shark EX201 CarpetXpert Upright Carpet, Area Rug & Upholstery Cleaner with StainStriker, Built-in Spot & Stain Cleaner, Perfect for Pets, Deep Cleaning & Tough Stain Removal, Carpet Shampooer, Cyan

This is a great product, really. It feels like a quality build without being excessivly heavy or complicated. It simply works, and it works rather well! However the purchasing process was a pain, resulting me me losing a lot of trust in Shark/Ninja as a whole, and I was sort of invested in their environment.Pros:*No need to manually spray when not using the hose, the action of pushing and pulling automatically sprays and vacuums it up.*Uses a soap and an oxy clean product, in separate containers ad used at different rates. Mix the soap with the water (or dont if you are rinsing), but put the oxy container in it's own slot.*Uses minimal amount of water (seriously, very small tank and it doesn't last long, but you get a lot more clean than you would think and the waste water is straight up NASTY)*There are not a plethora of functions. At first this seems like a bad oversight, but really it greatly simplifies the process. You have Deep Clean (which could simply be called clean, but you know...marketing) and Dry. The Dry function uses no water and is GREAT to remove more water from the carpet for faster drying.*The low water requirement and Dry option can reduce carpet dry time drastically, mine was only damp for a few hours.*There are multiple latches, doors, and traps to catch the pet hair. These are surprisingly effective, and very well designed with the user in mind. With the push of a latch you can remove the front of the vacuum head, then flip open the spray nozzles tray and remove the brush. This leaves the entire brush head open for a wipe down and/or rinse, and the brush itself can be easily removed and cleaned. Then there is a trap that you can remove at the hinge joint of the brush head that directs the vacuum force from the head to the hose, this comes out and you can easily remove trapped hair and replace it with minimal effort. Then in the tank there is another trap for hair to build up on. It sounds like a lot but it is so easily managed that you will be happier at the longer lasting product as a result.*The choice of hose attachments is very helpful, with one of them designed for pet hair capturing the hair at the attachment in a tray. Like the rest of the device each attachment can be broken down easily and cleaned.*There is a clear label with barcode to order more of the cleaning supplies with a scan of your phone. After the warranty period you may decide to use your own, but their soaps work pretty decently.*There is a storage tray to prevent drips from ruining your floor when not in use.Cons:*Larger device, but this is expected. It is only larger than I like b/c we have limited living space. So this may not be a con to you.*The right side of the cleaning head has about 3 1/2 inches of non-cleaning space that is needed for the gearing. In most places simply turn around and use the other side. But for compact areas this can be a problem as the right 3 - 4 inches will not get cleaned.Experience:This is where I had a very bad time. I tried to order from their website. Loved the deal that they offered. Heck, I was even getting a steam mop and extra cleaning soaps for free! This on top of a sale. So I created an online account, verified the email address, and made a purchase.*Problem 1: They do not ship to PO boxes. This is normal, actually, so I put an alternate address so that I could receive the item.So I placed my order, and they took their money immediately. I was excited. Then I received an email stating that my order was cancelled. I called them 4 times before I was finally connected to someone so that I could learn WHY it was cancelled (the email did not provide a reason).*Problem 2: Apparently the system will not allow a PO box to be used even as a billing address. This is my legal address as mail cannot be sent to the physical location.*Problem 3: I use an obfuscated email. It works, and I verified my email (see above), but my REAL email address remains private. This is to reduce my online footprint and help prevent ID theft by being able to shut down problem addresses that have gotten sold. However Shark refused to accept this email, even though I was allowed to create an account with it, and proved that I can receive emails sent to the address provided. When I asked why this occured they used a bunch of corporate speak which amounted to: "We also make money by selling your information" which is exactly why I obfuscate my email.*Problem 4: Since I would not provide my actual email address, only one that works properly, I was informed that I may not get a refund. So they took almost $400, cancelled my order, and threatened not to return the money b/c I provided an email that functioned, verified that it functioned, and told them that I did not want my information sold. I wanted to BUY a product, I do not want to BE their product. However, three weeks later the charge did drop.So I looked for this on Amazon.com and I found it for about the same price as their model without all the extras that were included on their website. I make a purchase and discover that they will actually ship to my PO Box! .Problem 5: I received the unit without the hose, which is required for the system to work (even when not in use it plugs the hole so that the suction works).I contact Shark, they require me to register the warranty before they replace the part. It gets registered to the same, obfuscated email that I used previously when they cancelled my order. It is accepted, and I receive my part 2 weeks later. So now I have to wonder, why all the fuss when I order directly from Shark (giving them a higher profit margin) but not a single complaint or comment when I need to use it for the warranty?In sumary: I still love the Shark/Ninja products, but now I will never buy from them directly as the scheme that they have is manipulative and misleading. I never wanted to be an additional income to them by letting them sell my information, but they would not let me complete an order until I did. Shady!

This is hands down the easiest and best performing shampooer I have ever used in my life. We have many pets, so by nature, the areas of our house with carpet can get a bit dirty. We had a shampooer that worked ok but never really got rid of some stains completely. This one went to work immediately and after just one deep clean for the whole room, I’m taking a deep breath and realizing I may not have to fully replace the carpet just yet. Every stain that was there, including the stubborn ones were gone with only one or two passes. Incredible unit. The handheld options are great for smaller messes as well. Clean up was simple and parts go back together easily. Would absolutely recommend to anyone that has pets.

We bought this carpet shampooer after TONS of research and it definitely lives up to the hype. We had high expectations since we own a shark vacuum and we absolutely adore it. I have rented the Bissell Big Green and the Rug Doctor and this one impressed me more than either of the commercial machines. This shampooer is light and easy to maneuver, simple to use and assemble, we love all the different attachments, dog fur doesn't get wrapped around the brush or cause clogs, and the suction is absolutely insane! It lifts dirt and stains so effectively out of the carpet. I also really appreciate that there isn't a trigger you have to hold down the entire time and the drying mode is really convenient! Very very happy with our purchase.

I have the Shark brand Vacuum which did help influence my purchase for this carpet cleaner. I have three cats & a family (it can get messy). I've used this thing for five straight days. For one bedroom. This room really needed it, quality carpet but neglected, pet abused, and a nearby bathroom remodel (drywall dust anyone?). So we couldn't really spring for the costs of new carpet at this time. I've re-read the instructions to verify I didn't miss anything. The steam cleaner does get the dirt up, the used water tank looked like mud water. Every. Single. Tank. I had no idea how much dirt this carpet was holding. I had to go over the walkway areas several times. I spread this out over the week so it could dry between. The complaints online focus on the fresh water tank being relatively small, yes it is. I needed two fills for single day on one room (partial area), it's not a big room. Not a big deal. What is kind of annoying is the "undercarriage" or what is better visualized as the brush roll area (similar to your upright vacuum). Pushing carpet cleaner forward, it puts down the water with cleaner, pull back, it sucks up the water/dirt from the carpet. There is a "dry only" mode where it continues to pull up more dirt/water. The brush-roll spins the entire time, good for loosening things up. So all this action kicks up dirt - think about the wheel wells in your car. So this brush roll area becomes just filthy. Since this is carpet "cleaning" and not dirt-redepositing day- you gotta clean out this brush roll area, as you clean, as often as you refill that clean water tank or even more often. The directions don't really mention this wheel well housing - they mention the brush roll, the cover, the other parts (all easily unclipped and rinsed, those parts are clear plastic parts so things are easy to see) the brush roll housing gets filthy and you gotta wipe this out, really well. So unclip the top suction thing (clear plastic/rinse) open brushroll area, pull out brush roll (simple left-hand knobby thing) clean that, cut any long hairs off and then remember to try to wipe out the housing which is dark plastic (difficult to see dirt, just wipe it and be disgusted). I was running through half roll of paper towels. You could probably put this cleaner outside and gently rinse that housing area & then wipe. Then put all back together and start your next clean tank. It's better if you can tag team this: one person do the back/forth of the carpet cleaning, then when it's time to break it down & refill tank, pass this off to someone while you go get a frosty beverage, you come back to freshly cleaned carpet cleaner with new tank of water, you're all refreshed and ready for round two. So.. brush roll housing gets filthy, that needs regular cleaning during your carpet cleaning adventures. Second thing I wasn't crazy about but not sure there's any solution to it: Wet Dust Bunnies. Yes, yes, I did exactly as the manual stated and I vacuumed beforehand (Shark vacuum too). Apparently dust bunnies are forever. So, as you are suctioning up this dirt and dust and micro everything, the dust all reconvenes around this wetness, so the brushroll, and/or the wheels of the cleaner, kick out these wet dust bunnies back out onto the carpet as you are carpet cleaning (picture the dust layer you clean off ceiling fans, but in wet clumps). This room has short, berber carpet. It was pre-vacuumed. I supposed you can say that the carpet cleaner works soooo good, as to suck up enough dust/etc to create wet dust/hair clumps that then get flung back out once they reach a certain size/density? My carpet is very light colored so this was easy to see & pick up when it happened and possibly a sign that the brush roll housing was getting filthy? Idk. The manual/directions continually reminds you that this is a carpet "cleaner", not a vacuum. (Yes, again, I vacuumed every area I cleaned). So keep this in mind. Ya gotta pause to clean the cleaner, multiple times for one room (frequency could be filth dependent) and you gotta catch those wet dust bunnies. But yes, I would recommend this machine, my carpet looks almost new (it really is old so I can't boast "new" but that's not any fault of this cleaner as the carpet, impressively, looks better than I thought it could). I used a lot more of the Cleaner solution than the stain treatment (stain treatment sprays out from the hose attachment only for hand scrubbing, & although I used quite a bit, I didn't spray out an entire bottles worth) I did use more than one bottle of the carpet cleaner, so buy accordingly. The directions are easy, breaking down the machine is easy, cleaning is easy (except brush roll housing area, that's the least easy to clean & never mentioned in the manual). Once you read the directions and use it and put it away, I don't think you'd need the directions again, it's intuitive design so it's easy to remember. Pics above are Day zero (before clean) Day 1, and Final (bright spots are sunlight, not a bleached area). I'm happy with the results.