I was leery about purchasing this product because of the negative reviews. After deliberating for a couple of weeks and looking at the alternatives, I crossed my fingers and decided to give it a try. After reading the instructions thoroughly and setting up the machine, I put it to work, going through two 64oz tanks of water back to back. I'm honestly impressed. Outside of obviously defective units that people have reported, I don't understand why anyone would complain about the performance. This is not a magical tool that will instantly clean anything with a simple push of the button; It will, however, save you lots of time and effort. We have a very old hunting cabin that has been neglected over the years; Built-up dust/grime, filthy windows, dingy grout, etc. So far, I have cleaned the windows, window frames, mantle, floors, ceiling fans, A/C window unit, and started on the grout. It has cut down cleaning time significantly. My method for most of the tasks has been to work from top to bottom with the brass-tipped nozzle, breaking down the grime and then following behind with a dry microfiber. For greasy or very dirty surfaces, I first lightly spray with a degreaser like LA Totally Awesome. This method has worked for everything so far, and I haven't even tried any attachments other than the brass nozzle and the mop. One thing to note is that after spraying a surface with steam, it may still appear dirty (this was the case with the window frames), but a quick wipe with the towel will reveal that all of the dirt and gunk has been broken free and just needs to be picked up. I recommend the microfiber because it "snags" the particles better than other towels. Where this product really shines is cleaning inside small areas, like where the window glass meets the frame, where the trim meets the wall and floor, the nooks and crannies around faucets, hinges of the toilet seat, the front grate on window A/Cs, miniblinds, et al- places where you can't easily get a rag or anything else inside to clear out the gunk. The steam blasts it out effortlessly. I used it on some of my kids' plastic toys, where there was who-knows-what kind of buildup in the seams and small crevices- now they look brand new. The unit runs a long time on a tank of water, even with the steam at maximum output. It took me about four hours to go through two tanks of water. Granted, that was not nonstop usage, but fairly close; I estimate about ninety minutes of use per tank. Regarding the claim that the pressure drops quickly, I didn't experience this. The unit so far seems to recover during the minute or so when I pause to wipe up the leftover moisture. On a related note, I don't understand the complaint that the steam contains too much liquid; When the steam contacts a cooler surface that you are cleaning, it is going to condense back into water...this is the other reason for following behind with a towel. If you pause for a few minutes and then resume steaming, you will see water spraying from the nozzle; This is because the steam that was inside of the hose has condensed from its gaseous state back into liquid. It is not a flaw with the machine, but physics. Spray it into a towel for a couple seconds before resuming, and you are good to go. The few negatives that I would mention are minor. The extensions for the mop do feel a little flimsy/cheap, especially once they warm up after extended use. It hasn't been an issue yet, but time will tell. The plastic grip where you hold it in your hand does get warm, and I was initially concerned that it would become uncomfortable to hold after awhile, but it did not. Filling the unit with water takes a little patience. Just pour slowly, and if you hear it bubbling, that's your cue to slow down for a second before resuming. The plug does not have a "hook" to clamp it to the power cord after wrapping the cord around the hooks on the back of the unit. Slightly inconvenient, as you have to loop the last few inches around the roll of cord so it won't fall off. Similarly, the carrier on the front does not retain the hand control securely. The carrying bag and net for attachments are almost useless, so I didn't bother with them. Sometimes the attachment points (the yellow button) do not engage completely, leading to attachments coming loose, especially the extensions. Pay attention when connecting them, as they will feel solidly connected, but if you look at the yellow button where it engages in the hole, you will notice that the button is not fully popped up. Sometimes a slight twisting motion after inserting will make it click into place. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this purchase. Just be patient, read and follow the manual, and it should work fine. I have already saved hours of work with this machine, and would definitely recommend it. UPDATE: I have been using the machine several times per week for a little over two months, and it is still going strong. I have since used more of the attachments. The squeeze works great for glass; I have not bought glass cleaner since. However, the green scrub pads are nearly useless; They disintegrated in a matter of minutes. I prefer to just use a separate scrubbing pad and supplement it with steam from a brass nozzle. The plastic scrubber that attaches to the mop head is decent for cleaning up mud tracks and similar stuck debris before following up with the microfiber pad. I would definitely recommend trying it on the interior of your vehicles. It easily cleans all of the crevices that are impossible to reach with a rag, and the gunky buildup on steering wheels and door sills.
