This page uses affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we get a small compensation at no additional cost to you. See Amazon Affiliate Program for more info.

In this article, we will talk about two very popular carpet cleaners – Bissell 1548 vs 1986.

Nowadays, the market is flooded with new carpet cleaners every month. The manufacturers constantly compete in terms of the technology or design of their products, to give you the most effective device in a particular price range.

Due to this, it’s hard to pick the best solution for your household, especially if you didn’t own this kind of device before. There are certain aspects, that you should always check when looking for a new carpet cleaner. If you don’t know your way around those devices, don’t worry, we are here to help.

Today, we will compare two very popular carpet cleaners – The Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro (1986) vs BISSELL ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet (1584). They may look pretty similar and, in fact, they are very alike. However, there are few major differences in the construction and cleaning system, that you should know about.

Based on the opinions online and our own tests, we will pick a winner of this comparison, which you can find at the end of the article.

Without further ado, let’s start the comparison.

Table of Contents

Bissell 1548 vs Bissell 1986

Main differences

At the beginning, we would like to address, that both carpet cleaners are a great choice compared to the competition. It’s hard to find anything better, especially in this price range, and every consumer should be satisfied with either one of them. Although, there are some things you need to know before you make the final decision.

The first main difference are the attachments. Both models include the same standard 3 in. upholstery tool and one additional tool. In the case of the more expensive model, it’s a 2-in-1 Pet Upholstery tool, which has a special trap, that separates the pet hair.

On the other hand, the Bissell 1548, has a pet tool that is much simpler attachment. It doesn’t boast a special jar for pet hair and other debris, however, it works about the same in terms of efficiency. What’s worth adding, we feel like the majority of pet hair in the Bissell 1986 didn’t land in the special container anyway.

The second dissimilarity is the Cleanshot Pretreat. It’s a feature present only in the Bissell 1986 and it allows you to spray an additional shot of formula, on the extra dirty spot. It’s a small advantage over its competitor, however, it’s not a necessary function.

Another difference is the removable plate. The Bissell 1986 allows you to detach the plate, which gives you access to the brush rollers from the top. While this doesn’t influence the overall cleaning efficiency, it makes the whole maintenance process easier. The Bissell 1548 doesn’t have this feature.

The last two dissimilarities are the hose and cord length. The Bissell 1948 boasts an 8 ft. hose and 25 ft. long cord. The less expensive model has only 7 ft. of hose length and 22 ft. of power cord. It’s not a huge difference, but for people with large houses, it’s something to keep in mind.

Those are pretty much all the dissimilarities, that you should know about. Based on those factors you can freely choose a better option for your household. However, if you would like to learn more details about each of the vacuums, we recommend to keep on reading the article.

Cleaning performance

The cleaning efficiency is probably the most important factor when it comes to choosing your new carpet cleaner. By this, we mean how well the carpet cleaner removes dirt, stains, or odors from the carpet, compared to other products.

Both devices use the same 6.8 amps motor, which provides similar suction and the same airflow. This results in the same cleaning efficiency. It’s a little surprising, considering the large gap in the prices. However, there are some other key differences, that slightly influence the cleaning performance.

The Bissell 1986 has a special Cleanshot Pretreat function, which allows you to spray an extra shot of cleaning solution on a, particularly dirty spot. It gives this model a slight advantage over its opponent, although, we’ve found, that both models do very well with all kinds of stains.

The real question is whether this function is necessary. In our opinion, it’s not anything essential, and removing any type of stain can be done with either of the products.

A really nice addition to both models are the dual cleaning modes. It’s a feature, that allows you to switch between “deep” and “express” clean depending on your needs. For example, if you want to remove some tough stains or odors you would use the deep clean mode, and to clean a small fresh stain you should switch to express clean mode.

The express clean mode also has a much faster drying time, leaving your carpets completely fresh and dry after 30 minutes. Using a deep clean mode, you would have to wait around 24 hours before finding them completely dry.

Both carpet cleaners also have the Heatwave technology implemented. This solution helps to keep the water warm during the cleaning process. Otherwise, you would find yourself struggling to clean more than half of the room without your water turning cold.

Each of the products also utilizes a 12-row dual DirtLifter Powerbrush, which is a decent choice. Most of the carpet cleaners which use this design, tend to work really efficiently and thoroughly clean all types of carpets.

Those are pretty much all the differences when it comes to the cleaning performance. Of course, there are also few dissimilarities in terms of attachments or length of the cord but we will talk about them in the latter part of the article.

Based on the factors above, we would say that Bissell 1986 is a better choice in terms of cleaning performance – This is mainly due to the Cleanshot Pretreat function. However, we are not necessarily saying, that it’s worth the extra money.

Capacity

The water tank capacity is a factor, that can be extremely important for people with large households. Having to constantly refill the canister can be a drag during the whole house cleaning. We also value reasonably sized canisters, and we try to take this aspect into consideration when picking a winner.

The canister capacity in both carpet cleaners is the same, measuring around 1 gallon. This much water is enough to clean one room with the deep cleaning mode. However, when we switch to express cleaning, the device will spray less water, allowing you to clean a bigger surface in the end.

It’s impossible to pick a winner in terms of capacity, however, we have to address that both cleaners have a reasonable water tank size. It hits a sweet spot between too small size to clean and too big size to carry.

Design

The first thing, that lots of people will see when comparing those two vacuums is the difference in design. While this is a really important factor, and we always take into consideration the overall maneuverability, height, cleaning path, etc., it doesn’t make a big difference in this case.

The first difference in terms of design is the color. The Bissell 1986 comes in a green and purple combination, while the Bissell 1548 has an orange and black construction. Besides those obvious facts, the Bissell 1986 also has a CleanShot Pretreat hole, that sprays out the solution.

Something, that’s often skipped when comparing those two vacuums is the plate, that allows you to access the top of the roller brushes. The Bissell 1986 has this plate fully removable, which significantly helps when taking basic maintenance steps.

The same plate, unfortunately, isn’t detachable in the Bissell 1548. This makes cleaning the brushes harder and more time-consuming. However, it can still be done and if you are looking to save some money, don’t let this aspect discourage you from buying this excellent carpet cleaner.

Both cleaners are also very maneuverable and you will easily clean all the hard-to-reach surfaces. The low-profile construction also helps you get under most of the furniture. They also have the same cleaning path, which is roughly 11 in. wide.

Lastly, here are some more accurate measurements, if you would like to compare those cleaners more precisely. The manufacturer provides the same values for both devices and those are: 15 x 12.5 x 43.5 in. and 18 lb. of weight.

Cord and hose length

The cord length can be another crucial factor for people with large households. You may want to consider it, especially if you are not going to use any extension cords, or you don’t have too many outlets around your house. Although, most of the time, there is a problem with keeping the cord from tangling around the furniture, rather than having a sufficient amount.

The Bissell 1986 has a little longer cord which is exactly 25 ft., while the Bissell 1548 has a 22 ft. cord. It’s rather a small difference, however, it’s there, and you may want to keep this detail in mind, depending on your situation.

There’s also a difference in the hones length. The Bissell 1548 has a 7 ft. hose, while the Bissell 1986 has an 8 ft. hose providing you some extra reach. This may be useful sometimes, however, we don’t think that it will be a significant difference.

Nonetheless, the winner in terms of the cord and hose length is 100% the Bissell 1986.

Price

There’s a large price gap between those two products, therefore it’s a major factor in this comparison. You need to evaluate whether the additional features of the Bissell 1986 are worth the additional price.

The Bissell 1548 can be found on Amazon for the price of $199.99, however, it’s often discounted by 15%. The Bissell 1986 is listed for the price of $299.99 and sometimes discounted 7%. As you can see, the difference between those products is quite large.

Package content

The package content, in most comparisons, isn’t an important aspect. However, when it comes to cleaning devices, it’s a little different. The additional attachments can make the whole cleaning process more enjoyable. What’s more, we consider some of the tools to be essential.

The Bissell 1548 comes with few extras, and those are:

Pet stain tool3 in. upholstery tool
Protect & Deep Clean formula
Antibacterial Formula

The Bissell 1986 also has some extras included, and those are:

3 in. upholstery tool
2-in-1 PET upholstery tool
Pet Stain & Odor + Antibacterial Carpet Formula

As you can see, the Bissell 1986 comes with more advanced attachments, however, the Bissell 1548 has one additional bottle of the cleaning formula.

Necessary maintenance

In order to keep your new carpet cleaner operating at the desired level and prevent any permanent damage, you should do basic, regular maintenance. We won’t be getting into specifics here but we will try to give you some tips, that will help you take care of your new cleaning device.

To learn all the necessary steps, you should read the user’s guide. You can find there all the important details.

In order to keep your new device working at the desired level, you need to:

Regularly rinse both clean and dirty water tanks
Regularly check the brush roll for any stuck dirt and/or debris
At least once a week clean the cover of the brush, nozzle, and rinse the tank
Replace any used or damaged elements as fast as possible

Once again, we highly recommend reading the user’s guide, in order to learn all the crucial maintenance steps. The fact, that most of the parts are removable, makes the whole process easier and quicker.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both carpet cleaners are a decent solution when it comes to choosing an efficient carpet cleaner. Most of the consumers should be satisfied with either one of the products, however, there are some key differences, that you should keep in mind.

The most important dissimilarities are attachments (Pet stain tool instead of the 2-in-1 Pet upholstery tool in the Bissell 1548), design (the lack of the Cleanshot pretreat and removable plate in the Bissell 1548), hose and cord length (in favor of the Bissell 1986) and obviously, the price.

Those are pretty much all the differences, that you should keep in mind. Based on those factors, we would say that the Bissell 1548 is a winner in this comparison. This is mainly due to the large price gap between those two devices. In our opinion, the additional features and attachments are not worth the additional cost, especially if both cleaners have the same suction.

We hope, that after reading this article, you will be satisfied with your final choice.

Laura Avila

Laura Avila, a female writer and cleaning enthusiast, shares her expertise on Cleaningfan.com. With years of experience, Laura provides practical tips to maintain a clean and organized home. Her articles inspire readers to create a comfortable living space.