SteamFast SF-275 SteamMax Steam Cleaner Reviews

• Dissapointing Steam Pressure

  
  By A39LQCUAF5IVEV on 2006-05-02
  I have owned and used steamers for several years. I purchased this to replace my older Delonghi Steam Clean Plus and here and overall found the unit produced consistent steam but lacking in pressure somewhat compared to my older model. I actually purchased the steam cleaner from a warehouse club and it had a very nice selection of accessories including an extension rod hanger that allows you to steam garments on a hanger extending from the top of the extension rod. Basically the steamer is the same as this model 275 in terms of boiler, wattage, basic design.
  
  The unit did warm up fairly quickly and I was impressed with the quality of the accessories, using thick plastic, good quality rubber seals etc. This model I think would work well as doing primary duty as a clothes steamer but its lack of pressure make it not the best choice for blasting nooks and crannies, where a really good steamer excels as a cleaning maching no other device can touch.
  
  Let me explain. I compared this steamer with the Saeco Piccolo steamer and with a high quality thermometer recorded the Saeco at about 190 degrees and the steamFast at about 170-180 degrees. Secondly I put a paper cup on the floor and with both machines heated up with a full tank of water, I pointed the nozzle at the opening of the cup to see which model would blow the cup the farthest. The SteamFast product blew the cup about five feet. The Piccolo blew the cup 15 feet and probably would have kept going if it was not for the wall stopping it. Not even remotely close.
  
  Next I took both steamers out on my deck and pointed the nozzles at a hose that "overwintered" on my deck....complete with black moldy stains hiding the normally greeen hose. The SteamFast product blew steam at the hose but it did not really eliminate the moldy stains.
  
  Next tried the Piccolo...WOW....this sucker blasted those stains down to fresh green hose.
  
  Test over. Note: I also tried the same test with a Euro-Pro Shark Steam Blaster Ultra with similar results to the Chinese made SteamFast product.
  
  I will add some more details in my review of the Saeco Piccolo. Needless to say, I returned the SteamMax.
  
  Let me say, I think the overall positive results for this product are not surprising to me considering most users have not probably used an Italian made steam cleaner which seem to have hotter steam vapor, far more pressure, a longer track record of using similar technology in espresso machine manufacturing, etc. The downside of the Italian products is that it might be a bit harder to find parts and service for since they are not produced for the mass market like the steamFast and shark products. It's too bad as I really wanted the SteamFast or Shark to perform better.
  
  Honestly if you don't make the comparison between the Piccolo or similar italian made steamer and the SteamFast, you may think you are getting a great product as it will produce consistent steam...but you won't be aware of HOW MUCH MORE YOU COULD DO with the serious pressure levels of the Italian steam cleaners. I hope some other people do some comparisons.
  
  It was kind of fun to be my own consumer reports for the last few weeks, but I am a huge fan of these cleaners and their many uses. Most Americans have not caught on to what the Europeans have known for years.
  
  
  
  

• BEST ONE OUT THERE

  
  By A1CV19Z3EDXMJ6 on 2005-03-11
  I have been looking for a steam Cleaner for quite some time. I have few friends already had different kind. I was not too impressed with what they had only because of the function, and capability. I could not settle for smaller ones only does a job for 5 min. Then, I did some more research on the net, and other various placces. FINALLY, I foud me this exact machine. I got it, tested, and LOVE it. This machine does ALL and more for what I expected. Light to carry around, POWERFUL to do just about any cleaning in no time. Love the design also. If you want a REAL TOP QUALITY Steam Cleaner, GO WITH THIS ONE.
  
  

• Good for tough stains

  
  By A32HNAIJMMF8SX on 2005-04-13
  I hesitated to purchase a steam cleaner so I read many reviews including McCulloch MC-1275 steam cleaner reviews. I decided to purchase MC-1275 and then I found SF-275. Both have very similar looks and spec. I think both models are the same one. Anyway, SF-275 was $30 cheaper than MC-1275 so I purchased this one.
  
  I use this for cleaning my shower room. It works! but don't expect magic. It takes time to clean old stains. Steamer is really good on narrow areas (between tiles). It is extremely difficult to clean between tiles with other cleaners but steamer is really good. I tried to clean deck chairs. The chairs have some mildew stains and I didn't expect the steamer can clean it but the stains were disappeared.
  
  The build quality is good. I just wish they improve the switch for continuous steam. It is very small. I recommend to use the distilled water only.
  
  I recommend this steamer to any one looking for high quality steamer.
  
  

• Pretty good

  
  By ASPPNWGBDEP29 on 2005-04-22
  I recently purchased this steam cleaner because I installed marble tile in my bathroom. You can't use harsh chemicals on your marble so this steam cleaner is great for cleaning the bathrooms. The steam lasts a long time. It heats up in 2-8 minutes depending on how much water you use. The down side is that there is no storage compartments for the accessories and the electrical cord does not recoil, but long enough to move about. I also found the switch for continous steam to be too small. Overall you get what you pay for.
  
  

• not made to last

  
  By A3GBC6AH1RQBZN on 2005-08-01
  Something went wrong after the first use. The steam that came out (not hot at all) of the unit was not hot enough to clean surfaces of any kind. Returned the unit.
  
  
• Best floor cleaner yet!
  By A1246WO1FKWIJB on 2007-01-03
  I have several rooms including my kitchen that have white shiny ceramic tile floors with white grout. No matter what I used to clean the floor I had to dry it as I cleaned and most often within a day or two it looked hazy or smeary. Since using this steam vac I can go well over a week between cleanings and the floor never looked better. The steamer removes surface dirt from the grout, so if you're buying it primarily to clean grout expect to still have to use elbow grease or chemicals. It is too messy to be practical for cleaning windows and it didn't do very well cleaning soap film off the shower door. It did, however, do very well on mold. I also love it for cleaning my jewelry and the silk plants in my freshwater aquarium! No more brown spots on the silk plants. Best part of all the things I've mentioned--NO CHEMICALS to inhale or contaminate the environment. The unit is sturdy, heats up quickly and includes a lot of handy attachments.
  
  
  
• Yes! A product that does what it promises to do.
  By AX4F9RW0LKVXN on 2007-02-22
  After spending hundreds of dollars and hours upon hours of my time washing my floor with Swiffer type products I got tired of pushing around dirty water and chemicals only to have to go over the floors with towels to sop up the remaining residue. I will admit I did not have high hopes for this $99 unit, though it promises to clean throughly I thought sure, thats what they all say, well I can tell you, this one actually does what it says it will! I washed my floor with the Swiffer mop, I waited till the floor dried and went over it with this unit you can not beleive the dirt that was on the units mop head. What really impressed me was when I lifted the rug next to the exposed tile and both colors matched, which meant the floor was just as clean as tile that had not been exposed to shoes. If this works this good on ceramic tile on high traffic areas I know this will be great for all its other uses.
  
  
• Great 'upgrade' from a mop.
  By A2Z5BRFT7NJ7EQ on 2007-01-03
  Having a whole house (1600 sq ft) of tiled floor with area rugs we spent a lot of time mopping. This little cleaner makes it so much easier and cleans so much better! The first time it was kind of eye-opening seeing the improvement in appearance of the tile and the dirt on the head covers used. It pulls easily and has a fairly long electrical cord.
  Be sure to get additional terry cloth covers for the head if you have a large area to cleans or have kids and pets running across your floors. Or it is easy to make head covers from old towels cut to the same size.
  The only problem we have had is the button you push to get continuous steam seems to pop out too easily, making it necessary to keep your finger on the switch to keep the steam coming.
  
  
  
• Couldn't wait to clean my bathroom
  By A1KD4EHDQA1DWZ on 2006-01-29
  Two of my sisters have raved about their steam cleaners so I researched them and decided on the SteamFast SF-275. It's definately lived up to expectations. For the first time my bathroom feels really clean. I've tried all sorts of chemicals to get rid of mold and mildew on the outside corner of my tub. I couldn't believe how well the steamcleaner killed it. I also hate using harsh chemicals in the tub. I rinse it again and again before putting my kids in it for bathtime and still cringe. Using the steam cleaner I didn't have to worry about that.
  The wand and accessories are heavy duty. No steam leaked out anywhere. It's easy to use. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is a lack of space to put the attachments. I'm worried I'll lose them as I am not the most organized of people. I look forward to finding out where else in my house I can put my steam cleaner to use.
  
  
• Do not waste your money!
  By A2RGUV9NZRHVQY on 2006-01-02
  Luckily, I got this as a gift and my money was not wasted. I've been wanting one of these products for a long time. This brand is such a disappointment that I don't think I will ever buy another again. I have Model SF-255 but I don't see it offered on amazon. I just thought I would share my experience with this brand for others. This product worked ONE time. It never worked again.
  
  
• Great for cleaning grout
  By AOS3DFQKJAGSJ on 2006-10-10
  I bought this steamer primarily for cleaning grout and it worked!!!! It took a little bit of scrubbing along with the steam but the grout looks like new. However, my grout was only two years old, so it may or may not work as well with older grout. Overall I think this machine is a great value for the price.
  
  
• A nice little home steame cleaner
  By A1UXZTDFLTLAXF on 2006-04-08
  With a business at home a steam cleaner is a real convenience. Our first one was a Europro and worked fine
  but for only a year. Of course, the warranty was for only a year. After some research I discovered no warrenties over
  a year on any of the moderately priced units. So far, this
  steamer has worked fine. It would be better with more
  psi and higher temperatures but it is a moderatelly priced
  steamer. The attachements all work well and the rolling
  canister is a plus. If the steamer lasts for five years or more
  I will be satisfied with my investment.
  
  
  
• OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH THIS PRODUCT
  By A35ED3NFB179K on 2006-03-17
  VERY POWERFUL STEAM CONCENTRATION.HIGH CAPACITY FOR ACCOMPLISHING
  LONG TIME USAGE FOR THE JOB.GREAT ATTACHMENTS.VERY FAIRLY PRICED.
  EXCELLENT OVERALL SATISFACTION.
  
  
• love it
  By A29CSXNBTZHUHH on 2007-01-10
  i have hardwood floors and ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathrooms -- this makes my life so much easier and i feel it is cleaner that the mop -- one of my friends suggested i get this great cleaning tool -- thanks to her -- lennyce
  
  
• Makes your house feel creally clean
  By A26Y4ANQTSPHNH on 2007-03-18
  It's wonderful to be able to clean without chemicals! The steamer has several attachments. Really enjoying it. Works great on tile and wood.
  
  
• Great product, poor documentation.
  By A2P8VIX6WRANZP on 2007-08-01
  This steam cleaner is a well built product which works just as described. I see it as great for heavy or special projects such as "spring cleaning" but not a product one would find easy or necessary to use on a daily or weekly basis for general household cleaning.
  
  The instruction manual provided is in three languages and the one I received was all mixed up - Spanish for page one, English for page two, Spanish for page three, English for page four, and so on. I copied the manual then resorted it so no big deal.
  
  Great product, great service through Amazon and a great price. All in all a very pleasant transaction.
  
  
• One powerful machine!
  By A3N3M03PG1HQCO on 2008-01-07
  After a week of testing with various applications throughout my home; I can tell you that this machine does a very good job. Plenty of steam pressure, big enough tank to get almost any job done with one fill up. There are plentiful accessories to help you accomplish every task. My personal favorite was the amazing job this little machine did on my stainless steel grill. Wow, it was worth the purchase price just for that and yet it does so much more.
  The only drawback to this item is: no storage bag, or space, for all the accessories. I use an old backpack to keep everything together.
  
  
• Makes deep cleaning easy!
  By AFWAUI38HUYHB on 2007-11-30
  Purchased 20 year old home to renovate and clean for 84 year mom. Grease all over existing modern kitchen was so bad, I thought I would have to rip out the kitchen too. The smaller SF-250 version of this little machine ate through the grease and deep cleaned everything to like new condition. I did use a slightly abrasive sponge on the areas as I steamed, and then just wiped it dry. It also did a great job on storm window tracks, ceramic tile bathrooms and floors, toilets, faucets, and caulking, and all the other little corners I would have been scrubbing with a tooth brush. I left this one to mom and bought the SF-275 for myself - it holds more water. They both work great on wheels and buggy car grills too - and are environmentally safe.
  
  
• Okay for price
  By A1YKHKLIQF955I on 2007-09-22
  1. Works
  2. Decent steam pressure, but not as high as euro-pro we owned before (was similar in body style)
  3. Decent load of steam per tank
  4. Warms up soon enough
  5. Good long power cord
  6. Only have had it for 1 month
  
  After a couple of uses, the hose apparently crimped. Called customer support, they said okay and shipped new hose.
  
  
• Excellent little machine--does a great job
  By A21781TCOZBBQ2 on 2008-01-31
  I bought the combo pack from Costco, and it's done a great job so far. I've cleaned the rock hearth around my fireplace, terra cotta tile floor, chrome, and a plywood floor and it's done a great job on everything. The machine is very well-constructed, safe, no leaks or burn issues like I'd read about on some of the other brands. Lots of attachments, and they even include a screwdriver for you to attach the handle. This is one of the best values I've found in a long time!
  
  
• DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT
  By A23Z4Z4SS86Z3B on 2007-07-30
  If you are expecting great results, you will be dissappointed. We found that you really need to work at it to remove stubborn stains. You end up having to attach the small scrubbing brushes as the steam alone will not do the job. The other larger brush attachments were fairly useless as the steamflow diminished when these were used. Save your money as you can achieve almost the same result in the same amount of time with a good scrub brush and cleaning product.
  
  
• Works well
  By A1KMNQIZSQ9XB9 on 2007-09-23
  The product arrived as described with all attachments. Instructions were clear regarding it's operation - how to fill the tank and basic operating procedures. It would have been nice to have the instructions explain what each attachment was intended to clean. You are left wondering what attachment to use for which cleaning job. The instructions don't explain how to clean upholstery. I've used it to clean tiled and hard wood floors - it did a marvelous job on that! It took a few times of practice to figure out how to best clean the bathtub (again because of lack of specific instructions). I found that if you spray your shower with Scrub-free brand bath cleaner, let it sit for a few minutes and then use the triagular shaped attachment to the steamer hose, it works best for getting rid of soap scum. All in all, I'm very happy I bought it! Also, it's tough to store - there are several little parts and attachments. I'll have to buy something to keep everything together.
  
  
• Great product!
  By AL0I8X5J1KBDB on 2007-11-02
  The idea of cleaning efficiently without chemicals is great! I like the product. Lots of attachments and visibly great performance! Satisfied!
  
  
• DO NOT WASTE YOUR $--did not work and could not reach anyone on the 800#
  By A15GR315YO5H90 on 2007-11-20
  Very disappointed. The unit heated up water but did not generate steam. I wasted 2 days trying to get it to work, and called the 800# multiple times and never got a human. After I returned the item to the wholesale club, I received a call that evening--from my calls for suppport 2 days prior.
  
  My floors still need to be cleaned and I wasted a lot of time and energy on this poorly made product.
  
  
• An Excellent Steam Cleaner.
  By AB8BNC5M1UYKI on 2007-12-30
  I love it. My vinyl floor covering has small grooves in it & almost impossible to clean, even with a nylon scrubber. This machine does a fantastic job as it has removed all the previous floor cleaners. We can now see the difference of the clean white/dirty yellow. As soon as my floor in the kitchen is done, I will try it in the bath area.
  
  
• Outstanding product, great accessories, fast delivery
  By A3PNXLSL9QTBKG on 2008-01-19
  This arrived a day before I expected it. I hadn't paid much attention to the accessories and was nicely surprised to find a wealth of cleaning attachments. Assembly required a single Phillips head screw and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that a high quality screwdriver with a magnetic tip was included for convenience. That step alone tells me someone is thinking about their customer.
  
  The unit set up in about 2 minutes. The whole thing gave an impression of high quality. It seems to have more than enough power to accomplish its mission in the kitchen and bath. I can already see that it will be useful in cleaning the grill outside, my motorcycle engine and much more.
  
  This would be a bargain at twice the price!
  
  
• Steam Cleaner
  By ALCUMELWZTIM5 on 2007-12-10
  Received on time and in good condition.
  Product is of good quality and steam production is of sufficient quantity to clean bath and kitchen for in home use.
  
  
• Excellent, it works beautifully
  By A2RS8MVMKPRY9I on 2007-12-30
  Cleans many surfaces, product and pieces of very good quality. Throws a powerful steam stream.
  
  
• Steaming hot it's not!
  By A3DDHYBV8LDHB4 on 2008-05-02
  I was disappointed in the steam machine. I expected it to do a great job and it only did a good job. I own and operate my own cleaning business and hoped that I'd be able to offer my customers another option. To my dismay it took too long to clean whatever I chose to try it on so that being said I returned my item for a full refund. I am going back to the old saying...if it looks too good to be true it probably is and this was!
  
  
• INCREDIBLE!!!
  By A3CN2OVKRVSFSF on 2008-06-19
  I LOVE this product. Not only does it clean and disinfect every surface in my home, it strips through dirt like nothing I've ever seen. I have seen it turn 30 year old vinyl to almost new looking by just stripping years of dirt and grime right off it. (I felt like I was doing an infomercial when I cleaned it). It cleans the grout in my tiles extremely well and if I put a wash cloth over the upholstery attachment, I can steam my clothes and drapes too. I use it everyday for a variety of purposes including stripping wall paper, cleaning ovens, defrosting my fridge and freezer, etc. This product was completely worth the money spent!
  
  

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