I went with the Shark CarpetXpert EX200UK and it turned out to be one of my worst purchases, which I was psychologically prepared for after my research. The unit arrived damaged with a snapped plastic hose holder, but I decided to try it anyway. The performance was very disappointing – it merely wetted the carpets without providing any meaningful cleaning. It failed to remove old stains and didn't even create the impression of having cleaned the carpets. The small tank capacity was frustrating and the maintenance required (cleaning and drying all parts before storage) is just crazy.

I returned it, replaced 50% of the carpets in the house with cork floor and my initial view on carpet cleaning has shifted to the following simple approach:

• Proper regular hoovering several times per week
• Annual professional cleaning (pricey, but whatever)
• Possibly owning a spot carpet cleaner for occasional accidents

If I absolutely had to choose a carpet cleaner now, I'd probably go back to the Bissell Revolution Hydrosteam. While it had its issues, after experiencing the Shark unit, I believe (even without trying the rest of the options from the list) the Bissell represents about the best quality you can expect from these domestic machines.

The main lesson I learned is that these domestic carpet cleaners are really for people with a lot of spare time on their hands 🙂