While Bissell has always been one of the best known brands in the home vacuum industry Tineco is quickly becoming recognized for their cordless cleaning technology. They have multiple models in a variety of categories including lightweight stick vacs, larger ‘Smart’ vacuum cleaners, and their ‘Smart’ wet dry vacuums. The Floor One S3 comes with various auto-optimizing technology to allow it to virtually run itself during use. It has a tremendous amount of features, but how does it compare to one of the best in the industry: the Bissell Crosswave Max? That is a question we will answer in our head to head comparison.
We will first give a quick feature rundown of both of these multi surface cleaners so you have a good idea what each is capable of. Then we will compare them in the main categories like power, batteries, and cleaning ability. Once we are done we will help you pick the right choice for your home. But because not everyone has the same cleaning requirements the answer might differ between households. Now let’s look at 2 of the best wet dry cordless vacuum cleaners sold today:
Tineco Floor One S3 Features
The Tineco Floor One is one of the first wet dry vacuum cleaners that is powered by A.I. (artificial intelligence), which means it doesn’t operate like your typical floor cleaner at all (including their iFloor lineup). While it does do that very well, there are some features that really make it user friendly. Similar to their popular S11 and S12 cordless stick vacuums the S3 uses their iLoop™ infrared sensor to detect the amount of mess or debris that it encounters and will adjust the suction/water flow as needed. This is completely hands off and not only helps get your floors spotless but also optimizes the battery usage. The machine will only use the amount of power it needs!
Here is a quick rundown of some of the other features you will find on this Tineco model:
- One Touch Self Cleaning is a quick and virtually hands free way to scrub the rollers and flush out the water lines so the machine is ready for your next cleaning session
- Dual Tanks keep the fresh water and cleaning solution separate from any debris pieces and dirty water
- Lightweight Cordless Design with a weight of under 10 pounds means you can carry it all over the house with no difficulty, completely untethered from the electrical outlets
- 4000mAh Lithium Ion Batteries provides about 35 minutes of runtime on a single charge
- Advanced LED Display Screen shows you various diagnostics including battery level, cleaning reminders, maintenance alerts, and reports
- Smart App Integration lets you connect up to your smart phone to provide even more detailed information, stored and updated each time you use the S3
- Self Propelled makes it even easier to use with very little effort moving it around your home
Bissell Crosswave Max Features
The Bissell Crosswave Max is another strong competitor from a brand that is among the best in the home cleaning industry. It also vacuums and washes your hard floors as well as area rugs in one step which saves you time and money (no need for multiple machines). It is rated to be safe for use on sealed wood floors, tile, linoleum, laminate, and even area rugs. It takes very little time to remove dirt and grime that can quickly build up on any high traffic area!
Here is a brief list with descriptions of the main features you will find on this lightweight Bissell:
- 36 Volt Lithium Ion Battery is similar to the one found on the Tineco, providing about 30 minutes of runtime under normal conditions
- Self Cleaning Cycle while sitting in the 3 in 1 docking station flushes all the dirt, pet hair, and debris out so it is ready for the next time you need it
- Two Tank Technology is another plus for the Bissell as it keeps dirty water and debris away from the clean solution
- Improved Edge Cleaning as compared to their prior generation models lets you get right up to the wall so there is no small stripe of dirt left behind
- Smart App Connection via WiFi gives you a nice usage dashboard and other reports/reminders so you can track the effectiveness of your Bissell Crosswave
- Bissell Pet Foundation makes a donation to helping save pets with every purchase of this model (and many others in their lineup)
Here is a quick video demonstrating how to effectively clean area rugs using the Crosswave Max:
Multi Surface Cleaning
Probably the most important aspect of any wet dry vacuum is its’ ability to clean a variety of surfaces. Both the S3 and Crosswave Max are rated to be safe for all the floor types you would consider washing like sealed tile and wood, laminate, linoleum, and even area rugs. As mentioned above both of these cleaners will also vacuum up any debris before cleaning the surface which results in big time savings over your standard machines. Both have cleaning solution that is designed specifically for each brand and it isn’t recommended to use anything else. It is easy to order this direct from Tineco or Bissell but you will likely be able to find the Bissell solution locally if preferred. Just something to think about.
The biggest difference between these two competitors in this category is the Tineco Floor One’s ability to detect how much dirt is on the floor and adjust the machine accordingly (water flow and suction). This gives it a slight edge in terms of speed and effort while running over smoother surfaces. The iLoop™ technology works really well and is something that will make its’ way to more brands in the future. For this comparison though, it does give the Tineco S3 a slight advantage in the cleaning category.
Battery Technology
Battery technology is really important as well when comparing cordless vacuums. Lithium ion technology has improved dramatically over the past several years and some brands like Dyson have shifted their entire focus to developing full sized cordless vacuum cleaners (replacing their corded uprights). As a matter of fact Tineco’s entire lineup is based around cord-free ease of use and technology. Once you use a cordless vacuum and realize it has the same amount of power as the much larger corded models you will never go back.
Both the S3 and Crosswave Max use lithium ion batteries and have very similar power ratings. Each will give you just over 30 minutes of runtime which is typically long enough for multiple rooms. Neither has removable batteries but both do come with nice docking stations (more on that below) so it isn’t a big issue. As long as you dock them after each use they will be fully charged for the next cleaning session (or the quick mess). In this battery category this is no clear winner, they are that close.
Self Cleaning and Docking
As we mentioned above both the Bissell Crosswave Max and Tineco Floor One S3 come with very compact multi-purpose docking stations for when the cleaners are not in use. You can charge either model standing up in the dock, conveniently storing it in a corner or closet that has an electric outlet nearby. And while this does recharge the battery so it is ready to go next time the docking station also serves an equally important task: allowing you to self-clean the vacuum!
Both the S3 and Crosswave have a self cleaning cycle to get the cleaner back to optimal condition. When you dock and activate this function each model will flush out any debris, pet hair, and dirt from the water lines and brush roll. It’s especially important to a wet dry vacuum that you don’t let any of those things build up inside as the performance will quickly degrade. Plus it is much harder to clean out if you let it build up over time. The excellent designs of both docking stations really eliminates this problem that had plagued prior generation of wet vacs. A great design from both brands here.
Final Recommendation
It should be pretty obvious that the Tineco Floor One and Bissell Crosswave Max wet dry vacuums are very similar in a lot of ways. They both clean a variety of floor types, are cordless, have similar docking and self cleaning functions, and integrate easily with your smart phone for tracking your progress. Even when you look at pricing they usually cost the same amount so it might come down to availability or brand preference. The biggest difference between them is the Smart technology that comes in the Tineco S3, detecting dirt on the floor and adjusting the vacuum accordingly. This is ideal for high traffic areas, especially in large homes where you are constantly cleaning bigger rooms. This is where the Tineco would make more sense for sure. And if you want to check current pricing and availability, click here to visit our recommended online supplier.
The Bissell Crosswave Max is a tremendous cleaner in many ways. In terms of a lot of features it is identical to the Tineco. If you are interested in pricing it out and seeing shipping options, click here to go to our favorite ecommerce supplier of vacuum cleaners.