O-Cedar Microfiber Review

Performance Comparison

Decent cleaning abilities were not enough to save the O-Cedar Microfiber from mediocrity in our testing. It ended up trailing far behind the top scores in our testing, and isn't really cheap enough to justify it as a bargain pick.

Cleaning Performance

We would call the O-Cedar's cleaning performance acceptable, but not great. Accordingly it earned a slightly above average score of 6 out of 10 in this metric.

On tile and stone flooring we were able to get similar results out of the O-Cedar as we did from the top scoring models. The difference was that models like the Bissell PowerFresh Deluxe and the Shark Lift-Away Pro have larger cleaning pads that get even steam throughout. The O-Cedarhas a slightly smaller cleaning head, and the edges don't get as much steam as the center. Therefore it took more passes and more time to get good results with the O-Cedar than it did with the top scoring models.

The O-Cedar is an adequate cleaning machine, but doesn't stand out in any way either.

This mop does let you turn the steam power up and down, so if you want to go against our advice and clean something besides tile or stone flooring, you can at least reduce the steam and at least reduce the risk of damaging the floor. This feature is available on all the models we tested except the Shark Steam Pocket and the Pure Enrichment PureClean XL Rolling.

For stubborn stains the O-Cedar was mediocre. The steam did seem to loosen some of these stains a bit, but was never able to truly get rid of them. We still had to get down with a sponge or brush to finish the job. If you really want to combat stains with a steam mop you'll want the burst of steam feature of the Shark Genius Steam Pocket or, better yet, the attached scrubbing brush of the Bissell PowerFresh Deluxe.

User Friendliness

The O-Cedar was one of the less user friendly models we tested, earning a middle-of-the-road 5 out of 10. The highlights of its user experience are the large opening in the 400ml water tank that is very easy to fill, and it heats up in less than a minute (like most of the models we tested. Other than that, most aspects of the O-Cedar presented at least minor annoyances.

The steam control dial.

First off, the water tank is opaque, so you can't tell how much water you have left unless you open the tank. The dial that controls the steam output works, but feels a bit flimsy, and we have doubts about its long-term durability. In fact, the entire mop feels somewhat flimsily made, like you need to be kind of careful while using it. It is also the only mop we tested that doesn't stand up on its own, you have to lean it on something. In our testing this led to it falling over and the cord keeper breaking.

It's easy to both adjust the steam and fill the water tank.

This mop's cleaning pads connect via velcro, unlike the hands-free or elastic style of our favorite model. This forced us to get our hands dirtier when removing the pad, which we didn't like.

All of these issues aren't present on the higher scoring models we tested. Considering that the Bissell solves all these issues for just an extra $20, it seems like a better purchase for most people.

Maneuverability

Here again the O-Cedar picked up an average score of 5 out of 10.

This mop just didn't glide as well as other models in our testing. It presents some drag you have to push to overcome, which isn't pleasant considering that it doesn't feel particularly well-built. The triangular cleaning head easily gets into corners, but it isn't particularly good for cleaning long edges. Overall we definitely preferred the rectangular and trapezoidal heads of the Shark and Bissell models. The cord length of 20 feet is slightly shorter than that of some other models, but that didn't feel limiting in our testing.

Features

The O-Cedar's only real feature is adjustable levels of steam. No cleaning accessories, brushes, or additional mop heads. This led to a low score of 3 out of 10 in this metric.

Value

Considering the O-Cedar Microfiber's performance, the list price of $70 feels a bit steep to us. While it is technically the best mop in that price range, the Bissell is orders of magnitude better, and costs just $20 more.

Conclusion

While the O-Cedar Microfiber is a reasonably capable steam mop, its annoyances make it just about as cumbersome as cleaning with a standard mop. If you're in the market for a steam mop we would strongly recommend spending $20 more on the Bissell PowerFresh Deluxe.