We have the traditional cut pile Mohawk Smartstrand. The style names change in every store just about--ours is called 'Intelligent Style'. While it's not a frieze, what I CAN tell you is that we love our carpet. It is SUPER soft & has not matted or shown signs of wear. Frankly, it paid for itself when DS2 cut his foot and with every step he took in his room across to the bathroom & back left quarter-sized blood spots on the beautiful white carpet. All I used to remove the blood spots was a clean old washcloth dampened with plain old tap water. AMAZING!! The Smartstrand friezes are really nice too--we are looking at using one in the bonus room when we get around to finishing it.

Word on the street is the big box stores have a really great contract with Mohawk on the SS carpet--the regular dealers usually can't touch their price. I would get a price from Lowe's or HD and your local regular dealer on the carpet you want. Make sure all quotes include installation, taxes & identical carpet padding. If the regular dealer is higher, I would let him know your price at the box stores and see if you can negotiate the price down some. You typically get a better install from the local guys vs. the luck of the draw with the box store installers, so that is worth a little extra IMO. Only you can decide how much an acceptable "a little extra" is.

Hope this helps!

Thank you mydreamhome and Floortech for taking the time to post. I find it very helpful to hear from someone who actually has the carpet in their home.
Mydreamhome, if you don't mind, I have a few other questions for you. How long have you had the carpet down? Do you have the shorter or longer version of the cut pile? Per the salesman, he said the lighter versions (we were talking frieze at the time) show less footprints and also the shorter naps show less footprints. You are much braver than I am...you went with white with kids??? But it is nice to know you can go white with kids! It is probably not going to be easy to compare apples to apples with Lowes and the dealer but I am going to try. The dealer advised me that their price included moving furniture, removing carpet, etc. He said that I would start with a lower price on the carpet from Lowes and by the time they added removal, moving furniture, etc. I would be back up to their price. I appreciate his honesty but will have to do the math for myself. I do know that Lowes charges more if you have stairs so the local dealer my not be to far off.

Mydreamhome - good to hear you like your "intelligent style". We are considering this or the comparable Lowe's product "Lucky Star" for our new build. It is so much softer than anything else we've looked at. How long have you had it?

Perhaps Mydreamhome or cottonpenny can answer this question. Is the "Intelligent style" the name your local dealer gave the carpet or is this the Home Depot or Lowes name?

intelligent style (local store) = lucky star (lowes)

WOW am I confused. Am I to understand that not only will different stores (Home Depot, Lowes, local carpet dealers, etc.) call the carpet by different names but they may also have different colors and styles? We live in California and have been looking at Smartstrand at LA Carpet. The carpet on the display board basically is shorter or longer nap. There is nothing called Intelligent Syle or Lucky Star. We were looking at either a frieze or a cut pile (the kind of carpet most homes have...I usually call it plush but that might not be the correct term). I thought just going to one store and limiting my selection to Smartstrand would narrow the field down but now I am not so sure.

Ok, some clarification...Just like mattress manufacturers, carpet manufacturers give their product different names in different stores (including color names) so you can't price match. So let's say you have 3 local dealers + Lowe's & HD in your area--each store will have a different style name & color name for the exact same carpet. The only ones that will have consistency will be Lowes & HD. So if you get Lucky Star from Lowe's in CA and your sister decides she wants the same in her house in MD she can just call up Lowe's and ask for Lucky Star. But if you bought from a local dealer, odds are her local dealer will not have the same name. KSue53, if you go down the street to another Mohawk dealer you will find the exact same Mohawk Smartstrand carpet at LA Carpet under a different name.

How to fix this problem to make it easier for you the consumer to ensure you're comparing apples to apples?

Ask the salesman for the type of carpet (i.e. cut pile, frieze, etc) and what weight that particular sample you are interested in is. You will also want to make sure you are comparing the same weight, thickness & allergen attributes of carpet padding and install costs as you narrow your decision down.

Hope that helps!

To answer the questions...
-We have had our carpet for 6 months now.

-With the stain properties of the Smartstrand, I felt more comfortable going with the white (actual color name was Paper Moon). Especially after seeing the results after the rhino finished living on the carpet! I did bring lots of samples home in the various neutral color palletes to see how they looked with the combination of the natural light in my home and the paint colors. Grecian Column & Paper Moon were the finalists. Paper Moon was a little softer on the eyes so that's how we picked.

-Ours was the upper mid-range length and weight (60oz) for their cut pile. My girlfriend bought the entry level weight (40oz) and the fibers are really short. She has had hers for 1.5 yrs now and still loves it. She went with the brick color and has had 0 problems even though she has 3 inside/outside dogs (they have a doggie door so the dogs come & go as they please) & 2 small children who love to play outside.

-It is true that the shorter the pile, the fewer footprints, but we only notice the footprints right after vacuuming. Once you've walked through the room a couple times it just looks like plush carpeting--no big deal. Some people have freaked out when they first see the vacuum marks and footprints so that's probably why the salesman said something about it. But you have to think about it--this is SUPER SOFT luxurious carpet that your feet sink into--not your average stiff scratchy carpets that your feet stay on top of that many of us are used to.

-When we were looking, no other carpet compared--even the Shaw carpet that is supposed to be the direct competition for the Smartstrand. Nothing was as soft. I remembered what it was like as a kid playing on the stiff scratchy carpet and decided that since it was available, I wanted a soft carpet for my kids to play on and for my feet to walk on at the end of a long day in the hated high heels. Even DH was surprised by how soft it was--he thought carpet was carpet was carpet & as he said it, he ran his hand across the Smartstrand sample and then said, "Ooooooh!?!". Then he understood. I still close my eyes in pure pleasure when I step into my bedroom and onto the carpet at the end of a long day.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions about my carpet for you.

An update on Smartstrand. Mohawk is rolling out updates to the independant dealers smartstrand walls and offering a seperate mini wall. Current products will be eliminated and substitued with the next generation smartstrand. Smartstrand Ultra...This product along with new Smartstrand silk are the softest fibers in the world,will have better warranties, include dog poop, steps, and will be transferaable with home ownership. These products will not now or ever be offered at box stores is what I was explained today by Mohawk representatives. So the Smartstrand decisons for everyone will now be much tougher..as box stores will now be only carrying the substandard offerings of todays smartstrand technology. Have fun and good luck all.

@Floortech, I don't know whether to shoot someone or just be happy somethings are making sense now!

@mydreamhome, thanks for the clarification.
SOOooo, we visited our local Home Depot last weekend, they don't carry Smartstrand (interesting), we then went to Lowes. In the Frieze they had two levels which in my opinion were either the longer or the shorter strand. In the cut pile (plush) they had three levels the top level being called Lucky Star. mydreamhome is correct...it is the same carpet. I had Lowes roughly price out a carpet in the Lucky Star level. He could not give me a definite quote since they have to come out and look at the stairs (upcharge), look at how much furniture there is to move (upcharge) etc. I described the house and we came to a price of roughly $5200 for 150 yards of a neutral color in the Lucky Star line. I am not sure if that price included tax. When I asked about installation the salesman said he was including that in the price "now." Interesting. Our stairs are 12 steps that go straight up and we will have hardly any furniture to move by the time the carpet goes in...well hopefully that is the plan. I went to the local LA capet store and had him price the same carpet, same color. His quote was $7400 and that includes everything..tax, liscense out the door so to speak. I asked if we would get a break in the price since we would not have much furniture to move, he said no because they did not charge for moving furniture...yea, everything is built into the price whether you need that service or not. The only difference on the dealers price was he priced the carpet with a different pad. Lowes used the pad that Smartstrand sells. The pad the dealer was using had a moisture barrier on both sides. I believe the dealer once told me that Lowes would charge an additional .50 a sq. foot for the padding he was using. BUT when I asked if the price would be reduced if we used the Smartstrand pad he said no, the cost of the pads were the same. Now when I finally get around to picking out a carpet I will be more concerned with the price and what it includes but for right now I wanted to get a feel for cost. I have to wonder if the dealer knows there is a new carpet coming and is perhaps padding his estimate right now so as not to tell me later the price has gone up.

Now referring back to what floortech said. I asked the dealer about the warranty that was on the back of the sample. There was a life time warranty against stain but only a 15 year warranty against dirt..or something like that. He mentioned that the sample board was old and the warranty was now 25 years on everything. Wish I had read Floortechs post before we went to the dealer yesterday, that information would have been very useful.

One last question to who every is reading this. Has anyone ever gone from plush carpet to the frieze and if so how would you rate the two. We have plush in our house right now and are thinking about frieze but we are on the fence. Sometimes we like things because that is what we are use to and it is hard to change.

If he is quoting on the new stuff, it will be smartstrand ultra or smartstrand silk. I doubt very much he has the new samples yet, but it wont be long. they are considerably softer than the normal smartstrand I know it's hard to believe, but it is)..Now, hnestly I would want the smartcushion if I was really warranty driven as A) it increases the warranty and B) if there ever would be a manufacturer issue, it eliminates any question as the cushion is what smarstrand wants you to use. I actually feel that with smartcushion you are actually buying warranty but it has been my experience that the manufacturer is much more receptive to replacement when their cushion is used. It has been my experience, although manufacturer warranties are getting tougher and tougher to get anything done because of economic climate. Frieze vs plush is really your choice based on look, but i feel wear is a little better with a frieze if all things are equal. Good Luck

Floortech, once again thank you for your input. In regards to the cushion I did ask the question regarding the warranty and the salesman said it made no difference which pad I used as far as the warranty went. I am smart enough to know that sometimes people tell you what you want to hear and also sometimes they don't listen to the question. I have already caught the salesman in a discrepancy as to the price of the pad. One time he said it was .50 more the next time he said it was the same. I cannot tell you how useful this information has been. We are probably going to visit another local dealer and get a quote and now I can definitely ask about the warranty. What ever happened to the good ole days when you could actually believe what a saleperson told you? I have to laugh at the 25 year warranty....there are so many things that could happen in 25 years that the warranty may be a mute point. Thank you once again! I will let you know what the next guys says about the pad and warranty!

In response to your question on going from plush to frieze--if we're still talking Smartstrand, it comes down to looks. If we're talking any other brand, the plush (IMO) is generally softer.

On pricing, we got our original quote in 2010 and by the time we needed the carpeting in September of last year (2011) the price had gone down $0.60 yard. Yippee!!!! Our final price for ~1000 sq ft was ~$3500 including the Smartstrand pad and install. No stairs and no moving of furniture.

Hope this helps!

@mydreamhome, I almost did a double take on the price you quoted above. LA carpet quoted $6700 (short frieze) $7400 (longer plush..or many might say denser plush). These prices were based on 150 yards. We do have stairs and we will have very little furniture to move. A different dealer yesterday quoted $6400 for the longer (plusher) frieze with a "possible" small extra charge once they see how much furniture there is to move. Lowes quoted $5400 for their Lucky Star plush. I am finding the prices are all over the place for the same carpet and pad! Once we make a final decision I will get quotes in writing and then see who will match whom. The dealer yesterday did say he was giving us a slightly better price becasue of the quantity we would be ordering. I think he said we would be ordering a bolt. Did you go through a big box store or a dealer? If my caluculations are right you paid around 31.50 a yard and I am looking at the mid 40's from the dealer, at least a $10 difference per yard. What area of the country are you in? We live in California and prices may have gone up since you purchased but still???

Also, several people have mentioned that the difference between frieze and plush comes down to the look you want. I will be carpeting the majority of my home (with the exception of the kitchen, nook, family room and bathrooms) and my concern is that the frieze might be to casual of a look. Honestly, I have not seen frieze in a house...most everyone I know has the plush. Any thoughts?

We ordered and had ours installed in September last year. We went through a local dealer and we got contractor pricing. That could be part of the difference. With that being said, our builder sent us to his supplier who also carries Smartstrand and I showed him what the other dealer quoted and let him know that was the price he had to meet or beat. He said he'd see what he could do and get back in touch but whatever price he quoted when he called me back would be as low as he could go. In the end, he chose to give me a higher price ($1200 higher) and he lost the sale.

You might try saying you're renovating and that you're the GC when you meet with the carpet guys and see if they can give you better pricing that way, too. We are on the East Coast in NC. Everytime I go to California I am shocked at the difference in cost, so that could be part of it too.

My girlfriend who got the entry level Smartstrand paid the same as I did for the Intelligent/Lucky Star style and she went through one of the big box stores. She needed the 6 months no interest on the store's credit card, so the upcharge was worth it to her.

Another difference in the price could be frieze vs plush. Frieze is very popular right now and you know what happens when demand is high for a product. It appears from the prices you quoted that the plush is less expensive. Truth be told, the Intelligent/Lucky Star style has such long fibers it's pretty close to a frieze IMO. Unless you're after the multi-color look offered by a frieze style, I'd go plush and save some $$$.

Were you ever able to determine if the local dealer is quoting the new Smartstrand or the old Smartstrand?

Have you checked with any of the online carpet stores?

As far as the a carpet having a more casual look, I would have to say that a frieze typically is more casual especially if you opt for the multi-color look. The Intelligent/Lucky Star look is somewhere in between casual and elegant (although it certainly feels elegant!). The longer fibers make it look a little more casual, but the traditional plush look + solid colors make it look more traditional. Maybe you could call it transitional. If we were talking about business dress in the corporate world, I would say frieze is casual (jeans, shorts, etc) and Intelligent/Lucky Star is business casual.

Hope this helps!

mydreamhome, thanks for the update. The fact that you got contractor pricing and that you live in NC could be what the price difference is. However, I am still seeing to big of a swing in price here. All my quotes were based on 150 yards. Lowes Lucky Star (longer, plusher plush) was roughly $5400..not sure if that included tax. LA carpet for either the longer frieze or the longer plush was $7400. They were quoting a "better" pad but said the Mohawk Pad and this "better" pad made no difference in price. The other carpet dealer quoted me $6400 for the longer (plusher) frieze. I like your comparison in regards to the look. I would say I am going for transitional and business casual...may have to really think about this now. The frieze being to casual is my biggest fear.

Sorry to say that we bought a Sorona fiber carpet about 2 years ago. I am disappointed in the traffic dirt wear that the carpet is showing. It is a light color. Also, perhaps since it is soft; we will have to have the carpet re-tightened. I don't think that we would buy this again. My previous carpet (also light in color) with the dupont stain resistance looked better for much longer.

lliuphx, was this a Sorona by Smart strand? I am sure there is not a carpet out there that will not show a dirt path. Have you had it cleaned? It is my understanding that you have to have the carpet professionally cleaned every 18 months for the warranty to be valid.

Actually, we had bought it 3 years ago & will be getting it cleaned for the second time. Yes, it is a Mohawk SmartStrand. Our previous carpet with the Scotchguard Stain release had much less traffic path show. Both carpets are similar in color so that is not a factor. Getting stains out of the carpet is much easier with the SmartStrand but I could get stains out with the previous carpet also. I just don't think that this carpet will look as nice as the previous one. I talked with the carpet cleaner and he was saying that the soft fiber shouldn't have made the carpet buckle either. He also knows the installer and seems sure that there wasn't any installation issue. Don't know what happened there but that is easy to fix.

We looked at and walked on the new "silk" and were hooked. But now my contractor, my designer, and my very knowledgable brother all tell me we're being taken for a ride. I hate this! I hate being a novice in something that is so very expensive. I simply don't know what to do. We've never been able to buy nice things, but life took a turn, and we are better off now.

And the more I read, the more confused I get! Good grief. This is a nightmare. :(

How exactly are you being taken for a ride with the Smartstrand in your contractor's, designer's, brother's opinion?

Hello, I have read a lot of posts here and I just bought SmartStrand "Silk" and my dyson vacuum does not work, I have spent 2 weeks now on line looking for the vacuum that will work. The carpet is like marshmellow...the vacuums don't eat the carpet they don't even move. I did contact mohawk and they suggest buying a hoover and use high height adjustment..well we spent 2.5 hrs at Sears..no vacuum in the store worked, we brought a sample of the rug..I know all the no beater bar, I know high height..I know suction only and none of it worked on the rug..does anyone know where is the perfect vacuum? Its not the price I would pay anything, I just need to know where is the vacuum..when I say soft and plush I mean soft..help anyone please...

Dyson Ball works just fine on mine. Its a little harder to push than on my old Stainmaster, but not by much. You might want to give one a try.

If you have trouble with vacuuming your SmartStrand the results of this test might help.

http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/QUALITY.VACUUMS.201-564-7200/2012/10/Mohawk-SmartStrand-Silk-the-Vacuums-hardest-test./966321?c=734792

I am beginning to change my view regarding smartstrand. It is beginning to endure some negativity regarding it. Vacuum issues which Mohawk is recognizing is a major issue. Plus some cleaning issues are becoming apparent. It does not have the long term history of nylon and caught fire because of its extreme softness. With the newer generations of soft nylons, I now have swayed my vote to a quality nylon. Tuftex have just introduced a new collection of StainMaster nylons in the trusoft fiber that is the most beautiful carpets I have ever seen. As Mohawk enhances its smartstrand by making it softer, it appears to be getting too soft and the carpet want to grab the vacuum and not allow it to move through the carpet without a max effort. The extreme soft nylons are not experiencing this so i now must recommend nylons moving forward. Good Luck.

We too bought Mohawk Silk (Cozy Comfort or something like that) and initially had trouble with our existing vacs (central system and a Shark). We also contacted Mohawk and purchased a Hoover Windtunnel T Series Model UH70205 which was one of the models they recommended. It works like a champ. We bought online for about $125, but I have seen it since then (or very similar versions) in big box stores. Given the amount we paid to put in this carpet, I was getting nervous when I initially read some of the reviews about vacuum problems, but I have also seen some similar to mine where unhappy buyers started out with vac problems (especially Dysons), only to be overjoyed with the product when they got the right vac for the job. One thing it shows is that you don't have to spend a mint to get a great vac for this type of carpet. This Hoover was less than my Shark! But at end of the day, we LOVE our carpet now -- best ever and would recommend it to anyone! One thing -- what did Floortech mean when he said it "caught fire" because of its softness? I assume that is a figurative statement?

JD2020 when your current vacuum bag is full and after you remove it cut it open and see if your carpet is in the bag. Many low priced vacuums with short belts and violently revolving rollers tend to eat carpets. I would be interested in the answer. Thanks

Floortech! Nooooooo! I just had 1300 sq ft of smartstrand installed this week! I read everything I could about it and most all was positive. Just my luck that now the floor experts are changing their tune....

I couldn't rimagine considering a carpet that most vacuums don't seem to work on, especially considering my preference for a central vac system :/

Regarding the question from lucky51, the new vac we bought has a clear collection bowl, so I have been looking to see what ends up in there after use. I have not seen anything so far that looks troubling -- maybe slightly more lint as from the other carpet in our house which is nylon about 5 years old. However, we do have a wool rug we bought about 2 years ago, and LOTS of fiber gets pulled up from that thing! We have typically cleaned it with our central vac in the past, so it all goes to the basement, and frankly I have not paid attention to what is in the dust drum. I will now though.

I have Mohawk Smart Strand 60 ounce carpet with
10 pound pad. I too was worried about trying to vacuum with my
Dyson animal vacuum. No need to go buy a new vacuum.
Turn the vacuum laying down on its side.
Remove bottom by beater bar with coin 3 large screws
Half turn. Behind the beater bar and wheels look close,
Tiny foam width size of pen remove foam. Do Same on plate you removed.
Put plate back on vacuum on bare floor setting. Removal of those two tiny strips reduces pressure on carpet, but not suction. Dyson glides easy over smart strain and still works great on other carpet and bare floor.
Not sure why no one knows this, takes 3 mins max and you sweeper problems are over. Brett S