[Richard Basey-Fisher]

Hi Jim

Had a go with the Airflex Storm yesterday from a supplier in Folkstone, Kent..What a machine,blew me & the wife away on the power it had ,even with 100 ft of hose on it  .Makes our Prochem powermax look S**t....  The remote feature was great leave the machine in the van & use the remote to turn machine on and off and dump waste.
2 jobs today we left our machine in the van to see what the Storm would be like to work with,it would save us so much time (set up/ pack away).

The supplier does a lease plan so going to sort this out very soon.

Richard

Who supplies these in Folkestone ? I can only think of Folkestone cleaning and if the service they give now is the same as when they were Prochem dealers I'd travel for one

gavin at dirtbusters in folkestone and is the new south england supplier of th airflex.  I have met gavin when i bought an oven cleaning dip tank from them  really nice chap.

cant comment on the jag as i have not used one although i have seen one and looks good and have no reason to doubt the ood reports.  I have used the airflex and is a well thought out well built project designed and built by matt at cleansmart in the uk who offers customer service of the highest calibre.

here is a link to dirtbusters

http://dirtbusterscarpetcleaningsupplies.co.uk/

[james roffey]

my airflex turbo does not have an hr counter .

My machine has one and works fine.

[Carpet2Clean]

Thanks Richard Basey-Fisher for adding link to Gavins site.

Found Gavin at Dirtbusters very helpful aswell.

[Andrew@Approved Carpet Cleaning]

Can't help you with seeing mine as I live too far away. I started off nearly two years ago with the Airflex Pro 130 and whilst a well built machine which did me very well to start with, I did want more power.  I upgraded to a Storm a few weeks ago and it is soooo much better and I purchased this after owning a Scorpion for a brief while too.  I am really pleased with my new machine.  Why don't you give Matt a ring at Cleansmart and see if he has sold one to someone near you who would be willing to let you have a go, they might not frequent the forums.

Richard, how long was the max hose length you used with the Pro 130?

[Richard Cole]

Hi Andrew

I only had 50ft and it worked fine, although I believe you can use it up to 75ft but you would lose a bit of suction.  To be honest 50ft gets you round 95% of the jobs and the occasion it was not enough I would take the machine into the house or on a very rare occasion upstairs.

[Richard Cole]

Can't help you with seeing mine as I live too far away. I started off nearly two years ago with the Airflex Pro 130 and whilst a well built machine which did me very well to start with, I did want more power.  I upgraded to a Storm a few weeks ago and it is soooo much better and I purchased this after owning a Scorpion for a brief while too.  I am really pleased with my new machine.  Why don't you give Matt a ring at Cleansmart and see if he has sold one to someone near you who would be willing to let you have a go, they might not frequent the forums.

Richard, how long was the max hose length you used with the Pro 130?

Andrew forgot to ask do you get much business with P.A.T testing, i have considered this before but didn't know if there was too much competition and not enough money for the amount of work compared to carpet cleaning, who did you do your training with?

[Andrew@Approved Carpet Cleaning]

"
Andrew forgot to ask do you get much business with P.A.T testing, i have considered this before but didn't know if there was too much competition and not enough money for the amount of work compared to carpet cleaning, who did you do your training with? "

Many thanks Richard. I'll get another 25ft on order.

I dont tend to do (or get) much new PAT work nowadays as I am concentrating on carpet and upholstery cleaning so not pushing the PAT side of things. I have had lots of enquiries but not much new work as there are a couple of large companies out there going in with silly prices fooling people into thinking they are the cheapest and best option. With these companies you are paying for an expensive sticker jockey and not a full test as per the IEC Code of Practice, but then, somepeople just dont care and only want the cheapest option to get a certificate. Theres loads of debates on this on LinkedIn, may be worth a read up on it on there.

Honestly though, unless there is a gap in the market where you are or you have a cunning plan, then I wouldnt bother. With the cost of the training, and a decent tester and software, the website, marketing etc, it can take a while to break even or even a profit. But if you do want to go forward with it, my training was with these people  http://www.pat-services.co.uk/pat_testing_training_courses.html

regards
Andrew

[JandS]

Why would you need a course on PAT testing?
It's basically common sense.

John

[Andrew@Approved Carpet Cleaning]

Why would you need a course on PAT testing?
It's basically common sense.

John

You are quite right, it is common sense. And as long as the person testing is deemed as being "Competent" and knows what to look for, what is the correct size cable, what is the correct size fuse, what appliance has an earth, what doesnt, What the difference is between a class 1 item and a class 2 item, then yes, its common sense. I cant argue with that at all. :

[james roffey]

David packed in, jim I'm sure tony (carpet dawg) has got one he's in your neck of the woods, I've got a jag I chose it because I know about how passionate nick is about it and the service I would get from him because he some how has an umbilical cord to it it really is his baby

Shaun

Shaun,

The Jaguar is a Cross American product as you well know. Nick is a distributor of that product. He did not design it, build it, finance it and does not own it. I do not doubt that he provides you with a great service and it clearly is your choice what you buy from where.

The Airflex in contrast is designed by Cleansmart, financed by Cleansmart, built by Cleansmart and owned by Cleansmart. It really is Matt's baby and I admire him because he put everything on the line to make it happen. I can't remember the last time a uk supplier designed a new anything for carpet cleaning, especially such a high quality product. If the Airflex had not been a winner I dare say that Matt and Cleansmart would have been sunk without trace.

My point is if you were looking for a machine with an umbilical cord attached to it - in my humble opinion you chose the wrong one  

Well said Nigel what Mat has done is quite an achievement but to also provide the customer service to back up an excellent product makes it a winning package in my opinion.

[Ed Valentine]

The Jaguar is a Cross American product as you well know. Nick is a distributor of that product. He did not design it, build it, finance it and does not own it. I do not doubt that he provides you with a great service and it clearly is your choice what you buy from where.

--Nigel W
__________________________________________________________________

Gentlemen;

Although I have read the comments/threads above and no doubt believe that the opinions offered have only been expressed in what a few may have heard, or on assumptions. Therefore, allow me to state that my comment is only directed in all due respect to all of you fine Professionals in truth.

The truth is that the JAGUAR 6.6 Industrial System was and continues to be, a combined effort on the part of the very honorable Nick White at SOLUTIONS, and  Mr. John Bolton, a very innovative and fine engineer. Mr. White has contributed extreme and intense knowledge not only in the development, but also in the field testings, measurements, and continued adjustments and refinements. In fact, we converse via the Telephone at least once a week and via e-mail communications at least 2-3 times a week!

To suggest that he is not attached by the umbilical cord to this machine would be totally misleading and wrong in every respect. In fact, he really is unique far beyond what I have ever experienced in this Industry, and desparately cares about its success and the success of his valued customers. Therefore, I applaud Shawn Ashmore for his comment focus on this.

In conclusion, to suggest that just because the mold was made in America by American hands (my own included) does not mean that it "is not a UK machine in its build, design, function, and performance, and request".  I'll wager to say that most UK business individuals do purchase components, products, and or services from other foreign countries thru importation. Nothing wrong with that.

The very best to all above and to your success Gentlemen;
Ed Valentine
Cross-American Corp.

[John Kelly]

"Why would you need a course on PAT testing?
It's basically common sense."

John when ever you a carrying out a professional service for someone you have to be able to prove you are capable of carrying out the said task.

We do PAT testing and Asbestos sampling and have to pass an exam every year and have the machine calibrated. If I didn't I would'nt be passed any work. You also have to have any of these services mentioned on your liability insurance.
Its called covering your arse.

Everythings fine until something serious happens and the poop hits the fan. Thats when your training certificate is worth its weight in gold.

[Jim_77]

Ed - well said, and thanks for clearing that up.  It's a bit of a sewing circle on the internet... all it takes is for some little scamp to start a rumour and everyone's gossiping like old women!

John (Kelly) maybe you should put your quote in [quotes] because you shocked me a bit there, until i realised you quoted someone else!!

[Nigel_W]

The Jaguar is a Cross American product as you well know. Nick is a distributor of that product. He did not design it, build it, finance it and does not own it. I do not doubt that he provides you with a great service and it clearly is your choice what you buy from where.

--Nigel W
__________________________________________________________________

Gentlemen;

Although I have read the comments/threads above and no doubt believe that the opinions offered have only been expressed in what a few may have heard, or on assumptions. Therefore, allow me to state that my comment is only directed in all due respect to all of you fine Professionals in truth.

The truth is that the JAGUAR 6.6 Industrial System was and continues to be, a combined effort on the part of the very honorable Nick White at SOLUTIONS, and  Mr. John Bolton, a very innovative and fine engineer. Mr. White has contributed extreme and intense knowledge not only in the development, but also in the field testings, measurements, and continued adjustments and refinements. In fact, we converse via the Telephone at least once a week and via e-mail communications at least 2-3 times a week!

To suggest that he is not attached by the umbilical cord to this machine would be totally misleading and wrong in every respect. In fact, he really is unique far beyond what I have ever experienced in this Industry, and desparately cares about its success and the success of his valued customers. Therefore, I applaud Shawn Ashmore for his comment focus on this.

In conclusion, to suggest that just because the mold was made in America by American hands (my own included) does not mean that it "is not a UK machine in its build, design, function, and performance, and request".  I'll wager to say that most UK business individuals do purchase components, products, and or services from other foreign countries thru importation. Nothing wrong with that.

The very best to all above and to your success Gentlemen;
Ed Valentine
Cross-American Corp.

Hi Ed,

You haven't contradicted a single thing I said. You have merely put a different "spin" on it.

Nigel

[Nigel_W]

Ed - well said, and thanks for clearing that up.  It's a bit of a sewing circle on the internet... all it takes is for some little scamp to start a rumour and everyone's gossiping like old women!

Jim,

What on earth are you going on about? :

Nigel

[Craigp]

Ed,

I see I see, they field tested it for you!? 

[Ed Valentine]

Nigel;

Thank you for your reply, although honestly, I was a little surprise. Therefore allow me to try once again. No, IMHO, I did not put another spin on it because my information was a total opposite of what you had said. Therefore, I apologize if I was not clear even though I thought I was.

Part of your statement was:
 

"He did not design it, build it, finance it and does not own it"

Your assumptions are incorrect as I had stated in my explaination above.


The honorable Mr. White and Mr. Bolton have clearly requested a certain internal design, newer external refinements/upgrades for performance reasons, and  totally finances it (tell Nick he has paid for a whole pallet of vac motors and another of pumps.!!!) If you would like to visit our Factory web page you will note about 20 machines in a group. The 10 at the bottom are theirs and theirs only and they own all of them.

 They pay for our labor to build, then they will add some components at their end to complete the system on delivery, specifically things we do not do here. And, both of them constantly offer engineering input that is truely astonishing sometimes. (In fact, Nick just contacted me about another neat and interesting upgrade!) Believe me, they are in complete control and we do what they request, period.

Anyways, my intentions here were not to begin a argument/disagreement, but to tell the truth and debunk these unfounded assumptions/misrepresentations previously stated by a few.

Once again Gentlemen, and to my friend, Nigel, the very very best to all of you and to your health;

Ed Valentine
Cross-American Corp.

Other than the "basic outside" (with some exceptions as stated) this is THEIR system and is only sold and marketed through SOLUTIONS UK!

[john martin]

Thing that gets me is why does cross american persevere with that Machine casing which not only has changed little from the oldest recoil i can see , but has been unpopular with many customers and critics alike ...
I dont need to list the faults because Mr Valentines ears must be ringing with then from his Native US forums for as many years as i can search .
Just to list one ...  the waste doesn't empty fully from the gate , i cant think of any other machine including ancient fiberglass designs that would offer a machine to a customer with a flaw like this ...
The customers dont like it ...  couple of months ago on TMF a chap who specializes in high rises told you that his Jag smells after a couple of apartments and he cant find and easy way to rid the grit /gunge from the bottom of the tank ... but  he was told pretty much its a ' filter ' and a feature of the ' design '  .... 
I just dont get how an unpopular feature  like this would be supported by a team of fine engineers  ....  Mr Bolton , nick , mr Valentine , mr sullins ,  and whoever else has an input in the design ... colin     
There are other issues related to the Casing also mentioned elsewhere so many times ...    so why not change the dam thing  ? i think its holding you all back ,  its fine ' under the hood '  not optimized for the Uk perhaps but its well assembled under there .
I appreciate it could be all down to money and admire anyone who can get any product to market , just saying i think a newer body would prove popular and silence the critics .
Also many Brit customer wanted heat ... should not be a big issue to tailor features like that when requested ...   

[Billy Russell]

Good evening Ed,

Out of curiosity, what components are added over here?

i know when i bought my scorpion Nick had to do something with the pump!

[Richard Basey-Fisher]

maybe the plug    

i will get my coat