[pristineclean]

Hi
I'm actively considering the purchase of two Ninja machines, and would appreciate any feedback as to the reliability and efficiency of these machines. The demonstration looked good, naturally, but they don't come cheap  

[Derek]

Hi

I personally dont have one of the Ninja's but I do know many cleaners who do and they are very happy with them.
As far as the cost of them is concerned they come at a very reasonable price for what they are.

Regards
Derek

[Cloverleaf]

Hi,
I have had a Ninga for the last 3 years and it's been great for me.
The customers are impressed with its looks but more importantly its cleaning ability.
You cant go wrong if its a portable your after.
Mine has had  not one problem with it since I bought it, ( it'll probably explode now I'v said that) but on a more seriouse note for a portable it's got the power you need, 2 3 stage vacs and 135 psi pump and heater this is quite adequet to clean carpets impressivly.
Dont go for the dry cleaning kit, you'll never use it.
I'v just bought a second Ninja as a back up. The brushes have just worn out on the vac motors and I'v replaced them, running again no problem.
Went to the NCCA show at weekend. Dereck Ashby was there and  showed me the latest gadget, a silencer that fits on the back of the Ninga and reduces noise by a huge amount, so I bought one.
I'm not into the league of the truckmounters yet, but I can highly recomend the Ninga as a portable.
If you need anymore info cll me on 0776 425 4898.
John

[Derek]

Hi John

Did you see Ashby's nw spotting machine that can be wound up to produce steam?

Derek Ashby has to be one of the most inventive men in the business. Every time I see him he has something new... he listens to his customers and then designs and makes what they want.

Derek

[pristineclean]

Cheers chaps, many thanks for the feedback.  Since I'm buying two 'fully loaded' machines, I thought it prudent to solicit advice from people who have been using them before sending back the agreement forms.  

Left to my own judgement, I would have bought them anyway, but it's reassuring to have that confirmed by the postings.

The package comes with training provided, but I will also be taking the advice of a posting I saw on here to undertake the NCCA course.  

[Cloverleaf]

Hi Derek,
Yes saw the spotting machine, (saw you at the show too, recognised you from your pic in NCCA mag) it looks quite impressive, the machine that is!
I,d have had one of these too if I,d had 500 squid in me back pocket.
Had a job the other day to remove a few rust marks, and had to improvise with a small wet vac to rinse out.
Looks like it's good for upholsery and definatly chewing gum in pubs etc.
John

[Derek]

Hi John

Why didn't you pop along for a chat?  
Guess we will have to wait until next years event ... unless something crops up in the mean time that is.

Regards
Derek

[Cloverleaf]

Hi again Derek,
Yes I'm sure we'll meet again at one show or another.
I do crop up now and then when I get time.
Also met Paul Pierce at the show to say that I'm the one that rings him soemetimes about a rug problem.
He must get a lot of phone calls to rectify problems and always puts one at confidence with his wealth of knowlege.
John

[Derek]

Hi John

You have just highlighted just one of the hidden benefits of belonging to a Trade Organisation... you are no longer alone.

All the Directors receive calls on a daily basis for advice of one sort or another..it is most rewarding when you get a call from someone, on site, who is in need of help and you can offer help to rectify a problem.

Regards
Derek

[Mike_Boxall]

Can I ask how much the Ninja costs and if you plan to buy it from a dealer?
Regards
Mike

[Cloverleaf]

Hi again Derek,
Lost a few sleepless nights over carpet shrinkage etc, etc
and Paul has put me at ease and given me confidence to go and cure the the problem. Not many problems arise by the way only 3 in the last 3 years, but when you get one you feel like s**t.
Mike as regards price of Ninja, Ashbys have an offer on at the moment 2 x3 stage vac motors, 135 psi pump, 3 kw internal heater, course and guid book £1429 + vat no tools or hose.
Not advertising for Ashby's by the way.
The Prochem machine does look the bee's nee's, they look very smart compared to the Ninja.
But maybe you know more about these Mike.........
John

[Derek]

Hi

Shrinkage is not so common these days unless of course you try to wash a Belgian Wilton or some of the natural carpeting such as Coir, Sisal, Seagrass etc.

A more common problem is 'buckling'.

This happens just after a carpet has been cleaned and bumps suddenly appear. The carpet, for some reason, dimensionally changes but this effect will usually right itself overnight as the carpet dries out.  The first time it happens it frightens the hell out of you, it happens so quickly and dramatically.
The first time it happened to me I was preparing to clean a long corridor in offices, I vacuumed and applied a pretreatment working my way up the corridor. When I turned around the whole carpet looked like the Blackpool Roller Coaster.  I did go on to clean it ...left it overnight with a turbo-dryer and turned up on-site at 6.0am ready to put it right... it was as flat as a pancake...a sleepless night for nothing!

Reasons for it happening...

Cleaning...this plays a part as the increased humidity will cause the changes.

Fitting.... apparently fitting also comes into the equasion. Carpets should be powerstretched into place but rarely are so there is a differential in tension throughout the carpet.

Manufacture... There is, apparently, an element of the manufacturing process that can also conntribute to Buckling but to date I cannot get a manufacturer to admis to this let alone give an explanation.

I would love to know 'exactly' what the cause is?

Derek

[Cloverleaf]

I'v had this problem several times and always reasure the customer that all will be well the next day.
I tell the customer that the backing has expanded a little due to taking on moisture, dont know if this is correct or not but sounds credible to me.
The last time it happened the customer was most concerned.
A couple of days later he phoned me ..... to say could you come back to.............clean my suite

[Nigel_W]

It seems to happen occasionally on carpets with polypropylene primary backings. However did happen to me this year on a hand made tufted carpet (latex backing) in the Master Bedroom suite of a middle eastern royal family. The family were arriving 2 days later so the house manager was starting to go into panic mode. No problem - I said confidently - it will settle down by tommorrow. Luckily it did, but even now I still feel nervous every time this happens.

Nigel

[Derek]

Hi Nigel

Happened to me twice this last week.. once with an 80/20 tufted carpet and the other time a traditional Axminster carpet.
The Axminster apparently buckled at 'any' increase in humidity within the house so my customer was already fully aware of the problem also that it would flatten out overnight.

Darned nuisance though... there's no test or signals available to us, as far as I know, to warn of any impending dimensional change.

Regards
Derek