Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Simon Gerrard on July 11, 2014, 06:15:57 pm
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I'm in the market for a new portable. The choice is between the Storm (which seems mighty expsive) and the Enforcer 400psi with heating system.
Any views / opinions?
Simon
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Simon, I went for the storm but in hind sight would have gone enforcer.
Or you could by Nicks new one.
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I've had the storm simon and it was good and so was the build quality.
The enforcer does look good for a porty tho
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Have no experience with the airflex but can vouch for the enforcer as have owned one for a couple of years with the built in heater which is really efficient at heating a full tank
Regards
Dan
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or you could go for the Airflex Custom made
http://www.cleansmartsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/Airflex_Pro.html
You can choose your own vac set up, pump etc. and also opt for the built in magma heater.
They have a special offer at the moment of a free magma heater if you order by the 11th of July which is today! lol sad face :( But you could phone Matt on Monday and see if he'd extend the offer an extra couple of days ;)
Never used an enforcer but the build quality on the airflex's are great.
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russ chad has an enforcer and swears by it, if i was after a porty which i might be soon i'd either go for the enforcer or the alltec one billy got, but with a bigger vac though ;D
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Enforcer - best machine I have owned
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I would probably be slightly bias right now as i have an Enforcer but it is a great portable . You can reduce any of these machines to just being a wheelie bin with two motors but really a lot of thought and engineering goes into these machines , in the case of the Enforcer the initial designer has excelled , you know by the clunk of the heavy waste tank lid as it closes on the precision fit gasket that this is a high quality product . And none of the fitting compromise that theme , little touches like a foam gasket inside the fan cover ... incase it buzzes slightly ? the fur lined sleeves on the internal vac hoses ? they did'nt have fit them .. the quality of the bolts and fitting , the stainless brackets on the back roller bars , the unbreakable looking top loading wheels .even the quality of the decal ... all these things add up .
I know Alltec can match Ashbys for engineering quality so i would probably be just as happy with an evolution . I have only seen one Airflex up close and it was pretty beat up with a cracked perspex lid so perhaps unfair but i though it was not quite up there . But again i would be happy to use one . I think the series pro with built in heater would suit my needs .
Heat wise on the Enforcer defiantly get the immersion anyway ... would be up two u if want the built in steam mate also ... convenient to have both onboard at the expense of a little weight and perhaps servicing access . I have an immersion on mine and use an Amtech external also ... you can use both at the same time but even having the immersion on for a while as a preheater increases the inline heat dramatically .
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Enforcer!
:)
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I have the storm,great quality and plenty of power :D
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I would pick enforced 400 psi, with built in steam mate, the heat easily compares with a TM
Mr B
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Alltec do the Elite ask for the same configuration, good service from alltec ashbys service is not the same! Clive ware will tell you.
Shaun
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Hi Simon,
You're not really comparing like for like (price or performance): Storm 800psi / Enforcer 400psi
As Carpet Dawg says compare the enforcer with the equivalent (customer) Airflex machine.
I've never used or even seen the Enforcer - but my new Storm is living up to it's reputation as a high quality, powerful machine.
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david what length hose run can you run the storm with and still achieve good results???
just out of interest, im looking at upgrading fairly soon, i have the basic airflex pro, which has
served me well, but i want more oomph now..............
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Can't really see why you would need an 800 psi pump on a electric machine tbh.
Also a good friend of mine bought a new all signing, all dancing Airflex and sold it a week later saying it was crap, he then bought an Enforcer, which he seems happy with.
Simon
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david what length hose run can you run the storm with and still achieve good results???
just out of interest, im looking at upgrading fairly soon, i have the basic airflex pro, which has
served me well, but i want more oomph now..............
If the body of the machine is ok why not just upgrade the motors. The whole manifold just unbolts im sure cleansmart can make you a new one up then you can just swap it over.
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david what length hose run can you run the storm with and still achieve good results???
just out of interest, im looking at upgrading fairly soon, i have the basic airflex pro, which has
served me well, but i want more oomph now..............
Tim, the spec for the Airflex Storm is here:
http://www.cleansmartsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/Airflex_Storm.html
I'm normally running at 50ft / 75ft and the Storm performs excellent - I've not tried it at 200ft, yet.
Simon, it's not fair to simply say something is cr*p without justifying why - did they give a reason?
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David,
Don't know, he was completely underwhelmed for the money, which puts me off too.
Simon
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What about a jag simon ;D
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I don't think so. ;D
You got you're new beast yet, Steve?
Simon
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Can't really see why you would need an 800 psi pump on a electric machine tbh.
Also a good friend of mine bought a new all signing, all dancing Airflex and sold it a week later saying it was crap, he then bought an Enforcer.
Simon
Simon, if you've been told its crap then why make a post asking which you should buy? :-\
In terms of price. You can leave out the auto pump out and remote unit thus making quite a nice saving. A few hundred quids if i remember correctly (this is what i did). And if you go for a smaller pump i.e. 800psi down to a 500psi, 400psi or a 200psi, then again you get another saving! In fact if you really wanted to save money, don't get a wand and hoses with the machine. If you have any spare kicking about that is.
If you want the same vac set up as an enforcer, then opt for the Custom Made. And choose between series over parallel and get an magma heater fitted.
You really cant go wrong with the service at cleansmart (that's my experience anyway).
Tim
I have used 100ft a few times (50ft + 50ft 2 inch hoses) and the suction and drying times were still very good. But I usually only need 50ft or 25ft as I bring the machine to the door or the hall way depending on what the situation dictates.
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Should be next week mate I CANT WAIT ;D
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I asked the question because I had been told it was crap, but that was only one opinion and sought more, simples :D
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careful Simon.... you don't want to crowd your poor brain with lots of data do you??
;D ;D
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And if you go for a smaller pump i.e. 800psi down to a 500psi, 400psi
All the above use the Pumptec 205v pump, all the way from 800 to 400 psi. The difference in psi depends on what motor is used. Using this type of pump head at higher psi's will cause the piston and seals to wear out quicker or shorten it's lifetime. Also using hot water from the tank will also make the seals and piston wear quicker..
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Matt told me if i had anything less than a 800psi then it would be cheaper. I presume they'd fit the right pump head with the correct motor.
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I have the storm. It's the best portable I have ever used in 30 years of cleaning carpets.
My main machine is a truck mount, but I am happy to run 150 ft of 2inch vac pipe off the storm, it really is amazing the power of the vacs!
I would NEVER buy a machine from ashbys? The customer service is terrible and they just rip people off at every opportunity. Just search this forum and see the reviews of ashbys.
Do ashbys still make you take a new machine back for a service after 6 months or they void the rest of the years warranty??
Enforcer looks good, but ashbys sell it !
Beware!
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On my second airflex, not a storm but pro600. They are so easy to work on, build quality is superb, and the customers love the colour for some reason! Would I have another? Without a doubt but then again, I haven't used an enforcer to compare. Steve and Russ have had both and they rate the enforcer over the two. So maybe they are the best ones to ask.
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Also a good friend of mine bought a new all signing, all dancing Airflex and sold it a week later saying it was crap, he then bought an Enforcer.
Simon
Simon, your posts baffle me sometimes, how on Earth could you infer that a machine like the Airflex is 'crap'!??
You just make a mockery of yourself and make yourself look stupid
Whether someone likes the Airflex over the Enforcer or vice versa, thats down to preference on use, motors, van set up, way of working etc etc, but to say either is crap is laughable. They are both industry leading machines.
If i was you i would stick with your God Almighty Truck Mount and charging people for attempting to remove wood stains ;)
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Which truck mount you getting Steve ?
Shaun
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For me the storm has everything I want in a porty power,reliability and looks good too I've run 100 ft of hose with no problem . And the service from cleansmart is very good.
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What configuration of vacs does everyone have on their enforcers? I think John prefers the 5.7 electros?
Shaun
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To be fair to Simon, I know who he is talking about and they were his exact words.
Personally I think the Airflex is a great machine and sold 2 last week to Extracta guys who thought their machines were the bees knees.
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Are you a distributor for Airflex now John?
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I borrowed an Enforcer with twin 7.2 vacs from my mate today and did a few carpets at home.
I used 75 feet of 2 inch hose and a Prochem quad jet wand with a glide on it. It did a more than acceptable job on the carpets but I'm disappointed with the drying times, but that may be down to the choice of wand and the flow rate.
I like the build quality and the internal heater which is a lot better than having to faff about with the inline type. I also like the big tanks. Not as impressed with the vac performance as I thought I would be given the size of the vacs, but a really good machine none-the-less.
Anyone got an Airflex I test?
Simon
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I borrowed an Enforcer with twin 7.2 vacs from my mate today and did a few carpets at home.
I used 75 feet of 2 inch hose and a Prochem quad jet wand with a glide on it. It did a more than acceptable job on the carpets but I'm disappointed with the drying times, but that may be down to the choice of wand and the flow rate.
I like the build quality and the internal heater which is a lot better than having to faff about with the inline type. I also like the big tanks. Not as impressed with the vac performance as I thought I would be given the size of the vacs, but a really good machine none-the-less.
Anyone got an Airflex I test?
Simon
Most of the good performance reviews are based on it using the electro motors ...
Ashbys state on the site that that is their most powerfull option .
The guy went with 7.2s because he had a 600psi pump ?
http://www.carpet-cleaning-equipment.co.uk/enforcer-carpet-cleaning-machine-400-psi-3-stage-57-standard-3-stage-57-heavy-duty-vac-system-p-1282.html
Or in my case i ditched the 1200w electro of another 1600w which is what i would advise others to do .
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So 2 x 1600 electros and a 400psi pump?
Simon what psi were you using?
I was very interested to hear Alun was getting drying times of an hour with his set up if memory services me right he used to have a truck mount I wonder which model he had?
Shaun
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Yes we sell the Airflex. Proving very popular locally.
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Shaun,
250, then down to 200, still not dry after 4 hours :'(
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Thats normal in these humidities. Your're just spoilt using the beast every day.
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Yes I agree John he's spoilt ;D
I guess your carpets are wool mix? And with no turbo? At 50ft?
Btw very good move John I think/hope you'll do well selling airflex.
Shaun
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Yes, nice one John, Airflex very good :)
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Should have used 1.5 inch hose.
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What machine have you got John ?
Shaun
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Should have used 1.5 inch hose.
I would disagree , he should have had the right motors ... and 2"
There is one powerful 7.2 but he wouldnt have had those as it would push ashbys over their 13amps . Chances are he had two 1300w 7.2s perhaps because the owner selected a 600psi ..or was just used to 7.2s on a previous machine .The 7.2 is also unlikely to have the extra bit of cfm o fthe electro that can make a difference in series.
If you want to improve a standard sd/hs enforcer ... a second hd motor is just 140 , there is little reason not to a least try it out . That said the sd/hs was almost as good standard . At 50ft 2" my wand at least is griping and sucking at the carpet in a way u dont really get with two vac parallel .
As for that ' series has poor airflow thing ' stil one finger into the 2" hose and you feel little airflow ... but put a few fingers in until the gap narrows and airflow goes crazy ... vacuum will create cfm under cleaning conditions .
All that said ... dont expect an enforcer to be like a truckmount ..
you need the booster for that :D
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I was very interested to hear Alun was getting drying times of an hour with his set up if memory services me right he used to have a truck mount I wonder which model he had?
Shaun
Alun was using the wonderl wand (which not everyone gets on with). Also a red hot day and low pile carpet??
I cleaned my lounge a couple of months ago and just to test it out I used my airflex storm with 150ft of 2 inch vac hose. Very, very pleased with the performance. But with 1 1/2 inch hose its got nothing like the suction.
Enforcer best on short hose runs, storm best on long use runs??
Truck mount just best! ;D
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My carpets still aren't fully dry this morning. :o :o :o
They didn't feel overly damp when I cleaned them and thought they'd be dry in a few hours.
Simon
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Ninja Shaun.
First job yesterday 2 beds, stairs and lounge not wool, short cut pile.
Did beds and stairs and short break for coffee as I knew the owner.
Did lounge and packed up and stairs were touch dry.
50 foot of vacuum hose 1.5 inch although didn't really need it for lounge.
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You've overwet them Simon. Don't worry common mistake for newby carpet cleaners ;D
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You've overwet them Simon. Don't worry common mistake for newby carpet cleaners ;D
I knew someone couldn't resist it ☺
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You've overwet them Simon. Don't worry common mistake for newby carpet cleaners ;D
One day he might learn how to do the job properly eh John??
;D ;D
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;D ;D
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I know its colder in North West Did you open the windows ;D
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Wrong choice of wand, me thinks. Usually use the Prochem Quad jet at 300-400 psi on the TM (Maxx 450D), so wanting to test the near truck mount qualities of the 7.2 vacs thought it should cope with the flow at 200psi, clearly not.
Used it with 50 feet of 2 inch hose on my van seats with a Sapphire and didn't think it was that much more powerful than the twin vac machines I already have, upholstery cleaning on ships being what we use the portables on mostly. Still a great machine but not what I was expecting, power wise.
Simon
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Wrong choice of wand, me thinks. Usually use the Prochem Quad jet at 300-400 psi on the TM (Maxx 450D), so wanting to test the near truck mount qualities of the 7.2 vacs thought it should cope with the flow at 200psi, clearly not.
Used it with 50 feet of 2 inch hose on my van seats with a Sapphire and didn't think it was that much more powerful than the twin vac machines I already have, upholstery cleaning on ships being what we use the portables on mostly. Still a great machine but not what I was expecting, power wise.
Simon
Tsk ... who told you the 7.2 used was powerfull . If they are the ones im thinking of they have close to 400 airwatts ... the HD electro has 560 .
Wrong vacs .. wrong wand ... no airmovers
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Enforcer with Electro motors = 1 x 400 air watts, 1 x 560 air watts motor = total 960 air watts
Storm/Jag etc with 2 x 6.6 motors = 646 air watts per motor = 1292 peak air watts, so about 35% more power overall
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Enforcer with Electro motors = 1 x 400 air watts, 1 x 560 air watts motor = total 960 air watts
Storm/Jag etc with 2 x 6.6 motors = 646 air watts per motor = 1292 peak air watts, so about 35% more power overall
Yes Fibersafe ... but the extra airwatts are made up from airflow . You have to factor in the extra suction of the series machine and how that affects cleaning at the wand on the carpet .
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You don't think airflow's important too?
Nearly all the other manufacturer's have ended up going parallel, even the new Ninja, why do you think that is if in-series is better?
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You don't think airflow's important too?
Nearly all the other manufacturer's have ended up going parallel, even the new Ninja, why do you think that is if in-series is better?
I wouldn't have believed it til i tried it ... i would say the older vacs had about 95cfm in series ... the electros in the enforcer maesure at 117 ... small but a significant difference in series . Mine upgraded are probably ending up around the 130 .
So i have 18hg and around 130cfm .
Also the 2" hose and plumbing helps in series as well as parallel imo .
In the states the Nautilus extreme 8.4 has the ability to switch between series and parallel , i believe most find it more powerfull in series . Again it has increases airflow over traditional vacs ending up at around 17hg and 150cfm in series .
If cfm was all that mattered ... there is a single stage version of the 6.6 motor with 115" lift and 170cfm . So why have all the carpet cleaning machines used the two stage version wiith 130" lift and 139cfm ? because lift matters .
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A parallel set up will shift more CFMs, but with the wand
on the carpet you need lift to pull the air and water into the
hose.
Where parallel moves more air. Series pulls more through the
carpet fibres. The end result is approx' the same, I remember
reading somewhere a few years ago that both systems when
in contact with the carpet pull something like 53 CFMs max.
Each system has it's good points and bad, at the end of the
day it all balances out, and personal preference dictates your
choice of machine.
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LM the way to be machine sticks to carpet and dry in an hour everytime ;D
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Hi John, is this the machine you mentioned earlier, that can switch between series & parallel setup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stjs-bQC6c4
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Hi John, is this the machine you mentioned earlier, that can switch between series & parallel setup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stjs-bQC6c4
Yes thats it ..
Its based on the ninja replacement body ... the ninja warrior but with a nice build quality from hydro-force .
The high performance 8.4 version is called the nautilus extreme .
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Simon
You used a PC Quad jet with a glide fitted, I think it would have been better without the glide.
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Glyn,
Tried it without, just the same. Also tried the HM want with and without.
Should have tried it with a standard portable wand as well.
Simon
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I must admitt, a 4 jet wand probably puts down too much for a porty to recover esp to the extent you are used to with a Truckmount.
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Just thought it would cope 200psi.
Simon
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What jet sizes were you using?
I'm interested to what you use for your truckmount.
Shaun
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I think Ashbys fit 1.5 jets to there two jet wands they supply with the 400psi ninja not sure about the enforcer but i would think they are the same, so probably putting down a bit to much water with a quad jet wand.
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What jet sizes were you using?
I'm interested to what you use for your truckmount.
Shaun
Shaun,
95015
Simon
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I don't think a Porti could handle that kind of flushing power 04 in total is the max IMO but for a tm well that's a different story.
Shaun
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But would that change with the power of the T/M
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I use the same wand at 350 to 400 psi and the carpets are almost dry afterwards.
Simon