Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: carpetworx on April 23, 2008, 02:24:33 pm
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If you could get a new HM spitfire,for the same price of a prowler, what would you choose?
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Prowler, every time.
Best, Dave.
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prowler,
no waste tank to worry about, less room needed, and if need be it can be taken out of van.
good enough reasons to start with
geoff
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Have hydramaster reduced the price of the spitfire?
Got to be a prowler ;D
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Without a shadow of doubt i would go for the HM Spitfire 3.2. It is a highly proven TM. Its been around for years & is VERY SIMPLE, easy to operate, easy to maintain light weight, compact good vac for entry level, good heat. Ive operated a 3.2 with 450feet of hose No Problem.
Richie.
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Prowler it dot the I’s and crosses the T’s for me! Oh I have a blazer.
Len
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Both excellent machines and do a similar standard of work. It really depends where you are in Australia. Are you near the HM distributor, if you are then should you plumb for that one you are within easy reach for repairs, warranty issues and servicing. If you aren't then you may have a long trip if you have any problems. The Prowler being portable can be sent on a pallet anywhere for repair or service. Really up to you who you think will offer the best service as either machine won't disappoint.
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I'd put the money towards a Boxxer
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Scorpion
Shaun
PS 2 very good companies, the HM spitfire has been around for yonks so no trouble there and the Prowler you can take off the van (if you're strong enough!!), I deal with both camps but I can't decide which one of those I would buy so I'll abstain :-X
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The spitfire has a 33 blower,and the prowler has a 24,so would'nt the spit fire be more powerful?
Someone here has told me i'd be better of with a couple of booster vacs on my porty,or look at getting something with at least a 45 blower! comments please :-\
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The new prowler has a 33 blower, a 15hp engine and direct drive, however even my 13hp prowler with it's 24 blower gives phenomenal suction (lifts the carpet off the floor). I have run it with 150ft hose including 50ft of that being narrower 1.5" hose and the suction was still awesome.
I lifted my Prowler off the van by myself yesterday so that I could use the van to shift a bed for the mother in law, it took my literally a couple of minutes to get it out.
Today I've got 8 bikes going in the back of the van for a hire, basically what I'm saying is the prowler gives me the performance I need and it is also easy enough to lift out to give me flexiblity to use the van for other jobs.
I'm sure the Spitfire is a comparable machine, possibly even better on paper, however if you weigh up the purchasing costs, running costs, performance, ease of servicing (any honda recognised dealer can service the Prowler and will carry spares), reliability and flexibility, then you will probably settle for the Prowler..............I did and am more than happy with my choice.
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The Prowler is unique in that it sucks directly through the blower and doesn't pre-vacuum a waste tank which uses up a lot of lift.
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neither! i'd buy a rug doctor, a far more powerful machine with its 32psi pump & superior vac, it would wipe the floor with these machines put together :D
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spitfire
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How about Airflow? My Scorpian produces 325 CFM and 425 CFM when its got the booster atached ! how does the Prowler and Spitfire compare ? surely its airflow that matters when purchasing a machine
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Not really Stuart, it's the operators skill and desire to achieve a high standard, specification doesn't always translate to the business end of the wand, or indeed the final result.
What suits one, certainly won't suit all.
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Bit off topic but.. if you run your machine at 400psi with 100ft of hose, and the same with 300ft, what is the presssure likely to be coming out of the wand?
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Should be the same, 300 feet isnt really enough to make a difference. Unless you are asking about a portable.
Best, Dave
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Nope talking about tm's. Ta Dave
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The spitfire has a 33 blower,and the prowler has a 24,so would'nt the spit fire be more powerful?
Someone here has told me i'd be better of with a couple of booster vacs on my porty,or look at getting something with at least a 45 blower! comments please :-\
As my previous post, put the money towards a Boxxer
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Stuart the way vac motors are set up compared to a vac blower then the TM will out suck a porti anytime, the reason most Scorpion owners think that it as powerful as a smaller TM is because they have just upgraded from a smaller machine, the figures can be hype the proof is when you start to clean.
My Boxxer has 400cfm airflow the same as a Scorpion but I know that when the wand hits the carpet that it will out suck the scorpion hands down, the figures are only good when the wand hits the carpet, the reduction (as I've been told independantly) for a porti will be that it reduces to about 50cfm where a TM to 100cfm (without modifications) although they may add more vac motors there is only so much a vac motor can do with so much current going through it, that's why engines were and blowers were introduced.
Shaun
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Prowler has come down in price £5,495.00 8)
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I think that may be for the 12-13 hp version's. 15 is a bit more?
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I think that may be for the 12-13 hp version's. 15 is a bit more?
The 13hp one was £5995.00 now has £500 off
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Both the HM Spitfire & the Prowler have good feedback so i cannot & would not knock either. I have had first hand experience with a Spitfire & know others that have had them. I loved my Spitfire and if anyone asked my opinion regarding it i would say.....GET ONE.
If your budget will stretch further then get something with more power as most operators that by a entry level tend to buy something bigger within the first 2 or 3 years. The HM Boxxer 318 sounds a good machine and the HM Boxxer 321 is a popular TM.
The HM Spitfire is a more proven machine that for sure. Its running costs are very low, good performance, very easy to service (Certainly in the West Midlands area there are more companies that carry B&S parts than Honda. I service TMs with B&S & Honda engines, the B&S engines tend to be slightly cheaper to service. After speaking with several companies that supply both B&S engines & Honda it is my understaning that the B&S are more reliable. Reliabilty of the Spitfire is awesome. Its has a small footprint so takes up little room in the van.
Richie.
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As Shaun has just said, vac motors dont cope as well as a vac blower under load. A vac blower can easily go over 10,000 hours. You will not get this out of a vac motor.
SCORPION/PROWLER/SPITFIRE 3.2
The Scorpion is a high performance electric powered extractor that can be used on or off the van. The Prowler is petrol driven extractor that can be used on or off the van. If you really want a extractor that you can use on & off the van i would go for the Prowler as it is the more powerful plus it has HEAT & HIGH WATER FLOW RATE where the Scorpion has neither. If you want a extractor that you intend on working from the van only then the Spitfire is the way to go.
Richie.
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Does anyone know if the 15hp prowler produce more cfm than its little brother and if so what is it ?
Stuart
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:Dguys you're missing one thing, when u ugrade your machine its to make life easier not hard work
Don't forget
1 your hernia, if you dont have one now you could in the futer
2 your back cut down on heavy lifting
3 your safety anything of weight must be properly secured in your van or you could use your mind!