Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: RICHARDSON04@MSN.C on January 08, 2010, 04:41:34 pm
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i am in the market for a new carpet cleaning machine with a heater. i have £1500 what would be the best extraction machine at that price, can anyone please advise me?.
cheers john. ???
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www.cleansmartsupplies.co.uk
they do their own british built machine airflex range you wont get the triple vac on your budget but the airflex pro is maybe closer to what your looking to spend.
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Hi John
I purchased a Aqua 40 from alltec about 6 years ago it hasnt let me down once .
ideal as a start up as it will fit in the back of most cars .
http://www.alltec.co.uk/page/1gfh/Portables/Aquas.html
Neil
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John, if your budget won't stretch any higher you'd be MUCH better off buying a second hand machine of a much higher spec than what you can get new for £1500.
That sort of money is going to buy you, let's be honest here, a crap machine. That crap machine will then depreciate in value and you'll not be able to sell it for anywhere near what you bought it for. You'll probably get fed up with an underpowered machine very quickly so you'll experience the loss in value over a short period. Not good financial sense at all.
If you buy a good machine second hand for £1000 you could sell it again for roughly the same amount, or only a bit less if you keep it for a few years. Once they get down to a certain 2nd hand value they will stay there or thereabouts.
All a machine contains is vac motors and a pump, the more performance the better. The Alltec Aqua has a 70psi pump and ONE vacuum motor, it's puny little puddlejumper. For many years, two vac motors would have been considered the minimum but three vacuum motors is now becoming the norm. triple vac machines are available from alltec, and also cleansmart and Solution in cornwall (i'm thinking theres another but can't recall who sells it at the mo)
The shurflo 135psi pump is found in a lot of machines, I wouldn't go any lower than this. Lots of portables now have much more powerful pumps that can go up to 500psi or more.
Sorry if it sounds liek I'm preaching but you need to think bigger and longer term with a machine, it's the absolute core of your money-making ability!!
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I agree with Jim, get a list of manufacturers like Solutions and Alltec and Cleansmart and our hosts Express Cleaning also ring janitorial supplies in your area and see what ex demo machines they have, make sure that they will give you 3 months warranty also vac hose and solution hose and a wand, you will need a smaller tool for stairs and a dedicated upholstery tool but these are usually extra.
Shaun
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I got an ex demo powerflite for £1150, including vat. May be worth phoning round to see if any are on the go.
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Whilst I agree with much of what's written above, just a little to add re Aqua 40. In it's highest spec it is 2x3 vacs and 100 (or perhaps 135?) pump and in tank heater. It's a small amount above the £1500 limit plus VAT.
In the working world, the Aqua 40, having a smaller volume waste tank, gives a better performance than many machines with identical components. The 40 litre capacity is quite workable and as Neil says, is small enough to fit into most cars and vans. I think they are excellent machines.
Safe and happy cleaning :)
The Ken
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thanks for all your advise. i have been looking at the woodbridge comercial site and they have a machine for that sort of money with a good spec can anyone tell me anything about that machine?. i have taken all advise on board. ???
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woodbridge r spot on john has been good to me but i agree with second hand ul get better machine which will do alot better job and wont go down in value as much
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Thanks for that ken
You are right the one i purchased was the 2x3 vacs and 100psi.
I agree that it may not be triple vac 1000psi but if you are just starting out it is more than capable especially if you compensate for any thing it lacks with heat,extra agitation better chems until you can afford a upgrade.
ps
seen plenty of demonstrations of truck mounts,buffers ,rx,s cleaning carpets and the results have been no better than i can achieve with the aqua admittedly with a bit more time ,
better machines make life easier so purchase the best you can afford .
Neil
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seen plenty of demonstrations of truck mounts,buffers ,rx,s cleaning carpets and the results have been no better than i can achieve with the aqua admittedly with a bit more time ,
better machines make life easier so purchase the best you can afford .
Neil
That means everyone who has a machine above the spec of yours is wasting their money. ???
You might have seen plenty of demos but have you actually worked a more powerful machine on a job?
Yes, there is more to a good clean then solely the machine - prespray and agitation in the correct manner is very important too, but....
the success of a clean lies DEEPER then that.
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[quote
seen plenty of demonstrations of truck mounts,buffers ,rx,s cleaning carpets and the results have been no better than i can achieve with the aqua admittedly with a bit more time
Neil - I don't know what demonstrations you have seen, but I can assure you there is a world of difference between a twin vac 100psi porty and a truckmount !
Do you really believe that people invest tens of thousands of pounds just to save a bit of time ? ???
Steve
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Steve
If they don't buy bigger machines to save time what do they buy them for ?
a better clean, as i said this can be acheived with more time and efffort.
The only reason to justify paying tens of thousands on a truckmount is for speed no other reason as any other can be achieved with a porty, and and reasons that you give about deeper cleans is all in your minds as the customer would never notice the difference.
on a side by side comparison of a carpet cleaned on one half by a truckmount and the other by any porty you would not see any difference if
the porty user was given time and the right chems . there's a challenge,
Neil ;D
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Neil
Stand by for incoming!!
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Adi
standing by
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For your run of the mill, everyday domestics, Neil has, IMO, got it about right. A good technician with a 2x3 porty plus the right solutions and anciliary equipment will perform a clean that achieves the same customer satisfaction as if using a T/M. Most problems tend to be spots and stains which is often down to the tec. rather than the machine. A less experienced tec. would struggle though. This is the marketplace for most new and and transitional business'. Where the T/M will score in this scenario is on time.
Move the bar a little higher though with greater soiling levels, and the porty will struggle to such a degree that it will not be a viable option. For example, Richie has cleaned a lot of licensed premises in his time. If he were to have used a porty, well, he wouldn't. There would be a broken window in the pub with lots of blue and white plastic on the floor outside. Totally inadequate on time and he'd only have removed the first 6 layers of blacktop with another 24 to go :o
Now here's something to ponder and perhaps a little contoversial.. IMO, a typical technician will develop superior cleaning skills if they are initially honed on a porty rather than going straight in and letting the machine do most of the work as would happen with a T/M.
Safe and happy cleaning :)
The Ken
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Ok, I give up.
I am going to sell my Prowler 15hp, and my 3 vac Scorpion. I have time on my hands so it doesnt really matter if it takes me longer. And the customers are really not bothered that both of those machines remove dirt DEEPER then the machine I used to use before so I dont care either.
I will change my sales slogan from "Cleaner & Healthier Carpets" to "You get what your given and if it looks ok as well, then thats a bonus for you - just give me your money".
Change of mind - not selling the Prowler nor the Scorpion - just going to throw them on the scrap heap - overated things anyway.
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Ken
you have summed up what I meant .
I would never consider doing large jobs on a regular basis with a porty as it would be uneconomical but for the majority of the the jobs a Porty is fine .
the key is area that you can cover with your chosen cleaning method in the shortest time more area in less time means more Money .
Or Mabye more marketing time, less area, more money which came first ? ??? ???
Neil
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Hi Guys
I tend to garee with Ken that if you definitely have to think harder with a porty on terms of prep etc.
One of the biggest difference I have found with a TM is that I can rinse really effectively with an acid rinse and get brilliant results whereas with a porty, which I still use occasionally I need to use more chemivcal and leave more of it in the carpet.
Cheers
Doug
As for the original I would say the most important thing when starting is to make sure you have a heater.
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Joe mate calm down
Ok, I give up.
I am going to sell my Prowler 15hp, and my 3 vac Scorpion. I have time on my hands so it doesnt really matter if it takes me longer. And the customers are really not bothered that both of those machines remove dirt DEEPER then the machine I used to use before
so I dont care either.[/font]
I will change my sales slogan from "Cleaner & Healthier Carpets" to "You get what your given and if it looks ok as well, then thats a bonus for you - just give me your money".
Change of mind - not selling the Prowler nor the Scorpion - just going to throw them on the scrap heap - overated things anyway.
so joe you are admitting that you conned people before by using machines that werent good enough ,but you are now.
how long before you change your mind again .
Neil
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I was very calm.
I had a big smile on my face when I was typing it, and still have ....... see ;D
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well done joe
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joe i agree its like using a ferrari to a robin reliant
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We still have to remember that we are in this business to make money, there are various reasons people do or don't buy TM's but if you can get the regular work irrelevant of the price then a TM may just suit you especially if you work on your own.
Shaun
PS Doug has a very good point about acid rinse though.