I truly thank everyone who has responsibly commented, and even to those who have commented on their initial "impression" of a different kind of machine that has impressed their purchasers/Operators and especially their customers with the results with which they could only have dreamed about. I also understand that several kind individuals have Petrol TM's and are very proud of them.
Personally speaking, (I started off as a Professional Cleaner myself and as we grew demanded and required certain performance levels)my goal when we started business in 1972, was to innovate and to provide efficiency. And those two elements are what made us most successful then, as well as the thousands of Operators around the world, now.
The truth of the matter is simple: after the initial hello's, small talk, and hand shakes,
RESULTS are the only thing that will matter and determine whether or not one keeps the customer and continues to builds the business. And it also determines whether there ever will be a tomorrow.
In Hollywood, there are alot of beautiful looking actors ;however, many times once you look at what's under the hood, there's not much substance there. Likewise, I know of a few who are very contrary to this, and therefore, those are the Movies that are always unique , talked about, and really deliver
RESULTS. PERFORMANCE.
Lets be very honest here though when it comes to cosmetics and "our" opinion of such. It's what you have been accustomed to and since most products in every Industry "sort-of" looks like everyone elses, that is easy to understand. However, to say that something looks; "Ugly" is a term I normally would never use and IMHO is a pretty harsh statement and seems more of a jab than anything else.
Not everyone likes Tea and Crumpets; or Ford or a Chevy. Not everyone likes to wear sandels with high black socks either! And, we could all agree that there are many very good Petro TM's out there that really don't have the cosmetic appeal either---but they perform.
We have had said manytimes in conversations/e-mails that the
SCORPION-3 looked good by the Operator, and even complimented by their customer(s), And, yes, we have had a few state that they did not care for the design. However, these particular individuals never purchased the machine and gave it a chance over the long haul to perform or impress them with RESULTS in different situations. These people have only chosen their words by looks.
Yes, I believe that whenever anything looks different (designed to be INDUSTRIAL for good reason) than what most are accustomed to in a generic sense, that the initial impression may be negative by human nature-----by the Operator who makes this generic comparison; NOT the customer who instead, only sees and cares about RESULTS. However, I must admit that we are extremely pleased by the performance and testimonials of the the Operators-------many who compare it to their TM's and these are individuals of high character and experience. (BTW, this does not mean that it is as powerful as their TM's however, it indicates that it cleans as well in terms of customer satisfaction, etc..)
I can also state honestly, that many of our competitors--world wide---have taken off on many, many of our innovations in the past by cloning them. And, that's just the way it is. But it also demonstrates a good reason why.
There are engineers who ride in the front of the train; while others ride in the caboose.
But, Gentlemen, I have learned several things that may also relate to your end as well, and I will state it below only because it should be ---extremely---important to each and everyone of us:
"Years of Field testing "----is certainly the key and major ingredient of customer satisfaction because the machine will perform well above the generics. In regards to noise levels, I can't see how it is more noisey other than the fact that it IS MORE powerful. However, we are one of the only ones who uses alot of exhaust duct work which not only helps keep the system cooler, it also quiets it down. We also have inexpensive mufflers available btw.
Gentlemen, most every machine built out there will work when you flip the switch. Some better than others. And then there are those perhaps, that will perform much beyond your expectations and save you alot of sweat to. Remember there's more to the comfort of a great pair of shoes than just the cheap polish!
"beauty is more than skin deep to!"
I sincerely
Thank you all;

The very best;
ED Valentine
cross-american corp.