Hey Bill,
I am starting to get larger jobs and want to look into either the RX-20 or the DriMaster. What is the difference in the two? What effect will a power wand have on my production?
Weighing My Options in Gainesville
Bill: If these are trashed out commercial jobs you are talking about then the RX-20 is the hands down winner. The RX-20 has floating heads which allows it to compensate for the unlevel areas in the concrete. The DriMaster which is my choice for residential since the heads do not float and is designed to work on carpet over pad. The DriMaster is also lighter and will get under furniture better. (Editorial Note: The Hydramaster Rotary DriMaster has been discontinued.)
The RX-20 is a proven design as it has been the standard for several decades. In fact, many cleaning veterans would sell their businesses if they had to give up their RX-20’s. (Our very own Island Boy, Steve Toburen, still misses his RX-20 and Steve retired from full-time cleaning almost 20 years ago!)
Steve: Ah yes, the sheer joy of transforming a trashed out residential Saxony carpet! Couple the incredible pile restoring and agitation of a RX-20 along with good chemicals and the high heat/high extraction of a truck mount and the effects are magical! The same goes double when dealing with a seriously greased up restaurant carpet and especially so if it is over pad.
HOWEVER, I found any rotary machine could have issues on a low pile direct glue down carpet on an uneven floor. But then a standard cleaning wand isn’t going to get a good seal either! I’ll also mention that IF a commercial carpet is bad enough to need rotary extraction you probably aren’t going to see any great speed improvement. You WILL see a dramatically better job which you should charge more for and therefore make more money! Don’t charge quickie wand prices for a “carpet restoration job”.
Bill: Glad to see you are looking at expanding into larger commercial, Weighing. Many cleaners have found new profits in this sector. Try it out and if it goes well you would do well in considering encapsulation. Encapsulation technology can nicely round out your offerings and give you options in expanding your commercial operation. VAST Instructor and Commercial Cleaning Specialist Jeff Cutshall has immense experience in this field and generously offered up his step-by-step guide to getting started in this Special Report “Building Encapsulation Routes”.
Steve: Nobody knows more about this business than Bill so I would never argue with him re: equipment or technical stuff. (In fact, I only bicker with Bill over his drinking that dark brown horse pee called Guiness!) However, I would gently suggest to Weighing that he consider buying a Cimex and getting into encapsulation even BEFORE marketing commercial. (Not after as Big Billy suggests.) Why? Simply because of the the incredible pricing/bidding advantages the high production rate of the Cimex will give him. Get the Encapsulation Report where Jeff and I actually break down a hypothetical 10,000 square foot job and show you how to price and present a killer monthly contract proposal. And trust me- regular contract commercial “route work” will transform your business AND your net worth!