Need a little clarification on equipment

I

imported_Jakerooni

New member
So I'm getting thing set up for spring which is right around the corner and I need to get some new equipment. basically I want to get a mobile unit set up and I need a new extractor. I have my Mytee HP 100 Grand prix and although it's a great extractor it's way to big and bulky to be hauling around all over the place in the back of my explorer. So I was looking at the mytee lite II. Looks like what I'm after. But then it was mentioned to me instead of a carpet extractor I should look into a steamer to do my upholstry. I've never looked into one before but isnt it along the same lines of a heated carpet extractor? A quick search and I see they are roughly in the same ballpark pricewise. Is there a set advantage of a steamer over a heated extractor? And who makes a good one that can stand up to commercial use? Why use one over the other or should I still have both?
 
A steamer is not going to pull / extract anything out. So if you are spraying the carpets and upholstery with a cleaner the steamer won't suck it up.
 
I think we used durramaid at the dealership waaay back in the day when I first started. Those sucked LOL. I really like the mytee. So far those are the ones that I've personally used that I actually like the way they work. But I know there's a slew of other good brands to choose from. I was looking at USproducts. But I can't seem to find any pricing on their page. I'll look up this Aztec brand and see what they have to offer.
 
Jake- The Aztec is a better, much higher quality piece of equipment than the Durrmaid. I started out with the Durrmaid and it ended up as a $600+ paper weight. I then went to an Aztec for the portability. As soon as I opened the box, I could tell the quality compared to the Durrmaid was a night and day difference. I got mine from Danase.
 
It's weird.. Looking at the 2 they look almost exactly alike. Does one own the other? But that really might be what I need right there. is 1.5/gal enough for most vechiles in your experience or does one need to constantly refill? (being as I have 10 gallons I never really paid attention to how much I use per service)
 
Jakerooni said:
It's weird.. Looking at the 2 they look almost exactly alike. Does one own the other? But that really might be what I need right there. is 1.5/gal enough for most vechiles in your experience or does one need to constantly refill? (being as I have 10 gallons I never really paid attention to how much I use per service)
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From what I've gathered, Aztec was the original design and somehow the guy that owns Durrmaid was allowed to copy the design, but tweak it in his own ways (he moved the control switch, the inlet hole for the vacuum hose, added a mesh bag inside the recovery tank to catch bigger items, etc.). However, even though he tried to make it better, the quality of the parts he used was awful. Aztec made me fully aware when I talked to them that they were in no way shape and form associated with the Durrmaid owner. Like I said before, as soon as I opened the box for the Aztec, I could tell the quality was a night and day difference over the Durrmaid. I just wish I would have known that before I spent money on the Durrmaid.



By the way, I don't think I mentioned this before, but the reason my Durrmaid turned into a paper weight is because it broke within the first year. I contacted the Durrmaid own thinking the part to repair it was still under warranty. He told me it was my neglect that it broke so I had to pay almost another $100 for the new pump which he told me was easy to put in myself....wrong! I ended up breaking something else just trying to put the pump in. That's the point that it turned into a paper weight and I decided to buy the Aztec.



As far as size is concerned, 1.5 gallons is cutting it close. For cars it's fine, but on large SUV's, you may have to stop and add more water.
 
That great info. I like the small compact size of it. Little leary about this years detailing prospect go though. With the housing market alredy crashed and the Auto market crashing all around us and 10,000 people loosing thier job in the immediate area I'm thinking it's going to be quite tough to get any sort of real work this year. Which is why I'm honestly thinking about just doing mobil detailing this season so I can keep my overhead down as much as possible. I'm really only one of just a couple detailers still in business in the area anymore. Over a dozen have already closed their doors this past winter. So make it through this and voila I'll be one of they prime places to go once we get a turn around. I figure the mobil side of things will help me "microfocus" on certian aspects that volum detailers really don't tend to focus on.
 
Jake I own both a steamer and extractor. I find one does not replace the other. I use the steamer more for the hard surfaces and not quite as much for the carpet. Like Danase said "A steamer is not going to pull / extract anything out". Unless you do a towel wrap on the steamer head this is true, but it would take way too many and take too much time. So for carpets I use the extractor. I have the Mytee HP-60 Spyder extractor which weighs in at 90lbs. unfilled but has the same lift as your HP-100. I have not tried to lug it out for some mobile work yet but will come spring. I use the Vapor Systems VX-5000 steamer which so far has worked really well, especially on sticky coffee or soda spills around the center console. I also use it on limited areas under the hood. It does save me time and chemical use on the interior. Hope this helps, Dan.
 
I would go with a steamer. A steamer is more useful than an extractor you can clean almost everything on the car with it (glass, rims, tar, leather, dash, mat, seat, etc......).

I you know what you are doing with a streamer you will never need a extractor. 90% of the cars i do, i never need to use an extractor.



I you need to extract something just use your shop vac.
 
even a 6.5 hp shop vac doesn't come close to the power of an extractor though. I've always used an extractor. Just wondering if I need to add a steamer to my inventory. By the sounds of it a steamer is good for eco freindly detailing. Not sure if I need one just yet.
 
If I were you I would call a local Janitorial Supply house and ask for a price on a spotter. I think its rare that you would use more than 3 gallons on a car interior. A spotter is a smaller exractor and although I dont use mine everyday it has served me well and it costs under 500.00. Some brands that I know are good are CFR, Viper and US Products.



I am in the Jan/San busiess and I am not looking to drum up business for myself but I know these machines can do a good job and can be had for less $$$.



Good Luck.
 
I think the smaller Mytee model would only produce comparable results with an external heating element. Alot of the spotters aren't heated like their larger counterparts, and a great deal of the cleaning power an extractor provides comes from the cleaning solution's temperature.
 
Jakerooni said:
Just wondering if I need to add a steamer to my inventory. By the sounds of it a steamer is good for eco freindly detailing. Not sure if I need one just yet.
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If you're on the fence about a steamer I'd recommend buying a cheapie and giving that a go for a while. You'll find a place in the arsenal for one.





I had originally bought a cheapie from Harbor Freight, used it for about a year then bought a VX5000. I'm planning on buying another VX5000 this summer.



HF Steamer:

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
 
MichaelM said:
If you're on the fence about a steamer I'd recommend buying a cheapie and giving that a go for a while. You'll find a place in the arsenal for one.





I had originally bought a cheapie from Harbor Freight, used it for about a year then bought a VX5000. I'm planning on buying another VX5000 this summer.



HF Steamer:

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
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Remember that these steamer are not build to be used everyday, they are not going to last long. The VX5000 is a better buy.
 
Well it;s obvious the steamer isn't ment to replace a extractor. In fact the only thing I see the steamer doing is replacing some good old fashion elbow grease. I don't think it's anything I need currently. Maybe here if I get some extra play money and just want to try out the latest gimmicks out here I'll pick one up. (I see infomercials on these things all the time) and see if something like this has a real place in my arsenal.
 
I have both myself, and for the majority of cars that I work on, the steamer has been able to provide the results I am satisfied with. When it comes to anything, I am pretty O.C.D. and don't like half *** work. in some situations, I will let an APC sit on the stain, hit it with the steamer, wipe up the excess, follow with a quick vac. Out of 50 interior details, I might feel the need for the extractor once or twice. If you do alot of soccer mom's, then extractor will be needed more though.
 
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