Steam Cleaner Discussion - Dupray Hill Injection VS vx5000 (or others)

Jean-Claude

Jean-Claude

Keeper of the beautiful
I am in a spot where I want a new steam cleaner. For me, the cost is not as much an issue as value for the money spent.


 


Hill Injection has amazing stats but are they necessary?


VX5000 has a lower cost but are they underpowered for a professional?


 


$2300 vs $700ish. What provides the best value? Do any of you have experience with both? Was the vx5000 outright unable to handle certain tasks? Did you find the Hill Injection was a bull in a china shop and/or just more power than was really needed?


 


I am sure we could get by fine with the vx5000 as I've seen others do fine work with them. We don't do volume work, so insane work-time or constant fill is not a selling point for me. For those that have owned one, have you felt yourself, not wanting, but needing more power?


 


I am leaning strongly towards the Hill Injection but at the premium they are asking I want to know that I will be satisfied, but not paying more than is really necessary. Educate me as to your personal experience please.


 


Thanks
 
Jean-Claude- I haven't used *either* of those steamers, but I'll chime in anyhow.  IME you'll *NEVER* regret buing "more steamer than you need".  My Daimer 1500C seemed like overkill, until I actually used it.  Now I wouldn't mind *more* power, and note that I'm not a pro; I don't use it for what I'd consider really nasty jobs.  So I'd buy the best/most potent steamer you can possible afford.


 


Oh, one other FWIW- I've never used the chemical injection on my Daimer.  Never.  Couldn't get around the idea that it just might not be a good idea to mix some chemical with the water vapor I'm running through the thing.  Some folks here who know more about this stuff than I do have told me I'm smart to avoid it, so that selling feature never amounted to anything for me.
 
Really depends on the type of work you do JC. I feel the Dupray is really for heavy duty interiors and exteriors based on a waterless system. V5K will really tackle a lot of everyday cars especially if you don't need the large volume. I would say it is NOT the best for prespraying a vehicle. Better for gaps/edges/removing PPF/tint/tackling interiors. I'd suspect the training, attachments, and what you are using the machine is more important vs capacity. Either are great machines from what I hear, then again I'm biased toward the V5k!
 
Following, I am interested with new steamer too.


Still confused a steamer or carpet extractor. Which one to have first.
 
David Fermani- No way to stretch the budget and get one of the commercial models on that GoGreenWithSteam.com website?  Going by the specs, my Daimer 1500C will outperform the VX5000 and I wish mine were more potent.
 
For $795 the VX5000 a really great value, but sparks even more interest is this:


 
<p class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,102);font-weight:bold;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;background-color:rgb(63,108,160);">Why not take the VX 5000 and ANY OTHER MACHINE for a spin? Order both and see what I mean.
<p class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,102);font-weight:bold;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;background-color:rgb(63,108,160);">Although you don't have to buy two machines to take advantage of our 100% refund program. When you buy a VX5000, and it doesn't meet your expectations or It's not what we say it is, send it back for a FULL REFUND.   You have no risk!
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">


 
</blockquote>


 


I personally think it's a great candidate for an entry level unit, but I see alot of honorable mentions about it by pros who have had their machine for several years and use it very regularly. Also, I don't foresee me using it all that much in the 1st place. More for ala carte one off applications where you kick yourself for not having steam. 
 
I ordered the VX 5000. I get them at a discounted rate brand new and I think it may end up being the best solution. If not, like you said David, it can go back and I can get whatever else I want.


 


There are a lot of people who love it and a few who wanted more power. I'll have to go with the numbers on this one.  Will report back....
 
Sure can't argue with their guarantee!


 


I do find plenty of uses for my smaller steamer, which has specs similar to the VX5000, so yeah...it's worlds better than not having a steamer at all and undoubtedly in a whole 'nother class comared to typical "homeowner" models.
 
VX 5000 came in today but I am sick as a dog. I'll post up more feedback when I have the time. We have plenty of projects in the shop to try it on come Monday.
 
David Fermani said:
For $795 the VX5000 a really great value, but sparks even more interest is this:


 
<p style="color:rgb(0,0,102);font-weight:bold;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;background-color:rgb(63,108,160);">Why not take the VX 5000 and ANY OTHER MACHINE for a spin? Order both and see what I mean.
<p style="color:rgb(0,0,102);font-weight:bold;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;background-color:rgb(63,108,160);">Although you don't have to buy two machines to take advantage of our 100% refund program. When you buy a VX5000, and it doesn't meet your expectations or It's not what we say it is, send it back for a FULL REFUND.   You have no risk!


 


I personally think it's a great candidate for an entry level unit, but I see alot of honorable mentions about it by pros who have had their machine for several years and use it very regularly. Also, I don't foresee me using it all that much in the 1st place. More for ala carte one off applications where you kick yourself for not having steam. 
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David, if you do ever want to play with a Hill Injection let me know; that's what I have, and personally I wouldn't trade it for anything less power-wise. Granted I haven't played with a VX5000 personally, but I had a couple cheaper consumer-grade units previously that were nowhere near as powerful and they definitely left me wanting for more.


That said, there are definitely some applications for which the Hill is overkill; but for other things it's very handy to have the high temp and pressure available. I've used it for both automotive and heavy duty residential cleaning and as far as I'm concerned it has paid for itself over the two years I've had it. My only real complaint is that the boiler and holding tank are smaller than other units (the VX included). It is continuous fill, so there's little downtime to refill, but I do find myself refilling it at least once on larger interiors/etc. depending on severity -- and that's even without doing volume style work.
 
Thanks Charles - For what I'm looking for, I'd try to get something as powerful as possible, for under $1000 and will last in a shop environment. It won't be used on every car..just occasionally for certain applications. I don't see it fitting in more then that really. 


 


What made you decide to purchase the Hill over others? 
 
I got to play with it in my bathroom and I've got to say that the VX5000 appears to have all the juice I need.
 
David Fermani said:
Thanks Charles - For what I'm looking for, I'd try to get something as powerful as possible, for under $1000 and will last in a shop environment. It won't be used on every car..just occasionally for certain applications. I don't see it fitting in more then that really. 


 


What made you decide to purchase the Hill over others? 
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Primary considerations for me were the steam pressure/temp being "best in class" (for a compact portable steamer), the continuous fill capability, and serviceability (heating elements are user replaceable, among other components). The fact that the boiler is small can be annoying, but the next step up in order to get similar performance would have meant a significantly larger unit at a much higher cost which for my purposes wouldn't have fit the bill. I like being able to throw it in a bag and go tackle any job I need to handle.


 


Last spring we rehabbed and sold a house that had been smoked in heavily, and the steamer proved invaluable in stripping layers of tar and grease off kitchen appliances, cabinets, counters, floors, and walls; in the case of the laminate counters I don't think I would have been able to clean them up without it, and having to wait for the boiler to cool and reheat would have extended the job considerably. I probably went through at least 4-5 tanks worth a day while working on that project. (Incidentally, I also used 3 HD Odor Eliminator bombs to remove the remaining smell after cleaning... worked fabulously for that application!)
 
I hate to be the proverbial cheapskate in the group but I have a McCulloch steamer from Harbor Freight and it is an excellent tool. I've used it on extremely rough interiors with great results.


 


No doubt there are much better models out there, but if you are part time or just an enthusiast.. you might want to ask yourself if it will be worth your money purchasing a commercial model.


 


That being said, I'm looking to upgrade my steamer in the next few months... to the McCulloch 1385. :)
 
IHA Mark said:
I hate to be the proverbial cheapskate in the group but I have a McCulloch steamer from Harbor Freight and it is an excellent tool. I've used it on extremely rough interiors with great results.


 


No doubt there are much better models out there, but if you are part time or just an enthusiast.. you might want to ask yourself if it will be worth your money purchasing a commercial model.


 


That being said, I'm looking to upgrade my steamer in the next few months... to the McCulloch 1385. :)
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I used one for years and it was good enough. But it stopped being good enough a while back. 


 


After using the vx5000 for only a short period of time, I can say it is well worth the added cost. The VX5000 has way more ability with commercial quality.
 
Glad everything worked JC! I would suggest playing with the attachments, they make a steamer work! Find horsehair brushes (PM me if you need info) and use the triangle attachment!
 
I own both of these steamers and there is no comparison. One is a toy and one is a beast. Best $1800 I ever spent and worth every single penny.
 
New Skool said:
I own both of these steamers and there is no comparison. One is a toy and one is a beast. Best $1800 I ever spent and worth every single penny.
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You're saying the VX5000 is a toy?? Please explain.....
 
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