I plan to re-open my vacuum shop & need to know which shampooers to buy.  Since I hear that Hoover Steam Vac SpinScrub (NOT the Dirt Devil Easy Steamer style) is better than its competitors, I'm not sure whether to get the Classic or Platinum?  I know the Bissell ProHeat & Royal/Dirt Devil are junk & the Rug Doctor doesn't scrub the carpet good enough like the XXX & Hoover do.

Extractor type

1. Hoover Steam Vac SpinScrub w/Clean Surge
2. Hoover Platinum or XXX R/C Steam Vac
3. XXX Duo Power (Hoover Dual V)

Scrubber/polisher type

1. Aerus/Lux Floor Pro
2. Koblenz Cleaning Machine
3. Hoover FloorMAX (or Floor-A-Matic)
4. Oreck Orbiter

The rug doctor has the Carpet and Rug Institute seal of approval - at the gold level. 

Tested and Approved for Superior Cleaning
by the Carpet and Rug Institute

Rug Doctor's already superior deep cleaning system now has the prestigious Gold certification from the national trade association for the carpet and rug industry - the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI).

Because of CRI's rigorous testing and stringent standards, only 10% of all submissions receive certification within the three passing levels - bronze, silver, or gold. Although the majority of consumer carpet cleaner manufacturers have submitted machines to CRI, Rug Doctor® was the first consumer and commercial-use machine to earn CRI certification. Today Rug Doctor is still the only carpet cleaning system for home use with the Gold certification from CRI.*

The CRI Gold certification means that this is a superior, professional-grade carpet cleaning system. The Gold logo represents a thorough and rigorous testing process by the independent third-party lab that sets the highest standards in the carpet cleaning industry.

As of 03/2007

I'll go for the Hoover SpinScrub; but for scrubber-type I don't know wheter to go for Lux or Koblenz.

My advice FWIW is to be knowledgeable personally and professionally with whatever products you carry and sell.  Perhaps if more than one is appealing to you have both for sale and let users' reactions, experiences, and feedback dictate your ultimate product choice for exclusive sale.

Carmine D.

Since I've had GREAT experience with the Electrolux shampooer (my parents had both the B-8 3-brush & the Turbotool vacuum-driven mdls since 1970) I think I'll buy a few Lux shampooers (but even used ones on eBay are more expensive than Koblenz)  The ONLY thing I don't like about these scrubbers is they can't pick up water from floors like a Hoover Floor-A-Matic can but the Lux seems durable since it lasted 40+ yrs hard use; I dk about the Koblenz.

My Electrolux is like this but its aqua & not grey like this one shown.

but $200 is too expensive for me to buy an Electrolux used from eBay (my parents paid that much for new one back in 1970) why so expensive?

The 3 brush Lux polishers/shampooers were fine for their times.  Simple, lightweight, quiet, all metal.  Fold down handle for easy storage and transport.  Easy to clean after use: Remove the polisher/shampoo brushes and brush plate and rinse in warm water and let dry.  Tank is on the small side.  Biggest problem is finding the right shampoo and solution mix for all different carpets w/o creating alot of suds.  A chemist worth his/her salt can assist with the right one for most/each carpet type.  Most users also have a tendency to oversoak the rugs with solution with these 3 brush models.  They last for ever.

Carmine D.

Severus wrote:

Hello SEVERUS:

To my knowledge at least 2 retailers carry and sell this brand now with a model ideal for home use: Kohl's and COSTCO.  Usually retails for $400-$600 and always a sale on them.  Impressive machine.  Competes with a pervasive number of authorized retailers who rent these by the day along with selling all the different solutions.  Rental users tend to return these in terrible shape and the retailers put out for rent w/o always scoping out/servicing properly after return.  More reason to buy/own your own.

oh well if you think the $200 is expensive, turn a blind eye to Sebo's new Disco polisher head for their cylinders or Felix/Dart uprights.

hooverman wrote:

Considering the price of a new one, $200 is realtively reasonable as long as shipping fees are low or non-existent.  Rug shampooers are not used daily but a few times at most during the year except by those who want to polish floors as well.  Nonetheless, I'd say the war and tear factor is substantially less with reasonable use and care. 

It's a new world.  $200 now stands as no money and there are few new good electrical devices, other than small appliances, that you can buy with it.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson:

If I recall correctly, the last time I bought one of these new lux 3 brush machines in the mid 80's, they were selling for $300-$400.

Carmine D.