Hi everyone,

Just ordered the pad driver for a drill from Rick. What rpm are you guys running at(for stairs or upholstery)? Also, have you found cases where a brush would be better than the fiber pads, say residential stairs? Also, any drill you found effective?

Thanks.

If you really want to invest in a nice unit the makita9227C is a great unit for stairs and upholstery, run at lowset speed 600 RPM. Prior to purchasing that I used a variable speed Rigid with keyless chuck and Ricks brush attachment about the same RPM.

I just bought the pad driver also. Got it in yesterday. We already had the brush driver for the drill. We went and bought a corded drill for about 60.00. It seems to work well. I don't really know what rpm or anything. After reading the posts above maybe I just got lucky when I bought the drill. I didn't even look for brand, rpm, etc. I just bought one with a cord, rather than a battery.

Be careful with the fiber plus pads...Olefin melts easy, as I found out one day doing stairs at a residence. Meleted a nasty slice right in the middle of the second stair...Also made the mistake of using it on a lazy boy, bought that bad boy.

Stick with the brushes unless you are sure of the material u are cleaning!

Thanks for the suggestions. I would hate to melt something, or burn a hole in some upholstery. Sounds like the brushes are a safer bet.

I'll have to get a good multi-speed drill. The one I have is a single speed 0-2,500 rpm.

Wow, I didn't realize olefin was so sensitive to heat. What if a commercial carpet was olefin and you used a cimex on it? Would it melt, too, or is the 400 rpm of the Cimex safe.

By the way, does that Makita have a standard 3/8" chuck?

Make sure you have pre-sprayed the fabric well, that helps GREATLY reduce the friction burn issue too.

I have burnt a Laz-Y-Boy myself with a cotton bonnet on a car buffer, due to too little moisture.

Make you own luck,

Del Scrivner
Owner/Operator
Cowboy's Carpet Care

I use the Fiber plus pads on olefin stairs alot without incident but I prespray the stairs and pad and run at 600RPM, on upholstery I would not suggest ever using the pads but Ricks 8" tuways work very well

In a somewhat related subject, as I alluded to on a previous thread has anyone gotten a "drill adapter" (like the one a 3d products or pinnacle wax, seems to be used for headlight lens polishing, etc.) and a sanding/polishing back plate (Harbor Freight), put them together? Are the threads compatible, is the shank on the drill adapter long enough? I thought it might work, be a DIY option for addressing stairs, chairs, and other opportunities. Thanks for the advice.