Since everyone is talking about pile lifters, I wanted to know if a Crb would do the same thing, minus the vacuuming part.

It seems to be that my Icapsol does an excellent job at lifting the carpet, as well as pulling stuff up out of the carpet. Of course, it needs to be vacuumed after, but so do most if not all pile lifters.

My concern with the crb is durability. Could it stand up to the day in and day out use of a pile lifter?

Then again, as far as I know, a pile lifter cannot be used on wet carpet. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Any thoughts on comparing the two?

The Kleen Rite pile lifter is a very hardy machine in my view it works better then Certified and you will need to vac less after using it.

I have always believed in using the proper tool for the job
if you want to use a machine to lift pile on a regular basis then get a pile lifter not a CBM.

If you are lifting pile after VLM I would imagine no harm would come to the machine, but I could be wrong

Thomas, good day.

Do a crb lift the pile? YES Do a pile lifter lift the pile? Of course it does.

I have an X-VAC pile lifter and that thing is a monster when it comes to lifting up pile. It has a high performance brush motor the turns 10,000 rpms and its so strong it will pull you out of your stance. In my experience the X-Vac will lift up the most dense, most matted, and tightest loop constructed fibers there is. In fact i'm gonna have to pull it out this coming weekend.

After experiencing that, i was glad i invested in this machine. I just purchased a crb from Honest Joe. It works great for lifting the pile, grooming, scooping up some moisture. But it does not dig down in under,in between the loops like the Mighty X-vac does. What ever it digs out, it sucks up very nicely so i don't have to vacuum afterwards at all. (Time saver)

Wouldn't want to use the X-Vac on a damp carpet, you'll fry the motor and possibly you'll end up with a Don King hair-do.

No comparison in my opinion when it comes to lifting the pile. X-VAC rules!!

Certified can be used on damp carpet.



Thanks
Your Servant Alex

Cultivate the "OCCD" you had at first for the industry!

I agree with everything ALex said!

Just one little correction. You CAN'T use a Certified on damp carpet (unless you disconnect the vac motor). And ask me how I know that.


Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Did you get zapped Rick.

No but the motor did. It made a loud squealing sound and then stopped. There was also a smell of electrical burning. Doh! Fortunately it was an old Certified Pile Lifter that I had picked up used for $75 (a real bargain). I didn't mind tossing it. Especially since I was never quite satisfied with its ability to swallow what it pulled up. As Alex correctly alluded above, the X-Vac is altogether superb. It lifts pile, digs up crud, and swallows soil better than any other Pile Lifter on the market, on account of its improved design.






Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Thank you for the replies.

So it sounds like a true pile lifter, such as the X-Vac would be far more durable than a crb.

I guess I will put that on my list of what to get next.

By the way, many of these residential condo's I'm coming across have a very good vacuuming schedule. They seem to be doing their end on the dry soil side of things. Would a pile lifer still occasional be needed in such instances?

Thomas,

If they have a good vacuuming program in place, an X-Vac will probably be overkill.

Think of the X-Vac as more "restorative" dry soil removal.
NOTHING can remove all of a deeply embedded dry soil build-up.
But the X-Vac can do more than any other machine currently on the market.
So it has its place, where and when it may be needed.






Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Thanks Rick. I think I get it now. Restorative Dry Soil Cleaning. Those with pile lifters should advertise that!

Seems like the CRB will be good for now. I have couple of places I did demos on that might need the CRB as a post grooming step because the Cimex swirls are noticeable. Of course, wouldn't vacuuming the next day take that out, too?

I'm thinking of giving them the option to have me do that at a premium, or let them take care of it with their vacuuming and save some dough.

By the way Rick, which moving parts of the Icapsol are most likely to break first? I think I should order those before it happens.

Good ideas about marketing Restorative Dry Soil recovery.

The most common replacement item on the iCapsol's are the belts (right and left).

Aside from belt's - treat it gently (especially when it's being transported in the truck).

If you are careful with the iCapsol, it should hold up very well.







Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Thanks Rick. I will be ordering those parts.

I'm pretty good with my equipment. When I hire that might be a different story.

It kind of sounds like just a few people have had bad experiences with the Icapsol, like any other product. Could be the odds, or could be operator error.