I have been in the carpet cleaning industry for 7 years now and I want to expand my business using Encapsulation systems. Since this technology is new to me I thought used, but good working order is a way to get started. Can you help me? What would you recommend for stairs?

I have been in a very similar situation as you are in now. Cleaned carpet for 8 years, but wanted to focus more on commercial.

All I can say is that for commercial, you need a Cimex. A crb on it's own will not provide results anywhere near a Cimex. The initial investment is a little high, but it will provide unmatched results. People are blown away every time I do a demo. I cannot say the same thing about a CRB (which is what the whittaker is).

You can add other pieces of equipment like a GLS, only after you get a Cimex. That should be the foundation of your vlm equipment in the commercial world.

If you are going the residential route, it would be a little different. The Cimex would be tough to go up stairs with on your own. An OP machine would be better. A CRB would still not be my first choice even in residential. An Orbot would be. Very versatile. One unit can be a 17" or 20" machine. You could do straight encapping with fiber plus pads, or soil removal encapping (padcapping) with bonnet type pads. I'd say that would be the ultimate machine if you want to do both.

Stairs start with a Makita Polisher. You can use a fiber plus pad on it or bonnets. Search makita on this site and you'll come up with more info.

It takes money to make money. However, investing in the right tools, such as the ones mentioned, will position you to provide a superior service, yet at a faster production rate. That sounds like a recipe for success.

Encapsulation is here to stay, so jump in head first. Many opportunities are opening up to me that I would never even have considered before, especially in the commercial carpet side of it.

Just my personal viewpoint on what I have done thus far. My suggestion would be to read as much as you can on this board so that you will be able to make an informed decision on your own. You cannot receive such valuable information anywhere else.