Orbot ?

[BGCD]

On a scale of 1-10. How important is the weight kit for commercial and residential carpet cleaning? Also how many plates for each side for each type of carpet?

Pads- Is the Microbeast enough? Or do you need some SuperZorbs or Glads? How many use the red pads or fiberplus pads? I personally have never seen a red pad.

Thanks

[MikeB]

I can't comment on the weight issue personally but I use both micro beast and glads under my challenger and I like the beasts but I still favor the glads for absorption and even when I use beasts I usually follow up with a glad. Beasts are great scrubbers in traffic lanes.
Challenger is a heavier machine than Orbot so weights aren't needed. I do hear comments on how the bot cleans better with weight though - commercial and residential.
The nice thing about micro beast pads is you can rinse them out in a bucket of hot water and keep using them quite a while on the job. I do that on residential and then follow with hot damp glads.
Fiber plus pads can be used until they are too thin to continue with. I'm not sure on the spec as to how many SQ ft they last it depends on conditions.

[BGCD]

Thanks Mike. Are the fiber plus used in residential, or is the Beast enough? I figured the fiber plus was used mostly for commercial. And then you could follow with the absorbent pads.

I am ordering a machine today or tomorrow. Just wanted to get enough pads. And see which ones where used the most.

[JuddBowers]

I rarely use weights on my machine. It works in a commercial setting.

Residential, I only use microbeasts.

Commercial, I use a fiber+ pad and extract with a microfiber pad (not a microbeast) and at times will add 2 plates per side (16 lbs).

[BGCD]

Judd where do you get the regular microfiber pads? And why do you use those over Zorbs or Glads?

[Ed E]

I bought my Orbot this spring, and have done both resi and commercial.

As for resi, I have never encountered the need for weights on any carpet type. I use the microfiber beasts exclusively, followed by zorbs if pad-capping cut pile. On berber, either the fiber pads or microbeasts work well. I may or may not follow up with zorbs on berber, depending on a number of factors.

On CGD, again, I see no need for additional weight, and the fiber pads are all you really need unless you want to go over a nasty traffic lane with some zorbs.

If you were to do some type of hard surface floors with the 'bot, I would see the need for the weight kit. Otherwise, the advice I got from Bryan when I purchased the Orbot ("you don't need the weight kit for carpet....") was spot on.

[TheCleaningDude]

If you clean any type of challenging carpet than the weight kit is a good investment.

Same applies if you plan on using the t&g brush.

MicroBeasts are great, but again for challenging carpet the Zorbs and similar can't be beat, imo.

[BGCD]

I really appreciate the feedback. I am ordering the machine tomorrow.

I have another question. I just got a text from a property management company guy that I work with. He wanted to know what was the best thing to polish concrete. If anyone has any experience with this using an Orbot let me know. I would assume the weight kit will be good for this. Also he said it was about 8000 sq/ft on the 15th floor of a commercial building.

Thanks

[Derek]

i agree with Damon. unless all you do is maintain carpet, imo the weight kit is a 10 - must have.

[MikeB]

I don't use the fiber plus pads on residential at all really just cgd.
Btw, I have found in some cases the cotton or glad (cotton poly) pads dig in better than micro beasts.
It all varies from carpet to carpet so I keep plenty of all pads on the truck.
It just takes some experimenting and personal experience.

[JuddBowers]

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I don't use the fiber plus pads on residential at all really just cgd.
Btw, I have found in some cases the cotton or glad (cotton poly) pads dig in better than micro beasts.
It all varies from carpet to carpet so I keep plenty of all pads on the truck.
It just takes some experimenting and personal experience.

That's been my experience as well. I still pull out superzorbs from time to time.

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Judd where do you get the regular microfiber pads? And why do you use those over Zorbs or Glads?

I originally bought them from some starfiber seller. Its been a while. I bought a bunch of them. They're by far the best and most durable microfiber pads I've ever found. Unfortunately, they're not made any longer. I'm currently looking into making making my own. I think I've got a pretty good product on paper, I just have to find a microfiber I like.

[Hoss]

For residential carpet, if there is an area where you want to apply additional pressure you can flip up the Orbot off of its wheels putting the full weight of the machine on the pad ~ you can also bear down on it that way and add your own body weight to the agitation.

But, you do *need* the weight kit since the Orbot is designed for versatility. Hard surface work ~ especially ceramic tile benefits from consistent added weight. And, you don't want to spend too much time with the Orbot flipped off of its wheels unless you want to look like Popeye.