Hello,
Does any one use a pile lifter? I have never tried one but I have been thinking about buying a used one. If vacuuming is such an important part of the VLM method why would this not be the vacuum of choice? Are the newer commercial type vacuums as powerfull? Is it a price thing?
Thank You
Steve S
I personally have never owned a pile lifter. The word on these machines as often posted on online industry forums and bulletin boards is that pile lifters are great at brushing up old, beaten down carpet fibers, but not all that impressive as vacuum cleaners. Some have mentioned that the CRB (counter-rotating brush) machines, (for example, the Whittaker GLS machines) perform very well as pile lifters, as well as serving as fine encapsulating tools.
steve,
a much better alternative to a CPL is a hoover conquest. the auger brush roll design really digs into the fibers and gets them ready for OP cleaning. next would be a kirby, then the eureka/sanataire/powerflite line with that vibra-groomer brush roll.
these machines, especially the conquest and kirby, have always been my choice over the pile lifters.
built like tanks!
Steve Mark is right a CRB machine would be a much better choice. The pile lifters are very heavy and not much good at vacuuming. A good CRB machine will not only pile lift the carpet but also vacuum it. You can also use some CRB machines for dry compound cleaning, pre and post vacuuming, pre-scrubbing, grooming, tile and grout cleaning, and of course encapsualtion cleaning which they are really good at.
They are a very versitile machine. They are very easy to use. Here is a website for the newest CRB machine out there with the best prices. AT the website page you will see several CRB machines, scroll to the TM-Pro this is the newest and hottest CRB machine. There is a video clip at the top of the page showing the machine in action. I hope this helps. Here is the site http://www.smart-cleaning-solutions.com/site/1426224/page/866083
Grant, they work very close to as good as if not as good as the Challenger. However in residential cleaning we like to take as much dirt out as possable and the Challenger with a cotton pad does that, then if you are using encap juice any dirt that is left will be vacuumed by the customer. After we use the Challenger to clean a home we then use the CRB machine to post vac, pile lift and groom the carpet which it does all at the same time. It also digs deeper down into the carpet to pull up pet hair, and dirt that is deep in the carpet. There is no cleaning process in IMP that cleans a carpet more thoroughly. Commercial carpets are different we almost always just encap them using the CRB machine, and only use the Challenger to work on a spot or area that the CRB machine didn't get out which isn't very often. They do a fantastic job and are light at only 53 lbs. They are as fast if not faster than a cimex and much easier to load and unload, go up and down stairs, and get in and around furniture, plus they get under desk because of their low profile. They have fantastic scrubbing ability because only a small portion of the round brush is in contact with the carpet, so all the weight of the machine is on only that part of the brush. They have about 4 times the down pressure on the carpet than a rotary, Challenger, OR CIMEX, however the Challengers oscillation and vibration make up for a lot of that. In commercial cleaning IMO there is nothing that is as easy to use and as effective as a CRB machine, and if combined with the Challenger in residential cleaning there is nothing that cleans more thoroughly and leaves the carpet looking so good! Don't get me wrong the cimex is a great scrubbing machine but it is heavy and combersome and I now more than one guy who has sold his cimex and only uses CRB machines because they are just as effective but much easier to handle.
