Best carpet extractor under 250?

Dugdug

Dugdug

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My budget is 200-250... What do you guys recommend?

My current process,

Vacuum
Treat with folex
Agitate W/ carpet brush
Vacuum w/ shop vac


It takes a long time with the shop vac. I would like a better means of extraction.

I don't want a ton of hoses, I would also like the water hot, and I don't want to have to ask my customer for hot water lol

Ive seen a lot of videos on youtube about extractors but it's a bit overwhelming. I want something decent under 250 that will speed my process up and suck up a lot of water.

Any ideas?
 
I think your budget is too low for a decent extractor unless you are going to go with a consumer cleaner like bissel, etc. which looks unprofessional.

I would save up and get a good extractor for around $800. It is going to be commercial grade and work alot better. It will also look more professional.

Do it right the first time and you won't have to worry about it later.
 
I don't agree with Toycar18 about the Bissel looking unprofessional if it gets the job done then no problem. Remember no shame in your game. I too cant afford a extractor like the Hot Rod or Mytee. I do and have no problem using Folex, brush and shop vac. I was thinking about getting the Bissel Pro Heat Little Green. If you have a customer then that means they don't want to do the work or believe they can't do the work and that's why they hire detailers like us. As long as you get the results then you did your job.
 
ryanmcg1 said:
I don't agree with Toycar18 about the Bissel looking unprofessional if it gets the job done then no problem. Remember no shame in your game. I too cant afford a extractor like the Hot Rod or Mytee. I do and have no problem using Folex, brush and shop vac. I was thinking about getting the Bissel Pro Heat Little Green. If you have a customer then that means they don't want to do the work or believe they can't do the work and that's why they hire detailers like us. As long as you get the results then you did your job.
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I was looking at the little green today at sears. Looks highly portable. Ive seen some mixed reviews about it.

I'm not going to be dropping 800 dollars any time soon so I'm leaning towards getting a better shop vac.... also, sears has a great return policy. They guy told me, take it home, try it, if it's not what you need, just return it... Seems legit right? lol
 
Home depot is great with returns I never had a problem. I'm thinking about getting the little green or the auto care version not sure what the difference is. You can get the power brush that rotates and scrubs for the little green instead of having to scrub with the brush that comes with it, that's the only drawback I find. If I get it I will get the power brush or whatever it's called. My shop vac is fine but would like to upgrade to a stronger and bigger vac. Also I seen other detailers results with the little green with Folex in the tank and can't tell that he didn't use the aztec hot rod or Mytee. I know it will take a few minutes longer but gotta work with what you can get. Send me a PM when you decide what you get and how you like it and I will do the same of I get 1 before you. That's what this forum is great for helping each other out.
 
ryanmcg1 said:
Home depot is great with returns I never had a problem. I'm thinking about getting the little green or the auto care version not sure what the difference is. You can get the power brush that rotates and scrubs for the little green instead of having to scrub with the brush that comes with it, that's the only drawback I find. If I get it I will get the power brush or whatever it's called. My shop vac is fine but would like to upgrade to a stronger and bigger vac. Also I seen other detailers results with the little green with Folex in the tank and can't tell that he didn't use the aztec hot rod or Mytee. I know it will take a few minutes longer but gotta work with what you can get. Send me a PM when you decide what you get and how you like it and I will do the same of I get 1 before you. That's what this forum is great for helping each other out.
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For sure, I'll be getting something by friday.
 
Only problem I've had with my LG machine is having to use a separate brush for corners. However I'm thinking about fabricating an extraction head to fit a shopvac size hose, I've got plenty of steel and lexan to work with to make one. kinda a final pass drying nozzle I guess
 
Dugdug said:
I was looking at the little green today at sears. Looks highly portable. Ive seen some mixed reviews about it.

I'm not going to be dropping 800 dollars any time soon so I'm leaning towards getting a better shop vac.... also, sears has a great return policy. They guy told me, take it home, try it, if it's not what you need, just return it... Seems legit right? lol
Click to expand...


If your looking at a Bissell get the pro heat version.....
 
Be careful the Sears by my house has a 15% restocking fee for those appliance.
 
you can get a bissell replcement extractor head for about 10 bucks on line and then go to home depot to get a shop vac reducer and use your shop vac for that-those little bissells dont have the lift like your shop vac does-save your money for a real machine
 
ryanmcg1 said:
I don't agree with Toycar18 about the Bissel looking unprofessional if it gets the job done then no problem. Remember no shame in your game. I too cant afford a extractor like the Hot Rod or Mytee. I do and have no problem using Folex, brush and shop vac. I was thinking about getting the Bissel Pro Heat Little Green. If you have a customer then that means they don't want to do the work or believe they can't do the work and that's why they hire detailers like us. As long as you get the results then you did your job.
Click to expand...

I have the LGM. I'm not doing detailing for a living. I don't need an 800$ extractor nor do i have a place to store it. The LGM works just fine and does a pretty good job at cleaning carpets. It has proven to be much better than doing carpets by hand. I'll try to find some pictures of carpets I've done. I mean I've had people give me a little larger tip just because they were so happy wtih the carpets. Now, the only downside to the LGM is its size. Yea it's portable which is great, but the tanks are small and require filling/emptying often. I'd say I probably fill up the tank with the solution stuff 4 times on average for a car and maybe empty 3 times. But since I'm not doing detailing for a living, I can deal with it.
 
I have used the LGM with good results, but now i have the auto care version the tools are pretty well made (feel sturdy) the crevice tool is nice all together i think its a good machine, there are alot of people that use them i can see the "unprofessional feeling" because now to the customer its not something they couldnt have done themselves as you get with the appearance of an 800 dollar machine (i hope u understand what i mean).....but the results are good enough for the customer to be happy with the finished product... and thats what really matters. I went with the auto care one because of the color..... opposed to .... pukieolivetanish green and yes.... thats what its really called... if you dont believe me check the ownees manual lol pull the trigger and enjoy your new toy... i mean tool... yea tool
 
When you come across AG having a whole site sale like they did this past summer, you can get an extractor for 20% off and catch a free shipping day and you save even more. That is what I did and got the Aztec Hot Rod for under $600 shipped for free. It get so hot that it the hose will burn my hand. I did a friends Tahoe that was trashed and it took forever doing the spray, scrub, shop-vac, blot, repeat. I even heated up some water and used a spray nozzle to try and assist the chemicals. It was way more work and time that I felt necessary, so I skipped the LGM(which I gave serious thought) and went straight for the Aztec. The one thing I will be purchasing or fabricating is an extractor crevice tool. The Mytee might be a little better machine, but cost more. Either way, the Aztec was a huge step up for me and has saved me a ton of time and made more money than my elbow grease and shop-vac were before.:)
A steamer is next on my list, but, a cheaper model may have to come first on that venture.
 
A place I came across the LGMs for about half price, refurbished, was at Olley's wholesale outlet here in V.B. Was going to pick one up just to try out and have in a pinch, and tryout. But, having the Aztec already I figured I could use that $40+ on some more needed detailing tools. Plus for compactness and portability the Aztec is probably the best package. I would go with the Bissell Auto version and try and get the crevice tool from the LGM to go with it. I think that was the thing that had me torn b/w which model Bissell to get before I bought the Aztec.
And whatever setup you go with, make sure to have plenty of terry/bath towels on hand; even with an extractor I find blotting the really dirty/wet jobs first helps the extractor work better and makes jobs go a little faster.:)
 
I've been using a Bissell Little green for way over 10 years. It's a great machine. Gets the job done and has never quit on me. I just got the new Bissell Pro Heat Auto Care and it's a nice improvement. Still easy to handle, gets the job done and now heats the water! You can't go wrong for $99.
 
For under $250 you are not going to find a "good" extractor unless it used, as new units are $600+.

That being said, the LGM Pro Heat has done very well for me the last 5+ years now. However, you can't expect the extractor to do all the work and it still needs to be followed up with a shop-vac, as it seriously lacks water lift. The LGM will also take considerable more time and the tanks will need to be emptied and filled several times to do a whole vehicle. Becasue they lack lift carpets will likely get more wet and require more drying time...this is a huge factor for mobile detailing IMO. I never let a client take delivery of a car with a damp interior, EVER! Every car I do is left inside overnight with fans blowing over the interior. The heating element in the LGM is also nothing like real extractors and it only heats it up to a lukewarm temp....best to just add hot water.


I only do this on the side so time is not an issue for me. If I did this full time the LGM would not even be a consideration IMO.

Here are some example of what the LGM can do though...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/17770-rasky-s-ad-black-2000-chevy-truck.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ln-navigator-extreme-makeover-56k-no-way.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...mf-d300-paint-correction-interior-detail.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...tail-d300-d301-mf-rasky-s-auto-detailing.html


Here is an article on using the LGM for interior detailing.


Rasky
 
i think there are still other extractors you can find that is at low price!
 
i use the shopvac using the bissel nozzles, works way better then the shopvac nozzles for sucking up the water as the suction is more concentrated, carpets only take about 30 mins MAX to dry and that is my trial of soaking carpets way too much(was my car) so a normal job would probably dry in 15 minutes.still would like the lgm but read the suction is lower then a shopvac so im putting it on the back burner for now....good luck making a decision
 
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