SERIOUS detailer in the market for a Steamer.... looking to buy in the next 30 days or less.... please help with your opinions

J

josher

New member
Joined
Sep 12, 2017
Messages
95
Reaction score
0
I am in the market for a Steamer and the 5 i have considered you guys sell so please help me eliminate a few so I can better make a decision!... Originally I was going to get a Dupray Innox Carmen injection model that is about $4,000 dollars which I think is no longer an option as I don't think I NEED one that expensive...

GOALS with steamer... Engine bay details as needed, all interior as needed.... and the occasional rim-job if the particular job calls for steam...... With the carmen innox out of the 5 options I think I have come up with 4 potentials to get......

2 in the $2,000 range and 2 in the $1,000 dollar range.

*** $1,999.99 - Dupray Hill Injection (I like this one along with the next 3 i'm about to list due to price and continuous refill ALSO the injection capabilities..... not sure if the injection is needed or worth the extra $1000)

*** $849.99 - Dupray ONE Plus - I like the price... NO INJECTION capable....

*** $1,029.00 - Vapor Chief 100 - I like this because continuous refill.... price range is good and Mike you say it's good so that helps me like it more

*** $1,999.00 - Vapor Chief 125 - I like this one IF I need injection or think it is a wiser purchase for the long run investment...... Please help me choose what would be great! I no longer want the Innox Carmen due to how big it is....

Thank you Mike and everyone else who may chime in.... appreciate the review on the Vapor Chiefs as I didn't know about these much before seeing your review. Thank you




P.S. I'm thinking less about the dupray ONE plus but it's still in the running
 
Besides the ability to refill on the fly, the next two important features are the ability to use tap water without harming the boiler and thus voiding the warranty.

After that you're in the $200.00 price range and then it comes down the quality of the attachments as it is the attachments that enable you to best use the steam. Most low end steam machines have crappy attachments.

Best attachments go to the Dupray Hill Injection and any of the Vapor Chief models that we carry as the attachments are all the same.

I used the Vapor Chief 125 Injection model to clean the hard plastic floor in the Competition Ready Van which was absolutely gross, dirty, stained and grimy. I think I posted pictures somewhere? I think it was the inclusion of the APC plus the steam plus my elbow grease rubbing the steam brush over the surface that cleaned it so well and it was clean enough to eat off of although I wouldn't.


:)
 
Yeah, Mike nails it here. :props:

I have two steamers in the shop & I really doubt I would use them all that often if they weren't refillable on the go.
Using tap water would be a massive bonus too, although our water here is very hard so thats not an option for me + distilled water is cheap here.
Attachments are a game changer - they're either great for the job at hand or they're not.

Sorry, I cannot help with the brands in question because we don't get them in New Zealand but I'm sure the forum folk with chime in with the nest advice.

Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:
 
Mike Phillips said:
Besides the ability to refill on the fly, the next two important features are the ability to use tap water without harming the boiler and thus voiding the warranty.

After that you're in the $200.00 price range and then it comes down the quality of the attachments as it is the attachments that enable you to best use the steam. Most low end steam machines have crappy attachments.

Best attachments go to the Dupray Hill Injection and any of the Vapor Chief models that we carry as the attachments are all the same.

I used the Vapor Chief 125 Injection model to clean the hard plastic floor in the Competition Ready Van which was absolutely gross, dirty, stained and grimy. I think I posted pictures somewhere? I think it was the inclusion of the APC plus the steam plus my elbow grease rubbing the steam brush over the surface that cleaned it so well and it was clean enough to eat off of although I wouldn't.


:)
Click to expand...




Thanks for the fast reply Mike! Do you know off the top of your head these stats..... I am going to opt going for the Dupray Hill Injection...... OR the Vapor Chief 125... which I will order from AutoGeek for sure! My few questions between these 2 models if you happen to know are....

***Can both models use regular tap water or ONLY the VaporChief 125 can? (if only the vapor chief is that a big deal breaker for some?? If the Hill Injection requires distilled water that sounds a little bit more of a headache.... or can I use the water from my water tank which is a softer water?)

***Do you have a preference between Hill Injection attachment options vs. Vapor Chief attachments? Or would you say they are both pretty equal and good give or take?

I really like the look of the Dupray Hill Injection but obviously a look is just that... Please when you have some more time I'd love to see your reply... Also if you can let me know anything else you personally know between these two models that could help my decision I'd love to read it. I want to get my Sprinter Van loaded up ready to roll no later than March 1st. 2018 :b I am ALMOST there!


Thank you again Mike and anyone else who wants to chime in their opinion feel free... I believe the Injection option is what I'm going for so now it's between Vapor Chief 125 or the Dupray Hill Injection. Thank you all!

-Josh
www.josher.biz coming soon...
Instagram - josher_paint_care
 
Aaryn NZ said:
Yeah, Mike nails it here. :props:

I have two steamers in the shop & I really doubt I would use them all that often if they weren't refillable on the go.
Using tap water would be a massive bonus too, although our water here is very hard so thats not an option for me + distilled water is cheap here.
Attachments are a game changer - they're either great for the job at hand or they're not.

Sorry, I cannot help with the brands in question because we don't get them in New Zealand but I'm sure the forum folk with chime in with the nest advice.

Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

Thank you Aaryn for the reply and for your opinion in the matter.... Much appreciated and it helps to hear all of the opinions for sure! I definitely want a continuous fill for sure.... the tap water thing would be a big PLUS because buying distilled water is an added task in it's own no matter how you look at it. Thanks again!
 
josher said:
I am in the market for a Steamer and the 5 i have considered you guys sell so please help me eliminate a few so I can better make a decision!... Originally I was going to get a Dupray Innox Carmen injection model that is about $4,000 dollars which I think is no longer an option as I don't think I NEED one that expensive...

GOALS with steamer... Engine bay details as needed, all interior as needed.... and the occasional rim-job if the particular job calls for steam...... With the carmen innox out of the 5 options I think I have come up with 4 potentials to get......

2 in the $2,000 range and 2 in the $1,000 dollar range.

*** $1,999.99 - Dupray Hill Injection (I like this one along with the next 3 i'm about to list due to price and continuous refill ALSO the injection capabilities..... not sure if the injection is needed or worth the extra $1000)

*** $849.99 - Dupray ONE Plus - I like the price... NO INJECTION capable....

*** $1,029.00 - Vapor Chief 100 - I like this because continuous refill.... price range is good and Mike you say it's good so that helps me like it more

*** $1,999.00 - Vapor Chief 125 - I like this one IF I need injection or think it is a wiser purchase for the long run investment...... Please help me choose what would be great! I no longer want the Innox Carmen due to how big it is....

Thank you Mike and everyone else who may chime in.... appreciate the review on the Vapor Chiefs as I didn't know about these much before seeing your review. Thank you




P.S. I'm thinking less about the dupray ONE plus but it's still in the running
Click to expand...
I have a dupray hill for sale still like new.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 
I went with the Vapor Chief 100.

I've had the Vapor Chief 100 for about a year now. The continuous refill option is very nice. I went through 3 of the little McColloch consumer grade steamers in the past 4 years because they always clog up and get a bunch of mineral build up inside the boiler tank. The best feature of the Vapor Chief is that the heating element is on the outside of the boiler tank so there is never any calcium build up. I use straight tap water and never drain the tank (it's typically used several times per week) and it has performed flawlessly for me. There is literally a sticker on the machine that recommends to actually use just tap water. The customer service from the company is top notch as well. A while back one of the wand accessories broke so I called to see if they sold the little piece that broke so I could repair it myself. Instead they just sent an entirely new accessory, priority shipping, so I didn't have to mess with it. Cannot recommend this steamer enough. Great all around performance for the price.
 
Now THAT is an endorsement!

When it's time for me to take the plunge, I'm going to start out assuming this is the one I am going to buy, and investigate from that point. With Mike Phillips singing it's praises, and then this, it sounds like the machine to beat! Thanks!
 
I have the Dupray. It uses tap water. Great machine so far. I have nothing but good things to say about it. I personally wouldn't buy anything lower end than it.

Nicholas, you should drain the tank. The machine breaks up sediment so it doesn't stick to and ruin the machine. But, it's still there and needs to be removed regularly. I don't know about the Vapor Chief, but the Dupray is fairly simple to drain.
 
I got the Vapor Chief 100, and I'm more than satisfied with it. The horse hair brushes are very handy too for auto detailing.
 
Thanks Nicholas, ducksfan and madwax.... appreciate the replies.. It appears anyone who has a vapor chief OR a Dupray hill inject are happy....... BUT correct me if I'm wrong....... I just realized this unless i am wrong.

The Dupray Hill injection ONLY uses injection with hot water..... the Vapor Chief 125 actually let's you use ANY chemical for injection..... so if that is the case and accurate, how does the 'hot water injection' compete with actual chemical injection? This is the problem...... when asking for comparisons usually only one person has had one steamer so it's hard to compare the two very fairly.... any ideas on the injection for the two? I'm leaning more towards getting a Vapor Chief 125 but then again the lack of customer base vs. the Dupray has got my mind in a bind too. ugh
 
OK!!!! no matter what anyone says from this point forward I am placing my order on Autogeek for my new Vapor Chief 125 !!!!! Super stoked !!! Auto geek I would love this ASAP only because i can't wait to use it!! Thank you everyone for your help in this decision.
 
Good for you. Yeah, i didn't know the Vapor Chief allowed you to add chems with the injection. That would be a nice option to have.
 
I just checked Dupray's site. I guess they've changed the Hill Injector so that you now are able to add detergent into the injection. My older model doesn't have that.
 
****UPDATE*****

My steamer (Vapor Chief 125) - RED DOT (Bowie, Arizona) Me - BLUE DOT (Orange County, California)

My steamer is much closer than last time I posted... only a few hours ago. check it out!!

View attachment 61814
 
Haha, nice one mate! :props:

I gave up checking in on my Autogeek orders to all the way down here in NZ after I spied a few of my parcels holidaying in Hawaii along the way . . . I just got too jealous. Average delivery time for an Autogeek pakage to travel the 8000+ miles from Florida to New Zealand is only 4 & a half days!! Thats outstanding! I sometimes wait weeks for orders from within NZ!?

Your steamer has been on quite the road trip! Enjoy it when it arrives mate.

Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:
 
SCRATCH THAT.... no steamer! =( The package I received from AutoGeek was everything BUT the steamer. My weekend continues to be 'a weekend' They told me on the phone they don't have any tracking information for the steamer and that it may just show up at my doorstep.... but I needed to sign for my clay and MF towels....


********UPDATE*******

Just got word from AutoGeek with the updated tracking.... My steamer is OUT FOR DELIVERY RIGHT NOW! ALL IS GOOD AND APPRECIATE THE communication~!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top