VX5000 - quick review, more to come

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Bates Detailing

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Hey guys - just a quick non pick review of the VX5000 Vapor system. Went on vacation and was just able to test it out yesterday (forced test lol).

Enterprise called me and needed a vehicle deodorized and cleaned up - perfect chance.

I have seen multiple vids on this steamer and steaming in general before purchasing, so I felt comfortable going to town with it.

The car had a heavy "oil/shop" smell in it that apparently their employees tried many times to get it out. There were some stains on the upholstery and none on the carpets. Smell was overpowering.

Step 1 - Presprayed upholstery and carpets with an APC while the steamer heated up. I did not agitate the surfaces on purpose because I was going to use the triangle brush head and agitate while steaming (testing it).

Step 2 - Went to town on seats at first rapidly until I got a feel for the steam and how hard it is on the seats. Once I felt comfortable I slowed down and got a good rhythm going.

Step 3 - wiped seats off with MF - ALOT of dirt lifted off this seats and unto the MF!

Step 4 - hit all the carpets.

Step 5 - blew steam through the vents - which is awesome by the way lol!

By this point the smell was for the most part gone - took about 30 minutes. BUT - I wanted to play with the steamer a bit so I went ahead and steamed the doors, pedals, seat railings, etc..... and I can say I loved it :dblthumb2:. Center console came out great too - no tooth brush or chemicals used on these.



Enterprise manager was very happy which matters most. I loved it with this job. I have not tested it on hard carpet stains yet but I will be messing around with it more tonight and throughout the week. So expect a review with pics soon :dblthumb2:


OH yeah - stains on seats came out no problem
 
[video=youtube_share;IxAKFlpdcfc&NR=1] - Applause[/video]
 
Ill be ordering one here real soon. I was debating between the vc 4000 and the vx 5000 and the only real difference is the vc holds a little more water and the vc has a switch on the to switch from haot water injection to steam.
 
tomrzk said:
Ill be ordering one here real soon. I was debating between the vc 4000 and the vx 5000 and the only real difference is the vc holds a little more water and the vc has a switch on the to switch from haot water injection to steam.
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The vx has the switch on the wand to switch from injection to steam as well..... I was actually using both on accident at first..... gives the option of just steam, mixture, and just injection.
 
Would u consider using this to wash a car with? I know u do dry wash but using hot water injection mode seems less likely to scratch the paint.
 
Speaking for myself I think the unit is to small for that. I have used it to detail out a motor, suspension and wheels. I really wanted one of those bigger models for car cleaning as in washing but didn't like the idea of steam then wipe with a MF. Could see to many ways to catch particles in the MF.
 
I have a similar unit of another make. It is really amazing how well these higher pressure hotter units work. The super heated almost dry vapor does its cleaning with almost no moisture left behind. Carpet and upholstery dry time is minutes rather than hours.

The fun is just beginning. Wait till you try it on an engine or do interior glass with it. The superheated blast of hot water can be a real thrill at the right times also.

Enjoy!! :dblthumb2:
 
feslope said:
I have a similar unit of another make. It is really amazing how well these higher pressure hotter units work. The super heated almost dry vapor does its cleaning with almost no moisture left behind. Carpet and upholstery dry time is minutes rather than hours.

The fun is just beginning. Wait till you try it on an engine or do interior glass with it. The superheated blast of hot water can be a real thrill at the right times also.

Enjoy!! :dblthumb2:
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Cleaning glass?! Cleaning glass is my #1 hated thing to do! Id rather put hot needles in my eyes lol
 
I have the same model and it's probably the best purchase I have made for my mobile setup! It's perfect for windows & is streak free.. I have almost stopped using window cleaner. It makes quick work on cars with nasty yellow windows from smoking without missing a beat.. oh, I had a lady who called me to do her interior.. kids left a pack of crayons on the leather seats and middle console, it was a nasty mess but it took about 10 minutes with the steamer and it looked like it never happened.. great tool:xyxthumbs:
 
tomrzk said:
Cleaning glass?! Cleaning glass is my #1 hated thing to do! Id rather put hot needles in my eyes lol
Click to expand...
Oh yes!! Takes a little practice, but worth it. Give the glass a low volume shot a few inches away, apply enough to leave condensation and wipe it clean. No more chemicals. On the inside side glass and outside glass use a squeegie. Sound easy enough?
 
here is a before and after on a leather seat that was pretty nasty. with the steamer, it took about 5 minutes per seat and no chemicals..:props:
 
Catfish, was that with the towel wrapped? That sure finished nice.
 
Congratulations on your purchase!! Once you go steam, you never go back. I even bought a cheap one to clean the inside of the house, mainly bathrooms. No chemicals, no germs.
 
Alright Guys - heres my review of the day for the VX5000



Test : Steamed interior carpet, upholstery.

Rule 1 - Used only steam - no injection, no chemicals

OK - there were no other rules...... but ^ this is how the experiment went.................


Before Vacuum Pics

DSC04728.jpg



DSC04730.jpg





Heres the machine :

DSC04743.jpg



These are 50/50 pics


DSC04742.jpg


DSC04741.jpg



Half Steamed :

DSC04769.jpg



DSC04767.jpg



DSC04784.jpg




DSC04740.jpg



DSC04756.jpg



DSC04737.jpg



DSC04757.jpg



DSC04738.jpg



DSC04759.jpg



DSC04792.jpg



DSC04793.jpg



Conclusion :


I was VERY impressed with the results - especially for not using any chemicals. The few tough stains that remained would have certainly came out if I had pre hit them by hand (which I normally do, but not for these test purposes). This vehicles carpets and upholstery have not been done since at least winter of '07 (when I bought the car). It was very easy to use and actually fun to use.

Cons -

I was sweating in 50 degree weather..... which means this method will certainly blow when it hits the 100s!

At some points it was very hard to see where I was working because the steam got really thick.

Other than that I think it held up to par with that of an extractor would on carpets with no chemicals or pre-hitting spots.


I give it :dblthumb2: so far.
 
so does the VX also give you suction too?? If not, then I don't see any difference between the VX and the cheap MCculloch that I have...
 
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