surface cleaner opinion's

H

hydro-clean

Member
I am about to order a new surface cleaner. I think im gonna go with the 24" steel eagle, cause my machine is only 3000 psi @ 4.5 gpm. but i have seen that there are 2 different styles of handles the regular single bar and the lawnmower type. which one is better or easier to use? Who usually has the best deals on these? Is steel eagle a good choice? thanks
 
I bought a 30" Steel Eagle from Espec last year. I bought the adjustable one. I paid $820 for it brand new. It has worked well for me. I went with the lawn mower style handle and I like it. I haven't had any problems with my surface cleaner at all. I have the two bar. The only think I don't like is that I can't use it on my 4 gpm machine because it spins it too slow.
 
I have the 24" Steel Eagle and I like it. I have the one with the mower type handle and feel that it is the best choice.
I have used it on 4 GPM machines and it did fine, even with oversized tips.
One thing to keep in mind with a surface cleaner is decide where you will use it most and use that for which size to get. Better to have one a little smaller and take a little extra time, than to have one to big and not be able to use it.

Here is something to consider,

http://groups.msn.com/Hotwaterwizard/buildyourownsurfacecleaner.msnw
 
Here is the one I have ordered, gonna run right at $600 with shipping. The guy I bought my rig from told me ran them for 5 years and never had any trouble and that they are built stout.
He has the 24" and 30" inch models plastic or metal. I am going with the metal, like someone here told me you can't weld plastic if the need arrises.

http://cairns-mfg.com/spike.html
 
Mark,
I would say a little pricey. You could get a Steel Eagle with the real Dueblin swivel, for less. I am not impressed when they say "Dueblin equivalent".
The brush around the sides will wear out and add to maintenance costs, and those casters look weak for the work they will be doing. 30" is a quite often a bit large for residential work, so I would recommend a 24" and say check out www.steeleagle.com for more info.
Also check out http://groups.msn.com/SteamCleanersInc/_homepage.msnw?pgmarket=en-us
 
Mark send me the $1000 and I will get you your Steel Eagle and still make a handsome profit off you.

Also you don't want to buy from the manufacture as they won't discount you, sells at full retail.

As Alan said don't be fooled by a copy of the real thing, go for the Dueblin and you won't go wrong.

Yes you pay more for it but worth the extra.

Whisper Wash Big Guy is another good surface cleaner.

Jon
 
hydro-clean

i know everyone needs to eat but after looking at what you get for your money. I will make my next one.
A garbage can lid,some lawn mower parts and a swivel and spray bar.
The profit margin on one of these has to be huge,at least to the mfg.
www.ssswivel.com [thanks WIZ]
 
The bad boy is very well made i have used one it does a good job. I personally own whisper wash equipment. I think the bad boy is better made than the big guy but time will tell. Ive run my big guy for 5 years only replacing the swivel seals and bearings. I know the manufacturer of the bad boy and what he tried to do was merge what was best of all the surface cleaners on the market. I think he acomplished that. If all you run is 4 gpm you need to down size your surface cleaner to a 18 to 24 inch one.
 
Greg SD,

So tell us who makes this bad boy copy cat surface cleaner?

I say copy cat since he pretty much takes the name of Big Guy and other things from other copy righted products and makes his own with a little of each in it.

Not a bad thing but I would only buy from a proven company and a proven product.

Even if it is a fellow pressur washer going into sales or manufacturing I would still only buy proven products.

Jon
 
True but I can say this, the best handle I have used or seen on any surface cleaner is the one Whisper Wash uses, straight though trigger gun as part of the handle.

All others including my new Steel Eagle use trigger guns that don't attach directly to the machine.

I would much prefer the other style and have spoken with Steel Eagle about improving theirs, guess what it is in the experimental stage now.

So if anyone can truly show me a better machine and allow me to test it I will give unbaised opinion on the good, bad and ugly about it.

Till then I will stick with true and tried things. Now if people I have known for a long time are using one I might listen a bit more to what they say.

Greg tell us this, just how have they improved on their machine?

Oh and you still have not told us who they are.
 
Jon,
My name is Robert Williamson the designer of the Bad Boy, I appeciate your constructive critisism. Our gun is mounted in a cradle. And our handle is ajustable we are the only surfacer on the market that offers that. And as far as copy cat, there had to have been one person that first came up with the idea of a surfacer and everyone else past that point thought they could improve on it or make it cheaper. what makes the dublin such a good swivel is it's seal, ours uses a ceramic seal. Please check out our website. There is a lot more that goes in to this surfacer than others on the market.

http://www.northlandmetal.com
 
Robert Williamson, thanks for posting your comments, much can come of that.

A few questions, why only 2 or 4 nozzle bars and not a 3, the 4 nozzle would require 4000 PSI which most guys don't buy, right?

The 2, well I went from that to a 3 nozzle and feel it is as good or better then the two, also much less costly to replace one bar then the whole thing, that is a good point with Steel Eagle.

Another reason is the lower base to the ground, not brush to spray water out and get everything wet. Oh and the brush holders, well they would break off often, just pop riveted on as your as, I ended up using nuts, lock washer and bolts and then they would stay put.

Also has a plastic in back so water does not get the person using it wet.

Sure some guys wear boots, I don't for a few reasons.

The handle does look nice, as with the Big Guy a straight though trigger gun, now that I do like AND how it sits on the cradle so I am pretty sure it won't work loose and need to be tightened often as my old Whisper Wash Big Guy did.

Question, would not that ceramic seal break under extremely heavy abusive use?

In fact reading your warranty sort of scares me since guys like me who do 98% flat work do abuse them, simply by the heavy usage it gets. Went though 3 spinner bars and more nozzles then I can remember with the Big Guy, also had to have the handle welded since the constant back and forth movement weakened it, no broke it to be more honest.

Just wondering if you would publish your prices here since I could not find them on your web site.

Got one you want to ship me free for some hard testing?

Ok so you don't but it can't hurt to ask, right?

Thanks for your reply too.

Might as well ask another question since I notice your a young guy, how many years if any have you been pressure washing, and NO it is not a negative question. I don't abide by the saying you have to be a pressure washer before you can make things to sell them.


Jon
 
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wow a mfg. on site

rarely do you get to ask questions to a mfg.
I have some questions if you dont mind?
I am going to ruff you up a bit.
#1 it looks like the front castors have ballbearings in them.
Do they? Are they greesable? What are the cost to have them replaced? ballbearings need to be the sealed kind, are they,if they are ballbearing type?
#2 Why would you use your handle adj. cogs on the top of the handle and not on the bottom of the handle?
If they were on the bottom and had bigger twist knobs then you could store it flat and quick adj to get under things.
Where is the price list for spare parts?
What is the cost of just the spinner?
Is the water filter easy to clean?
I see no greese fitting for the spinner,what is the life exspectancy? What is the heat rateing? Will you be selling factory rebuilt spinners? Got a pic of the underside?
For $300 Beth at See Dirt Run would build you a better site.
When are you going to look for re-salers of your product?
Do you know what a roundtable meeting is?
They are being held this upcoming weekend and you showing up with your unit would have a lot of weight in this upcoming season.
Your unit would need to be exceptional at $1000 when most sell at $750.
Bring your new toy out to play at a roundtable meeting this weekend and let others play.
 
Thanks for your interest guys. To answer Jons question first my Dad has been pressure cleaning since the 60's I was raised in the trade and have always built my own equipment that is purchased pumps, engines and built my own frames and rigs. And I still pressure clean and always will even if the new surfacer takes off, its in my blood. I have always been know for my honesty that is the only way to be. I am not a manufacturer as of yet. I did not expect to get this much attention from the web site, the purpose of the site was to show distributors the product, and insurance companys for product liabilty quotes. When we were designing the handle we found adjusting the handle higher up not only changed the height but also changed the wrist angle for varios height people. As for replacement parts I will not over charge , I have been at your end and still are. I truly love the industry I am not in this to make a quick buck, just trying to improve things. If there is anyone near Cleveland I would be happy to show them.


Robert Williamson
 
Jon the base is thicker aluminum than on my big guy In my opinion more durable. the handle base is aluminum not steel wont rust like on my big guy. the handle adjustment is a nice option. the swivel only time will tell. as far as 4 nozzles I suggested that to Robert i feel that would be a nice option for people who run higher gpm machines or 2 machines together. the machine feels sturdier than my big guy and its definetly well put together. Dont get me wrong the big guy is a great machine i just feel the bad boy could be better than it. when i was told that robert was going to make a surface cleaner i thought to myself yeah right. but when i saw it i was pretty impressed. If robert can get it to market its worth taking a look at. I think its a product that will sell it self.
 
Greg, I do agree that the Big Guy is great, also theat instead of a solid peice heat bent they welded the top and sides, that is where mine has come apart.

Either I am lucky or many of you guys have bad handles, mine has never rusted so not sure why it happens to others.

Can understand 4 nozzles with 4000 PSI or as you said two machines together but the average guy has a 3000 PSI 5 or 5.5 GPM, not enough to do a truly good job with 4 nozzles.

Since getting the Steel Eagle 3 nozzle I doubt I would go back to a 2 nozzle machine but this should last 5 years the way I use and abuse them.

The one thing I truly like about the Steel Eagle is each bar is seperate so no need to remove all of them. Now I cannot compare that to other brands since I have not seen others.

My Emails with Robert have been positive and the more we talk the more I see where he is coming from.

Now what are you doing with one of his machines of he is not selling them YET? FOUL PLAY here someplace. :)

Jon
 
Jon, Robert used to live and work in central florida. I know him through another contractor who is good friends with him. the other contractor is testing/using the bad boy. Me and Jim(the other contractor)work big jobs together thats how i am familar with the bad boy.
 
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