I'm going to have to make up my mind by December. Right now I am leaning towards
Butler or the
Hydramaster 4.8. I don't trust
Sapphire. They remind me of
Prochem. Mystical, silent and detached from the roots of our industry (us). We see nothing from them, and even the two or three Pro 1200 owners that we are aware of are largely silent until they are reluctantly drawn out of the shadows. (With the lone single exception of the lunitic Hebrew we have posting here.) Where is the passion that we see out of
Butler owners?
While largely detached themselves,
Butler has a loyal following here that has been built out of decades of reliable experience. The shortcomings of their units are well known to us. We are capable of making an educated decision based off of known facts regarding them. The posters here who advocate their units are well known and respected. I can be sure of what I know when I think of
Butler. If it were not for the lack of space, I'd already own a
Butler.
Hydramaster is also a tried and true company. They are part of our community. While not active, they are here answering questions when asked. I appreciate that. Their shortcomings are also known. I know what there is to know. There are no surprises with
Hydramaster. I don't have to worry about van engine size mistakes made by inexperienced distributors. Their units are sold and installed by well known and respected distributors. (Not in Alabama though.)
While I would love to continue to give my business to
TCS, their offerings are Cleanco and
Sapphire. If I decide to continue to support them, it will only be because of my total trust in their integrity. It won't be based on any trust or respect for the two units they offer. I know nothing about Cleanco. I might as well be buying a
Sapphire, except for the fact that at least I have a distributor I can trust in
TCS.
I am basically buying long distance. The distributor network in Alabama is poor. The closest reliable distributor is in Atlanta. 3 hours away. I have been successful dealing with Truck Mounts and Cleaning Solutions in Atlanta over all these years simply because their slide in units are so DARN DEPENDABLE! I can't imagine stepping out on a limb and purchasing a direct drive unit from two unknown mfgs, having potential issues, and having to drive 3 hours and have a unit down for days. When direct drives have issues, I am told they are major. Few and far between, but major. I don't want to have to drive three hours with a major issue, and wait days.
If I am going to have to buy long distance, and be supported long distance,
Butler is probably the logical choice. They've been supporting countless cleaners long distance for years. I never hear anyone complaining about their support.
The one reason I am considering
Hydramaster is because of their compact design. The space available in their units is a HUGE plus. May be even enough to overcome their weak shaft and the fact that I would have to be supported by Jon-Don in Atlanta. 3 freaking hours away.
Hydramaster does have two local, Alabama, distributors. I hear they do. I never seen anything from them. Don't know them. Don't even know of, or read anything from any of their buyers. They might as well not be in business as far as I can tell. Again ... the great unknown.
Don't horse laugh me out of here if I show up next spring with a
Sapphire Pro 1200 or a Cleanco 47 ... because the love I have for all things
TCS is huge. Loyalty for me is a very important factor. They've been loyal to me, and I them.
But right now ... I'm leaning elsewhere.
Reluctantly ...