PMF Tools history.

[Mikey P]

Some 45 years ago, long before $110,00 truckmounts and $1800 wands ever existed there was a fellow named Ray Paissen of Klamath Falls Oregon. He owned a small metal fabrication facility that had no experience in the carpet cleaning industry.
In 1972 Ray was asked by Carl Parise of Thermax Portables to manufacture a tube for his wand that accompanied the very first heated carpet extractor.
From that point on, other portable companies looked to Ray to make their wands and triggers. Blue Luster and Rug Doctor were early customers and PMF grew from simple tubes to the first all stainless steel wands and hand tools. The first rebuild-able trigger kits for carpet tools as well as the original Hide A hose were just the beginning.

While the portable and rental market make up a very large part of PMF's production, the "big boys" on the residential side of our industry help keep the shop buzzing all year long. Prochem, Sapphire, Rotovac, PowrFlite to name just a few.

I doubt there is a cleaning van in this country that does not have at least a few PMF parts on board, and if it isn't their's, the chances of it being an Asian knock off one of their designs is high.

PMF employs 50 talented and dedicated machinist/operators, assemblers and fabricators that live very well in a small, former logging town where jobs are sparse. I saw lots of smiles and a energetic hustle during my tour yesterday.

Ray's daughters and a grandchild run the business today with great enthusiasm and no plans on selling. These days, due to a few key employee's being MB junkies, they are exciting about future growth in the Internet Nerd Market share.

Look for some exciting announcements soon.

In the mean time, watch my walking tour of their facility.

 

[Cleanworks]

Very fun tour Mikey. Nice to see where our wands come from.

 

[Jimmy L]

Funny they don't listen to our suggestions and give us that 2 inch swivel head stair tool.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Funny they don't listen to our suggestions and give us that 2 inch swivel head stair tool.

I heard they think so much of you Jimmy that they have your picture in a place of honor. Its in the shitter out back.

 

[Jimmy L]

Always found their tools to be outdated and nothing new.
Shit I even improved their plastic headed internal jet tool by putting on a needle valve with the knob adjust.

AND WHAT AM I BUT A DUMB-MF- CARPET CLEANER!

 

[Mikey P]

Funny they don't listen to our suggestions and give us that 2 inch swivel head stair tool.

Isn't your POS Castex 1.5?

 

[Jimmy L]

Yeah so what? It's 16 inches wide . Works great with that 100-150 feet of hose. I bought one of those POS 16 inch wide wands from PMF years ago. The slot was way too wide and it was as if the water would drip out of the vac slot. My POS castex has a much narrower slot and is far more productive. IDIOT!

 

[hogjowl]

I don't understand how any cleaner can stay away from this amazing place.

 

[Cleanworks]

I don't understand how any cleaner can stay away from this amazing place.

I guess that's why you're here. Lack of understanding.

 

[SamIam]

Great American company!

 

[Kevin B]

Such an awesome story! Love it!

 

[Russ T.]

Awesome tour Mike. It's so cool to see this biz from a very different perspective.

The communication that us cleaners have with the manufacturer (like PMF) is so important. I think it's really great that you had access like that and could share with all of us hacks.

 

[hogjowl]

I hope they don't go the way of the Vortex!

 

[Mikey P]

They love almost as much as you do

 

[hogjowl]

You're my hero.
Idiot!

 

[Mikey P]

 

[Loren Egland]

Some 45 years ago, long before $110,00 truckmounts and $1800 wands ever existed there was a fellow named Ray Paissen of Klamath Falls Oregon. He owned a small metal fabrication facility that had no experience in the carpet cleaning industry.
In 1972 Ray was asked by Carl Parise of Thermax Portables to manufacture a tube for his wand that accompanied the very first heated carpet extractor.
From that point on, other portable companies looked to Ray to make their wands and triggers. Blue Luster and Rug Doctor were early customers and PMF grew from simple tubes to the first all stainless steel wands and hand tools. The first rebuild-able trigger kits for carpet tools as well as the original Hide A hose were just the beginning.

While the portable and rental market make up a very large part of PMF's production, the "big boys" on the residential side of our industry help keep the shop buzzing all year long. Prochem, Sapphire, Rotovac, PowrFlite to name just a few.

I doubt there is a cleaning van in this country that does not have at least a few PMF parts on board, and if it isn't their's, the chances of it being an Asian knock off one of their designs is high.

PMF employs 50 talented and dedicated machinist/operators, assemblers and fabricators that live very well in a small, former logging town where jobs are sparse. I saw lots of smiles and a energetic hustle during my tour yesterday.

Ray's daughters and a grandchild run the business today with great enthusiasm and no plans on selling. These days, due to a few key employee's being MB junkies, they are exciting about future growth in the Internet Nerd Market share.

Look for some exciting announcements soon.

In the mean time, watch my walking tour of their facility.

Thanks Mike. That was interesting, even if all that machinery stuff was over my head. .

I am curious about the mention of the "very first heated carpet extractor" comment. Did you mean from Thermax? My Steam Way 400 portable I purchased in 1970 had a heater for at least a couple years before I bought it, and you mentioned 1972. Was that the year the Thermax started with their extractor that had a heater? I don't remember Thermax but to be the very first portable with a heater, I assume it had to be produced before 1968.

 

[Mikey P]

Not sure Loren, I'll ask Curt..

 

[encapman]

Very cool tour Mike. Thanks for putting that together.

 

[Curt Johnston]

Thanks Mike. That was interesting, even if all that machinery stuff was over my head. .

I am curious about the mention of the "very first heated carpet extractor" comment. Did you mean from Thermax? My Steam Way 400 portable I purchased in 1970 had a heater for at least a couple years before I bought it, and you mentioned 1972. Was that the year the Thermax started with their extractor that had a heater? I don't remember Thermax but to be the very first portable with a heater, I assume it had to be produced before 1968.

Hi Loren,Ray started in 72 but not sure when Carl Parise of Thermax began building portables. He had the CP3-the CP5 and the DV12 and i believe they all had element heater's. I'll do some more research to find out when Carl introduced his first heated porty. I was always told he did it first but maybe not? He was a big dog in the rental market then created the DV-12 for residential. Another interesting thing that Ray Passien did was to build the container's for moon rock's that went to the moon on the Apollo mission to be filled and returned He was a brilliant guy who decided to get out of the one off market and go into quantity manufacturing. He was a proud and smart Mohawk Indian P.S. all three of the Thermax machine's are still being built today.Also was a good time having Mike and Tom up,Ya'all come back now ya hear.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Thank you Mr Johnston for the tour and your crew's contribution to the industry.