Best wand

[carbsol]

Hi every one. I'm new to this forum so I apologize if this topic has already been covered.
My wand sucks. I see several new super fancy wands out their and am curious if any of them are as good as they claim.
I run a white magic truck mount. I understand that a 2 inch wand will (in theory) provide better suction but I really prefer the ergonomics of the 1.5". The three wands that look interesting are:
Prochems 13.5" titanium six jet one (the four jet looks great too)
US Products Revolution roto molded
and the new Stryker wand by Sapphire Scientific.

Has anyone used these?
I see a lot of glides out there as well. I keep wondering though if the smaller suction space can really perform better than the stock. I know they glide better, but do they WORK better :?:

I'll try not to be so long winded in the future.

 

[Zee]

Become friends with the SEARCH button...
But if you don't feel like reading the 20000000000 posts about wands, I'll tell you the Greenhorn is an excellent tool to have.

Zee

 

[bensurdi]

I really like the prochem quad jet wands. I have 4 of these, i could probably hook you up with one if you want to. Greenhorn is a great bet and the Ti wand. These are the most popular choices.

 

[Johnny]

GreenHorn.

 

[Shane T]

Choosing a wand is kind of like choosing what type socks you like. It's really a personal choice. That being said I don't beleive there is any argument that a 2" glided wand will out perform an 1.5" without a glide. As far as the ergonomics of a 2" after using it for a few days I could never go back to a 1.5".

 

[CleanEvo]

Any wand will be greatly improved with a glide. I use a Prochem Quadjet with a holed glide and it works really well, the only downside is that it's only 11" wide. If you want a wider wand, get a Greenhorn 14".

What's up with Carbonated Solutions these days? I used to use their product a few years ago... it's good stuff. Are you using the CS with the truck mount? I thought they were against truck mounts?

And welcome to Mikey's Board.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Hi Martin;

As stated, you will find a variety of opinions on the "ideal wand".

We like the 1.75" tube CMP wand with 4 angled jets.

http://www.cobbcarpet.com/loprow.html

The tube allows you to reach around it without hand fatigue...

while the larger angled jets allow better flushing with the same dry time.

Glides are required for human backs.

The new 14" carbon-fiber Bentley is another good choice, if you like addition of the swivel.

Larry

 

[TimP]

If you can get a greenhorn from greenie then that's the best choice for the money right now.

If you want a lifetime wand and are willing to have it tweaked and spend about double what greenhorn costs then get you a titanium wand. A titanium wand out of the package isn't very good.


Not many here have used the stryker and I'm very interested in it. So far the reviews on it have been positive but I don't think they are really on the market yet.

 

[Scott S.]

Green horn!!!

 

[Tony Dees]

I have both the Greenhorn and a Titanium 6 jet.

I like both, with that in mind, they both have advantages and disadvantages.

The Ti is a great wand, as stated above, out of the box it sucks. In order to get it right you need to add check valves, jets and a glide. This will up the cost about another 250. The Ti currently(or at least the one that I have) is not one whole wand, meaning the head of the wand and the tube are not all one piece. The head is held on with JB weld and 3 rivets. and the rivets will break often. This is a problem that needs to be fixed about 3 times a year. When it's working it's an excellent wand. Easily gets under and around almost anything. Also after pulling the hand valve on the Ti for a long time you would swear that its causing carple tunnel. This will work on your fore arm after a while if you use alot of pressure.

The Greenhorn is a great wand also. Nice and shiny, probably like what you are using now but just wider. The head is a little tall, but once your use to it, it will be one of the best wands you'll ever use. Out of the box you need NO modifications. Just hook up your line and clean away. The angle of the jet will make you think that your not getting a good spray, but you really are. This wand is also easily cleaned at the end of the day and looks new everyday. The valve on the Greenhorn is a soft touch, no effort to pull at all. I love that feature, I have to catch myself sometimes and ease up on my grip and not pull the valve so hard.

SO....Buy the Green horn, if you want a Ti, use it for a backup or a tech when dual wanding. Currently, I have to fix my TI AGAIN.

 

[Guest]

The only glide I have ever owned is a Green Glide; Westpak 4 jet works for me Naked; gonna get a glide for it someday!! And BTW; Hole Glides Rock!!

 

[Dolly Llama]

Hi every one. I'm new to this forum so I apologize if this topic has already been covered.
My wand sucks. I see several new super fancy wands out their and am curious if any of them are as good as they claim.
I run a white magic truck mount. I understand that a 2 inch wand will (in theory) provide better suction but I really prefer the ergonomics of the 1.5". The three wands that look interesting are:
Prochems 13.5" titanium six jet one (the four jet looks great too)
US Products Revolution roto molded
and the new Stryker wand by Sapphire Scientific.

Has anyone used these?
I see a lot of glides out there as well. I keep wondering though if the smaller suction space can really perform better than the stock. I know they glide better, but do they WORK better :?:

welcome dude

I'm going to go against the flow here, but my comments are based on my own evaluations of cleaning mucho rat holes for the last 20 years.
You'll find that most dudes don't know sheet from shine-ola and just "follow the pack" with what is popular
(you'd surprised how many veteran cleaners don't squat either)

I start by saying that ShaneT nailed it.
There are so many different wands on the market and everyone's style and preference is different.
What's right for "me", may not be right for you.
Best advise I could give is demo wands in "real world" conditions before plunking down your hard earned dough

what PSI do you run at day in and day out?
cause it makes a difference in wand performance

example, a cheap 2 jet wand (AW29 style) will out clean a pimped Ti wand at 350 and below PSI.
Personally, I KNOW the AW29 is a very good cleaning wand at low to moderate PSI.
If our original 6 jet Ti wand blew up today, we'd go right back to AW29's that we used for years before we got our Ti


the Prochem 4 jet is a beefy robust "forever" wand
But at hi-PSI (450 and above) it can be a jet pile distortin' POS on many cut piles

I have no experience with the Greenhorn wand, so i just can't comment on it.

I've demoed the stock Westpac and CMP wands.
I think the Westpac is a flimsy headed POS
The CMP is a little better, but I'm just not a big fan.
Unglided they're a nightmare to push (so is the Ti, BTW)
and all three are all but unusable without a glide

Speaking of Glides...




IMO, an UNglided wand cleans best as long as blower lift isn't so high that the wand "locks down" on the carpet.
Some carpet types are worse than others for "lock down" too
Having said that, i don't think we'd ever go "naked" again.
Glides not only help prevent "lock down" but also allow higher blower lift setting with less fatigue to operator

I have all styles of glides ..slot, hybrid and hole from several manufactures
slot glide out cleans it..period

side note...My suggestion is to buy only genuine Greenglides, as they have been constantly the best in fit

Dry times..
from "my" side by side evals to "complete" drying showed little to no difference on cut piles.
Note... that's with "my" wanding style, my TM and the normal amount of pre-spray "I" use.
Your's and other's mileage may vary.
But I'd venture a guess very few have actually done side by side, same day, same wand, same room evaluations to monitor full dry times.
My Ti is notched for easy glide change and have both a slot and hole glide for it, so I "know" of what I speak.
but again, that's with "my" style and methods.

the only eval I've done to complete dry on loop pile was in my rec room and that was many moons ago.
A muilti level short loop pile olefin using two AW29 wands .
One unglided and one w/ Cletpo Ken slot glide.
The side with Clepto Kens slot glide was soaked and unglided was much better

I wish I had a POS Castex wand to try.
It's Jimmy's favorite..and Jimmy ain't no dummy, nor a "pack follower"
I'm afraid the jet manifold would be bend all to hell after a couple months of our crew abuse though
me and Shane could tear up and anvil, (Cody is much less abusive, fortunately)


Sorry for the book..and again welcome to the WORLD GREATEST and MOST honest carpet cleaning board in the history of the world


..L.T.A.

 

[Curtis Pennington]

Cobb has nice wand..so is the GH but my fav is a modified TI.

 

[Larry Cobb]

The Ti is a great wand, as stated above, out of the box it sucks. In order to get it right you need to add check valves, jets and a glide. This will up the cost about another 250. The Ti currently(or at least the one that I have) is not one whole wand, meaning the head of the wand and the tube are not all one piece. The head is held on with JB weld and 3 rivets. and the rivets will break often. This is a problem that needs to be fixed about 3 times a year.
...
Currently, I have to fix my TI AGAIN.

This is unaccectable for any $1000 wand manufacturer..

I did like the original 4-jet TI one piece wand with even jet spacing.

Larry

 

[Chris A]

I really like the prochem quad jet wands. I have 4 of these, i could probably hook you up with one if you want to. Greenhorn is a great bet and the Ti wand. These are the most popular choices.

How many were sent to you free after your's was stolen?

 

[Farenheit251]

Angled jets make the water travel farther (50%??) before wetting the backing. Allows for the use of more water and pressure for a more thorough rinse.

 

[CraigT]

welcome dude

I'm going to go against the flow here, but my comments are based on my own evaluations of cleaning mucho rat holes for the last 20 years.
You'll find that most dudes don't know sheet from shine-ola and just "follow the pack" with what is popular
(you'd surprised how many veteran cleaners don't squat either)

I start by saying that ShaneT nailed it.
There are so many different wands on the market and everyone's style and preference is different.
What's right for "me", may not be right for you.
Best advise I could give is demo wands in "real world" conditions before plunking down your hard earned dough

I've demoed the stock Westpac and CMP wands.
I think the Westpac is a flimsy headed POS
The CMP is a little better, but I'm just not a big fan.
Unglided they're a nightmare to push (so is the Ti, BTW)
and all three are all but unusable without a glide

..L.T.A.

Hello Larry (and anyone else that has an opinion on this matter),

I see that you have demoed a Westpak stock wand and that you didn't like it. Now I realize that it may just not have been a good "fit" so to say, or there are some flaws that make it "flimsy" to say the least. If you could take some time to answer a couple of questions about the Westpak wand it would help me a lot.

1. How long ago did you demo it?
2. What type of wand was it? (how many jets, size of head, size of tube)
3. What were the "flimsy" points you saw?

Currently we're analyzing our wands to make them more friendly for the carpet cleaner and also including features that you guys are paying extra for that makes your job easier. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks for your time.

 

[Loren Egland]

I was able to see several wands this year (2008) at Mikefest. The ones that interested me were the Titanium 6 jet, the 16 inch Evolution, the Bentley swivel head wand, and the Greenhorn. Each had something desirable about them. All were 2 inch wands.

The Evolution did not clean to the edges, leaving at least an inch or more on both sides from the edge of the wand, but had a nice shape for air flow. It seemed to flex a little.

The Bentley had that swivel advantage, where you could get into tight spots easily and lay flat to clean under beds. It also was the only wand whose shape would allow it to get underneath cabinets easily, such as in bathrooms. The low outer edge angles toward the center rather than using a more upright slant that is then squared off like the other wands. It seemed too short in the length of the tube, but I think there is a longer one. Perhaps this was to accommodate the gun type handle and trigger on the top, which I didn’t like that at all. Likely the wand can be had with a conventional trigger.

The Titanium looked pretty good, but I didn’t care for the jet spacing. Rather than having 6 jets evenly distributed, there was extra space in the middle of the 6 jets, like two sets of 3 jets. Maybe not a big deal though.

I bought the Greenhorn at Mikefest, and have been able to compare it with my Steam Way wand.

The Greenhorn is evidently slightly wider at 14 inches than the 13.5 inch(?) Ti wand, and all 5 jets were evenly placed. I think it is a pound or so heavier than the Ti. To me it seemed nice to have a jet in the middle of the wand. The jets are dialed in just right. The wand cleans evenly across the whole width. The jets are set close to the carpet at a pretty good shear angle, hitting just in front of the holed Greenglide. In fact, this wand almost cleans like a Hydrokinetic upholstery tool in that you can trigger the wand and not move it, yet the water doesn’t start to puddle up like it would on my Steam Way wand. Though the wand is 2” and my Steam Way is 1.5”, I think the main reason it leaves the carpet drier is due to how the water strikes the carpet, and of course that each jet puts out less water than the one jet of my Steam Way wand. I definately like the Greenhorn better than the Steam Way on lower nap carpet and olefin berbers.

The S shape wand is at times easier to get underneath some things but sometimes the straight wand will get further underneath since it doesn’t get hung up on the bend. The Greenhorn it is a pain around a tight toilet enclosure. Since the Steam Way wand is a straight wand, I can angle it to make it take a smaller path, but the S shape of the Greenhorn takes up too much space and will not allow the wand to be turned at an angle, hitting the wall and the stool.

The Greenhorn also doesn’t get underneath all cabinets well due to its shape on the outer edge, where as my Steam Way wand does just fine.

I also seem to be able to suck up moisture at the baseboard better with my Steam Way wand. It is may be due to the fact that my Steam Way glide has worn down to where it is now shorter across than my wand. The new Greenglide on the Greenhorn wand is wider than the wand. Perhaps when it wears down and becomes a little narrower, it will suck at little better along the edge near the baseboard. It is easier, due to the S bend and the jet angle to be in a hallway and turn the wand perpendicular to the walls to spray into the crease where filtrations stains occur.

With the Steam Way wand, most of the cleaning is in the center where the water blasts the carpet, so I need to overlap, usually a half a wand to get the carpet good and clean. This is one of the reasons I wanted another wand.

Surprisingly, I have not had any streaking problems with the Greenhorn. It cleans more gently than my Steam Way wand.

The Greenhorn cleans better than I expected. I believe this is due to the water flow. I tested the difference at 500 psi with 100 feet of 3/8 inch solution hose, and the Greenhorn total water flow is about 50% more than my Steam Way wand. However, when I need to get a tough spot out, the Steam Way seems better. I had some candle wax to remove one day, and the Greenhorn was taking too much time, so I went out and got my Steam Way wand to blast away the wax.

Stairs are not easy with the Greenhorn, so I use a PMF stair tool. But even that stair tool caused me grief on a carpet last week because it was making streak marks in the nap, so I took out my Steam Way wand to do them.

I like that I can lay down the Greenhorn and it won’t tip over all the way on its side due to the S bend. Sometimes my Steam Way wand would tip all the way over near some furniture or wall, and the handle would hit something, risking a little damage. A nice feature of the Greenhorn is the softer coated handle. The trigger also has this, but it wanted to slide around too much. Finally it split open on the end, so I shoved it forward. It eventually folded over itself a little on the other end, and I was able to draw the trigger cover back in place enough to cover the metal, so it is now staying in place.

The valve on the Greenhorn has not leaked yet, something I fight from time to time with the Steam Way Paraplate valve that doesn’t like heat.

What is really sweet is that the Greenhorn wand doesn’t leak water out of the jets like my Steam Way. I have also not had a clogged jet, which surprised me because each jet orifice is about 3 times smaller than the Steam Way jet. I guess it has an inline filter to prevent this, so that is very nice.

The Greenhorn releases more steam vapor into the air than my Steam Way with the fully enclose heat chamber, but not that bad. I don’t think there is a great deal of heat loss with the Greenhorn, though it logically does lose more than the Steam Way wand. At least there is an outer edge shield on the Greenhorn, something not all of the wands at Mikefest had. There doesn’t seem to be any water overspray to speak of with the Greenhorn.

Sometimes when I Rotovac a carpet it is best to give a quick once over with the wand afterwards to remove swirls. The Greenhorn obviously does this faster than my Steam Way. I think the Greenhorn can clean faster in most cases too, because the wand is wider and cleans equally from edge to edge instead of cleaning better in the middle and less so on the sides as the Steam Way wand that requires overlapping strokes.

The Greenhorn is highly polished stainless steel, so it shines like chrome. However, because of the shiny surface, it also shows every smudge and dribble, so I find myself wiping it down much more than the non polished stainless steel of my Steam Way wand. Still, I kind of like the shine.

Bottom line is I have only used my Steam Way wand two or three times in the last two months. The Greenhorn is that good! But for the occasional situation or deep piled nasty that I don’t Rotovac, I can still grab my Steam Way wand.

Loren Egland

 

[bob vawter]

Hi every one. I'm new to this forum so I apologize if this topic has already been covered.
My wand sucks. I see several new super fancy wands out their and am curious if any of them are as good as they claim.
I run a white magic truck mount. I understand that a 2 inch wand will (in theory) provide better suction but I really prefer the ergonomics of the 1.5". The three wands that look interesting are:
Prochems 13.5" titanium six jet one (the four jet looks great too)
US Products Revolution roto molded
and the new Stryker wand by Sapphire Scientific.

Has anyone used these?
I see a lot of glides out there as well. I keep wondering though if the smaller suction space can really perform better than the stock. I know they glide better, but do they WORK better :?:

welcome dude

I'm going to go against the flow here, but my comments are based on my own evaluations of cleaning mucho rat holes for the last 20 years.
You'll find that most dudes don't know sheet from shine-ola and just "follow the pack" with what is popular
(you'd surprised how many veteran cleaners don't squat either)

I start by saying that ShaneT nailed it.
There are so many different wands on the market and everyone's style and preference is different.
What's right for "me", may not be right for you.
Best advise I could give is demo wands in "real world" conditions before plunking down your hard earned dough

what PSI do you run at day in and day out?
cause it makes a difference in wand performance

example, a cheap 2 jet wand (AW29 style) will out clean a pimped Ti wand at 350 and below PSI.
Personally, I KNOW the AW29 is a very good cleaning wand at low to moderate PSI.
If our original 6 jet Ti wand blew up today, we'd go right back to AW29's that we used for years before we got our Ti


the Prochem 4 jet is a beefy robust "forever" wand
But at hi-PSI (450 and above) it can be a jet pile distortin' POS on many cut piles

I have no experience with the Greenhorn wand, so i just can't comment on it.

I've demoed the stock Westpac and CMP wands.
I think the Westpac is a flimsy headed POS
The CMP is a little better, but I'm just not a big fan.
Unglided they're a nightmare to push (so is the Ti, BTW)
and all three are all but unusable without a glide

Speaking of Glides...




IMO, an UNglided wand cleans best as long as blower lift isn't so high that the wand "locks down" on the carpet.
Some carpet types are worse than others for "lock down" too
Having said that, i don't think we'd ever go "naked" again.
Glides not only help prevent "lock down" but also allow higher blower lift setting with less fatigue to operator

I have all styles of glides ..slot, hybrid and hole from several manufactures
slot glide out cleans it..period

side note...My suggestion is to buy only genuine Greenglides, as they have been constantly the best in fit

Dry times..
from "my" side by side evals to "complete" drying showed little to no difference on cut piles.
Note... that's with "my" wanding style, my TM and the normal amount of pre-spray "I" use.
Your's and other's mileage may vary.
But I'd venture a guess very few have actually done side by side, same day, same wand, same room evaluations to monitor full dry times.
My Ti is notched for easy glide change and have both a slot and hole glide for it, so I "know" of what I speak.
but again, that's with "my" style and methods.

the only eval I've done to complete dry on loop pile was in my rec room and that was many moons ago.
A muilti level short loop pile olefin using two AW29 wands .
One unglided and one w/ Cletpo Ken slot glide.
The side with Clepto Kens slot glide was soaked and unglided was much better

I wish I had a POS Castex wand to try.
It's Jimmy's favorite..and Jimmy ain't no dummy, nor a "pack follower"
I'm afraid the jet manifold would be bend all to hell after a couple months of our crew abuse though
me and Shane could tear up and anvil, (Cody is much less abusive, fortunately)


Sorry for the book..and again welcome to the WORLD GREATEST and MOST honest carpet cleaning board in the history of the world


..L.T.A.

YES...and those that THINK they know too................

but aside from that....get a Greenhorn.

 

[Mikey P]

Greenhorn or Cobb's wand would be my choice with my eyes wide open on how the Stryker/Legends wand pans out.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Hello Larry (and anyone else that has an opinion on this matter),

I see that you have demoed a Westpak stock wand and that you didn't like it. Now I realize that it may just not have been a good "fit" so to say, or there are some flaws that make it "flimsy" to say the least. If you could take some time to answer a couple of questions about the Westpak wand it would help me a lot.

1. How long ago did you demo it?
2. What type of wand was it? (how many jets, size of head, size of tube)
3. What were the "flimsy" points you saw?

Currently we're analyzing our wands to make them more friendly for the carpet cleaner and also including features that you guys are paying extra for that makes your job easier. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Hi Craig.
Glad you're here and glad you asked.

I don't know which Westpac it was.
it was a large one..maybe a 13-14" wide head.
If i recall it was a lg tubed wand too...2"
Unglided

I didn't demo it long, cause it was impossible to push forward.
when i tried to push it forward, the head at tube junction flexed worse than a cheap AW29 Chinese knock off.
That's what I mean by "flimsy POS"
That's the most likely point it will break due to the constant flex.
Life will be extended with a glide, but the vast majority of cleaners don't use a glide and they scrub with a wand.


maybe you've changed it since i demoed that one 4-5(?) years ago, I donno


when you guys design and build wands (not just "you" but "you" as in plural wand manufactures) do you actually try them in the REAL world with REAL TM blowers that actually suck?
Have you compared them to other wands that can actually be pushed forward without killing yourself?

as I mentioned, the vast majority of cleaners don't use glides, so how the wand moves forward is critical to operator fatigue and repetitive motion associated issues from long term (years) of use
(as well metal fatigue on an already weak junction point)


..L.T.A.

 

[Dolly Llama]

with my eyes wide open on how the Stryker/Legends wand pans out.

if it's anything REMOTELY like the Drimaster technology..I predict it will be a POS


..L.T.A.

 

[Mikey P]

I'm predicting it will be the best flushing tool ever.




Right after Cooper.

 

[Blue Monarch]

Now I don't feel so bad loving my AW29.

It's secondary for me, but I love using it.

 

[Able 1]

Thanks for the report Loren great read... I have a ti wand and think the greenhorn would be very similar but why does everyone talk about the spacing on the ti... Looks even to me and I don't have any streaking problems, I do have the extenders and such but even on the nasties it works great! The next time I need a wand I will go with the greenhorn though, just because of how close the two wands seem to be, and the price tag is much lower on the greenhorn and it's sold ready to clean(pimped).

 

[Mikey P]

I love the AW29 for staircases.


its so tiny

 

[Blue Monarch]

It is tiny. Feels light and is noisy because the jets are so far away. Makes me feel like it's doing more work than it really is. I tend to fly with it.

Jet extenders slow me down mentally. I just can't shake it.

 

[carbsol]

Wow, thanks for the welcome and all of the info. I will probebly go with the Greenhorn but I would still LOVE to find out more info about the Stryker.

 

[CraigT]

Hi Craig.
Glad you're here and glad you asked.

I don't know which Westpac it was.
it was a large one..maybe a 13-14" wide head.
If i recall it was a lg tubed wand too...2"
Unglided

I didn't demo it long, cause it was impossible to push forward.
when i tried to push it forward, the head at tube junction flexed worse than a cheap AW29 Chinese knock off.
That's what I mean by "flimsy POS"
That's the most likely point it will break due to the constant flex.
Life will be extended with a glide, but the vast majority of cleaners don't use a glide and they scrub with a wand.


maybe you've changed it since i demoed that one 4-5(?) years ago, I donno


when you guys design and build wands (not just "you" but "you" as in plural wand manufactures) do you actually try them in the REAL world with REAL TM blowers that actually suck?
Have you compared them to other wands that can actually be pushed forward without killing yourself?

as I mentioned, the vast majority of cleaners don't use glides, so how the wand moves forward is critical to operator fatigue and repetitive motion associated issues from long term (years) of use
(as well metal fatigue on an already weak junction point)


..L.T.A.

Thanks for your input Larry.

I see your point and I know we have made changes since then but I'll be looking closer to where the head meets the tube and also how easy it is to "scrub" with our wands. It's not a good thing when the wand we thought was light weight and easy to push would give the cleaners a back ache every day.

As for testing them in the real world, after we get our first few production units in we do quality tests and then we give them to some local cleaners to test with their truckmount machines. We have several portables that we test our products with, but in the past we have relied on the local guys feedback for truckmounts. I can see ways that we can improve our R&D and our testing facilities.

 

[Dolly Llama]

It's not a good thing when the wand we thought was light weight and easy to push would give the cleaners a back ache every day.

it's not the 'back", Craig.
That's mostly a result of poor wanding style/posture IMO.
Poor wands only accentuate problems with poor posture/technique

It's shoulder and tendon wear that comes with repetitive motion over years that's unavoidable.
A wand design that doesn't push forward without great effort not only accentuates the inevitable, but "accelerates" it

I can see ways that we can improve our R&D and our testing facilities.

I do wish you well, and appreciate manufactures that pay attention to the boards and ask for feedback in an effort to improve their products


..L.T.A.