Hello from Legends Brands Distributor Conference

[Shawn Forsythe]

Here in Nashville, some first looks at some of the brand new product offerings of the new Sapphire Scientific/Legends Brands division. More later.

Sapphire 270SS
18 Hp Briggs & Stratton with Sutorbilt 3LL4R blower & Cat 3CP
16" narrow footprint aluminum frame design, with innovative Thermal Well heating system.
Easy access service points, compartmentalized and pressure cooled belt drive system.

Sapphire 370SS
20 Hp Kohler with Sutorbilt 4R blower & Cat 3CP
Also features the super-compact 16" narrow footprint aluminum frame design, with innovative Thermal Well heating system.

CDV Modular Filter system with vac & Sol splitter
Interchangeable vacuum inlet/outlets, changeable to any combo of 2.5" and dual 2"
Rotomolded construction with poly carbonate view window. Super quick removal of capture tray for cleaning.
Microban treated construction for antimicrobial product protection. Integral carry handle with multi-position usage placement.

Stryker Cleaning and Extraction Wand
14" width
Ergonomic handle assy with 100-orifice injection bar. Bi-directional dual channel, multiple orifice glided extraction lip assy.
The looks take a little getting used to, but it has an impressive second impression when you try it out. The unique design permits the ease of glideability, with the option to aggressively scrub, which is missing from a typical glided wand. The design is intended to create an upright user stance, without hunching over. Very lightweight. The action is similar to that of using a hand-planer on a workbench placed at optimum height. You use your arms, with less movement of your back, so you don't have to repeatedly lift your bodyweight, as with a typical scrub wand.


Blueline brought out some of their new innovations as well. Sapphire also introduced a new chemical line with some interesting unique ideas for combining their products for expanded uses.

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

Legend Brands has a Twitter account at https://twitter.com/LegendBrands

You can see a few more pics and announcements.

Nascar Driver, Sterling Marlin was in attendance at the conference, with the Legend Brands Nascar race car.

Sterling Marlin & Tony Lima (President of CCCS)

 

[Able 1]

Nice looking TM! Dosen't seem to be much ventilation for an air cooled motor though..

 

[Bob Foster]

I question that wand. It appears that from the protrusion of the hose off the back of it to the wand it is very long. If this is the case, how are you going to use that in a bedroom or lots of other slightly confined areas?

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

BlueLine Gig Gulp, flood extraction machine (Right)
59 blower, narrow chassis big-brother successor to the Super Extraction Machine by BlueLine
Pictured to the left is prototype unit from BlueLine, similar layout to the SS units by Sapphire, but with a number of differences.

 

[Mikey P]

I thought Judson owned the patent on Ugly Truckmounts.





Tell Bruders to send the wand to me, the WGCC for true real world testing.

 

[Bob Foster]

Let me be the first to congratulate Legend on the new line AND be the first to give those things a nick name

They look like something in the back of a 7- 11. Do they give you brain freeze too?

The Sapphire Slurpee Machine - I think that's going to stick... (well they do slurp)

Hey, those guys called it the Big Gulp first.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Big Gulp....Big Gulp? I hope they didn't pay a marketing expert for that.

Who named it George?

Don't believe everything they are telling you! It's a brain wash process, you're in the rinse cycle right now! :shock:


Thanks Shawn, nice to see what's coming!

 

[John Olson]

They got permission to call it that. I'm sitting next to shawn anyone want me to kick him :mrgreen:

 

[Desk Jockey]

No don't hurt him!

But you could fart and then point your finger at him while making a discussed face! :wink:

 

[XTREME1]

I had a girlfriend nicknamed big gulp back in college

 

[TimP]

The wand looks like it may have a swivel head on it. Which would be nice. But it looks like they are using a 1.5" tube, hard for me to tell from a picture. however I do like the wand.

Also I'd rather see a bigger TM than those. 47 and 59 blower machines and larger engines. 18 and 20 hp are small machines.

 

[Jimmy L]

As ALWAYS people just don't know how to PUSH a wand.

YA DON'T USE YOUR ARMS BUT DRIVE IT FORWARD WITH YOUR LEGS.


And ya don't pull it that far back, keep it well in front of you.

 

[hogjowl]

YOU have to keep the wand well out in front of you to counter balance that massive head of yours.

 

[Desk Jockey]

We need to quarantine Marty, he keeps spreading the swine flu!

danny on Richard's computer

 

[steve frasier]

Thanks Shawn

 

[Jimmy L]

And another thing why its called ergonomic is of the handle , most carpet cleaners have their handle too far down the tube so they have to hunch over.

If they would simply place the handle up higher they too would stand more erect.

 

[Dolly Llama]

As ALWAYS people just don't know how to PUSH a wand.

i was thinking something similar.
it's obvious that dude in the pic isn't a real CCer.
Most likely a disty, is my guess


Bob, to me that wand looks to have the hose angled down a bit.
Unless I'm missing something, it looks like it would be less likely to knock things around in tight spaces compared to a "regular" wand


Thanks for the pics, Shawn.
i really like idea of a thinner TM.
I like to mount my TMs in the rear (shut up, Danny)
A thin design that would allow TM and hose reel on the rear would REALLY free up some floor space for my preferred config


..L.T.A.

 

[Bob Foster]

I'm looking forward to the reviews.

 

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the pictures, Shawn!

 

[Jim Pemberton]

The meeting was a unique experience. Because Legends acquired Drieaz, Unsmoke, and BlueLine, the room was full of distributors who otherwise might not have been together. There were Interlink guys, Jon Don staff, independent guys, and a few of the internet discount people.

I would have spent more time with Shawn Forsythe, but I always feel like the dumb kid in class next to him. I leave any conversation with him more highly educated, but also more aware of my mental limitations!

I enjoyed meeting John Olson too, but I felt like a midget next to him! I will say that John is the same man in person as he appears to be on the boards: A man of strong convictions and with a genuine desire to give his customers the best he can in a strongly competitive environment.

I spent most of my time with a couple of guys who were like my uncles (both in their guidance to me and their brotherhood with my father): Jim Roden, founder of Prochem, and Claude Blackburne, the founder of Drieaz. Both are long retired from our industry, and were only there to be honored with my father and Cliff Zlotnik (my other uncle).

Seeing those men together on stage took me back 30 years. And realizing that Jim and Claude will likely never again see my father reminded me of how important this industry has been to me, and how valuable the friendships I've developed in it have meant to me.

Oh yeah, and it was great to see some interesting innovations that might make an impact on our industry. Time will tell.

 

[Jimmy L]

Anytime I see "Innovations" to our industry like that wand I scratch my head .

Then I ask myself if they had ANY input from REAL carpet cleaners or whether they had some GEEK sitting behind a desk designing it on a computer.

 

[hogjowl]

At least there was no PS on the end of that.

 

[Chris Muetterties]

Nice post Jim !!

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

I would have been (and would be) honored to have been able to spend some time with Jim Pemberton. I only had a chance to shake hands with, and say "hi" to Jim in Nashville, not wanting to intrude any more to a person with whom I have the utmost respect. I look at Jim as a Sage, for which a simple peon like myself would be imposing with anything more.

I humbly apologize to you, Jim, if I have done anything to make you feel uncomfortable around me. If I avert my gaze, or seem stand-offish, it is only out of respect in not wanting you to feel like you have to return any awkward gestures for which I am prone. As I said, I would indeed welcome any time when we get together on occasion. I hope to see you in SLC, if not before.

Shawn

 

[hogjowl]

Are you trying to make me puke?

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

If that's what you gotta do, then go ahead. LOL
I hope you feel better.


For those who think that the machines are ugly...... well it must just be my photography skills that are in question. Some better pictures are now up at http://www.sapphirescientific.com

 

[The Great Oz]

I guess I'm the only one that doesn't know this; what's the diving board do?

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

The machines normally come equipped with a short down-diverter for the engine/blower exhaust. This exhaust would normally be directed down the step on a van, or through a cut hole in the floor of other type installations.

I think Blueline just didn't want to have to make holes in the floor of their rig for this one demonstration for Distributors. So they temporarily rigged up these demo machines with a long snout. I would imagine that the stock (short) exit tube would be used on the Sapphire demo truck, when these units get installed there.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I felt bad about how you took my post Shawn ( I was just giving you a left handed compliment buddy) until I saw that it made Marty sick

Then I didn't feel so badly anymore...........