Sapphire Savant
Member
Before I comment on the HOSS points Mikey mentions, let me first say that the HOSS was designed from its inception to be the best rotary cleaning machine ever produced for the cleaning industry not an incremental improvement, or better built copy of what is on the market already. We wanted to design, engineer and build a machine that had a very short learning curve, in terms of operation and successful cleaning results, a unit that worked on any type of carpet that the operator came across without having to adjust speeds etc. If a person moves beyond the handles and motor the differences are pretty clear. Now on to Mikey's points:
Clear sight elbow needs to made form more durable material
Durability is one of the top priorities in our product design/development. That's why the original prototype “sight elbow” was made from polycarbonate, which is nearly indestructible (think bullet proof “glass” and race car windshields). But it turned out some of the chemicals used in the industry actually break down poly carbonate and cause fracturing, which looks like a spider webbing in the material, which is not acceptable. So, we moved to acrylic, which is what is used for the sight tubes on other units in the market. While acrylic can the chemical side well, it is less durable than polycarbonate. However since we know that chemicals will go through it, without a doubt every day, but we couldn’t predict how often the elbow would be smashed into something, we made the change to acrylic. We think it was a prudent trade-off. However, in our constant efforts at product improvement, we are continuing to look at other plastics, including polypropylene, which has an excellent resistance to chemicals plus durability, but it is not clear, rather a dirty sort of yellow. Is that acceptable?
Sight tube in hose needs to be added
Fair comment. We are evaluating different hose materials much like the RX20 so that you can see the dirty water.
Wheels make loads of noise (fixed)
We didn’t experience any issues once we set the torque on the wheels correctly, during the prototype and preproduction phase, but found that vendor manufacturing variances in the purchased components resulted in a need to find a new wheel vendor, which we did.
Handles are far too wide
The reason for the wider handle was in line with our concept to make the product easy for first time users. The wider handle is more in line with 175 RPM floor machines, burnishers etc. Since many of todays users come from janitorial businesses, or from institutional cleaning environments, we wanted to make the learning curve as simple as possible. The goal is to make it easy to clean carpet with great results. The HOSS does that even with a novice using it.
Pigtail is awesome but a cord should be included in price.
The pigtail was not put on to save money, but to eliminate the expense of having to purchase a custom OEM cord for the unit when the cord eventually gets damaged - and you know it will. It's actually a cost-savings benefit for the customer. It is considerably less costly to purchase a replacement heavy-duty extension cord, then have to purchase an OEM cord and then have to have it connected into the circuitry on the machine. A distributorship may not like to hear me say this, but they can help create a little extra good will with the customer by "throwing in" a decent extension cord at the time of purchase.
A Flow regulator should be included as well, discs are a pita to swap out for every situation where changing flow would be nice.
Once again we designed the HOSS to be an equally effective and efficient tool for the seasoned pro, and the person with little to no rotary extractor experience. As such, the HOSS comes from the factory to work around a small truckmount, with the idea that experienced cleaners would be able to customize the machine to work in their system. Jim Martin and Bill Bruders discussed in detail that with all the different size truckmounts and different beliefs as to flow levels etc. (from 1 gallon per minute to 3 gallons or more) it is impossible to set up a unit that is perfect for every situation. So if you want the large spray bars all the way around go for it! If you want to have the ability to increase and decrease the flow as you clean, have at it!
So why not a variable speed motor?
Going back to the original design, we wanted to be faster and wider than an RX20 or rotovac so we could offer better efficiency in terms of cleaning time, as well as the number of both cleaning passes and vacuum passes. We felt that by trying to move up closer to the RPM of a 175 machine and by going with a 15 inch head, which is what many of the shampoo brushes are that people use for both prescrubbing and shampooing, we would make it easier for new operators to transition to. We understood from day one that the HOSS would represent a big investment for a cleaner to make so we wanted to make sure they could be successful, right away. A variable speed motor added cost and additional electrical parts that increased the probability of component failure. So we chose to keep it simple. Since our shoes float, and we know you can move it from a thick cut pile to a commercial glue down without stopping, we didn’t need to take the risk.
The Sapphire spray bar system
We are not surprised that other manufacturers in the market don’t like it. They can't copy it! It is so unique that it is one of the center points of our patent application, so it’s not something that folks can just copy and incorporate into their unit. The benefits of the ability to apply the cleaning solution directly to the carpet, without wasting both heat and cleaning energy (the difference between the PSI at the Jet and at the carpet fiber), is a tremendous benefit. Add to that the fact that the HOSS’s unique staggered system actually provides solution injection at all levels of the carpet fiber, is something that others haven’t offered to date.
Field Testing before coming to the market
This isn't one of the points Mikey listed, but I want to comment on this, because many customers have no idea how much time is spent on field testing new products, and product improvements. As a case in point, for the HOSS Vacuum Shoes, we field tested more than ten designs. The final design chosen was developed to provide optimum extraction, no matter what the carpet type, and to make the HOSS float over all carpet types.
Every product we produce, as a whole, and its individual parts and components, undergoes extensive field testing before we even let our sales people know about it, to insure that we bring to market the best product we can. Does that mean that the products will withstand every condition of use and abuse it encounters during its life? Of course not. No manufacturer can create and anticipate everything that the “real world” has in store for us to encounter, but we do the best we can, and then we improve the products based on the field test feedback and results. As a matter of fact there is a prototype HOSS still in the field that is well over 2 years old, as just one example. And, while we don’t publish the names of cleaners who are actively testing new products for us right now - today - many of those people are regular viewers of this board, but they stay quiet on the subjects, so that they can provide unbiased feedback based on their own experience, without the hype and drama. That's not to say that others can't post great ideas and suggestions for product improvements. We're always open to new ideas and improvements, and some of the best ones come from those of you who are inclined to provide constructive ideas about improvements.
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I stand corrected on the handle question. Mikey was not hallucinating when he saw Jim Bethel with narrower handles - on a HOSS that is. Of course, I never accused him that. 
I've just confirmed that the handle width has been changed. See, we do listen to your "constructive" complaints!
