Wow this thread has taken OFF !!
This is my take on it.
A wand can clean and in the right hands can turn out a great job MOST of the time. When I enter a job I look at the carpet and make a Professional choice as to how I will proceed.
Many say a RT is slow....if you use it on every job YES, but on jobs where the crap is SO thick then NO it will be faster due to the cleaning ability, yes even faster than
CRB then wanding. Not on a cleaner carpet where you can prespray and wand out.
I also put a new Vac bag in on everyjob, after doing my vac I open the bag to see what Im pulling out....Pet Hair, Sand, Super fine silt these things help me find out what is really in the carpet and what needs to be used.
Hair I will prescrub it with my make shift
CRB....Im in debt with my wand...A REAL
CRB is on my LIST.
A ton of sand or finer Silt I will use my Roto Vac, even after a very good vacuum job, Im sorry to say but you will still get a lot of sand and silt. This stuff gets so compacted down in the base of the carpet that the Roto Tool and its VIBRATION is what is helping get that crap out, I don't think it is because it is spinning, some but it is the vibration and the spinning, plus the vacuum that helps pull the trapped stuff out, this is why I still like my POS DHX RV. I turn it on High and walk it just like a Zipper wand...YES IT SUCKS but the vibration that thing puts out is amazing...Two years ago at ICE, I told Erik man if you could put counter rotating spinners on the Zip it would be BA. The storm that is happening under the new Zip SS has to be awesome.
A wand just doesn't vibrate the carpet, and it pushes the carpet fibers over trapping the solid soils more.
I am a wander in my soul, but as a Pro, I know with out a doubt that a RT WILL get more out it just does.
The Pic I posted...I have Tons of them, but as I have been working on my wand I have pushed it on every job, but there is times that I had to go get the RV, and on Poly carpet it is almost a given that some sort of extra aggi is going to be needed....I have a Love/hate for this carpet....I can get them clean but I have to put in the time to get them that way.
I also think as a cleaner gains more Wisdom the need for a RT becomes less and less, but he should have one on the truck for when it is needed.