An oversight like that valve can make an otherwise excellent tool extremely frustrating. It seems like they realize the potential for a problem so they throw that Mytee cover deal over it. I think they should find a better solution before they sell thousands of them and need to correct it later. The Clean Machine
The SS tool has the exact valve and a wrap as well.
The wrap is to protect the valve, not leave exposed metal parts (heat transfer) as well as to protect the floor or whatever from being scratched by hard metal parts. Though the ability to lock the valve will be a nice addition, I never had a single problem with it going out of whack. It seems to work just fine. And if covered by wrap, I see no way in which it will change the flow on its own. Never happened to me. You may want to try it Russ, before rushing to judgement.
Hopefully the Roto Vac tool will disperse the water more evenly, clog less frequently (due to lint and stuff being caught inside), allow for heavier cleaning and better ability to clean piping and curved areas- which is what was lacking for me in the SS tool.
The ergonomics of the SS tool otherwise are outstanding and it is wrist friendly.