hi Todd, yea i kept it. love it on CGD, it's all i've used to clean with since i kept it.
i tried it on a Frieze at my cousin's home 2 weeks ago. presprayed heavy with multisprayer to make sure there was plenty of lubrication. put the 2nd softest brushes on it (gray). it did the same thing to me that it did on my dry plush a couple months back...bogged down and when it would spin, it would drive me backwards.
spoke with Joe & Ron @ Whittaker and they sent me an empty return box with return UPS labels for the Trio's base, which i shipped out last Monday (i didn't have to pay for any shipping, nice!). they tested it and found that with stiff brushes on a plush, it would work by letting the handle back slightly and allowing the brushes to hit full speed, then lowering the handle to set the brushes on carpet...maybe i was setting it down too fast.?. i spoke with another CC'er from the forums and he said something to the fact that some
CRB's have to be tilted slightly and eventually they'll get to spinning on thicker plush/Friezes. the one time it bogged down on that Frieze, i noticed there was a small amount of give in the carpet, i think it wasn't stretched fully and that could be part of the problem. because when i clean a loose mat it will gobble it up with the stiffer brushes, and the motor will stop for about a second and then re-attempt to spin, then stop for a second, etc... i think it is a safety feature to prevent stripping gears.?.
Ron told me 30 minutes ago that on Friday they shipped out a new Trio base for me. great custy service, i wasn't expecting that. i'll play with it on my plush. i am interested to see how it does on resi carpet, just going to use it at 1st as a prescrub to OP.
either way, i bought it for CGD and the results have been beyond my expectations. i just wanted a backup machine for the uber-rare instance of a warranty issue. if it worked good enough, i'd use it for all newer carpet because of that. ends up i use it on all CGD carpet because it gives great results, great investment.
the places where this 25" monster is lacking is of course in tighter cubes & offices. under desks is the main issue. it's so wide it won't go straight under many of them, you have to clean it sideways kinda, and it wont get very far under them. the 15" model (which is 20" wide) is better suited for this. my 19" Cimex fits under all desks.
