We are excited to announce a decrease in price for the Zipper. Reduced manufacturing cost and an increase in sales has made it possible for our company to lower the price. Effective as of now, the new price is $1,995.00. We are pleased to be able to pass these savings on to you. We are offering an additional savings of $100.00 to anyone who purchases a Zipper at Mikey's Fest 10.
Mikey's Fest 10- Zipper Discount
- Thread starter Erik
- Start date
Mikey P
Administrator
And we will have an Erik Love Doll there to violate as well.
Ron K
Member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2009
- Messages
- 2,371
I hope you meant the Zipper!
LOL
If anyone tries to fondle me the deals off!
If anyone tries to fondle me the deals off!
Lee Stockwell
FOJL
Oh god...Bawb "rubbed off" on him...
Jeremy N
Supportive Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2006
- Messages
- 936
I'm thinking about buying one of these bad boys for an upcoming commercial job. What's the scoop from those who own one? Good for CGD? I'll need it in a few weeks it less. I won't be able to wait until MF.
Bill Soukoreff
Member
Hi Jeremy, here is a report I did for a loaner program on the Zipper. I bought and love it!
Sorry, it's long and has my bias toward using Cimex and encap less and less, in fact only when necessary. But it might help you to decide. The manager of this facility left me a very nice review on HomeStars after this job.
A Serious High Production Tool
We put the Zipper up against the Cimex in cleaning over 20,000 sq/ft of carpet.
Twice a year we clean a 20,000 ft conference hall. Normally we Cimex the main auditorium of 10,800 sq/ft and steam clean the front lobby and entrance ways of 7500 sq/ft and also some additional rooms adding up to another 2500 sq/ft. Last time we had three Cimex’s cleaning the main auditorium, some other rooms, and two truck mounts steam cleaning the lobby. It took 4 hours and about 4 to 6 hours to dry.
This time I decided to use the Zipper wand and extract all the carpet on my own. Actually, my wife helped out and we took turns using the Zipper. We pre-sprayed and then extracted with the Zipper. We average 2,700 sq/ft the first day finishing the main auditorium in just under 4 hours. The carpets where we started were bone dry when we left. We used the paper towel kneeling test, and picked up zero moisture. This was really good news, as the auditorium was scheduled to used that evening at 6:00pm.
The next morning we cleaned the lobby and other areas. This time we deliberately slowed down a little as we were dealing with entrance way dirt, grime, food and coffee spills. We completed the job again in 4 hours averaging 2500 sq/ft per hours. The carpets looked fantastic. The waste water was blacker and thicker then I have ever seen before and my 5 gallon filter box bags were filled with a surpassing amount gunk and yes, hair, even though this building has an excellent vacuuming regime. The Zipper cleans deeper then any other cleaning wand, period.
Conclusions Using the Zipper on Commercial Carpets
First, cleaning over 20,000 sq/ft with the Zipper put very little strain on the body. More then anything we simply felt like we walked allot! None of the usual strain and pain in the shoulder, neck, arms and wrist. I will be buying a Zipper for this reason alone. As Eric says, “your body is not stressed!” The speed of which you can move with the Zipper is nothing short of amazing. It actually drew a crowd of observers! Most thought it had to be motorized and self-propelled. You will feel new muscles in your back! But that is normal for muscles you don’t use and need to be strengthened.
Second, it out cleaned and out dried the Cimex while maintaining an even faster speed. The question begs to asked: “Why Cimex (Encap) when you can flush and really clean the carpets at faster rate and achieve the same if not even faster dry times?”
I think the real beauty of hot water extracting with the Zipper is often overlooked on the cleaning forums. This is a niche tool that gives competent owner operators a way of separating themselves from the pack now that the Cimex and encaping has become mainstream and the budget hack-style over wetting hot water extraction is the other alternative. With careful marketing, you can have your own specialty commercial market and take the high road while doing it.
More and more people are concerned about indoor air quality and VOC’s. Speed and dry times are still important for busy commercial centres. The Zipper can deliver on all these concerns. When we used the Cimex on this facility the last time, we used 6 gallons of a peroxide based encap that has a startling high usage rate of 10 oz per gallon of water. Granted this is a high number (normally about three gallons would do it) but that was the only way we could get good results on the numerous food and coffee spill and an even appearance. In Canada we pay a premium for cleaning products and so that job cost us about $350 including pads. With the Zipper we used a total of 4 cups of a VOC free pre-conditioner with a soft water rinse and about $60 in fuel to run the truck mount. So that comes to a whooping total of $80. Now you might we able to get by with cheaper encap solutions and ones that require less dilution, but it still will cost you more then flushing the carpets clean with the Zipper. The way the cleaning head of the unit captures the heat along with the higher PSI and flow equates to high performance.
Of course, you also have to figure in the cost of using the truck mount versus the Cimex, but the benefits of cleaning with the Zipper are more than worth it. Instead of leaving 3-6 gallons of cleaning chemicals in the carpet, we left a minute amount. The manager of the facility and his wife both “felt” the carpets were cleaner and they also “feel better about having a facility that is more friendly to people who suffer from chemical sensitivities and asthma”. They confessed they never really were sold on the whole encap theory and stressed out about vacuuming. They never really “felt” the carpets were clean. In fact, it gave them the creeps to think about it! These comments are subjective, true, but it really does not matter, as they are sold on this method as the best way to care for the carpets of their facility. Those are the customers we can attract with high performance cleaning with the Zipper.
Zipper and Residential
What about using the Zipper on residential? Remember when you first used a hole glide and angled jets and you were shocked and excited how when you went back to check the first room you cleaned and it was almost dry? I am now having the same experience again. The carpets dry that much faster again with the Zipper. Extraordinary dry times and really, really deep cleaning. The Zipper will dry faster then any other low moisture system that used water. The flushing power is fantastic and relegates additional agitation to only the very worst of jobs. Honestly, I do not get really trashed jobs, so for me I can safely say “good by” to additional agitation or the use of rotaries. I dislike using rotaries on residential. My first job with the Zipper was a very long hose run into a cold (winter) basement with a white cut pile nylon that was pretty bad by my standard. The Zipper cut through it all beautifully with no extra effort or harsh cleaning chemicals. I had the PSI turned up to 550/600 on this one and expected the carpet to be wetter then normal, but when I kneeled down, to my surprise it was barely damp.
Manoeuvrability. I had the 15” Zipper on loan and it manages surprisingly well in tight areas. However, I would be interested in seeing how much more agile the 13” Zipper would be for residential. I love using a 14” wand, but I think the 13” Zipper would be a better choice for residential use. Until you use the Zipper and realize how you can clean back and forth with no need for dry strokes or careful overlapping, the speed difference between the 13” and the 15” would be nil in my estimation. In fact the 15” might be slower due to being less agile and harder to push on some carpets. Update, I bought the 13” Zipper and it is more agile in residential. So far in two months, I have only had to use the wand once for a really tight job and once for a thin area rug.
Area rugs. The Zipper on area rugs is a real treat. Little to no over spray and a much more deeper clean with no fears of over wetting on hardwood. Gilded wands are great on area rugs but the Zipper is much, much better. On thinner rugs it won’t work as it just sucks too hard and will grab the edge of the carpet. It removes tons of gunk out of wool rugs.
Other ramblings. One other thing I like was how quiet the Zipper is, and it really makes a difference, I feel more relaxed while using it and now dread my noisy stair tool. I raised the rear wheels about an 1/4” and that seemed perfect for most padded carpets. On a high pile cut nylon, you can raise it even more. Play around with the height settings.
Negatives. No tool is perfect. The Zipper is not a catch all tool. In residential, it is not a time saver like commercial, and will take a little longer then a wand, but the results are worth it and its still faster then a precrub/wand combo or a rotary. It does take time to get use to it, and learn not fight it, but instead maximize it’s strengths. You will either love it or hate it. You need to retrain your brain. You will know what I mean when you use it. As mentioned it removes a ton of gunk. That gunk and hair will build up quickly on the front slotted glide. At the end of each job, just run the hose across the glide creating a seal with your fingers and remove the hair. That way you will never have to use the tweezers that Eric supplies with the unit! Also, while its true you can jet the Zipper to match your TM, I still think you want a decent sized blower, and you will use lots of water. But that's why it cleans so well.
Summery. I hope Eric sells hundreds of this amazing piece of engineering and design. I invited a 35 year carpet cleaning veteran who has a very successful business to try it out on that large commercial job. We always get together to test new products. Nothing that has come out in the last few years has impressed either of us, despite the hype. These experiences have left us both jaded. It took me awhile to convince my friend to come and try the Zipper. After using it for only ten minutes he turned to me and said, “Why has no one thought of this before now? I have been cleaning for 35 years, and have never been left so impressed by a single piece of equipment.” Needless to say, we both purchased the Zipper!
Sorry, it's long and has my bias toward using Cimex and encap less and less, in fact only when necessary. But it might help you to decide. The manager of this facility left me a very nice review on HomeStars after this job.
A Serious High Production Tool
We put the Zipper up against the Cimex in cleaning over 20,000 sq/ft of carpet.
Twice a year we clean a 20,000 ft conference hall. Normally we Cimex the main auditorium of 10,800 sq/ft and steam clean the front lobby and entrance ways of 7500 sq/ft and also some additional rooms adding up to another 2500 sq/ft. Last time we had three Cimex’s cleaning the main auditorium, some other rooms, and two truck mounts steam cleaning the lobby. It took 4 hours and about 4 to 6 hours to dry.
This time I decided to use the Zipper wand and extract all the carpet on my own. Actually, my wife helped out and we took turns using the Zipper. We pre-sprayed and then extracted with the Zipper. We average 2,700 sq/ft the first day finishing the main auditorium in just under 4 hours. The carpets where we started were bone dry when we left. We used the paper towel kneeling test, and picked up zero moisture. This was really good news, as the auditorium was scheduled to used that evening at 6:00pm.
The next morning we cleaned the lobby and other areas. This time we deliberately slowed down a little as we were dealing with entrance way dirt, grime, food and coffee spills. We completed the job again in 4 hours averaging 2500 sq/ft per hours. The carpets looked fantastic. The waste water was blacker and thicker then I have ever seen before and my 5 gallon filter box bags were filled with a surpassing amount gunk and yes, hair, even though this building has an excellent vacuuming regime. The Zipper cleans deeper then any other cleaning wand, period.
Conclusions Using the Zipper on Commercial Carpets
First, cleaning over 20,000 sq/ft with the Zipper put very little strain on the body. More then anything we simply felt like we walked allot! None of the usual strain and pain in the shoulder, neck, arms and wrist. I will be buying a Zipper for this reason alone. As Eric says, “your body is not stressed!” The speed of which you can move with the Zipper is nothing short of amazing. It actually drew a crowd of observers! Most thought it had to be motorized and self-propelled. You will feel new muscles in your back! But that is normal for muscles you don’t use and need to be strengthened.
Second, it out cleaned and out dried the Cimex while maintaining an even faster speed. The question begs to asked: “Why Cimex (Encap) when you can flush and really clean the carpets at faster rate and achieve the same if not even faster dry times?”
I think the real beauty of hot water extracting with the Zipper is often overlooked on the cleaning forums. This is a niche tool that gives competent owner operators a way of separating themselves from the pack now that the Cimex and encaping has become mainstream and the budget hack-style over wetting hot water extraction is the other alternative. With careful marketing, you can have your own specialty commercial market and take the high road while doing it.
More and more people are concerned about indoor air quality and VOC’s. Speed and dry times are still important for busy commercial centres. The Zipper can deliver on all these concerns. When we used the Cimex on this facility the last time, we used 6 gallons of a peroxide based encap that has a startling high usage rate of 10 oz per gallon of water. Granted this is a high number (normally about three gallons would do it) but that was the only way we could get good results on the numerous food and coffee spill and an even appearance. In Canada we pay a premium for cleaning products and so that job cost us about $350 including pads. With the Zipper we used a total of 4 cups of a VOC free pre-conditioner with a soft water rinse and about $60 in fuel to run the truck mount. So that comes to a whooping total of $80. Now you might we able to get by with cheaper encap solutions and ones that require less dilution, but it still will cost you more then flushing the carpets clean with the Zipper. The way the cleaning head of the unit captures the heat along with the higher PSI and flow equates to high performance.
Of course, you also have to figure in the cost of using the truck mount versus the Cimex, but the benefits of cleaning with the Zipper are more than worth it. Instead of leaving 3-6 gallons of cleaning chemicals in the carpet, we left a minute amount. The manager of the facility and his wife both “felt” the carpets were cleaner and they also “feel better about having a facility that is more friendly to people who suffer from chemical sensitivities and asthma”. They confessed they never really were sold on the whole encap theory and stressed out about vacuuming. They never really “felt” the carpets were clean. In fact, it gave them the creeps to think about it! These comments are subjective, true, but it really does not matter, as they are sold on this method as the best way to care for the carpets of their facility. Those are the customers we can attract with high performance cleaning with the Zipper.
Zipper and Residential
What about using the Zipper on residential? Remember when you first used a hole glide and angled jets and you were shocked and excited how when you went back to check the first room you cleaned and it was almost dry? I am now having the same experience again. The carpets dry that much faster again with the Zipper. Extraordinary dry times and really, really deep cleaning. The Zipper will dry faster then any other low moisture system that used water. The flushing power is fantastic and relegates additional agitation to only the very worst of jobs. Honestly, I do not get really trashed jobs, so for me I can safely say “good by” to additional agitation or the use of rotaries. I dislike using rotaries on residential. My first job with the Zipper was a very long hose run into a cold (winter) basement with a white cut pile nylon that was pretty bad by my standard. The Zipper cut through it all beautifully with no extra effort or harsh cleaning chemicals. I had the PSI turned up to 550/600 on this one and expected the carpet to be wetter then normal, but when I kneeled down, to my surprise it was barely damp.
Manoeuvrability. I had the 15” Zipper on loan and it manages surprisingly well in tight areas. However, I would be interested in seeing how much more agile the 13” Zipper would be for residential. I love using a 14” wand, but I think the 13” Zipper would be a better choice for residential use. Until you use the Zipper and realize how you can clean back and forth with no need for dry strokes or careful overlapping, the speed difference between the 13” and the 15” would be nil in my estimation. In fact the 15” might be slower due to being less agile and harder to push on some carpets. Update, I bought the 13” Zipper and it is more agile in residential. So far in two months, I have only had to use the wand once for a really tight job and once for a thin area rug.
Area rugs. The Zipper on area rugs is a real treat. Little to no over spray and a much more deeper clean with no fears of over wetting on hardwood. Gilded wands are great on area rugs but the Zipper is much, much better. On thinner rugs it won’t work as it just sucks too hard and will grab the edge of the carpet. It removes tons of gunk out of wool rugs.
Other ramblings. One other thing I like was how quiet the Zipper is, and it really makes a difference, I feel more relaxed while using it and now dread my noisy stair tool. I raised the rear wheels about an 1/4” and that seemed perfect for most padded carpets. On a high pile cut nylon, you can raise it even more. Play around with the height settings.
Negatives. No tool is perfect. The Zipper is not a catch all tool. In residential, it is not a time saver like commercial, and will take a little longer then a wand, but the results are worth it and its still faster then a precrub/wand combo or a rotary. It does take time to get use to it, and learn not fight it, but instead maximize it’s strengths. You will either love it or hate it. You need to retrain your brain. You will know what I mean when you use it. As mentioned it removes a ton of gunk. That gunk and hair will build up quickly on the front slotted glide. At the end of each job, just run the hose across the glide creating a seal with your fingers and remove the hair. That way you will never have to use the tweezers that Eric supplies with the unit! Also, while its true you can jet the Zipper to match your TM, I still think you want a decent sized blower, and you will use lots of water. But that's why it cleans so well.
Summery. I hope Eric sells hundreds of this amazing piece of engineering and design. I invited a 35 year carpet cleaning veteran who has a very successful business to try it out on that large commercial job. We always get together to test new products. Nothing that has come out in the last few years has impressed either of us, despite the hype. These experiences have left us both jaded. It took me awhile to convince my friend to come and try the Zipper. After using it for only ten minutes he turned to me and said, “Why has no one thought of this before now? I have been cleaning for 35 years, and have never been left so impressed by a single piece of equipment.” Needless to say, we both purchased the Zipper!
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Mikey P
Administrator
Fantastic report Bill
Thanks for reprinting that.
Couple of questions.
What is your theory on why it cleans deeper/better than a 14 inch, 2" tubed wand like the Titanium? It's the same flow after all. and would' the concentrated vacuum to one glide instead of two extract better?
Are you time's compared to the Cimex based on having a hose puller along for the job?
What truckmount are you using and what size machine is the bare minimum needed to run 500 feet with the Zipper? Erik runs Vortexes and designed this tool for himself so I'm curious if a 45 machine will have enough oompf to pull it off what with the 28 inches of vacuum head.
We have some gluedown to clean at M10F, I hope Erik and his Zippy can make it for a VLM shootout.
Thanks for reprinting that.
Couple of questions.
What is your theory on why it cleans deeper/better than a 14 inch, 2" tubed wand like the Titanium? It's the same flow after all. and would' the concentrated vacuum to one glide instead of two extract better?
Are you time's compared to the Cimex based on having a hose puller along for the job?
What truckmount are you using and what size machine is the bare minimum needed to run 500 feet with the Zipper? Erik runs Vortexes and designed this tool for himself so I'm curious if a 45 machine will have enough oompf to pull it off what with the 28 inches of vacuum head.
We have some gluedown to clean at M10F, I hope Erik and his Zippy can make it for a VLM shootout.
Desk Jockey
Member
Lockhart told me he used his Zipper a couple times to extract water on glue down and it did a great job of it.
Jeremy N
Supportive Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2006
- Messages
- 936
Out of Character - 0
Member
The zipper is a great tool, we have 2. My only complaint is that it clogs easier than I like. The slot glide has a narrower slot than our gg ti wands. The hole glide is a hole glide. We'll be running dual slots in the near future.
The zipper either cleans faster or better depending upon your wanding style and the job. For dirty areas my opinion on why it's better than a regular wand is that when your moving forward and spraying the water gets time to heat the fiber before the back lip comes along and sucks it up. When you do the forward wet stroke with a wand you'll heat the fibers more but because it sit's there until you come back the hot water penetrates deeper thus it increases your chance of wicking and extends your dry time.
The zipper either cleans faster or better depending upon your wanding style and the job. For dirty areas my opinion on why it's better than a regular wand is that when your moving forward and spraying the water gets time to heat the fiber before the back lip comes along and sucks it up. When you do the forward wet stroke with a wand you'll heat the fibers more but because it sit's there until you come back the hot water penetrates deeper thus it increases your chance of wicking and extends your dry time.
Bill Soukoreff
Member
Hi Mikey, thats a good question. I think its the weight of the head, the slot/hole glide combo and the steam chamber effect all contributes in better cleaning performance. There is clear difference. CleanTech posted here the same thing compared to his Ti wand. It leaves the carpet so much drier.
I use it with my Butler Max Vac/Heat with the Tuthill 47 set at 15 hgs. I get well over 500 CFM. It is plenty of power to run the 15" Zipper. I like the 13" better as I use it for all my residential. I use a CMP 14 wand with 15 flow normally. I use way more water with the Zipper as you tend to just keep it running tilt and triggering on and off. I don't know about 500 ft, the longest run I have used it with is 250ft. 100 of that is 2.5". It was awesome. My buddy who bought the 15" has an Everest 408. He can run the 15" fine, but I think that 400 CFM is the minimum that I would want to run.
My wife just came for fun as it was minus 39C with the wind chill that day. I initially though she could help with hose, but we both preferred managing them ourselves. So no, that time is one operator. My wife pushed it allot and she went slower then I did, so those numbers are conservative.
The waste water was most revealing. Never seen crude oil come of my tank like that.
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Bill Soukoreff
Member
I has the same experience with the front glide but Eric gave me a great tip. After each job or even during a large job, just take a minute and run your vac hose cuff along the glide making a seal with your fingers and pull the hair out. Then nothing will ever plug up. Works like a charm. Its the reccessed bridges that the hairs gets wrapped around.
Have you tried dual hole glides?
Out of Character - 0
Member
No I haven't but we'll be setup to clean with either dual holes or dual slots here soon.
Bill Soukoreff
Member
Please report back. I would love to know what you think. I have the extra hole glide, but not an extra slotted.
Dual holes will leave the carpet dryer and easier to push/pull. Two slots will make the Zipper harder to push, especially with newer glides.
We have some gluedown to clean at M10F, I hope Erik and his Zippy can make it for a VLM shootout.
I am going to be there with the 13" & 15" and a new prototype handle.
....and no Chris, I'm not going into the tree house! lol
I am going to be there with the 13" & 15" and a new prototype handle.
....and no Chris, I'm not going into the tree house! lol
bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
i swear i never touched him....honest!
How about a Mikeysboard discount across the board for those of us who won't be able to make it to the Fest this year?
Jeremy N
Supportive Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2006
- Messages
- 936
Yeah, good question. I need one of those fancy things before MF.
dealtimeman
Everyday is Saturday.
I would give Erik a call and for mikeysboarders he will more than likely hook y'all up.
I have has this tool for a few months now and have to say it again, very well made multiple uses and performs very well on commercial carpet.
I have has this tool for a few months now and have to say it again, very well made multiple uses and performs very well on commercial carpet.
Mikey P
Administrator
Now that the Bristor-Zipper love affair is over I would expect some interesting things to happen here on TWGCCF.
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bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
it's lik the lovechild between a Greenhorn an' a dragwand....
maybe the best of both worlds....?
maybe the best of both worlds....?
Lee Stockwell
FOJL
It's on our short list as well. Justin wants to run one first.
Bill Soukoreff
Member
I really hope Eric can find a way to get these into more hands. Eric reminds me so much of Greenie in all the good ways!
Attending a future Mikey Fest is very high on my priority list.
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