13 inch or 17 inch 175, that is the question...

[kevinj6121]

13 or 17 inch 175, that is the question. Going to be getting a new 175, current one too heavy for my liking,, over 100 pounds. So it might just come down to either the 13inch koblenze at 61 pounds or the 17 inch at 82 pounds. Actually a 15 inch would be my sweet spot. Either way I will add a solution tank and along with a pad driver a carpet brush as well. My only concern with the 13 inch is the motor only being 3/4 hp instead of 1.5 hp on the 17 inch and if i could use a 15 inch carpet brush on the 13 inch with it still having enough power to turn it without over working it

 

[OxiFreshGuy]

If you got the strength and endurance, then 17 inch.

 

[Ed Cruz]

13 or 17 inch 175, that is the question. Going to be getting a new 175, current one too heavy for my liking,, over 100 pounds. So it might just come down to either the 13inch koblenze at 61 pounds or the 17 inch at 82 pounds. Actually a 15 inch would be my sweet spot. Either way I will add a solution tank and along with a pad driver a carpet brush as well. My only concern with the 13 inch is the motor only being 3/4 hp instead of 1.5 hp on the 17 inch and if i could use a 15 inch carpet brush on the 13 inch with it still having enough power to turn it without over working it

My 20” tenent/nobles 185/315 dual speed is 90lbs.... 13” is too small for larger areas.

 

[kevinj6121]

If you got the strength and endurance, then 17 inch.

i've got a 17 inch now but dam thing is over 100 pounds, i can lift it in and out of my van by myself but i'm getting older just hit 60 and trying to just save my back some, koblenz has a 82 pound 17 inch 175 which would be like 25 pounds lighter, that 25 pounds will make a difference

 

[kevinj6121]

My 20” tenent/nobles 185/315 dual speed is 90lbs.... 13” is too small for larger areas.

Yeah i'd have to agree i think 13 inch would be too small for larger areas but I do mostly residential anyway, koblenz has a 13 incher that's only 61 pounds and i cold put a 15 inch pad driver or carpet brush on that so that may be the way to go

 

[Timothyscarpet]

I picked up an older 13 in out of a church basement, a 13 that you use more is better than a 17 that stays in your truck....even if it's on the smaller side for large areas. I learned that when I went to a 10in crb from the giant 20in. The size and weight would often deter me from hauling it in homes especially upstairs, I don't even blink at bringing the 10 in in.

 

[Joe cool]

I have a 13 a 17 and a 20 .The 13 is only for ENCAP between the church pews .The 17 digs in and cleans fantastic . The 20 is so smooth its like a stak trek interprize gobbling up sq ft quick . .

 

[wandwizard]

I personally have one thing on my wish list that I haven't seen. I'd like to see the option for a shampoo like brush attachment for my Rotovac XL. I think the XL spins at like 135 rpm, but it's plenty fast enough for a lot of cleaning applications. I have the brush attachment with teflon glides. It's been nothing short of a major pain and I no longer use it. I would not buy that attachment again or the teflon glides, EVER. Over all I do like the machine, just not that particular attachment. Been problematic since day one. The pad driver I bought comes in handy occasionally. Sometimes I just want to scrub some traffic lanes real quick before cleaning and then wand it out. I'm not going to pay 500 bucks for such an attachment though, but 200 hundred or so and I'd buy it tomorrow. A shampoo style nylon brush works very well as a pre-scrub device and the XL spins plenty fast enough and is 15 inch. I see no reason not to make one. I could probably make one myself, but I just don't want to go to the trouble. There is a limit to what you can carry in a van and I think I'm about at that limit so carrying another whole machine is not really an option!

 

[john martinez]

I run a 20" Tenant \Nobles for encapsulation with Bonnet Pro Ironman cotton bonnets and it slays large carpet areas quickly. I also run a 13" Oreck Orbiter for encapsulation on stairs and tight spaces. It does a great job even with larger 15" cotton bonnets. Don't be afraid to add plenty of pre spray to the carpet fibers and to the cotton bonnets just before starting so you'll have plenty of lubrication no matter what size machine you're running. And yes carrying the 20" machine upstairs is always a true test of my youts. I wouldn't go smaller if you can find a lighter 17" machine that's what I'd recommend. I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a buyer for your heavy unit as additional weight can be a selling point for better agitation on carpet fibers.