A Few Questions???

"So the real question is, at what point does the power exceed the ability to clean."
When it tops the power of a porty, it has crossed the line between a carpet cleaning machine and a water damage machine.  

"Seeing a lot of guys are trying to get more heat and cfm's out of there portable would also say that a portable is not enough."

It is like owning a muscle car.  You can soup up (supercharge) the street rod or drive a dragster.  Which makes more sense?

"Lets look at the four main elements to clean carpet chemical, water, suction, and agitation."

I guess technician is not an ingredient anymore than a 5 star chef matters.  Take the same ingredients to an army cook and he will match the chef everytime?

"Its a fact that the hotter the water the better it reacts with the chemical"
Never been proven that performance of a chemical is enhanced by increasing the water temperature.  Sure seems to be a "fact" thrown around to excess.  So the argument on hotter is better is myth and legend, not supported by fact.  Not saying it is not true, but according to IICRC instructors I have had, belief and not proven fact.

"If you use a weaker chemical you know you wont get as good as results as a good chemical."

It is the tech's know how and determination that will make or break what a chemical will do.  The strength of the chemical by itself may very well be weaker but last I checked we don't soak the carpet in chemicals, rinse and dry.  In fact, I run a rotary shampoo over everything now to bust the dirt loose for simple extraction.  You can do dishes that way but even still you will need to apply something more to some of it.  You mentioned agitation and we all know that how well the carpet is agitated has much to do will determine the distribution of the spray over and above how the sprayer laid down the chemical.  Agitation is what we do to the dirtiest dishes.  Dishwater soap is the strongest cleaning chemical in the average house.  Laundry detergent needs agitation to clean, dishwater soap will take most food off the dishes and needs to be rubbed into very few items.  Even the strongest cleaning chemicals need a technician helping out.  They can't do it all by themselves everytime.

"If my porty could do the same job"
If it can do a job that pleases the customer, that is the same job the TM should be doing.  Once the customer is happy you are done. Why beat a dead horse?

Coal might power other areas of the country that are under the influence of the coal companies and with small towns that would go bankrupt if they lost the coal mining industry but on the western side of the US you have hydroelectric, nuclear, solar, wind and geothermal providing most of the electricity we use.  And Los Angeles is a fair sized town at over 6 million now.  If at their size, they don't rely on coal, maybe the smaller towns along the eastern seaboard and down into the southern states should be made to change.  If we did compare the gas the vehicles go through (more fuel to power heavier vehicles) and add that to the fuel being used to generate the power or a TM or used by a porty, portys would still win out.  Also hot water heaters are gas in most homes out here.  Natural gas that burns clean.

"I do a Chinese restaurant every two months and would love to see you get the results I can get with your portable"

Everybody knows the problems with cleaning a chinese restaurant.  And it is not just filth, it is they don't pay worth a damn so chemicals I would never use on anything but a greasy kitchen get used on theirs to get me out quick.  Balance chemical with power needed which makes Chinese restaurants the equivilent of dealing with water damage.  Only at bargain basement pricing.  I have cleaned carpet so bad from butter and sugar at a hull-less candied popcorn manufacturing plant is was dangerous going in even for fear of losing footing cleaning the carpet or going up stairs all saturated with the crap.  If it wasn't for the rotovac wand I would still be there.  So yes, I know dirty but I don't make it my target for cleaning.

You can continue to use a TM.  Bottom line is we love our portys, they do really good work, customers are satisfied with the job and its cost, and we make good money.  I just beat out one of the big expensive TM guys in the area, bid 1/5 of what he did and actually got half what he bid which make my week for sure.  I also spotted SS on the way to a job out here when I was on the road this morning going to my first job.  I had to go 20 miles and in that 20 miles there and on the trip back, how many TMs did I see traveling or parked at a customers with their door open and hoses stretched out?  Zero.  One of the major RV coach companies here is laying of 10% of their workforce due to a drop off in sales.  Million dollar coaches.  Guess even the rich who should not be feeling the pinch are feeling squeezed.  Time to adjust the thinking and move those prices down.  A sale to existing customers with the message "we feel you pain, let us help" might be one thing for you TM guys to do if you don't want to lose more business to us.  You can talk until you are blue in the face, but you are preaching to the choir.

Typing cramp, done for the day.

Oh yeah

No point in getting rotten teeth when you can get laid

I think the best reason to own a TM for cleaning, is that it makes your life easier.  I used a porty for a long time and I hated my job.  Those things are a pain in the a$$.  The cords the breakers, the stairs, the dumping, filling, F those things.  A TM is a luxury item for those that are willing to invest in them, some people will some people wont.  I am a whole lot happier at then end of a day of cleaning with a TM than a porty.  

Edited by FuzzSucker - 06/January/2009 at 11:47pm

Your body is your most important piece of equipment.  Your cleaning equipment should help you stay in the industry by making your job easier on your knees, shoulders and back.  Carrying around 4', 125lbs portys and 5 gallon buckets of water will wear anyone out. 

Edited by FuzzSucker - 06/January/2009 at 11:47pm

"it doesn't take rocket science to clean carpet"

No, but it does take chemistry practioners

Or some layman renting a rug doctor should do just as well

Or a crewman with Stanley Steemer can match the performance of any TM or porty

Guess we should all just go home, clean our own carpets and land a 9-5.  We're done.  See you in the elevator on the way up to the office I guess.  All that money wasted on hardware when all we needed was a $20 rental unit and some neighborhood kid to run it for $2/hour, right after he mows the lawn.

How much do we get for scrap metal?

I don't need to be shot to know it might hurt.
Your argument has fallen and deaf ears on this thread.
Keep your TM, use it, enjoy it...and pay for it.