The Hot Rod Pro Loaner & Review

Mo wrote:Dave, Sounds like you were using the older model? Did you have any other uses for it besides pre agitating carpet

Here's how the tour looks so far. It's all west coast baby. Let's get this show on the road.Bill could you include the tile and grout attachment for me. I have a lot of tile to clean at my new house.

Will do.

I'll be sending it out today

Well, I got my Hot Rod Pro, and I must say it's a huge Improvement over the original red one.  Just the fact that it's Stainless Steel, and Aluminum improves the look and professionalism of it IMO.

And a couple features the Pro has the the Original doesn't makes all the difference in ease of use and control.  First of all the handle angle adjustment is great because you can set it so you're not having to bend over at all to use it, which is great! And the other main improvement, I think is the telescoping handle, locked in place by a simple flip locking lever. This making it real EZ to adjust in just a second for tight areas or for use on stairs. The wand style handle is also a nice improvement I think, that helps with control.

One tip I'll give you guys who are testing it on the "Loaner Program"......

I've found it's easiest to control when you keep the pad/brush  flat of the floor just as you would with a 175, if you have to adjusted to high or low so just the front or rear is on the floor is harder to control.  So Don't just just give up on it the first use, get it adjusted properly so it works for you.  Just like a 175 there is a bit of a leaning curve, so be patient and figure out how to make it work best for you.

BTW, also just in case Bill hasn't yet mentioned it, the trigger on the polisher has to be in the locked position, so it then gives on/off control to the button on the handle.............this is simply done by squeezing the trigger on the polisher and pushing the red lock button on the side, this locking the polisher on, then on/off is controlled by the button on the HRH.

Also, play around with the speed dial on the polisher (it's the lil red wheel on top of the polishers handle that controls the RPM). Slower speed seems to work better on carpet for me, I've been using it on about speed setting 2.  

Thanks for the tips Dave. I just received the Hot Rod yesterday

Have you had a chance to try it yet, Mo?

I'll give it a run. Love my crb tho so I'll be comparing to something I have a man crush on. Im in Colorado.

I was thinking that it would make a great tool for filtration soiling. Spray down some strong encap and use this thing like a weed eater. Hitting the edges just like your lawn.

Fuzzsucker wrote:I'll give it a run. Love my crb tho so I'll be comparing to something I have a man crush on. Im in Colorado.

I was thinking that it would make a great tool for filtration soiling. Spray down some strong encap and use this thing like a weed eater. Hitting the edges just like your lawn.

Funny you said this as I was looking at my Toro string trimmer today and wondered why not convert one of them. It already has the right position, a great battery life, and a spinning head. Rig up a drive plate for it and let it fly. It doesn't have the power of a grinder, but it sounds like the grinder is over-kill for carpet anyway.

Then I realized that I really need the trimmer to be a trimmer....can't use my 175 to edge the porch either.  

I would think the 10,000 RPM trimmer might be a bit much for carpet also.  

Davey Cracker wrote:I would think the 10,000 RPM trimmer might be a bit much for carpet also.  

Maybe on a deep shag from the 70's?  

Mo wrote:Let's get this loaner program started. If you try it out and like it Urban Floor care will sell it to you at reduced rate.

If you would like to test drive the tool before you buy add your name to this thread and we'll ship in geographical order. The Cleaners Lounge will pay the shipping for the first three participants. I don't think the shipping should be more than 25.00 . What do you think Bill?

Do you guys have any questions or suggestions on the rules, the loaner program etc.

Davey Cracker, Do you have any videos or pics you can share of this tool in action?

Here's a rough video I shot last week of the Hot Rod on stairs.

Quick work at prescribing. Must be nice to have two helpers. One to spray and another to hold the cord 

Mo wrote:Quick work at prescribing. Must be nice to have two helpers. One to spray and another to hold the cord 

I was too lazy to change to a downstairs electrical outlet so I'm recording with one hand and trying to hold the cord out of the way with the other.

Came out kinda lame now that you mention it.

SixShooter wrote:

Mo wrote:Let's get this loaner program started. If you try it out and like it Urban Floor care will sell it to you at reduced rate.

If you would like to test drive the tool before you buy add your name to this thread and we'll ship in geographical order. The Cleaners Lounge will pay the shipping for the first three participants. I don't think the shipping should be more than 25.00 . What do you think Bill?

Do you guys have any questions or suggestions on the rules, the loaner program etc.

Davey Cracker, Do you have any videos or pics you can share of this tool in action?

Here's a rough video I shot last week of the Hot Rod on stairs.

Must admit it, looks pretty effective on those stairs. I love my cyclo, but the bending over can become a real pain at times. You are starting to get me interested in this tool....not there yet, but a lot closer.

I used it today on some FILTHY stairs, and man did it quick work of the agitation....and they came out great!!

But no video, it's just about impossible when running solo............one day I'll get it figured out!

Still no word, Mo?...are you still figuring it out, in that how not to fight it stage??

milspec6 wrote:
Must admit it, looks pretty effective on those stairs.  I love my cyclo, but the bending over can become a real pain at times.  You are starting to get me interested in this tool....not there yet, but a lot closer.

Stop fighting the temptation, Rob!@!   

As far as I'm concerned, IT IS the easiest and most convenient tool for stairs, by far!...........so light, and now with the Pro so EZ to shorten the length for stairs or tight areas......and also no more bending over for us on the taller side.   

At least test out the "Loaner" when it comes your way.   

I'll see if I get a chance to use it tomorrow.

Finally got around to un boxing the Hot Rod. The box had a hole in from the handle. It was shipped with the the tube turned sideways so the handle hit the side of the box. It might be best to ship with handle turned right side up. Unless you put it in the way so that it would fit in the box Bill.



It came with a few things


Adjustable Handle


Plugged in to use intermittent button on handle it would be nice if  was an on/off button as well


Velcro Driver




Tile and grout brush was pretty stiff. I ran it on cement and it was still pretty stiff.



I decided to break in the carpet brush on the kitchen floor. It didn't look like it was digging into the grout lines very well maybe the grout brush would do a better job. I was hoping you still had the old vertical grout brush attachment.



 It came with a splash guard but if you keep the spray to a minimum you don't need it

The driver fit under the toe kick no problem. You don't want to drink and drive and hit a cabinet


I used this the micro fiber pad to dry but on this particular black floor it left some swirl marks on medium speed



Hog hair brush


It also came with the polishing and sanding pads. I just moved into this house and needs some painting. I removed the grinder and used it to sand the was outside wall getting it ready to pain. Looking forward to using it to sand my deck. I may need it for longer than a week  

Nice review Mo, looks like a sturdy tool.

Mo wrote:Finally got around to un boxing the Hot Rod. The box had a hole in from the handle. It was shipped with the the tube turned sideways so the handle hit the side of the box. It might be best to ship with handle turned right side up. Unless you put it in the way so that it would fit in the box Bill.



It came with a few things


Adjustable Handle


Plugged in to use intermittent button on handle it would be nice if  was an on/off button as well


Velcro Driver




Tile and grout brush was pretty stiff. I ran it on cement and it was still pretty stiff.



I decided to break in the carpet brush on the kitchen floor. It didn't look like it was digging into the grout lines very well maybe the grout brush would do a better job. I was hoping you still had the old vertical grout brush attachment.



 It came with a splash guard but if you keep the spray to a minimum you don't need it

The driver fit under the toe kick no problem. You don't want to drink and drive and hit a cabinet


I used this the micro fiber pad to dry but on this particular black floor it left some swirl marks on medium speed



Hog hair brush


It also came with the polishing and sanding pads. I just moved into this house and needs some painting. I removed the grinder and used it to sand the was outside wall getting it ready to pain. Looking forward to using it to sand my deck. I may need it for longer than a week  

Thanks for the update Mo.

I will pay better attention when packing it in the box from now on.

Several folks have mentioned the momentary switch vs. a toggle switch. They say their thumbs get tired on large areas. I usually end up "palming" the switch when doing larger areas.

On the earliest version of the tool we used a toggle switch. One time it got caught in a lamp cord and I decided it needed a momentary switch so that it would die instantly upon release, as a safety precaution.

However, I can easily make up an inline toggle that could be added to the existing tool. In fact I think I have one ore two still around the shop from the early version.

I will send you one.

Interesting comment on the T&G brush. Let me know if you think a different gauge bristle will work better for grout. If I hear this from others as well maybe I'll order a different gauge.

The carpet brush may need further breaking in before you try it on carpet.

Thanks again for the update. I will send you that toggle.

I'll soften up the tile and grout bush on the cement some more and use on my Arizona room tile

Couple before and after.


Before


After




Video later.

That's on low speed. I figured out how to increase the rpm and I had that Hot Rob floating and cutting through that soiling. It took about 20 minutes to scrub about 400 sq ft. I was pleased with the results and the performance of The Hot Rod Pro.

That lino went from yellow to clean. Did you mop up with the pad, spinner. wand?

I didn't get a chance to finish the job cuz the a monsoon storm rolled in  Lost the internet for the whole day too

VCT strip/wax with the Hot Rod Pro

Before


During


Prepped for wax.



After

Mo wrote:That lino went from yellow to clean. Did you mop up with the pad, spinner. wand?

No, we just mopped out. Then clear water rinse mop. Then applied one coat of wax.

I finally talked the rental company to not apply a coat of wax. The yellowing is from previous coats. The wax just gives the shine. I told them it would look better and last longer if they just stripped it and left the floor natural.

That's why I'm so interested in the Hot Rod Pro. I can have our cleaning team apply stripper, scrub with the Hot Rod, then just do a good mop out.

The new improvement to the Pro is what sparked the interest and consideration for these floors. I love the 1.5 tube with handle. It took this tool to a professional grade in a class of its own.

I believe the Hot Rod Pro has solved an on going problem for our business. I'm just getting started with different applications and ideas.