I own the VX5000. In some ways I am super impressed, others I am not. I was really impressed with the ability to remove extremely hardened tree sap off of a couple hoods that any chemical I threw at it did nothing. It makes for quicker cleaning of center consoles/cup holders.
What didn't impress me was any type of serious cleaning, lets say around the house. My wife was excited to try it throughout her regular house cleaning and it just wasn't worth the hassle.
My qualms with it are not truely about the machine but more so with my lack of experience. It also takes a long time to heat up. I have not timed it but it seems nearly twice as long as getting my Mytee HP60 (Extractor) ready to use.
To add: It really came in handy with cleaning the gas door/cap of a car I did recently. It was like a 2" layer of glue/grime in there. I used Meg's APC, ARO, and purple power w/ agitation and water(hose) and it barely came clean. I finally decided to get the VX5000 out (I usually try to avoid because it takes so long to heat IMO) and it cut through everything in a matter of seconds.
It seems to help slightly with cleaning door panels but I have not had anything super dirty to really warrant it's use.
The only "Be careful" tip I have ran into so far is on door panels. My wife has an 08 Altima with a black sort of rubbery/plastic type material.
Here is a picture (not my wifes)
The top portion.... I had left a few faint lines from possibly getting too close with the steamer tip. You can barely notice it, but once you notice it, it shows pretty bad. Luckily it was my wifes car and not a customers. PERL hides it when applied, but when it wears off I am sure the lines will come back.
I am also not too fond of the attachments it comes with. I like to use the two that come down to a long thin snout. 1 has a single opening, and the other has 3 openings. The 1 opening IMO is too strong, and is what left the lines in my wifes door panel. The 3 holed opening shoots too wide of an angle IMO. It's almost like it shoots out parallel to the panel you're facing, rather than perpendicular and directly towards the panel.
Well, I am kind of busy and in a hurry and thats all that I can think of for now. I apologize if the above is sort of jumbled.
Overall If I went back in time I would still buy the steamer, I believe I just need to learn to utilize it better.
Linear Mode
