Tornador questions

[LeMarque]

Not the foam gun.

I have searched - seen the videos

It seems this tool is used on everything (in one video a Jag - from the dash to the headliner to the wheels)

Companion product - enzyme Super Concentrate - This is usable on all surfaces from leather to mag wheels?

What solutions are others using?

I mean my confusion goes to say headliners. I thought there were special products for those. And I guessing the dash on the Jag is leather - OK there also?

Lastly, I thought I saw a competing product that "vacuumed" in the final step. Anyone familiar with this?

Any feedback appreciated.

//edit

can't locate this product
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTr2-LrRohg

[Gruebukkit]

I bought the Tornador recently and have used it twice. The first time, I used the companion Enzyme cleaner throughout the interior of a very dirty 2005 Ford Super Duty Crew Cab. It came up beautiful! I also used it last weekend to get the door sills and floorboard of a 2011 Mustang using 303 Carpet and Upholstery cleaner, diluted per recommendations. I wasn't nearly as impressed. The fluid seemed to stand on the surface and not clean as well. Perhaps the dilution (I wish I could remember off the top of my head exactly what it was) was too weak. In any event, I plan on doing the engine/underhood of the same Mustang GT next weekend with the Enzyme cleaner. I'll make sure to get photos!

[trerc]

I too am curious about this, I'm on the fence between getting one of these or a steamer...

[LeMarque]

...a very dirty 2005 Ford Super Duty Crew Cab

The dash? Radio? Vents? Cup holders? And no residue? How easy was it to wipe the cleaned surfaces? A brush for the vents?

And oh yea, I forgot about the headliner?

Was it faster? Sorry for all the ?'s but trying to get a clear idea of how useful it really is.

[Gruebukkit]

The dash? Radio? Vents? Cup holders? And no residue? How easy was it to wipe the cleaned surfaces? A brush for the vents?

And oh yea, I forgot about the headliner?

Was it faster? Sorry for all the ?'s but trying to get a clear idea of how useful it really is.

Man, I really wish I had taken pictures (cardinal sin, I know!) But personally, I'll say it was money well-spent.

What you see in the video is a little deceptive, even though they do tell you that there isn't as much water as it seems. They're not lying - there really is NOT much surface water unless you dwell over an area - it's very controllable. Though it looks like it's saturating the surfaces, it's actually less mist than a bottle sprayer, i.e., the solution doesn't run. I felt comfortable with using it on the window control and door lock switches - but of course I was a little less aggressive around the stereo - especially the CD slot.

I did use a brush for the vents to loosen what the initial "air only" pass did not, then I hit it with mist and air again (no further brush) and they're clean as can be. It did a fantastic job on the cup-holders, even the pull-out dash one with all the spring-loaded arms. What's more, parts of the dash and lower door panels had a deep texture with ground-in dirt that surface cleaning with a cloth and spray product absolutely would not get. The Tornador made short-work of it all.

The cab had a camel-colored, felt-texture headliner that had droplets of Coke and a few pen/pencil marks, one of which was about 8-10" long. You can't even tell they were there now, and the fabric doesn't have "scrub" marks where the felt gets wooly. Shoot-and-blot. You can't tell anything was there.

The biggest challenge was what looked like a combination of beverages that had been spilled along the passenger door-sill and in the map bin. Coke and either milk or heavily-creamered coffee. The carpet was stiff all along the door-sill and had collected sand and dirt. I was about to take a stiff detailing brush to it, but decided to use the Tornador to loosen it up and blow away the loose dirt first. I never had to use the brush. It took several passes and two towels, but it cleaned it up beautifully.

While I was working the floorboard, I then went to cleaning the seat mounts, which were oily and caked with gunk. They look brand new. I did the brake and accelerator pedals - spotless. And all in very short amount of time. The only thing it did not remove completely was an old (year+) "chicken grease" stain on the fabric seats that had been attacked previously with some aerosol upholstery cleaner and a brush at some time previous. It improved it significantly - the discoloration was gone from much of it, but the original cleaning left an outline that I think was more solvent/chemical than the original grease. Had the Tornador had first crack at it, I doubt there would have been anything left to see.

As an example of how much/little fluid it puts down, I did the whole (Super)cab of the truck, including door sills, dash, floorboard, seats, headliner, visors, doors, fold-out cargo pan, inside/outside console, cupholders, map-pockets and trouble areas mentioned, and I still had a little more than a quarter of the original 32 ounces of solution left. A little solution goes a long, long way.

Finally, as far as residue, there is none. It does, however, redistribute what it dislodges, so be prepared to vacuum thoroughly before (so you're not blowing even more stuff around) AND after. In fact, while I was cleaning the seat mounts, I discovered that it did a great job of blowing forward/back all the mess under the seats that normal vacuuming can't get. I have no doubt the cab of the truck is cleaner than it has been since it was new.

All in all, there was a lot I accomplished with the Tornador that I either could not have done without a LOT more effort, or would not/could not have done at all. I give it :dblthumb2:

[Gruebukkit]

One more thing - make sure you have the air capacity to run the Tornador. The stated requirements I believe are 5.0 CFM @ 90 PSI. My compressor is rated at 6.2 CFM @ 90 PSI, and it manages to give my compressor a workout. I actually bumped deliver up to about 95 PSI when I was working the door sill and it made a big difference in how aggressively it attacked the grunge. I don't think I would dare boost it any higher.

I have a smaller "pancake" 4.0/90 compressor that I didn't bother trying - I'm positive that would have been useless with the Tornador.

[LeMarque]

Thanks for taking the time to answer all my ?'s and then some.

Ya know there's a 'Black' model of the Tornador available in Europe that's supposed to be more powerful (= better?) as well as the Twister II in the video.

All these units are mfg. in either Taiwan or China. Sure wish we could get our hands on them to test.

So now I have to decide between the Tornador or a Vapor Steamer; which is much more expensive.

May wait a bit to see if the Black model makes its way to the U.S.