I live in a high rise apartment and have 1,000 sq ft of balconies that get really dirty every few days. I have a Bissell scrubber which I use in the house, but needed something heavy duty outside. The SM430 is in some way overkill but it gets the job done and is one of the most affordable commercial quality machines. I give it 4/5 stars.
Pros:
* Gets the job done and quickly, one pass gets 90% of the dirt, second pass gets you to 95%
* Battery powered makes it easier to maneuver as you're not managing cords while using the machine.
* The machine folds up in "parking position" and is easy to move and store (but with caveat down below)
Cons:
* The fresh water tank isn't matched to the waste tank; you will run out of water in less than 10 minutes and the waste tank will be half full. It would be better if they were closely matched so that one fresh water tank fills the waste tank.
* When you empty the waste tank it's hard to get 100% of the waste out. It empties form the top, and the waste input hose and filter opening are also at the top. What happens is when you empty the waste, some of it back flows through the filter and it leaves behind a bit of waste in the tank due to the shape. Then when you put it upright, a small amount of waste goes down the overflow hose and out the bottom of the tank and spills/drips dirty water all over the floor. It's not easy to empty the waste tank without spilling a drop of dirty waste water.
* Parking position is great when you're done with the machine, but when you need to pause to empty/fill tanks or move something out of the way, the machine doesn't have an upright stable position like most vacuums and other scrubbers. You need to slide something like a latch/bolt open down by the machine base, fold down a metal bar held by a magnet and insert it into a pretty tight slot, then get the bolt/latch closed over the bar. There isn't even a mention of this in the manual that I could find and it takes effort to get this to work. It should be improved because it's such a pain that many people will just balance the handle against something or their body awkwardly rather than use the bolt/bar way. The upper assembly is pretty heavy, especially if the tanks are full, and if dropped the handle would damage what it hit or possibly even become damaged itself.
* There is no indication that I can see when the fresh water tank runs out or the waste tank needs filling. Even a simple float or clear window would be very helpful. The machine is heavy and as per the point above awkward to get into upright position so you can pull the tanks and check the level.
Great machine for the price. Easy to replace parts
Monica was fantastic!! Very helpful and timely!!
nice little work cart, heavy duty and well made
I’m looking forward to your response. Please get in touch.