McCulloch sounds disappointing. i had one on my list to purchase, now im starting to rethink that. the 1385 seems to be their top machine and puts out 4 bar pressure which seems decent. is that not enough?
The 1385 is the one I have and I`m happy with it for now, it is compact,holds a good amount of water and it has already paid for itself. If you already have experience with a lower end unit, I`m not sure the 1385 will impress you,maybe it will but not as much as if it was your first unit ever. I found it good because it is my 1st steamer, but I`m definitely ready for something better next time. The long hose is really nice, soft rubber and I can do a whole interior without having to relocate my unit really because it reaches from driver to passenger side with ease. If doing a large truck then it might be a different story.
My negatives about mine are:
*It spits water upon first trigger pull, so remember to point wand away and let the water come out first, then after that the spitting is very minor during
continuous use. If you stop it to move sections/do something else for more than a few seconds, remember it will spit again.
*I don`t recall the pressure going as high as advertised, gets close to it, but after a bit continuous use(letting steam out non stop) it starts struggling to keep pressure , not a huge deal because I need the HEAT for interior stains and don`t use my steamer for "pressure blasting" things.
*It`s taken more than the advertised 12 minutes to fully charge up upon initial operation. More like close to 20, so If i plan on using it, it is one of the first things I plug in to allow charge time and that takes care of that.
*Not easy to add more water without letting it cool down, but with the tank capacity you should be good with one tank if the job is not
too messy.
*Not bad for engine cleaning but not great, as stated, it doesn`t have the push/pressure to move much, so a rag to wipe/agitate as you loosen things up is a must.
If I was in your position, I would wait a bit to get the $ for a higher end unit
if you can afford to wait. The one
zmcgovern45 references looks nice and I`m considering it as my next steamer, that`s a very reasonable price . If you just want a steamer for the heat and not for pressure blasting things, you might be ok with this 1385 but it`s a personal preference thing. If you get it through Amazon, you could just try it a few times and return it if you don`t like it since their return policies on most items is great and simple.
