steam cleaners: karcher vs polti ?

dada44

hi there,

i am looking to buy a steam cleaner. There seem to be two good brands: Karcher and Polti.

Does anyone have any experience with these two brands - would they recommend one over the other?

Doozergirl

I only own one steam cleaner, it's a Polti, so I can't compare it to anything else.

It cost a lot of money but my own research of reading reviews on t'internet told me that unless it was vacuuming as well as steaming, people didn't have a particularly strong opinion of the things.

Ours cost a small fortune, but it has changed my life. I LOVE IT. It is not easy to set up, you need to read the instructions a few times and you build confidence with it, start with just hoovering then steaming, then using different attachments.

The simple fact that my mop has been consigned to the bin makes me incredibly happy. My workload there is more than halved. The other stuff is all a bonus.

seafarers_wife

i agree with doozgergirl, ive a polti vapereto and i adore it. makes cleaning everything so much easier and the fact that i can clean carpets and sanatise things properly is just a bonus. it gets used 3/4 times a week for general cleaning and i dont buy anywhere near as many chemical cleaning products as i used to as i dont need to anymore.

dada44

thanks. did you guys buy yours at john lewis? do you have the 2 wheeled version - if so, do you think that is easier to maneuver as much as the 4 wheeled version?

Thanks

seafarers_wife

i have this one http://www.electricshopping.com/polti-ptgb0024-vaporetto-950-turquoise-steam-cleaner.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shopping

i didnt buy it from here though, i got mine through an amazon seller who had very good feedback.

i found it was a considered purchase and i really weighed up the pro's and con's and costs of getting one and after comparing this model to the more expensive models i went ahead after about 3 months of internal debating lol.

Doozergirl

I bought mine from here:
http://www.steam-cleaners-irons.gur.co.uk/
They were the cheapest on the internet, but I was able to send H over to their shop for me.

Like seafarers_wife, I spent a long time thinking about it because it was such a big purchase.

dada44

thanks. i will end up with a polti. also - do you think it is necessary to put those solutions in, along with the water, to prevent limescale? we do have hard water i believe.

anotherbaldrick

We have had a Polti for years now , been great. All the family borrow it. No need for any additive and our water is very hard (Thames )

pimento

It must just be me then. I have a Polti Vaporetto bought about 10 years ago for £300 odd. It's been out of the box less than 10 times in 10 years and every time I get it out I wonder why I wasted my money.

It doesn't clean my kitchen floor, it doesn't get the grease off my oven and it doesn't clean my carpets. All it does is move the dirt around.

Anyone want to buy a slightly used, still in the box, all accessories still there Polti Steam Cleamer?