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Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet
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Author:  anthony_carter [ May 14, 2010 11:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

I have heard two bits of feedback that should instill alot of confidence to prospective consumers of this new breakthrough carpet from America.

First one was from the head contractor I use in Melbourne. He runs a team of about 30 layers. They have installed 1000's of metres of this carpet, but we rarely get feedback from them ....... Today he told me how a layer doubted the lifetime stain resistant qualities of the fibre and took an offcut home. He covered it with grease from a grease gun, vegemite, mustard, some wine, etc. Then he set it with a hair dryer and then left it outside for a couple of days to really bake in. He cleaned it out with his garden hose - gone ! He was amazed. These claims that it is the biggest breakthrough in carpet fibres for ages are real.

The second thing I heard today was from a bloke down from Sydney for the day. During the week he had a phone call from a customer who had purchased Smartstrand IQ150 and had her cat vomit on it. He went out and with a regular spot remover, cleaned out the acid vomit (it had been soaking in for 48 hours untreated). The vomit cane straight out, no stain, no fading, no discolouration. The customer was stoked and it further reinforces this carpets credentials when it comes to stain resistence and colour fastness.

If you need more info on Smartstrand, read a few more of the posts on this forum or google it. YouTube has heaps of videos showing it getting trashed and then cleaned up. Call me on 03 9567 6676 if you need 1 on 1 advice on carpet. Free of charge of course. I have contacts in most population centres on the eastern seaboard who can assist you with more info on this revolution in carpet!

Author:  royalblue [ May 15, 2010 12:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

G'day Anthony,

No doubt you are excited about these new carpets, with their outstanding stain resistance. I'm not knocking the carpets, but there still are many unanswered questions. I had asked before about the specs of the iq150 carpets. What backing materials, density etc?? You also wanted to send me a sample but it hasn't arrived. I'd be interested in the warranty statement and care instructions that are supplied to those who buy the carpets. Any exclusions or terms & conditions there?

One concern I have about the way some carpets are marketed is the fixation with stain resistance and warranties. When we ask what people want from a carpet, that's what they say "we want a carpet that won't stain"!!! So selling them what they say they want makes sense. Right?

But here's a reality check.... the ability of the face yarn to resist permanent staining is a relatively minor part of the overall performance, appearance and longevity of a carpet. No matter how well a fibre can resist staining, it still requires commonsense care. Bottom line is, if something contaminates a carpet, (any carpet) it needs to be cleaned up. So the overall condition and performance of a carpet depends on the lifestyle and care & maintenance that the carpet owner gives it, more than any other factor.

Even if a spot or stain is cleaned up without staining, if there is sticky residue remaining, this will attract soil to the area. I've come across this countless times with polypropylene carpets. They boast among the best stain resistance, but still can and do look crap because of other factors.

So the focus on stain resistance (more than anything) appeals to what people want to hear. With any carpet, if prompt and proper attention is applied when accidents happen, spots and stains can be successfully removed without great difficulty. Now this new yarn may offer a bit more grace in the case of abuse, but if someone thinks they can abuse carpets and it'll keep lookin good then they are willingly deluded.

Again, I do think the iq150 carpet will do very well, and be one of the better synthetic carpets for domestic use, but how it performs over time is yet to be seen. If consumers buy the carpet and look after it well, it should serve them well... just like most other carpets.

Ash.

Author:  anthony_carter [ May 15, 2010 12:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

Yes Ash. Same applies to all textiles, of all fibre types. As an ex manufacturer, I know just a bit about them and don't disagree. Like anything in life, if you look after it, it will last. Nice to know it cleans though. That's my point:)

We have 30 odd ranges, from tight low pile lcl's to 3 inch high shag piles, twists of every weight in 100's and 100's of colours, a velour (plush) etc. I'll get you a bit. I have been busy shifting from a couple of other stores I had to the current one at Chadstone .

Author:  Bbb [ May 15, 2010 11:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

I went to look at iq150 at HN today. I don't like the plush or patterned ones, which really just left the cut pile twist ones, which had a bit of a shaggy look to them. (Only considering ones that HN have in stock). The carpet is soft and nice to walk on, but it doesn't seem to be very dense - does have quite a shaggy appearance.

The only other contender is a SDN (rated extra heavy duty residential) that has an additional stain resistant coating and has a 15 year full value/replacement warrantee for staining. It seems more dense to walk on, like there is more piles on it.

I guess it might be like Ash said, as long as we look after it, either would be good in regards to stains. But I don't know which one would look best after 10-15 years in regards to general wear - I really don't like it when carpet flattens in areas where it gets more traffic, and don't know whether a SDN or iq150 would be better at this. The iq150 concerns me because it doesn't seem as dense?

Author:  royalblue [ May 15, 2010 11:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

I think you may be right Bbb! :roll: :wink:

Anyone selling carpet should be willing to supply specs such as the gauge (how many tufts per inch) weight (weight of a square yard of carpet in ounces) and pile height. Normally, the ratio of greater weight in a lower pile height will equate to better performance. But there can be other factors, and yes, if a carpet feels like there's lots of air there instead of yarn, it ain't what it could be. 8)


Ash.

Author:  anthony_carter [ May 16, 2010 7:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

It's an American carpet. So the twists are slightly shaggy. There are some twists in the range that are more traditionally twists from an Australian point of view.

Smartstrand will not be for everyone. I have a ripper SDN plush here that looks like a wool it's that well made....we are not just an iq150 Smartstrand shop !!! :)

in relation to technical specs. They are all available, but are no longer published like they used to be. I caution people in trying to become too much of an expert overnight though. There is no way you are going to get enough info in a few hours on the net to fly solo on your decision making. I have done this forc18 years and still learn something new each day. I think it cones down to trusting the carpet retailer. A hard thing to do in some cases I guess :)

Author:  Bbb [ May 16, 2010 3:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

Yeh trusting carpet retailers is really hard. The expert at one shop had never heard of iq150/smartstrand when I asked for his opinion. He went off to phone somebody, and came back saying its exactly the same as stainmaster ("remember pro-hart") but with an extra coating on it!!! In the end I've mostly learned not to trust most things they say and have been relying on Anthony and Ash for real opinions!! :)

To be fair, there were some iq150's at HN we liked that were less shaggy (its not my style) but they were going to take longer to get in which unfortunately ruled those ones out.

Author:  anthony_carter [ May 16, 2010 4:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

Yes. Many are kept in-stock in the US and shipped as required. If we stocked ALL the colours and styles it would ruin Australia's balance of payments :) I firmly think that if you don't know something, don't lie about it, just admit it and you'll probably know someone to call for advice. I phone a few people now and again when someone throws me a wobbly one !!! Best to be accurate.

Author:  royalblue [ May 16, 2010 5:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

anthony_carter anthony_carter
in relation to technical specs. They are all available, but are no longer published like they used to be. I caution people in trying to become too much of an expert overnight though. There is no way you are going to get enough info in a few hours on the net to fly solo on your decision making. I have done this forc18 years and still learn something new each day. I think it cones down to trusting the carpet retailer. A hard thing to do in some cases I guess :)


I respectfully disagree there Anthony. To a point, yes, customers should take some guidance from retailers. But it is their decision that they have to live with. Far too often, I see people who have bought based on promises of performance which were way off the mark. I know there are exceptions, but carpet sales staff are notorious for not knowing much about the real life performance of carpets. Even some with years of experience in selling carpets have little understanding.
Consider how we buy a car. We are exposed to all sorts of advertising & marketing hype, and eager car sales staff are ready to put us behind the wheel. But the discerning buyer will decide themselves what car best suits their needs. Whether they are buying a Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Kia or a Suzuki, they all have their specs published, including fuel economy and other ratings. There are magazines and consumer groups evaluating various models and lots of info that is available if the buyer wants to consider the purchase carefully.

This is what I advocate... consumers making informed decisions based on reliable information.

When it comes to carpets, it ain't rocket science! Price is a reasonable indicator of quality for starters. Realising that plain light carpets will show soiling is a no brainer. Choosing carpets and underlay that are more dense, heavy duty and made with quality wool or selected synthetic yarns should be common sense. All it takes is a bit of time to compare apples with apples. 8)


Ash.

Author:  anthony_carter [ May 16, 2010 8:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

I am not at all saying go in blind Ash....but a customer with some info and not all the info can, in my experience, find it harder to be educated, as often the info (or their interpretation of that info) is just plain wrong.

For example, technical people, such as engineers and school teachers etc often come to me with a little info and think they are armed for a day out shopping for carpet, but all that happens is I have to spend an hour re-educating them.

A classic example is ounces of carpet. Now I have 32 oz carpets that are far superior to some of my 48 oz gear. This is from an appearance retention point of view due to pile height and guage.

I think you find someone who you can communicate with, who is a professional, and discuss it all. I will spend hours and hours with just 1 customer if they are genuine and educate them - but in stages. It's like building a house (learning). You need someone to teach you the basics and build slowly the info. Plus I can put a technical term into English for a customer (ie which is better to understand, a laminate that has taber test of 13,000 revolutions or a laminate that is 8 times harder than your kitchen benchtop ?) what means something....see what I mean.

A customer who reads this forum will ask for prime and a power stretch, but do they know what prime ? Do they know the difference between a kicker and a power stretcher ?

There is no substitute for an industry professional 1 on 1 going through options, fibres, join location, pile direction, window locations etc.

Author:  royalblue [ May 17, 2010 12:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Smartstrand iq150 - Amazing Carpet

Hmmm some valid points there Anthony. But I still think you need to give customers the credit for having the capacity to learn enough to make THEIR decision based on some basic info that isn't difficult to grasp. As I've often pointed out, the 'bum-steer' is the usual way most carpet sales staff offer guidance! :( :roll: IF they were more informed and knew their stuff better like yourself, there would be much better outcomes.

Example... its commonplace for lower spec underlays to be sold to customers as being "the best". They don't even mention the better underlays for fear of losing the sale based on price.

Those who you say come in with some understanding (I would have thought) would be quite amenable to being shown why and how they could make better choices. The fact they bothered to get info in the first place shows they are discerning and want to make a sound decision.

Of course, being in retail sales has its own set of skills to help a customer make their decision, and sometimes that can mean overcoming their preconceptions. Whether they come in with no knowledge or a good deal, your task remains the same.

I get cold calls sometimes from new customers saying they don't want steam cleaning, or they want me to do things a certain way. I'm not gonna jump down their throat, but will find out why they have their preconceptions, before explaining how they can get the job done with the best outcome WITHOUT the problems they think are associated. I find it a pleasure to deal with those who are engaging with the issues. But those who just don't give a s#!t and just want to know "how much to clean me carpets"?.... they are the ones who I'm wary of. Chances are, if anything doesn't look perfect, they'll be the ones pointing a finger of blame at me, rather than bothering to take responsibility for why things don't meet their expectations. :roll:

Anyway, we are here offering advice for whoever wants it, to do what they will with. There will always be different kinds of customers. Personally, I prefer to target customers who are more discerning, and use me because that is a carefully considered choice. The others, (such as tenants moving out of rentals referred to me) I try to impress enough to convert them into discerning customers. But there are still those you pay me and grunt as they leave me to it, never to think twice about this or their next commercial decision. :|

Ash.

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