Product Review: Is the X-Jet Right For You?
Spa City Softwash receives no monetary incentive to publish this review. We are not supported by X-Jet or any other component or equipment manufacturer in any way.
The X-Jet is a revolutionary external chemical injector designed to simplify the process of applying chemicals. It offers a versatile solution for beginners to soft washing who are looking to enhance their cleaning efficiency while minimizing waste. Although we no longer use the X-Jet as our primary tool to wash houses, it is still a tool in our arsenal we use almost every day (more on that later!).
Product Overview: The X-Jet features a unique design that allows users to apply chemicals at low pressure without the need for downstream injectors. This makes it ideal for a wide range of cleaning applications, including house washing, roof cleaning, and concrete cleaning. The X-Jet is an attachment for the spraying end of your pressure washing gun which has a nylon hose on the bottom of it which leads to a strainer for a bucket of cleaning solution. When the valve on the nylon hose is open it is sucking chemical from the bucket and spraying it mixed with water. Depending on the gallons per minute (GPM) of your machine, the X-Jet comes with proportioners which change the strength of the mix. When I started, I ran a 3.5GPM machine with an X-Jet with no proportioners. I would use a gallon of 12.5% sodium hypochlorite and 4 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket. This gave me approximately 1% strength mix. This strength was appropriate for most house washes.
Key Features:
Adjustable spray pattern: With the addition of the M5 Twist nozzle, the X-Jet allows users to adjust the spray pattern to suit their specific cleaning needs, providing greater control and precision.
Chemical-resistant construction: The X-Jet is made from durable, chemical-resistant materials, ensuring long-lasting performance even when used with harsh cleaning agents. We have used the same X-Jet on hundreds of houses across multiple seasons without a single replacement or malfunction.
Cheap and Easy to use: With its simple design and easy-to-follow instructions, the X-Jet is user-friendly and can be quickly set up for use. Most X-Jet M5 combos run about $160. With this, your pressure washer, and a bucket you can be washing houses immediately.
Benefits:
Increased efficiency: The X-Jet's M5 Twist nozzle allows for faster and more thorough cleaning, saving time and labor costs. The M5 Twist has a wide fan low-pressure setting that tightens up to a distance shooting nozzle as you twist the other direction. The fan setting is great for applying chemical quickly to huge area at ground level such as 1-story houses, porches, and concrete or decks. It is also useful for when you can’t avoid being close to a surface. If you use a shooter tip or the tips provided with a pressure washer at a close distance, you pose the risk of etching siding, removing paint, and damaging screens. This risk is decreased significantly using the fan setting of the M5 X-Jet.
When it is necessary to reach further up a house, the X-Jet can simply twist to a jet setting which can typically reach the second story of homes without the need for a ladder even for beginners with a 4GPM machine. This was faster and more convenient than switching to a shooter tip. We also found that most shooter tips do not work great on machines 4GPM or lower. We found the jet setting of the M5 Twist reached further up a house.
The X-Jet comes with a valve on the nylon hose. When the valve is closed you will be spraying water. When it is opened you will be spraying chemical and sucking from the bucket. This is faster than walking back to the truck or trailer to start downstreaming chemical. Especially for beginners with low GPM machines who will be washing small portions of a house at a time.
Versatility: The X-Jet can be used with a wide range of cleaning chemicals, making it suitable for various cleaning tasks. It is also able to pull a stronger mix. We mentioned earlier how one gallon of sodium hypochlorite with a 3.5GPM machine gave us about 1% strength. If we needed 2%, we could add 2 gallons of sodium hypochlorite and 3 gallons of water. This is helpful when pre and post treating concrete before surface cleaning. We use remote downstream system for house washing now, but we still use the X-Jet regularly when pre and post treating concrete.
Less Wear: Sodium Hypochlorite is harsh on your equipment. When downstreaming, chemical is running from your bucket or tank, to the downstream injector, through your hose reel, through your hoses, out your gun, and through your tip. All of those components are worn buy the chemical and some need frequent replacement. The X-Jet only runs chemical through the X-Jet. And, as we stated earlier, the X-Jet is extremely durable to wear.
Drawbacks:
The Bucket: To use the X-Jet, you have to move a bucket of chemicals around the house while washing. Not only is it annoying to carry around, but it is also a constant risk of chemical spillage. If the hose falls out of the bucket it could kill the grass it drips on. If you secure the hose to the bucket you could accidentally pull the bucket over and dump chemical on the property killing grass, plants, and making a hazardous puddle for animals and people if not rinsed. When we upgraded to an 8GPM pressure washer, we added a 50ft hose to our X-Jet because the machine had the power to suck at a farther distance. This helped us move the bucker around less, but it made us spill the bucket more because it was not always within our sight.
Misting: As much as we love the M5 Twist, it mists far more than a shooter tip. Not only does the mist create a risk of chemical going places it shouldn’t (neighbors windows, already cleaned sections of the home, plants, cars, your lungs!), but it also is super annoying. When you are rinsing the house and can’t see what you are spraying because the sun is shining on the mist and blocking you line of sight, you’ll wish you had a shooter tip!
Conclusion: Overall, the X-Jet is a versatile and efficient external chemical injector that offers a range of benefits for beginners in the cleaning industry. Its innovative design and ease of use make it a valuable tool for people starting out in the industry. Since Spa City Softwash has grown, we have transitioned to a remote downstream system for house washing. We find it easier to control our spraying, limit the risk of chemical overspray, and easier to leave the chemical on the trailer (no bucket!). However, the X-Jet was essential to our business when we started and it still has its role with us today.
