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Chief Steamer Refill 100 vs Therma Kleen TK1.5
We would like to compare our Chief Steamer Refill 100 to the Therma Kleen TK1.5. We have to preface this by saying that we sold the Therma Kleen machines for a number of years. Its a fabulous machine! Its a workhorse and an excellent made steam cleaner. If you purchase one of theirs, you will not be sorry you did. HOWEVER…..we think there is a excellent alternative in the Chief Steamer Refill 100

Our Chief Steamer is very similar as far as specifications, but these are different machines. Lets start with the basic specifications and similarities.

  • Both the Chief Steamer Refill 100 and the TK1.5 are 100 PSI- We are now at 110 PSI
  • Both the Chief Steamer Refill 100 and the TK1.5 are 330 degrees in the boiler- we are just slightly higher due to slightly higher pressure
  • Both the Chief Steamer Refill 100 and the TK1.5 have similar brush attachments
  • Both the Chief Steamer Refill 100 and the TK1.5 have excellent steam volume
  • Both the Chief Steamer Refill 100 and the TK1.5 have a lifetime boiler warranty and use an excellent quality of stainless in the boiler. We use AISI 304. They use AISI 316. The difference is a slight variation in the amount of chromium and nickel alloyed with the iron, to comprise the stainless steel. Its about a 2-4 % difference. The slight difference in Cr and Ni isn’t enough to cause a difference in the strength. Both are rated at pressures far higher than 100 PSI
  • Both the Chief Steamer Refill 100 and the TK1.5 have similar safety shut off features

But as with all of our comparisons, we feel we have an advantage in numerous areas

  • The Chief Steamer Refill 100 is continuous refill. The TK1.5 is a single boiler with a pressure cap
  • The Chief Steamer Refill 100 has a detachable hose. The TK1.5 has an internally attached hose
  •  The Chief Steamer Refill 100 has an infinite pressure adjustment using a valve to give the user adjustment from zero to full pressure. The TK1.5 has 3 pressure adjustments (low, medium and high)
  • The Chief Steamer Refill 100 has an EXTERNAL heating element. The TK1.5 has an internal element
  • The Chief Steamer Refill 100 uses a smaller 2.0 liter (2.2) quart boiler. The TK1.5 uses a larger 6 quart boiler. We can use the smaller boiler as our machine is a continuous refill. Ours will heat in less than half the time of the TK1.5. A bigger boiler is advantageous in the fact that there is a larger steam reservoir available. But ours recovers fast and there is not a hugely noticeable pressure drop. Big boilers take a long time to heat. We do not need a big boiler with a continuous refill system. Most people prefer a faster heat up time and most people by far prefer the continuous fill system.
  • The TK1.5 is made in the USA. This is certainly true. However, parts are sourced in Italy. Although we certainly can build our Chief Steamer from scratch here and claim USA made, we let our Italian manufacturer completely build our machine. But its built according to our specifications
  • The Chief Steamer Refill 100 has a lifetime heater warranty as the external heater does not sit in the boiler and immersed in water. The TK1.5 heater is under the 1 year parts warranty
  • The Chief Steamer Refill 100 has a 3 year parts warranty in addition to the lifetime on the boiler and heater. The TK1.5 has a 1 year parts warranty

The TK1.5 is a large very industrial looking machine. Its super heavy duty in all areas. But it also makes it bulky and a bit hard to transport. The TK1.5 has a nice cart to assist in rolling it around and hanging brushes and other attachments. We do not offer that as ours is more compact and easier to transport. This also helps ours be considerably less expensive

These machines look far different but produce basically the same amount of steam, at similar temperature, and pressure. We have shown the similarities and the differences where we think we have an advantage. But we have a HUGE advantage in the one key area you may be most interested in……PRICE.

You know our price. Out of respect for Therma Kleen, we will not state their price here as they do not list it on their website. We are far cheaper in price, but certainly not cheaper in quality. If you were thinking of a TK1.5, we hope you will now think twice