Why do OEMs typically use the best quality products for their new equipment? The answer is simple. They want the equipment to perform at its optimal condition when you decide to purchase their product. No one wants to replace the burners in their new Weber grill a couple of weeks after bringing it home. Especially when the neighbors are on their way over expecting that famous barbecue you’ve been bragging about.
As consumers, we have an expectation that what we buy will work. We all realize that the equipment we purchase has wear parts. Tires, mower blades, ground engaging teeth and sweeper brooms all need to be replaced on an ongoing basis. The quality of these parts directly impacts the performance and production output of the equipment itself.
Not All Brooms Are Created Equal
In the world of sweeping, there are four different types of brooms; tube brooms, gutter brooms, strip brooms and wafer brooms. Each broom type is constructed differently and uses different commodities like polypropylene and steel. The quality of these commodities impacts the performance of the broom.
Take polypropylene bristle for example. Not all polypropylene bristle is created equal. The extrusion process and formulation of the resin dictates how the bristle performs. The bristle needs to have the proper flicking action for the broom to sweep properly while not wearing out prematurely. This is one of the main reasons that all the brooms we make at Keystone out-perform and outlast all of the competition’s brooms.
We also put more bristle in our standard brooms than our competitors. The weight of our wafers and standard tube brooms are heavier with more material. This coupled with the fact that the bristle itself is superior creates a broom that gives you a higher level of productivity.
The same is true with our gutter brooms. The performance of the gutter broom starts with the blocks. Blocks need to be molded with a high impact resistance resin so that they do not shatter or crack when they hit the curb line.
The wire bristle in the gutter broom is what sweeps the debris from the curb line into the center of the sweeper. The wire needs to be flexible enough to flick the debris while being strong enough not to break, leaving a trail of wire behind the sweeper.
We use a patented wire that goes through an aneling process to give our wire these characteristics. Not every gutter broom manufacturer uses this quality wire which is why you will see cheaper gutter brooms tend to wear out more quickly with the wire bristle breaking in half.
Time and Money
Performance is not about the price you pay for a product. Performance is about how well the product does the job it’s intended to do. The price you pay for a replacement broom is only the beginning of the cost associated with changing the broom. The downtime of the sweeper and the labor cost can add up to more than the actual broom.
This is why quality matters. The replacement broom you purchase should be of the same quality that the sweeper had when you swept with it for the first time. We all want the product we purchase to last and help increase our overall productivity, street sweeping brooms are no different.
Contact us to learn more about our Keystone Quality and our full line of street sweeping brooms.