Last year I was manning a booth at an industry trade show when I saw an attendee frantically circling the General Pipe Cleaners Speedrooter 92 and Speedrooter XL drain cleaning machines that were sitting side by side in the booth. Before he could get too dizzy, I asked if I could be of any assistance. He spread his hands and looked at me with a perplexed expression on his face.

“I give up,”  he said. “What's the difference? The wheels are the same size, the drum is the same size, the cable is the same size, the frame looks identical ... am I missing something? Are they twins?” 

“Yes,” I said, “but fraternal not identical. Would you like to know the key difference? How often do you need to go over 100 feet clean a drain?” 

He thought for a few seconds and then shook his head. “I've done it plenty of times, but I can't remember the last time. Most of the jobs we do are less than 75 feet. Why do you ask?” 

“Because the main difference between the 92 and XL is the ability to remove the drum. If you routinely need to put a second drum on your machine to go over 100 feet to get to the clog, the XL is the machine for you. If that only happens every blue moon, then the 92 makes more sense. 

“The 92 is more economical, and the spring distributor tube that comes standard on the 92 works great for most customers. The XL comes standard with a larger 3/4 hp motor, and some contractors find that its solid metal distributor tube gives the cable more support when they explore the functional limits of the unit. Think of the Speedrooter XL as being halfway between the Speedrooter 92 and the Maxi-Rooter in price and utility.” 

He gently patted the drum on the 92 a few times, and then smiled. 

“Understood,” he said. “I think this one will work just fine for me, but my brother is definitely going to need the XL. No sense in separating the twins when they look so good together. Don’t you think?” 

Who was I to argue?