According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 134a has been the most common refrigerant used in light duty vehicles since 1994. That means the vast majority of vehicles on the road today still use this refrigerant type, and many of those vehicles will require HVAC service at some point during their life cycle. Recovery/recycle/recharge (RRR) machines play a major role in HVAC service, so having an efficient RRR machine that services 134a vehicles is a necessity for most shops.
Joey Gravel, head master technician at Duncan’s Hokie Honda in Christiansburg, Virginia, says the Mastercool Commander2000 Fully Automatic R134a RRR Machine is not only efficient, it’s also intuitive and easy to use.
“If you've ever dealt with HVAC, [the Mastercool] machine is very easy to work,” Gravel says. “It can’t get much easier.”
Though he didn’t really need it, Gravel says the Commander2000 came with a user manual that is better than those he’s seen with competitors’ products.
After 12 years working at Duncan’s Hokie Honda, Gravel has used his fair share of RRR machines, so he knows what features he likes and what features he doesn’t.
“I love the fact that it's got two separate systems for oil injection,” he says. “You [don’t have] to unhook the line to add oil, you can measure it out. It's an all-around time saver.”
Gravel also notes that the Mastercool machine seems to vacuum more quickly than others he has used and that he appreciates the wireless connectivity.
“The update capability is pretty cool,” he explains. “We've only had to do it once or twice, maybe, but you can connect it to Wi-Fi.”
Another feature of the Commander2000 that Gravel likes is the onboard database, which allows him to find what refrigerant should be used on the vehicle. This is especially important when the vehicle’s labels are missing or illegible.
“The database is great; I've used it several times,” he says. “Some of these body shop cars have come in and they won't have the [refrigerant] labels because they didn't put the labels on it, or you can’t read them.”
The only feature Gravel feels could use improvement is the process of changing the vacuum oil.
“[There’s] not much you can do about it,” he says, “but I feel like they could have put like a little funnel there to run it down because it will get all over the machine if you don't watch.”
Other than that, Gravel says the Commander2000 has performed great on all different vehicle makes and models. He says that while it can be used in automatic mode, he prefers to run it in manual so that he can watch the gauges and make sure there’s not a bad vacuum leak.
“I’m old school,” he says.
Gravel’s impression of the Mastercool Commander2000 is overwhelmingly positive, particularly when it comes to the oil injection, strong vacuum, and wireless update capabilities. It allows his shop to do more work in a shorter amount of time and makes the RRR process simple.
“I love it,” he says.
