Hi Steven,
i have a mk2 a/d and it works fine, where as when i had the mk1 it kept sticking.
but through all the feedback i have read on the a/d, i think most people like it, but most agree it needs to be slightly cheaper and alot lighter,
so please mr aqua-dapter, get the design team on to this and make it lighter pleeeeease.
The weight of the Aqua-dapter has always been a consideration for us. It's only been recently that we've noticed it being mentioned as a negative point, as most users have said they hardly notice it, and loads of our customers use the very light CL-X and SL-X poles. When using a heavier pole, then I doubt it would be noticed.
Please bear in mind that it's only just over 200g in total. I've just done a couple of comparisons, 200g is about the weight of a small weekly newspaper (Chronicle) or my Finepix compact camera (which is really small).
This small weight only really becomes an issue when you're working extended and at an angle. When vertical or on the glass, the weight is hardly noticeable.
However, I'm not minimizing this, we are always looking at options to make the product lighter, but we also have to balance strength and durability against any reduction in weight.
The Aqua-dapter was designed, and is still being developed, by a Window Cleaner not "by committee",
to make his working day easier and more profitable.
Re the price; of course, if we could reduce it, we would sell more. However, we didn't want to compromise on the quality of the product, or the customer service, which is why we decided to use
premium quality materials and a 12 month guarantee.
The bundle also
includes a Screw Thread Adapter, Push-fit connector and
10m of our hose, which also gets a lot of positive comments.
In addition to the costs of manufacture and development, there are also many other overheads to consider for a small UK based manufacturing business, particularly as we want to be able to give each individual customer excellent customer service. Rather than "piling high and selling cheap", perhaps having to use materials we weren't comfortable with and only being able to offer a short guarantee and basic after-sales service, we wanted to be able to make sure that everyone who buys an Aqua-dapter is looked after.
People work in different ways, so I respect Tosh's preference to have the hose on the outside (do you like the hose we supply Tosh?), but it's still the case that the majority of negative comments we read are from people who've never used or seen an Aqua-dapter. Of course, we can't hope to convince everyone, but I'll keep trying
Why bother with something you didn't have before? Well, any new product takes some getting used to, but if it can save you water (even between windows), or save you bending down and searching for an inline tap, then you can be more profitable either by reducing costs, or by fitting in more jobs in the working day with the extra water available. One customer tells us he is saving 150 - 200 litres a day, and has now bought an Aqua-dapter for each of his 5 poles.
We were winners of the Window Cleaning Category and Overall Winners of the Innovation Awards at the Cleaning Show, so hopefully we're doing something right!
If anyone has any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Paul
