Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: dickie dickenson on October 23, 2013, 08:54:26 pm
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always had gardners poles , but not struck on new clamps seem to have to fiddle around a bit when lowering pole in a rush I know alex has done it for right reasons but I find them a bit of a pain , is it just me , or will I get used to them ???
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always had gardners poles , but not struck on new clamps seem to have to fiddle around a bit when lowering pole in a rush I know alex has done it for right reasons but I find them a bit of a pain , is it just me , or will I get used to them ???
It sounds like you need to tighten the clamp bolts up slightly so that the lever arms remain in position when open. If you try and tighten the bolt adjuster by perhaps 1 or 2 turns it should make everything work better.
Any other questions please feel free to email me.
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The same with anything in life, you will get used to it
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
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Yeah, I like the new clamps. They do spin around sometimes and they do sometimes need adjusting, but I like them anyway. And I have a new SLX made by Alex himself so I don't expect any clamps to come unglued. If they do, you guys will be the first to know. ;D
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same here but going to bare with it read loads on here about people not getting on with them at first then after a while you just click with them
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Yes they take some getting used to but I now think they're very good clamps, had my clx a couple of months now and it's just a case of getting the adjustment right so they are tight enough to stop the clamp spinning but not too tight that they won't close.
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found em a bit awkward myself but done what alex said today and they are much better ;D buying another soon to replace old batered one so will have two with new style clamps so should be sorted for a good while
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Amazing . I'm keeping relatively quiet . Nothing to gain by slagging them off .
They have cured the spinning section problem of a old pole .
But the actual operation of the clamps I have found to be very poor .
Can't beat a vertical clamp like I have on my new pole .
Vertical clamps are just the best .
These are just too awkward , but perservere .
Nice to see I'm not the only one .
Terrible clamp , and I'm sure there be another upgrade , as they do need improvement .
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
My section 2 on my extreme pole is worn down... the clamps nearly been tightened as far as it can now ...
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
My section 2 on my extreme pole is worn down... the clamps nearly been tightened as far as it can now ...
not sure about the extreme poles myself as you can only clamp in one small area can't you, so this will always wear down faster than anything
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
My section 2 on my extreme pole is worn down... the clamps nearly been tightened as far as it can now ...
not sure about the extreme poles myself as you can only clamp in one small area can't you, so this will always wear down faster than anything
yeah you can only clamp a small section but I thought these clamps were suppose to reduce pole wear?
The section on my pole has worn down as quick as the old style clamps.
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
My section 2 on my extreme pole is worn down... the clamps nearly been tightened as far as it can now ...
not sure about the extreme poles myself as you can only clamp in one small area can't you, so this will always wear down faster than anything
yeah you can only clamp a small section but I thought these clamps were suppose to reduce pole wear?
The section on my pole has worn down as quick as the old style clamps.
how old is your xtreme?
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Yes they take some getting used to but I now think they're very good clamps, had my clx a couple of months now and it's just a case of getting the adjustment right so they are tight enough to stop the clamp spinning but not too tight that they won't close.
You have about summed it up :) The clamp bolts can be adjusted up a little bit tighter than most users are used to, but because of the adjusting mechanism they still work smoothly. Keeping them correctly adjusted will allow the levers to stay in the correct position for easy use.
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
My section 2 on my extreme pole is worn down... the clamps nearly been tightened as far as it can now ...
not sure about the extreme poles myself as you can only clamp in one small area can't you, so this will always wear down faster than anything
yeah you can only clamp a small section but I thought these clamps were suppose to reduce pole wear?
The section on my pole has worn down as quick as the old style clamps.
Hi SB
From your previous communication I thought that your pole was an older Xtreme pole that you had fitted the upgrade smart clamps to?
These clamps will reduce pole wear as the clamps only ever grip as tight as is needed and no tighter - obviously the best effect will be felt on those who have bought new poles with the clamps fitted from Day 1. However the main benefit is the way they handle the pole section when it has started to wear which will still unfortunately happen with any composite material pole. On an Xtreme pole you can build back up the clamping section if needed when they are worn - email me for instructions.
Do you still use an Aquadapter with your Xtreme pole?
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
Some clients have found that the nylock on the bolt does not hold the bolt quite tight enough to keep the bolt in position. It sounds like you are one of these people - most of them perform exactly as they should and hold firmly in position.
We do have a solution available in about 2 weeks time for the relatively few clients who have this issue. It is a slightly re-designed bolt/nut which has an improved nylock facility so that the bolts will not need any adjusting once set - apart from when the pole starts to wear. This will be available for free to clients like yourself - just ring the office in 2 weeks time and explain your issue and the office team will be able to send them out to you. Do not ring before this time as they will not know what you are on about!
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
My section 2 on my extreme pole is worn down... the clamps nearly been tightened as far as it can now ...
not sure about the extreme poles myself as you can only clamp in one small area can't you, so this will always wear down faster than anything
yeah you can only clamp a small section but I thought these clamps were suppose to reduce pole wear?
The section on my pole has worn down as quick as the old style clamps.
Hi SB
From your previous communication I thought that your pole was an older Xtreme pole that you had fitted the upgrade smart clamps to?
These clamps will reduce pole wear as the clamps only ever grip as tight as is needed and no tighter - obviously the best effect will be felt on those who have bought new poles with the clamps fitted from Day 1. However the main benefit is the way they handle the pole section when it has started to wear which will still unfortunately happen with any composite material pole. On an Xtreme pole you can build back up the clamping section if needed when they are worn - email me for instructions.
Do you still use an Aquadapter with your Xtreme pole?
Hi Alex
Yes the clamps were fitted to an old extreme pole but I'm fairly sure I bought a new section 2 a few months back...I've built up.sections before with epoxy resin works a treat..
Still got the aquadapter on the xtreme and wouldn't be without it :)
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
Some clients have found that the nylock on the bolt does not hold the bolt quite tight enough to keep the bolt in position. It sounds like you are one of these people - most of them perform exactly as they should and hold firmly in position.
We do have a solution available in about 2 weeks time for the relatively few clients who have this issue. It is a slightly re-designed bolt/nut which has an improved nylock facility so that the bolts will not need any adjusting once set - apart from when the pole starts to wear. This will be available for free to clients like yourself - just ring the office in 2 weeks time and explain your issue and the office team will be able to send them out to you. Do not ring before this time as they will not know what you are on about!
thanks alex,
as i said, i think the clamps are a huge improvement once the poles start to wear. i'm definitely a fan of them now.
our pole would usually need replacing by now, with the old clamps that is
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
Some clients have found that the nylock on the bolt does not hold the bolt quite tight enough to keep the bolt in position. It sounds like you are one of these people - most of them perform exactly as they should and hold firmly in position.
We do have a solution available in about 2 weeks time for the relatively few clients who have this issue. It is a slightly re-designed bolt/nut which has an improved nylock facility so that the bolts will not need any adjusting once set - apart from when the pole starts to wear. This will be available for free to clients like yourself - just ring the office in 2 weeks time and explain your issue and the office team will be able to send them out to you. Do not ring before this time as they will not know what you are on about!
thanks alex,
as i said, i think the clamps are a huge improvement once the poles start to wear. i'm definitely a fan of them now.
our pole would usually need replacing by now, with the old clamps that is
I appreciate your feedback on this :)
Make sure you give us a call for the bolt upgrade as it does sound as if you are one of those that would benefit from it.
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we have some problems with new poles, they always need tightening, when the old ones didnt used to...
however after giving our new clamps a battering for the last 6 months, they are working a treat. still need tightening sometimes, but you dont get the old probelms of worn down poles that have sections you cant clamp at.
in balance i think these clamps are far far better. other wise you're always fixing your pole or having to readjust if you clamp in the wrong place
My section 2 on my extreme pole is worn down... the clamps nearly been tightened as far as it can now ...
not sure about the extreme poles myself as you can only clamp in one small area can't you, so this will always wear down faster than anything
yeah you can only clamp a small section but I thought these clamps were suppose to reduce pole wear?
The section on my pole has worn down as quick as the old style clamps.
Hi SB
From your previous communication I thought that your pole was an older Xtreme pole that you had fitted the upgrade smart clamps to?
These clamps will reduce pole wear as the clamps only ever grip as tight as is needed and no tighter - obviously the best effect will be felt on those who have bought new poles with the clamps fitted from Day 1. However the main benefit is the way they handle the pole section when it has started to wear which will still unfortunately happen with any composite material pole. On an Xtreme pole you can build back up the clamping section if needed when they are worn - email me for instructions.
Do you still use an Aquadapter with your Xtreme pole?
Hi Alex
Yes the clamps were fitted to an old extreme pole but I'm fairly sure I bought a new section 2 a few months back...I've built up.sections before with epoxy resin works a treat..
Still got the aquadapter on the xtreme and wouldn't be without it :)
We are finding as time goes by and from increasing customer feedback that adding extra weight/leverage in the form of the Aquadapter is increasing the wear and friction on particularly the top sections of telescopic poles. For some the benefits of the AD outweigh any reduction in longevity of these pole sections. This is one of the reasons that we now recommend that clients do not use them on Xtreme poles. Of course clients can still fit and use them on these poles, but they do need to be aware of the issues that can arise.
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I will definitely be ringing the office for this upgrade as I basically stopped using this slx with the clamps on as I just find them terribly awkward . At first I thought I was the only one , out of 20,000 +. Now on this forum theres quite a few and a few on the other forum , plus persons I physically know .
Alex , do you seriously think these clamps are good , you've posted me new bolts , what are new bolts going to do ?
Now your saying in 2 weeks time there's more new stuff / upgrades .
It's nice that you are doing this , but it can't be just a handful of folk who have problems .
I first brought this up 3 or 4 weeks ago and since then the amount of persons with the same problem seems to be escalating .
Is there a reason or a patent why you can't bring out Vertical clamps . As these continuous upgrades on your clamps always seem to be followed by ANOTHER UPGRADE .
I hope you do crack it , but I just find them not good at all.
My pole with the vertical clamps , I never have to tighten them up , don't break , don't get caught on anything . Just a lot better .
To bring out another Clamp or Upgrade - I just don't have the confidence to buy it or even bother to fix it to the slx .
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I will definitely be ringing the office for this upgrade as I basically stopped using this slx with the clamps on as I just find them terribly awkward . At first I thought I was the only one , out of 20,000 +. Now on this forum theres quite a few and a few on the other forum , plus persons I physically know .
Alex , do you seriously think these clamps are good , you've posted me new bolts , what are new bolts going to do ?
Now your saying in 2 weeks time there's more new stuff / upgrades .
It's nice that you are doing this , but it can't be just a handful of folk who have problems .
I first brought this up 3 or 4 weeks ago and since then the amount of persons with the same problem seems to be escalating .
Is there a reason or a patent why you can't bring out Vertical clamps . As these continuous upgrades on your clamps always seem to be followed by ANOTHER UPGRADE .
I hope you do crack it , but I just find them not good at all.
My pole with the vertical clamps , I never have to tighten them up , don't break , don't get caught on anything . Just a lot better .
To bring out another Clamp or Upgrade - I just don't have the confidence to buy it or even bother to fix it to the slx .
if you are not happy about gardiner clamps, buy facelift poles!
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My new 18ft & 45ft poles has vertical clamps .
My next purchase will be a 23ft pole and will have vertical clamps .
Then when Money permits my 30ft pole will have vertical clamps
Then I will have 18,23,30 and 45 all vertical .
Then I will sell my 25ft slx and 30ft slx .
I shouldn't moan at the clamps anymore , just more and more are doing so . So it's not just me . Another upgrade why , are they not doing their initial job ? Free upgrade , under pressure to make them adequate ?
Personally can I be bothered to fit another clamp or set of bolts , my 30ft slx will be about 3ft soon with all the chopping of I'm doing .
I'm afraid I think I've lost patience with them
Tighten them up another turn , turn and a halve , then few hours later again or not even that .
Good luck fellow slx's
I genuinely hope your better at operating them than me .
Good poles , brushes most of them , sections and necks , but the main component of a pole , the clamps , still need a massive improvement !!
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I will definitely be ringing the office for this upgrade as I basically stopped using this slx with the clamps on as I just find them terribly awkward . At first I thought I was the only one , out of 20,000 +. Now on this forum theres quite a few and a few on the other forum , plus persons I physically know .
Alex , do you seriously think these clamps are good , you've posted me new bolts , what are new bolts going to do ?
Now your saying in 2 weeks time there's more new stuff / upgrades .
It's nice that you are doing this , but it can't be just a handful of folk who have problems .
I first brought this up 3 or 4 weeks ago and since then the amount of persons with the same problem seems to be escalating .
Is there a reason or a patent why you can't bring out Vertical clamps . As these continuous upgrades on your clamps always seem to be followed by ANOTHER UPGRADE .
I hope you do crack it , but I just find them not good at all.
My pole with the vertical clamps , I never have to tighten them up , don't break , don't get caught on anything . Just a lot better .
To bring out another Clamp or Upgrade - I just don't have the confidence to buy it or even bother to fix it to the slx .
We seem to be going in circles with this Kempy as I have answered all of your questions and discussed all of these issues many times on another forum :)
When you first expressed your dissatisfaction with your upgraded clamps on your older SLX30 pole (I think it is 4 years old now?) I even offered to have this pole collected at my expense to set it up correctly for you despite the age of the pole. For some reason you were not keen on this idea. It also seems from your question that you have not even fitted the new bolts that I sent you months ago to help you with your clamp adjustment. You ask what use new bolts are - if you fitted them you might find out!
We have sold thousands of poles with these new smart clamps and at least another 1500 older poles have been upgraded by clients. This equates to about 30,000 new smart clamps out there in operation. Of these a very small percentage (less than 2%) have had issues with bolts not staying tight. If anything the majority find them slightly too tight. It is because we want to make them easy for all users that we are constantly trying to improve. Hence the new bolt design for those who need it - this is being provided for free because relatively few people will need them. It will cost us very little to offer this. I have however explained all of this to you on another forum over the last few months.
You also seem to have an issue with the fact that we upgrade and improve stuff. I firmly believe in making improvements when needed. For instance you have been able to extend the life of a quite old pole with this smart clamp upgrade (not that anyone made you buy the upgrade) You would not have been able to do this with any of the vertical clamps on the market as they all have flaws in their mechanical action which leads to a lack of adjustment as the sections wear. It will be interesting to see whether any of your new vertically clamping poles will still be operational after even half the operational hours that your SLX30 has been in service.
I could very easily bring out a vertical clamp as none of them are patented (the original facelift only had design protection on the shape). The reason I have chosen not to is down to the inferior way they clamp a section. Most other manufacturers have likewise followed suit since we introduced lateral clamps in 2007.
It is of course possible that the 4 year old SLX30 that you have upgraded is simply too old and too worn for even the smart clamps to work with. If you had let me have it back to examine and setup for you, as originally offered, I could have assessed this for you. There should be no need to be chopping bits off the pole when upgrading unless of course it was damaged.
If you are interested in the upgraded bolts when available, rather than ringing the office I will arrange for your pole to be collected and I will fit them for you as I feel this is the best way forward in your case.
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Difference is the wear on certain vertical clamps is a lot less than lateral. That is why there are vertical clamps still in action from before 2007 on the same pole, this can not be said for any lateral clamp around.
The 'mechanical flaw' seem to lie in certain lateral clamp designs hence the constant upgrading to deal with issues which then bring more issues!
There is no actual patent on lateral clamps either. At Facelift, we decided to design and release a vertical clamp as they are simply better and nicer to use over what is out there currently.
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Depends on what pole material you are using. Aluminium poles will last much longer than carbon. I had a pole with vertical clamps that lasted five weeks! I've seen the utube evidence of a knackered Facelift pole too. All the carbon poles seem to wear at a pretty fast rate. The clamps themselves don't seem to wear too bad but pole sections do.
I wonder if an ovalised pole section would be less likely to spin in the clamps when worn - probably harder to manufacture.
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I haven't upgraded my clamps yet to the new ones as just not had the time. But never suffered with any spinning clamps ever, as after first using poles years ago we soon realised they need looking after. Hence why we coat all our poles. :D
Got an slx which is years old and looks brand new still.
My extremes look like new as well.
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The old Extender poles had a hexagonal shape to the tube, but were far as I know, only made of glassfibre which will wear pretty bad as we know so never really had a chance at longevity.
I think there legs in different pole shapes, something we have toyed with for the future. There are quite a number of benefits.
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so you dont like the clamps then kempy? ;D ;D ;D ;D
C,MON LETS GET READY TO GRUMBLE!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
your pole is 4 years old its probably time for a new one! ;D ;D ;D
i personally dont know what all the fuss is about!i fitted some to my 22 slx and they are great.the top 3 sections had started to wear and it cured the problem straight away.
they came as standard on my extreme 25.again great clamps.a little bit of adjustment needed a few times a week to the odd clamp but it takes seconds to turn a bolt!
im very happy with the new clamps and find lateral clamps easy to use also the fantastic thing is when sections start to wear the sections dont spin! :D :D
vast improvement IMO.
very best wishes to you all
dazmond
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I'm having the new clamps delivered today for my Slx 25 it was one of the first batch made, must be 7yrs old now. It had originally metal clamps.
If the new clamp extend the life of the pole a few years it may make 10yrs, that cant be bad.
And to keep improving a product and giving it more life can only be good.
And you can see by Alex response he does go the extra mile to try to sort any problems out.
Roy
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I'm not bothered you upgrade stuff , for me the upgraded clamp has sorted the spinning sections out , coupled with me LACQUERING each section .
4 years old , part time use , I wouldn't say that's that long .
Anyway I'm content , the clamps are ok , just the actual use and operation of them aren't as good as my new carbon fibre poles that have vertical clamps on . I haven't tightened these yet . The use of these are so , so ,so easy compared to gardiner ones .
These are my preference , my favourite . This is a public forum , I think , to give the thoughts of persons on equipment . Sorry I can't like everything from gardiners .
Their CUSTIE service is good , 95% of products are good , just I prefere other products from other companies that's all from time to time .
I'm i allowed to say this , I believe so .
I'm not affiliated to any product so my thoughts for what it's worth are just my opinion .
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I initially only had an issue with the new clamps because if allowed to flop open and rotate once or twice clockwise for instance, Unless you rotate the the clamp lever anti clockwise to its original position the clamp will require what we all see as regular adjustment .
But over a week or two you get used to how they work which is just a case of opening the clamp with your thumb keeping your thumb on the clamp lever then close it once section is collapsed .
Rather than opening the clamp lever and letting go and letting it spin , I assume the new bolt upgrade will effectively lock the clamp lever in position when correctly adjusted for each section .
Which is what most of us have been used to over the years with using vertical clamps . Mike
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I'm having the new clamps delivered today for my Slx 25 it was one of the first batch made, must be 7yrs old now. It had originally metal clamps.
If the new clamp extend the life of the pole a few years it may make 10yrs, that cant be bad.
And to keep improving a product and giving it more life can only be good.
And you can see by Alex response he does go the extra mile to try to sort any problems out.
Roy
Hi Roy, I've got them on my original SL-X as well, feels like a brand new pole.
These clamps are amazing, providing they've been set up right. Can't see why people have got so many problems.
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I haven't upgraded my clamps yet to the new ones as just not had the time. But never suffered with any spinning clamps ever, as after first using poles years ago we soon realised they need looking after. Hence why we coat all our poles. :D
Got an slx which is years old and looks brand new still.
My extremes look like new as well.
What do you coat them with?
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Difference is the wear on certain vertical clamps is a lot less than lateral. That is why there are vertical clamps still in action from before 2007 on the same pole, this can not be said for any lateral clamp around.
The 'mechanical flaw' seem to lie in certain lateral clamp designs hence the constant upgrading to deal with issues which then bring more issues!
There is no actual patent on lateral clamps either. At Facelift, we decided to design and release a vertical clamp as they are simply better and nicer to use over what is out there currently.
I have a MKI SLX-25 still in use, I believe that makes your statement incorrect. ;D
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Difference is the wear on certain vertical clamps is a lot less than lateral. That is why there are vertical clamps still in action from before 2007 on the same pole, this can not be said for any lateral clamp around.
The 'mechanical flaw' seem to lie in certain lateral clamp designs hence the constant upgrading to deal with issues which then bring more issues!
There is no actual patent on lateral clamps either. At Facelift, we decided to design and release a vertical clamp as they are simply better and nicer to use over what is out there currently.
I have a MKI SLX-25 still in use, I believe that makes your statement incorrect. ;D
Winpro............YAWN!!!!
It doesn't actually, SLX didn't exsist before 2007 so therefore statement is correct! Boom! ;D
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100% correct Mr Fox - but you fail to point out the reason behind this wear differential - - - Lateral clamps were designed primarily to reduce the closed length of the pole, and to do this they have to clamp with more pressure on a much smaller surface area. Vertical clamps avoid this issue, but have the downside of being quite big in comparison and adding significantly to the closed length of the pole.
Difference is the wear on certain vertical clamps is a lot less than lateral.
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I haven't upgraded my clamps yet to the new ones as just not had the time. But never suffered with any spinning clamps ever, as after first using poles years ago we soon realised they need looking after. Hence why we coat all our poles. :D
Got an slx which is years old and looks brand new still.
My extremes look like new as well.
What do you coat them with?
Search on you tube for pole maintaince. Basically car lacquer
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My SLX 25 is my day to day pole and get's used a helluva lot. It's a pole that I bought with the new sprung clamp factory fitted. I initially found the clamp bolts (the bolt head is itself a redesign from before and an improvement as it's "oval" and easier to grip) were very stiff, as was to be expected. Pretty quickly they loosened up.
A month or two in I dis find that the clamps spin when open fully, and still do. I can stop this using the method Alex has suggested, by opening the clamp just enough to allow movement of each section, but by leaving it tight enough so the cam of the lever sits in the "hollow". The thing is that after a couple of extensions and collapses i'm back to square one.
I am getting by, but any upgraded bolt would be welcome.
Personally I prefer the new clamps if they are going save spinning sections, which are a royal pita. For those complaining about continual upgrades - that's how life is. Alex does his best to hit the mark first time, but the "field tests" we all do in our thousands will find any and all weaknesses, which he can then react to. And he does. Quickly. I think we should be glad Alex has taken wfp technology way beyond where it was 5 years ago when I came into the industry. I'm making a lot of money thanks to Gardiner and Pure Freedom.
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100% correct Mr Fox - but you fail to point out the reason behind this wear differential - - - Lateral clamps were designed primarily to reduce the closed length of the pole, and to do this they have to clamp with more pressure on a much smaller surface area. Vertical clamps avoid this issue, but have the downside of being quite big in comparison and adding significantly to the closed length of the pole.
Difference is the wear on certain vertical clamps is a lot less than lateral.
Actually Nat, the history behind the bigger vertical clamp is simply at the time of release a much smaller clamp could of been introduced but was rejected as it didn't look 'industrial' enough. The best part of 10 years ago this was an issue. It s really nothing to with a shorter closed length as the current increase in lateral clamp sizes has shown. Smaller clamp bodies were popping off poles due too inadequate gluing area so manufacturers where increasing the staggered length of poles to stop this happening. This by default increased the closed the length of the pole.
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My SLX30+ from 2007 originally had the metal clamps; then the later ones and now the latest. Daily use as an SLX20 and still going strong.
My SLX22 (2009) has also been upgraded and still going strong.
The latest clamps by-product is less repainting of "stop points" so only once a quarter instead of once a month.
And my Extreme 47 has a new set of clamps waiting for when it needs them.
Actually the new (6 month old) Gardiner brushes on them has sped us up too replacing the older white brushes and the red cill brush.
I keep promising myself a pair of new SLX22's but just don't need them as the upgraded clamps have extended their life yet again.
Nothing out there to touch the Gardiner carbon fibre-stuff especially when you factor in longevity and customer service.
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My SLX 25 is my day to day pole and get's used a helluva lot. It's a pole that I bought with the new sprung clamp factory fitted. I initially found the clamp bolts (the bolt head is itself a redesign from before and an improvement as it's "oval" and easier to grip) were very stiff, as was to be expected. Pretty quickly they loosened up.
A month or two in I dis find that the clamps spin when open fully, and still do. I can stop this using the method Alex has suggested, by opening the clamp just enough to allow movement of each section, but by leaving it tight enough so the cam of the lever sits in the "hollow". The thing is that after a couple of extensions and collapses i'm back to square one.
I am getting by, but any upgraded bolt would be welcome.
Personally I prefer the new clamps if they are going save spinning sections, which are a royal pita. For those complaining about continual upgrades - that's how life is. Alex does his best to hit the mark first time, but the "field tests" we all do in our thousands will find any and all weaknesses, which he can then react to. And he does. Quickly. I think we should be glad Alex has taken wfp technology way beyond where it was 5 years ago when I came into the industry. I'm making a lot of money thanks to Gardiner and Pure Freedom.
Google "threadlock" and buy a bottle for under a fiver. Itll last you ten years and youll never have loosening nuts and bolts again. Each application (minute per pole) will stop the bolt loosening for about three months.
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I love my Gardiner clamps ;D ;D
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Alex, while you're slightly amending the design of the clamps, you couldn't make a new one with an aqua-dapter stuck on it could you?
Pure carbon fibre naturally. ;D
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I don't think that would ever ever happen .
Aqua adaptor are bringing out poles
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My SLX 25 is my day to day pole and get's used a helluva lot. It's a pole that I bought with the new sprung clamp factory fitted. I initially found the clamp bolts (the bolt head is itself a redesign from before and an improvement as it's "oval" and easier to grip) were very stiff, as was to be expected. Pretty quickly they loosened up.
A month or two in I dis find that the clamps spin when open fully, and still do. I can stop this using the method Alex has suggested, by opening the clamp just enough to allow movement of each section, but by leaving it tight enough so the cam of the lever sits in the "hollow". The thing is that after a couple of extensions and collapses i'm back to square one.
I am getting by, but any upgraded bolt would be welcome.
Personally I prefer the new clamps if they are going save spinning sections, which are a royal pita. For those complaining about continual upgrades - that's how life is. Alex does his best to hit the mark first time, but the "field tests" we all do in our thousands will find any and all weaknesses, which he can then react to. And he does. Quickly. I think we should be glad Alex has taken wfp technology way beyond where it was 5 years ago when I came into the industry. I'm making a lot of money thanks to Gardiner and Pure Freedom.
Google "threadlock" and buy a bottle for under a fiver. Itll last you ten years and youll never have loosening nuts and bolts again. Each application (minute per pole) will stop the bolt loosening for about three months.
that's far too simple a solution Dave,
you can't expect your average window cleaner to get his head round that one :D ;D ;) simon