Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Dazzler3370 on November 04, 2015, 07:27:33 pm

Title: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Dazzler3370 on November 04, 2015, 07:27:33 pm
Will the poles be the same price as the extreme that you currently have on sale.
It's just that I would be buying two poles
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: ben M on November 04, 2015, 07:56:06 pm
http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/whats-new/x3-xtremetm-25-coming-soon.html
 
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Dave Willis on November 04, 2015, 08:07:54 pm
Alex, convince me as to why the new model is better.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Alex Gardiner on November 04, 2015, 08:33:09 pm
Will the poles be the same price as the extreme that you currently have on sale.
It's just that I would be buying two poles

The prices for the new X3 poles are all on the website - http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/whats-new.html
They are much the same price as the Series-II model before they were on sale.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Alex Gardiner on November 04, 2015, 08:37:33 pm
Alex, convince me as to why the new model is better.

I'm not going to try and sell the new model to anyone  ;)

If these facts are of interest - 3% lighter, 15% more rigid, 20% stronger and fully clampable in any position - then you will not need me to sell it to you  :)

The new pole is actually much more boring looking than the previous version - none of us here at GPS think it looks very exciting as a 'new product'. However once I had developed it, and road tested it I could not avoid bringing it out - Everyone who road-tested it was impressed with the improvement over the previous model.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Dave Willis on November 04, 2015, 09:19:08 pm
 :)  the thing is though we waited for years for a pole that doesn't wear out on the most frequent clamping points and you managed that with the last Extreme - brilliant. So....... what's  going to stop this on the new version?
I don't mind a bit of weight or flex but premature wear is the bugbear of every pole.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: NWH on November 04, 2015, 10:39:44 pm
If it's a carbon material it will wear,the metal clamping points on the pole almost eliminate this,the pole does not need to be altered in my view being able to clamp at any position.They are so light even with the top section fully out working from a side angle the weights not noticable,I have never had a problem with not being able to clamp the pole in any other position I can't see the advantage
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Plankton on November 05, 2015, 12:26:08 am
Well that's a good pitch for buying them while they are on sale.
Can you do a 25 ft on tick ;)
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: windowswashed on November 05, 2015, 06:39:56 am
If it's a carbon material it will wear,the metal clamping points on the pole almost eliminate this,the pole does not need to be altered in my view being able to clamp at any position.They are so light even with the top section fully out working from a side angle the weights not noticable,I have never had a problem with not being able to clamp the pole in any other position I can't see the advantage

As always a positive post from NWH, thank you for your opinion. Am I correct in thinking the new poles will not have the metal banding? Will the clamping points only be a tiny proportion at the top and middle of the pole again?
I looked on Gardiners website last night and noticed a few more items disappear without trace. The decent pumps are gone, the decent thermal minibore hose is gone, the gooseneck scrapers and scouring pads are gone. All the decent ideas that get promoted on his site never seem to last long and are replaced with sometimes cheaper alternatives which in my opinion are rubbish, not impressed with the supplier for continuity of stock. 
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: 8weekly on November 05, 2015, 08:10:05 am
Someone got out of the wrong side of the bread.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Clever Forum Name on November 05, 2015, 08:14:36 am
Someone got out of the wrong side of the bread.

I don't think Alex deserved the toasting.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Alex Gardiner on November 05, 2015, 08:22:30 am
Someone got out of the wrong side of the bread.

I don't think Alex deserved the toasting.

I think that I can handle the grilling though  :)
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Alex Gardiner on November 05, 2015, 08:39:32 am
If it's a carbon material it will wear,the metal clamping points on the pole almost eliminate this,the pole does not need to be altered in my view being able to clamp at any position.They are so light even with the top section fully out working from a side angle the weights not noticable,I have never had a problem with not being able to clamp the pole in any other position I can't see the advantage

As always a positive post from NWH, thank you for your opinion. Am I correct in thinking the new poles will not have the metal banding? Will the clamping points only be a tiny proportion at the top and middle of the pole again?
I looked on Gardiners website last night and noticed a few more items disappear without trace. The decent pumps are gone, the decent thermal minibore hose is gone, the gooseneck scrapers and scouring pads are gone. All the decent ideas that get promoted on his site never seem to last long and are replaced with sometimes cheaper alternatives which in my opinion are rubbish, not impressed with the supplier for continuity of stock.

Hi W

Thank you for your perspective about our continuity of stock. I will address the specific product points raised. Overall we are always striving to improve the quality of all products that we make or stock. The cost of the item virtually never comes into a product replacement decision.

Gooseneck Scraper and scrubbing pad - We still sell these Super-Scrapers - http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/water-fed-poles/brushes/brush-head-attachments/the-new-super-scraper-trade.html

Decent pumps - we still sell decent pumps - http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/pump-hose/wfp-delivery-pumps/aquatec-wfp-delivery-pump-100psi-1506.html - these ones replaced the previous Flojets we had sold for many years (not for cost reasons as we now have to buy over 500 units at a time instead of the previous 100 units and there is no unit cost saving) as Aquatec had managed to convince us that the quality of these Aquatech pumps is better (which we agreed with after a long test period) and also because we could have John Guest fittings built-in to them. We found over the years that the majority of customer service issues with pumps not performing as they should were because of incorrectly fitted hose connectors on the inlet side of the pump (air-leaks). These John Guest fittings remove this issue and also make the pump much quicker to install.

Thermobore - We replaced this hose about 2 years ago now mainly because of repeated quality issues in manufacturing. We switched back to a quality UK manufacturer and now our Microbore and Minibore hose is hot water rated as standard and we have found handles hot water better than our previous Thermobore hose. Interestingly the new standard hose is also more expensive to have made than the previous Thermobore.

Xtreme Pole - I feel that the new X3 is a much better pole than the previous version with metal bands - just my opinion, but it is based on over 12 months development and 5 months of real world use. The new pole does not need metal bands (just as an SLX does not need them) as it can clamp in any position along the sections length. It may look more boring, but it does the job better in my opinion. Once again this pole is not cheaper to have made than the outgoing model as it contains more carbon fibre than previously - the decision was made on performance not on cost.

Hopefully that has helped in providing my perspective on the continuity of our stock range  :)
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: DaveG on November 05, 2015, 08:55:03 am
Someone got out of the wrong side of the bread.

I don't think Alex deserved the toasting.

I think that I can handle the grilling though  :)

He's really just trying to butter you up.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Dave Willis on November 05, 2015, 09:22:59 am
Alex, how much can you do the 35'Extreme for in your sale - bare pole, no hose, no brush, no gooseneck etc just the pole and no pen? (With loverly metal bands).


ps. I must say the pens have improved and are a step in the right direction.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: jk999 on November 05, 2015, 10:46:45 am
Dont think he's gonna knock hundred quid of for pen Dave lol  ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Jonny 87 on November 05, 2015, 12:26:45 pm
If we look at things on a factual basis.......

I'm not saying that Alex and Gardiner pole systems are infallible or perfect, but every new version of the extreme pole has been an improvement on the other, so based on track record the x3 should be no different.

Also as Alex has previously stated, it isn't based on cost. So the new version isn't being brought out because the old style with metal clamping bands are lasting longer and needing to be replaced less which means less income for supplier.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new extremes, but I'm also still tempted to stock up on the current version as I do love them too.

Buying Extreme poles is the best thing I've done in a long time, and I'm sure I'll continue to do so.

Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Dave Willis on November 05, 2015, 02:14:49 pm
Well, like me you have the vision to see this could be good practice. I love my Extremes so it would seem sensible to me to stock up whilst they are what £130 cheaper?

I have brushes coming out of my ears, don't use the quick loc goosenecks and don't need any more pole hose at the moment so was wondering if I could get it a bit cheaper.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: NWH on November 05, 2015, 03:27:37 pm
Anything but an extreme brush on these poles puts loads of stress on the clamp bodies,use a heavy brush with this pole and it will start to split below the clamp lever over time.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Clever Forum Name on November 05, 2015, 03:53:48 pm
Anything but an extreme brush on these poles puts loads of stress on the clamp bodies,use a heavy brush with this pole and it will start to split below the clamp lever over time.

Depends what you mean by heavy. Me and my dad use sill brushes. Never replaced or cracked a clamp yet.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Clever Forum Name on November 05, 2015, 03:55:23 pm
Someone got out of the wrong side of the bread.

I don't think Alex deserved the toasting.

I think that I can handle the grilling though  :)

He's really just trying to butter you up.

Good to see Dave using his loaf to maybe get a discount on a bare pole.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Clever Forum Name on November 05, 2015, 04:10:56 pm
If it's a carbon material it will wear,the metal clamping points on the pole almost eliminate this,the pole does not need to be altered in my view being able to clamp at any position.They are so light even with the top section fully out working from a side angle the weights not noticable,I have never had a problem with not being able to clamp the pole in any other position I can't see the advantage

As always a positive post from NWH, thank you for your opinion. Am I correct in thinking the new poles will not have the metal banding? Will the clamping points only be a tiny proportion at the top and middle of the pole again?
I looked on Gardiners website last night and noticed a few more items disappear without trace. The decent pumps are gone, the decent thermal minibore hose is gone, the gooseneck scrapers and scouring pads are gone. All the decent ideas that get promoted on his site never seem to last long and are replaced with sometimes cheaper alternatives which in my opinion are rubbish, not impressed with the supplier for continuity of stock.

Hi W

Thank you for your perspective about our continuity of stock. I will address the specific product points raised. Overall we are always striving to improve the quality of all products that we make or stock. The cost of the item virtually never comes into a product replacement decision.

Gooseneck Scraper and scrubbing pad - We still sell these Super-Scrapers - http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/water-fed-poles/brushes/brush-head-attachments/the-new-super-scraper-trade.html

Decent pumps - we still sell decent pumps - http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/pump-hose/wfp-delivery-pumps/aquatec-wfp-delivery-pump-100psi-1506.html - these ones replaced the previous Flojets we had sold for many years (not for cost reasons as we now have to buy over 500 units at a time instead of the previous 100 units and there is no unit cost saving) as Aquatec had managed to convince us that the quality of these Aquatech pumps is better (which we agreed with after a long test period) and also because we could have John Guest fittings built-in to them. We found over the years that the majority of customer service issues with pumps not performing as they should were because of incorrectly fitted hose connectors on the inlet side of the pump (air-leaks). These John Guest fittings remove this issue and also make the pump much quicker to install.

Thermobore - We replaced this hose about 2 years ago now mainly because of repeated quality issues in manufacturing. We switched back to a quality UK manufacturer and now our Microbore and Minibore hose is hot water rated as standard and we have found handles hot water better than our previous Thermobore hose. Interestingly the new standard hose is also more expensive to have made than the previous Thermobore.

Xtreme Pole - I feel that the new X3 is a much better pole than the previous version with metal bands - just my opinion, but it is based on over 12 months development and 5 months of real world use. The new pole does not need metal bands (just as an SLX does not need them) as it can clamp in any position along the sections length. It may look more boring, but it does the job better in my opinion. Once again this pole is not cheaper to have made than the outgoing model as it contains more carbon fibre than previously - the decision was made on performance not on cost.

Hopefully that has helped in providing my perspective on the continuity of our stock range  :)

Perfect reply Alex. Looking forward to series 3 extremes !
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Alex Gardiner on November 05, 2015, 09:49:39 pm
Alex, how much can you do the 35'Extreme for in your sale - bare pole, no hose, no brush, no gooseneck etc just the pole and no pen? (With loverly metal bands).


ps. I must say the pens have improved and are a step in the right direction.

You have my email address - drop me a line  :)
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: ChumBucket on November 05, 2015, 10:01:00 pm
Anything but an extreme brush on these poles puts loads of stress on the clamp bodies,use a heavy brush with this pole and it will start to split below the clamp lever over time.

Utter nonsense! A heavier brush might counter some of the benefit of such a pole but will make zero difference to clamp integrity over and above any other pole.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: NWH on November 05, 2015, 10:13:02 pm
It makes no difference to the way the pole clamps on the section,look at your pole under the clamp there is a thin gap just above the body of the section that slides over the top of the pole.if you use a heavy brush on these poles it puts a lot of strain on this plastic and can cause it to split I know this coz it's happened to me twice and I'm very careful with my poles.A heavier brush in an extreme pole will weaken the base of each section over a shorter time than it would with an extreme brush you can feel when in use its putting more strain on the pole. I don't find it an issue with the clamps themselves that's not a problem it's the part of the pole below the red band and the clamp body that takes the brunt of a heavier brush.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: windowswashed on November 09, 2015, 11:24:00 pm
appologies for getting out of bed the wrong side the other day. Thank you Alex for an in depth explanation of things,......nice of you to take the trouble to respond with an informative reply in great depth, thank you. Do love using the scrapers with the pads and as I couldn't find them the other day I managed to seek an alternative to yours that are better by accident. They are like very thin sponge like scourers for removing bugs in large sheets that are cut to required size and are very good on glass with minimal effort that don't clog as quickly so less fear of scatching any glass. Miss the flojet pumps as they are better than shurflo pumps if using heated water and do miss the red thermobore as it doesn't delaminate like normal microbore hose does after a while. Still can't understand why you would replace steel banded extreme poles which barely wear with ones that don't have that modification, just seems like a step backwards for a lighter, more rigid pole, which doesn't seem like a step in the right direction but that's just my opinion and this is a forum where people can air their constructive opinions which aids improvements in the wfp industry for the better  :)
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Alex Gardiner on November 10, 2015, 11:22:08 am
appologies for getting out of bed the wrong side the other day. Thank you Alex for an in depth explanation of things,......nice of you to take the trouble to respond with an informative reply in great depth, thank you. Do love using the scrapers with the pads and as I couldn't find them the other day I managed to seek an alternative to yours that are better by accident. They are like very thin sponge like scourers for removing bugs in large sheets that are cut to required size and are very good on glass with minimal effort that don't clog as quickly so less fear of scatching any glass. Miss the flojet pumps as they are better than shurflo pumps if using heated water and do miss the red thermobore as it doesn't delaminate like normal microbore hose does after a while. Still can't understand why you would replace steel banded extreme poles which barely wear with ones that don't have that modification, just seems like a step backwards for a lighter, more rigid pole, which doesn't seem like a step in the right direction but that's just my opinion and this is a forum where people can air their constructive opinions which aids improvements in the wfp industry for the better  :)

 :)
Sounds interesting about the abrasive pad material - where did you source it from?

We do not sell the Shurflo pumps - I would agree they are not as good. We now sell the Aquatec pumps which are more powerful than the Flojet pumps we used to sell.

Have you tried any of our current yellow Microbore - since introducing it nearly two years ago we have not had a single case of it delaminating when using hot water. In fact it has given us less quality issues than the red Thermobore we used to sell.

I suppose with the new X3 Xtreme poles time will tell as to whether my decision and new design is better. In testing it has always been the preferred pole in use and I believe that it will outlast a metal banded pole if looked after in the same way. I have not made the design change in order for clients to have to replace their poles more often in fact I believe the opposite will be true.  We will still be supporting the older style poles with section spares for some time to come. On one hand it is great that so many of our clients like one of our current products and get on so well with it - on the other hand it makes it harder to introduce a new model  :)

The forum is a good place to air such thoughts and it is also a good place for me to be able to interact with clients as well. I think it is always good to be able to share thoughts back and forth.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Afterglow Window Cleaners on November 10, 2015, 03:32:40 pm
Alex, I need a new section 1,2 & 3 for my xtreme 25, when will the new X3 spare sections come into stock? cheers, Gary
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: Alex Gardiner on November 10, 2015, 04:39:22 pm
Alex, I need a new section 1,2 & 3 for my xtreme 25, when will the new X3 spare sections come into stock? cheers, Gary

We already have the spares for the current specification of Xtreme poles in stock.

Spares for the new X3 version will probably be in stock in about 3-4 weeks time.
Title: Re: Another question Alex Gardiner
Post by: aztec on November 14, 2015, 09:20:15 pm
i have been using gardiners products for years now and consider them the best in the market for all of our window cleaning needs.
I have so much respect for Alex and his attitude to the industry and will continue to use his company with my full trust and respect in his products. ( and no i am not on commision or ever met Alex!)
keep up the great work, not just Alex but all of his team

Lee
Aztec window cleaning
p.s grippatank are the best system and  fitters BAR NONE aswell!
credit where credits due