Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: paul alan on May 26, 2017, 11:38:23 pm
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l fancy a new brush, unsure as to which i should buy.
the one lve got one "splayes" too much(for me).
l like the look of the short bristled gardiners as l imagine it would have a better scrub.
l don't see the super light being good except for nearly clean 4 weekly maintenance jobs, although that sums up most of my work but not all(live by the sea so lots of bird muck this time of year, first cleaning also)
which brushes is everyone else using in general and why?
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I only switched onto wfp a couple of yrs back. Got my kit from pure freedom and so started with the big clumsy vikan brushes as i didnt know any better.
I went onto gardiner ultimate brush soft/medium but for me they are too light and combined on a carbon pole it feels like im throwing a plastic toy around, its that light. Also im not a fan of it splaying so easily.
I prefer a slightlier heavier brush, but my work is 4wkly maintenance cleans and not often 2 floor heights so the weight isnt an issue for me. So ive been using a streamline (think its streamline anyway) dual trimmed brush. It has shorter bristles and they are firm which is good for bird mess as youve mentioned.
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Gardiner extreme medium mixed or if working at the coast an extreme stiff with hot water, no point in spending hard earned cash
on a lightweight pole to stick a brick on the end of it.
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Gardiner Ultimate- medium soft.
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X line mono...
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I do not find any brush removes bird poo easily.
I recently bought Gardiners' xtreme medium hybrid (first xtreme brush I have used) and been impressed with it. It removes bird poo as well as any other brush I have used and cleans well. I think this is due to the bristles being shorter so not splaying too easily.
The other brush I use regularly is single trim flocked ultimate, though I think the xtreme is a bit more effective at removing bird poo.
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The problem with bird poo is one could come off easily and another will grip to the glass like concrete therefore
you could end up giving a heavy brush credit for doing nothing.
I have a garage full of brushes gathered up over the years, different shapes, sizes and bristle types and to be honest there isn't much difference in any of them where scrubbing is concerned.
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We all know its the tips of the bristles which does the cleaning. Therefore for me i want as many tips on the glass as possible. So brushes which splay extremely easily are a waste of time. As i would be relaying on a single trim of very short bristles to do the agitation and they are in central position of the plastic body which again for me defeats the object.
So my dual trim short bristles allow good scrubing anyway and then if need be, a little extra pressure for the harder inner trim to do their job, but this isnt often.
But without using the inner trim, the short bristles make light work of snail trails, buv poo and huge majority of bird mess, combined later with hot water it makes even lighter work of it all.
Someone mentioned its not good to spend money n effort on a light pole to stick a heavy brush on end. I suppose im not old enough to find a slightly heavier brush to be a problem. But stick a heavy brush on a heavier pole or flexible pole like a hybrid or fibre glass and then your absolutely asking for problems
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Unless your cleaning with a wire brush the bristle tips aren't going to be cleaning the glass, I think its this belief that
drives most to heavily packed bristled brushes.
The ideal brush is one that splays like cloth but still has a stiff outer layer of bristles for detailing work, rubbing beading from
dodgy seals and so on.
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Unless your cleaning with a wire brush the bristle tips aren't going to be cleaning the glass, I think its this belief that
drives most to heavily packed bristled brushes.
The ideal brush is one that splays like cloth but still has a stiff outer layer of bristles for detailing work, rubbing beading from
dodgy seals and so on.
But if you think of all the types of brushes one would use in life and how they work.
A scrubbing brush is compact hard bristles. A sweeping brush, again mostly the same.
Brushes for cleaning a car without damaging the paint work is still a compact brush that doesnt spray plenty. Lol even a tooth brush etc etc and the list goes on.
Thats why for me i prefer short bristles. Even for giving a good rub down of the rubbish seals which for me i thinknis the better choice. As when ive used brushes which spray plenty, the bristles will get underneath the seal and poke into it. Which adds to the problem
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I like light brushes, so it's the Xtreme range for me. My favourite is the natural hybrid brush for daily work. The stiff version for first cleans and the flocked version for leaded. (I don't think these are made anymore; couldn't find them on the website?)
Question for Alex please...Do you still do a flocked version, as I couldn't see it? Or will you be bringing out a new Xtreme flocked version in the near future? I also have the Ultimate flocked (excellent brush but a little heavy for me; poope elbows, and all that!)
I used the natural hybrid on a gutter/facia/soffit clean today and it was fantastic. I think it's all about technique and getting used to the brush that you use. When I first started, I used the medium sill brush and it was brilliant. I think we all adapt to what best suits us.
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I like light brushes, so it's the Xtreme range for me. My favourite is the natural hybrid brush for daily work. The stiff version for first cleans and the flocked version for leaded. (I don't think these are made anymore; couldn't find them on the website?)
Question for Alex please...Do you still do a flocked version, as I couldn't see it? Or will you be bringing out a new Xtreme flocked version in the near future? I also have the Ultimate flocked (excellent brush but a little heavy for me; poope elbows, and all that!)
I used the natural hybrid on a gutter/facia/soffit clean today and it was fantastic. I think it's all about technique and getting used to the brush that you use. When I first started, I used the medium sill brush and it was brilliant. I think we all adapt to what best suits us.
Robbo333 Gardiner don't make the flocked extreme any longer and I was surprised as well. Ok they would only last a couple of weeks if used all the the time but I could get a month or two if only used on leered glass. I now use these
http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/products/Window+Cleaning/Water+Fed/Streamline+Accessories/10+Inch+Streamline+Narrow+Brush+-+Medium+(260mm)/2935456825?gclid=Cj0KEQjwx6TJBRCWtsiXpI7bhOYBEiQA1en3F8Z2a2_xJgU7xy7-bSWtprar0knBXBVVBqj0oS8uNUAaAiBH8P8HAQ
Nearly as light but last forever
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I like light brushes, so it's the Xtreme range for me. My favourite is the natural hybrid brush for daily work. The stiff version for first cleans and the flocked version for leaded. (I don't think these are made anymore; couldn't find them on the website?)
Question for Alex please...Do you still do a flocked version, as I couldn't see it? Or will you be bringing out a new Xtreme flocked version in the near future? I also have the Ultimate flocked (excellent brush but a little heavy for me; poope elbows, and all that!)
I used the natural hybrid on a gutter/facia/soffit clean today and it was fantastic. I think it's all about technique and getting used to the brush that you use. When I first started, I used the medium sill brush and it was brilliant. I think we all adapt to what best suits us.
Robbo333 Gardiner don't make the flocked extreme any longer and I was surprised as well. Ok they would only last a couple of weeks if used all the the time but I could get a month or two if only used on leered glass. I now use these
http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/products/Window+Cleaning/Water+Fed/Streamline+Accessories/10+Inch+Streamline+Narrow+Brush+-+Medium+(260mm)/2935456825?gclid=Cj0KEQjwx6TJBRCWtsiXpI7bhOYBEiQA1en3F8Z2a2_xJgU7xy7-bSWtprar0knBXBVVBqj0oS8uNUAaAiBH8P8HAQ
Nearly as light but last forever
Thanks for the info, much appreciated.
Robbo
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I like light brushes, so it's the Xtreme range for me. My favourite is the natural hybrid brush for daily work. The stiff version for first cleans and the flocked version for leaded. (I don't think these are made anymore; couldn't find them on the website?)
Question for Alex please...Do you still do a flocked version, as I couldn't see it? Or will you be bringing out a new Xtreme flocked version in the near future? I also have the Ultimate flocked (excellent brush but a little heavy for me; poope elbows, and all that!)
I used the natural hybrid on a gutter/facia/soffit clean today and it was fantastic. I think it's all about technique and getting used to the brush that you use. When I first started, I used the medium sill brush and it was brilliant. I think we all adapt to what best suits us.
Robbo333 Gardiner don't make the flocked extreme any longer and I was surprised as well. Ok they would only last a couple of weeks if used all the the time but I could get a month or two if only used on leered glass. I now use these
http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/products/Window+Cleaning/Water+Fed/Streamline+Accessories/10+Inch+Streamline+Narrow+Brush+-+Medium+(260mm)/2935456825?gclid=Cj0KEQjwx6TJBRCWtsiXpI7bhOYBEiQA1en3F8Z2a2_xJgU7xy7-bSWtprar0knBXBVVBqj0oS8uNUAaAiBH8P8HAQ
Nearly as light but last forever
An xtreme is 95g, this brush is 280g, approximately 3 times heavier.
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I like light brushes, so it's the Xtreme range for me. My favourite is the natural hybrid brush for daily work. The stiff version for first cleans and the flocked version for leaded. (I don't think these are made anymore; couldn't find them on the website?)
Question for Alex please...Do you still do a flocked version, as I couldn't see it? Or will you be bringing out a new Xtreme flocked version in the near future? I also have the Ultimate flocked (excellent brush but a little heavy for me; poope elbows, and all that!)
I used the natural hybrid on a gutter/facia/soffit clean today and it was fantastic. I think it's all about technique and getting used to the brush that you use. When I first started, I used the medium sill brush and it was brilliant. I think we all adapt to what best suits us.
Robbo333 Gardiner don't make the flocked extreme any longer and I was surprised as well. Ok they would only last a couple of weeks if used all the the time but I could get a month or two if only used on leered glass. I now use these
http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/products/Window+Cleaning/Water+Fed/Streamline+Accessories/10+Inch+Streamline+Narrow+Brush+-+Medium+(260mm)/2935456825?gclid=Cj0KEQjwx6TJBRCWtsiXpI7bhOYBEiQA1en3F8Z2a2_xJgU7xy7-bSWtprar0knBXBVVBqj0oS8uNUAaAiBH8P8HAQ
Nearly as light but last forever
An xtreme is 95g, this brush is 280g, approximately 3 times heavier.
Which is roughly 3x heavier. But it wont be 3x harder work to use?
Surely at them kinds of weight the difference cant be much?
And is lighter better? Depends upon operater situation but for someone trying to achieve less effort could they end doing more scrubbing wuth a lighter brush?
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Just pointing out it is wrong to claim it is nearly as light, not saying you should not use it.
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Just pointing out it is wrong to claim it is nearly as light, not saying you should not use it.
Yes your right. Maybe I should have written that I've found it the closest replacement to the flocked extreme.
I only use it on leeded glass so maybe 6 houses a day, so I'm not using it long enough to notice the weight, hence my nearly as light comment.
Tony
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Problem it seems most of us who use extreme brushes use them Beacause there's issue with parts of our bodies, shoulders, backs, necks elbows
I prefer the natural bristle hybrid, I really like the medium ultimate, but sadly it's too heavy for general use over the day for me way to many years wfp
Tried using few hours each day to build up muscle staminer, problem is wear and tear repution issues it won't allow it just compounds the issues
Using extreme my bodies fine, stop work within few weeks no issues at all
Extrems sont scrub as well, they have less bustles I prefer ulitiamt on first cleans but still use the extreme but the extremes remove bird pooh quite happily
I use an additve in the water, not vision which really helps just soak on leave kidneys most things
I tend not to over scrub just let brush do work, my extreme lasts me at least six months my daughters a year
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ive went wfp 11 years ago tryed most of the brushes ;D but now seteled with the gardner extreme and the ultmate also like the supreme but for every day use on my slx22 its gota be extreme
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i also have a problim with my elbow and lower back ::)roll hence using liter brushes but ive tryed heaver ones like tecbuk , vikan, ect and i dont think there any faster than a extreme im on the coast so lots of bird crap so i use the super scraper when needed with how water
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I have used the xtreme for 6 months. Nice and light, but I was going over the glass more thinking it wasnt doing as much. Not saying it wasn't, just felt like it.
I now use the supreme range. At 200g, sometimes can be a tad heavy. Ok doing up and down windows, but sideways it pull son my arms.
Havnt tried the ultimate medium yet. At 180g its a little lighter also. Not sure about shorter bristles though.
Note, I always rinse on the glass. Way less strain
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i may have to try rincing on the glass its something ive not realy tryed
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I find the xtreme hybrid with natural bristles works better than the supreme natural hybrid. I think this is because of the shorter bristles that splay less.
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There does seem to be a balance that needs to be struck where the brush feels right with a given pole. That balance is likely to be different for each of us.
Me, I currently use an Xtreme 22 as my every day pole and the Ultimate Brushes are the perfect balance and do a good job. The Xtreme brushes (good brushes, I have used them) feel too light. But like I say that's just me. :)
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Best all round brush for first cleans, maintenance, fsg and gutters is the medium mixed sill from gardiners. It also lasts ages.
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i may have to try rincing on the glass its something ive not realy tryed
You should gave tried rinsing on the glass
You should have tryed rincing on the glass
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the xtreme natural bristle hybrid is hard to beat for an all round maintenance clean brush.great scrubbing ability for a light brush.
i use all sorts though.ultimates and standard SL brushes too in both flocked and mono versions depending on work due and how i feel that day. :)
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I like light brushes, so it's the Xtreme range for me. My favourite is the natural hybrid brush for daily work. The stiff version for first cleans and the flocked version for leaded. (I don't think these are made anymore; couldn't find them on the website?)
Question for Alex please...Do you still do a flocked version, as I couldn't see it? Or will you be bringing out a new Xtreme flocked version in the near future? I also have the Ultimate flocked (excellent brush but a little heavy for me; poope elbows, and all that!)
I used the natural hybrid on a gutter/facia/soffit clean today and it was fantastic. I think it's all about technique and getting used to the brush that you use. When I first started, I used the medium sill brush and it was brilliant. I think we all adapt to what best suits us.
"The stiff version for first cleans" I use the extreme 35cm stiff and it's not great for first cleans. I change over to an old superlight mixed medium as it has far greater scrubbing ability. Extreme is good enough for regular cleans and for the weight advantages especially at awkward angles.
Check out the brush guide it only gets a one out of three rating; http://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/water-fed-poles/brushes/brush-suitability-guide/brush-guide.html