Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: D.Salkeld_Ltd on December 12, 2007, 11:49:44 pm
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Hi All,
Thought I'd set of a discussion about light poles.
This topic title is my Dilemma ??? ???
I have a second hand fishing pole.
Cost me £70
Super light :D (compare to my Unger telepole :o)
Stiff (compare to my Unger telepole :o)
BUT:
Brittle (broke a section on Tue ::) >:()
Sections all over the place.
Now, because of the break on Tue, it's off the run till I get a new section at about £50 - £60. (Back to the UNGER BEAST :o)
I could (as Macc would say ;D) shell out £600 - £700 on a telescopic C/F Facelift.
But my question is; How long would it take the business to get back and make profit on that type of investment?
I also think a Facelift would be heavier than the fishing pole, possible twice the weight? (according to the information on Emporium Poles and Cleantech Webs)
I think I should:
Forget the Facelift Idea; far too expensive and I don't believe I would be any better of and make back the investment
Replace the broken section on my fishing pole.
Notice why I broke it (My own fault ::) ::)) and be more carefull.
For the future, consider an Emporium?
Come on mates.....what do you think?
Thanks
David
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Ergo lite Carbon fibre X 8ft approx weight. Pole only
1 sect 1 lb .455 kg
2 sect 1 lb 2 oz 2 lb 2 oz .964 kg
3 sect 1 lb 5 oz 3 lb 7 oz 1.56 kg 24ft
4 sect 1 lb 8 oz 4lb 15 oz 2.34 kg
5 sect 1 lb 11 oz 6 lb 10 oz 3kg
6 sect 1 lb 14 oz 8 lb 8 oz 3.86 kg
7 sect 2 lb 10 lb 8 oz 4.72 kg
8 sect 2 lb 12 oz 13 lb 4 oz 6.01 kg
Facelift (inc pipe gooseneck and brush)
19ft 3 sect 2.24kg glassfibre
24ft 4 sect 2.84
29ft 5 sect 3.38
34ft 8 sect 4.12
34 6 sect 3.08 carbonfibre
44ft 8x6 5.07
54ft 6x8+2x4 7kg
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Dave,
If you have snapped one of your pole sections, providing it isn't on the joint, they are very easy to repair, breaks tend to be fairly clean on them, they tend to snap quite literally in half :-\
Lightly sand the broken end of the smaller section, smear with either super glue or an epoxy glue, slide the smaller section up through the larger one (do it quickly if you use surer glue!!) until it grips, twist the end to bed in whatever glue is used and you are done ;)
Wrap some tape around the break (splinters) and if you've used superglue then crack straight on with your work, an epoxy glue needs 20 minutes or so to set.
You've highlighted the Facelift, but don't forget, there is also Gardinerpoles superlite 2 to consider, massively stronger than a converted fishing pole, and still cheaper and waaaaaayyyyy lighter than a facelift.
Ian
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I'd repair or replace the section! For £60 it's sorted.
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Wouldn't a superlight II from Alex, or an emporium pole, be a better (and Cheaper) option, especially if your used to using modular poles already? Much tougher than fishing poles too!
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If you'r worried about strength then go for the Super-lite 2, it is extremely strong. Have you seen the endurance videos? Luke
ps. I have my doubts as the the overall strength of the Emporium compared to the Super-lite. I didnt get the impression after holding it that it was as strong as the Super-lite at all
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get both, i have its great
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Thing is facelifts dont snap by far the best pole i ever had. takes abuse everyday never changed a clamp to this day.
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ive got both & think the facelift are heavy when compared with the superlite but i think the facelift wins overall. sorry alex ::)
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Alex won't be worried i'm sure. ;)
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Dave,
If you have snapped one of your pole sections, providing it isn't on the joint, they are very easy to repair, breaks tend to be fairly clean on them, they tend to snap quite literally in half :-\
Lightly sand the broken end of the smaller section, smear with either super glue or an epoxy glue, slide the smaller section up through the larger one (do it quickly if you use surer glue!!) until it grips, twist the end to bed in whatever glue is used and you are done ;)
Wrap some tape around the break (splinters) and if you've used superglue then crack straight on with your work, an epoxy glue needs 20 minutes or so to set.
You've highlighted the Facelift, but don't forget, there is also Gardinerpoles superlite 2 to consider, massively stronger than a converted fishing pole, and still cheaper and waaaaaayyyyy lighter than a facelift.
Ian
That Superlite 2 seems to be a great help to me so long as I only use it on certain jobs or certain windows. It's fiddly setting up but that may be because I'm not using it all day, every day. It's a bit easier now that I've started colour coding the sections with sticky tape (I used snooker ball values as my guide).
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hope not. i know everyone who had a superlite 1 & now has a superlite2 says how strong it is compared but when you spend £600 odd on a pole you dont expect to be scared to use it as its sooo easy to break! facelifts never had this problem as they cleared the faults up before it went on sale rather than bring a new & improved one out just a matter of months later. no offense but i hope you know what i mean
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hope not. i know everyone who had a superlite 1 & now has a superlite2 says how strong it is compared but when you spend £600 odd on a pole you dont expect to be scared to use it as its sooo easy to break! facelifts never had this problem as they cleared the faults up before it went on sale rather than bring a new & improved one out just a matter of months later. no offense but i hope you know what i mean
The Super-Lite1 first went on sale in April 2006. This type of pole had never been retailed before so there was naturally going to be a learning curve with this product. As soon as it became apparent that this concept was worth pursuing, we commissioned the unique to us Super-Lite2. The Super-Lite2 went on sale October 2007. We actually took the decision to stop selling the Super-Lite1 even though they were still in demand in June 2007 because we knew we had a superior product on the way. The 14 months that the Super-Lite1 was on sale provided many users with the easiest 14 months of water fed pole work they had ever had. In recognition of our customers support with the Super-Lite1 project, we offered all Super-Lite1 owners a very special trade-up offer.
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But my question is; How long would it take the business to get back and make profit on that type of investment
If this is your main concern then i would suggest you take a completely different look at your business, IMO, thinking this way about such an important piece, infact, THE most important piece of your equipment leads me to believe you're gonna have a long hard slog of a working life ::)
As for the facelift, all the info is there for you, just look to try & find a post which contains reference to a facelift user who is anything but happy with his pole ;)
If you're not desperate, a short wait for alex's new sl-x might be a good bet ;)
tony
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Keep on snapping them fishing poles mate,no work have to wait for a section at 50 notes a time.You do the math how many do you have to break before you wished you should have got a facelift in the first place,if i snapped a fishing pole badly and couldn`t work the amount of money i would have lost i could have got a facelift,forget the 25th of this month Alex is my father christmas and he`s coming at the end of january LOL. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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your sections all over the place is easy to sort out
ive superglued the first 2 sections together, then the next 2 and then the next 2
so i have 3 poles that are easy to put together
i then wrapped tape around them to you can see what sections goes into each
mine is now about 10 weeks old and its still really good, i have just had to move the wrap of tape that stops it going in too far, its moved about 1", thats just down to wear
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sounds like a blue peter project :D
only kidding
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i love my facelift, i use it for most of my jobs, the ones i cant use it on are above 27ft or the access is too tight to use it downstairs, i like a smaller pole for downstairs,
its robust, light, strong, telescopic, and ive been using it for a 2 weeks now, and im a bit faster with it that i was with my other pole setup,
sure i paid alot of money for it, but it is a tool like a drill or a hammer, you cant expect something for nothing
anyways i have a fishing pole that i use for other work, and its great also, its so light and strong, sure i cant sit on it or stand on it, or hit it against a tree, but if i watch what im doing it keeps going,
after a while you get quicker at putting sections together, but i wouldn't want to work with any other pole at above 30ft that a modular fishing pole or superlite,
if your worried about breaking it just be careful and watch what your doing
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sounds like a blue peter project :D
only kidding
to be honest, it looks ok ( i guess it wont be for every1 )
ive used grey and blue tape ( so fairly low key )
just looks like ive added a little tape to help with assembly
the lightness is really impressive, sure it wont last for ever, but it didnt cost the earth either
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if ur happy fella thats all that matters.
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Trouble is Dave, now that you've gone down the fishing pole route your "hooked" so to speak due to the lighness of the pole - precision cleaning! I would say keep the fishing pole for best and try not to use it everyday but spend some money on a quality everyday pole that's light and indestructable. Wait till the end of January! ;)
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Your soon stop being hooked on fishing poles dave when you keep snapping them give it time,the trouble is if you snap the first or second section the rest of the pole is useless until you get a new bit.What i have learned from fishing poles is that there stronger when there repaired.
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Dave you do get a good argument with your posts :)
What section have you broken, what make, and what height do you want to reach ?
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Thanks Mates,
This is what I like about this forum...............a bunch of guys in the same boat as me!!
I asked Tracy about buying a Facelift.............After saying I look Ok as I am ;D
She went ballistic :o :o :o
"£650 on a stick to wash windows with!!!! If you earn that money spare then do something for US!" She said.
Love me as she does......she has no idea about my work!
My gut feeling is:
First of all I should get a new section for my fishing pole and DO NOT try to bend it around corners ::)
Then use it for high or long work only.
I should save up (just as I did for WFP ;)) and get a nice telescopic Carbon fiber Facelift 34ft which, if I look after it, should last me till I retire (10 - 15 yrs)
If I'm honest - the fishing pole and other modular poles may be lighter but I can't get to grips with sections all over the place >:(
Then there is the thought about my general pole; a Cleantech 3x2mtr (18ft) cut down to about 14 ft ::)..........................ask you all about that another night ;)
Thanks David