Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Mike 108 on April 15, 2008, 10:20:48 pm
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What advantage (if any) has a brass channel got over a stainless steel one?
Also, a colleague of mine raves about his aluminium SORBO channel (although it is 3 x as dear as the stainless steel ones).
Does anyone else have strong preferences?
Why?
Mike
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mike
I think the brass channels are stiffer, or lighter. Not sure.
The sorbo channels are very good. They're lightweight and super stiff, you really notice the difference on the glass but to get a real benefit you need to be using good rubbers so you're changing rubbers more freq. Great for pole work though, worth the money if you do that sort of work.
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I had a couple about 10 yrs ago. The 18in was ok not much difference to normal except lighter. Also had a 36in was great for a few months on big shop windows until it got very slightly bent. Then no good.
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talking about the exruded channels. not the brass
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extruded
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haha i had a 36 sorbo as well - bent mine as well.
to be honest it was a tricky blighter to work with
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yes you are right. About 22in is nice for big shops. I seem to remember I shut the door on the 36in. Used it the other week, first time in years, for scraping moss of a conservatory roof, so can't grumble.
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Why are the SORBO's tricky to work with?
Mike
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no its nothing to do with the sorbo - its just 36inches of blade on the glass is hard to turn! also it won't fit in my BOAB, nor is there anywhere in the back of the van to put it!
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Brass doesn't scratch glass, thats why they were all originally made that way. The introduction of the stainless came about because they needed a cheaper lightweight non-rust channel. The glass was forgotten about.
Sörbo were the first to really come out with an alloy aluminium that was lightweight for its superior size. Personally I still reckon the Sörbo has the edge on bigger channels to work with, especially for high pole-ing. I tend to go for a lightweight Pulex or anything to hand really for up front working. I have them all. Sörbo still make the best rubber, probably out-lasting any other brand 10 to one. I have had some bad batch of all the other rubbers, but never good ole Sörbo. You can recut them to make a new edge, but its too faffy for me, thats the idea of the cutting machine they sell & the different grooves in the Sörbo channel. So if you were to cut them 3 times & taking into account the 2 sides - you would have 30 times longer use. I thonk the price of the docket has come down now, I may rethink buying it with all the dodgy rubber I've had!
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ahh I didn't know that brass won't scratch glass! ha, there you are.
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Probably why jets tend to be brass too?
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How do you manage to scratch glass? No matter what type of channel is used, if the rubber protrudes either end of channel there should be no chance of scratching.
What is the advantage of using end clips, do they hold the the rubber firmer i.e. another form of 'dog earing' ?