Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Lee Pryor on February 13, 2009, 06:54:05 pm
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Guys looking at new poles at the moment, and want to know what you rate as good up to about 30 ft.
We use Ionic poles now but i think they are dropping behind other companies.
One that has caught my eye is the 24ft from face lift. thoughts on this one please.
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facelift, very good pole, very robust too, and good clamps
but you know that from me already
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facelift as already said by alex, they are a very good pole
george
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Gardiner Pole Systems SL-X or Facelift.
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unger hybrid pole 31ft £235 + vat from window cleaning warehouse, probably best pole for price on the market, Fantastic to use and very very light 2.96 kgs.
;D ;D
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how long is that unger pole when its shut? and how many sections?
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Facelift Poles are 10 out of 10 IMO up to 40ft or so,today i used my 24ft Hybrid and there is no comparison to my 24ft carbon facelift and i mean no comparison.The price difference is not that great really but the quality is massive when comparing the 2,if you buy a carbon facelift you will not be dissapointed trust me.
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hybrid 31ft has 7 sections and 5ft 7in collapsed,
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The price difference between facelift and unger in loads more ! or am i blind. ???
31 ft hybrid Unger pole with vat is £276.12
29 ft facelift glass fibre with vat is £424.35 difference is = £148.23
34 ft facelift carbon fibre with vat is £878.60 difference is = £602.40
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Price is just about the only thing you can compare them on.
Invest in a proper pole, and it will make you much much more money then you will save on a cheaper pole, not saying the Hybrid is rubbish, it's just that the SL-X and Facelifts are in a different league.
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ordered a 18ft hydra pole thursday, will let you know my opinion once used for a while
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ordered a 24ft glass fibre from facelift today, wanted the carbon but there almost the same weight and although the carbon is bound to be more rigid i couldnt justify the extra £237.00 the carbon is only 200g lighter.
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ordered a 24ft glass fibre from facelift today, wanted the carbon but there almost the same weight and although the carbon is bound to be more rigid i couldnt justify the extra £237.00 the carbon is only 200g lighter.
The facelift 24ft poles are only 21ft in actual length, your money would have been much better spent on a carbon sl-x, with an actual 30ft it also has removable tubes, is much shorter closed length & a lot cheaper than a carbon facelift. The facelift brush is only any good for commercial- it's massive! ;)
Tony
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well i meant i am ordering on monday, was going to ask for it without a brush head for that reason, how is it only 21 if it is made from 4x 6 foot sections?? would like an slx instead but where to get one,?
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Mine is great but the wife keeps falling off hers ;D
ps I have been disappointed with my slx (spinning brush) but I think the new batch will be better and I would try again.
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ordered a 24ft glass fibre from facelift today, wanted the carbon but there almost the same weight and although the carbon is bound to be more rigid i couldnt justify the extra £237.00 the carbon is only 200g lighter.
I was talking Carbon not fiberglass.
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Mine is great but the wife keeps falling off hers ;D
ps I have been disappointed with my slx (spinning brush) but I think the new batch will be better and I would try again.
Hi Bod
I was thinking of ordering two SLX poles when they become available again, Your quote regarding the spinning brush has worried me, can you describe, "what is causing the brush to spin". I know there were problems with the clamps spinning or not clamping properly on the first batch but I thought that this problem was solved when the second batch of poles were released. Have you got the earlier SLX pole or one of the latest SLX poles. I like the idea of the SLX but don't want to buy a pole that I have to keep making adjustments to the clamps. Anymore feedback on this especially from the most recent batch of SLX's would be very useful
Simon
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Guys looking at new poles at the moment, and want to know what you rate as good up to about 30 ft.
We use Ionic poles now but i think they are dropping behind other companies.
One that has caught my eye is the 24ft from face lift. thoughts on this one please.
ive also used ionics poles and think they are falling behind
i now use a 34ft carbon fibre facelift pole its brilliant they are expensive poles but you get what you pay for
Brett
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Simon. I have had my pole around 5 months so im not sure if its the early one or one of the newer batch.
The prob I have, is the cone which goes into the end of the pole has come loose from the pole and keeps spinning. I have used epoxy to glue it back in but its come loose again so I will have to reclean and epoxy again. And yes the clamps do keep coming loose so this needs loctighting every few weeks.
Bob
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Simon. I have had my pole around 5 months so im not sure if its the early one or one of the newer batch.
The prob I have, is the cone which goes into the end of the pole has come loose from the pole and keeps spinning. I have used epoxy to glue it back in but its come loose again so I will have to reclean and epoxy again. And yes the clamps do keep coming loose so this needs loctighting every few weeks.
Bob
Hi Bob
I sent an email yesterday asking if I could help (alex@agardiner.co.uk)?
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Hi Alex.
I have only now looked in my inbox and cen see you email.
I will mail you back. :)
Bob
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dont laugh, im still using ionics poles! but want to invest in new poles soon. If i buy a carbon pole will ths stop the annoying collapsing/ sliding down of poles due to wear of poles or is it the same with carbon. How do u fix carbon poles if they get damaged etc
The extra investment to me is ok if it eliminates the above
Cheers Craig
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dont laugh, im still using ionics poles! but want to invest in new poles soon. If i buy a carbon pole will ths stop the annoying collapsing/ sliding down of poles due to wear of poles or is it the same with carbon. How do u fix carbon poles if they get damaged etc
The extra investment to me is ok if it eliminates the above
Cheers Craig
I had 2 ionics ergolites and the sections both wore away within a year a bit expensive i think at £450 a time told ionics about this and they was not interested so i guess its just down to wear and tear, what did i pay for the pole or the name dont get me wrong ionics do some good equipment but im not impressed with some of their poles
ive had my facelift now for nearly a year and its still like new and as strong as ever i think it will live out any other manufacturers poles
Brett
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Cheers Brett, I was just looking for new brushes for this year and looked at Gardiners site, stumbled across the videos. The Superlite 2 pole looks pretty good. Any good?
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Cheers Brett, I was just looking for new brushes for this year and looked at Gardiners site, stumbled across the videos. The Superlite 2 pole looks pretty good. Any good?
hi mate
i cant speak for gardiners superlite pole as ive never used one
but i can speak for the superlite brush it is excellent 8)
regards
Brett
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Thnks again Brett. That was the brush i was considering as use vikans. Three types though - dual trim, single or flocked, whats best in your opinion?
Looked at facelift poles in meantime, might just take plunge and gaet a gardiners superlite too!
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Simon. I have had my pole around 5 months so im not sure if its the early one or one of the newer batch.
The prob I have, is the cone which goes into the end of the pole has come loose from the pole and keeps spinning. I have used epoxy to glue it back in but its come loose again so I will have to re clean and epoxy again. And yes the clamps do keep coming loose so this needs loctight every few weeks.
Bob
Thanks Bod, I like the look of the SLX pole a lot and have been close to purchasing two of them on a couple of occasions, The reason I haven't invested my money yet is because of the reported issues with having to glue the clamps so often. I accept that poles will need a certain amount of maintenance but would be really annoyed if I had to keep re glueing the clamps to stop them from spinning.
I think I'll wait and see if this issue is addressed with the new batches of poles that go on sale before I order one.
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Thnks again Brett. That was the brush i was considering as use vikans. Three types though - dual trim, single or flocked, whats best in your opinion?
Looked at facelift poles in meantime, might just take plunge and gaet a gardiners superlite too!
Hi mate
i use gardiners superlite single trim and dual trim they are both good brushes, very light
im not keen on flocked brushes but were all different tryst me you wont go wrong with a gardiners
cheers
Brett
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My Carbon Facelift poleisover 3 years old and is as good as new.
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I have a confession
In my post about I stated that the cone had come loose again but....its not the cone its the plastic angle thingy.
Alex has offered to service the pole this week and I still have the clamps issue so its in need of a service. Thanks Alex.
Bob
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I have a confession
In my post about I stated that the cone had come loose again but....its not the cone its the plastic angle thingy.
Alex has offered to service the pole this week and I still have the clamps issue so its in need of a service. Thanks Alex.
Bob
The plastic necks are prone to that, i think they would be better re-engineered with a different material or harder plastic!
Tony
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Lee
I have one of the new SL-X poles and have worked with a carbon facelift for the last two years. Email me for my phone number or stop me next time we are passing.
Nickthompson1959@aol.com
Nick
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IMHO the facelift fibreglass is a waste of money. Smooth and easy on the hands, BUT far too whippy. Carbon fibre every time.
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IMHO the facelift fibreglass is a waste of money. Smooth and easy on the hands, BUT far too whippy. Carbon fibre every time.
I agree with that i have a fiberglass 15ft facelift and don`t like it,the carbon facelifts are the best the sections slide up and dowm with ease and are as ridgid as a broom handle up to 30 odd ft.
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My Carbon Facelift poleisover 3 years old and is as good as new.
How often do you use this pole NWH?
Every job?
Every day?
Once a week?
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I have a 44ft c/f Facelift pole which is the nutz it is used just for my highest work and apart from me braking a couple of clamps (my fault) it is without doubt my best pole.
But my most productive pole is the SL-X and this is the one that makes me the money...but and I say this with caution....
Great pole...personally I hate the clamps...Facelift clamps are without doubt far better...
My pole I think is one of the first batches and as such seems to be suffering from wear and tear...upto now I have had the pole back to Gardiners for repair once(excellent service) and I have had to cut 30mm in total(2 sections had to be repaired) off the pole and refit the clamps owing to wear on the pole sections to stop the spinning...My pole was first used on the 21st of May 2008 and I have to admit I now carry a allen key in my pocket at all times to nip up the clamps at least 6 times a day.
Will I buy another one...yes I will...are there things I loath about the pole..yes there are...but ...it enables me to make money and it is light...nothing is perfect and lets face it carbon fibre is strong but it does wear...
Cheers
Dave.
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My Carbon Facelift poleisover 3 years old and is as good as new.
How often do you use this pole NWH?
Every job?
Every day?
Once a week?
Everyday nearly every job great pole cannot fault it,you`ll earn back what they cost in no time just make sure you buy carbon.
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Pingu, I have had the same problem with my slx,its been back to Gardiners twice,clamps and partly due to wear,wears out a bit quick if you ask me.
So for the last couple of weeks I've been using a Harris pole for nearly all my work,I was surprised how much I could reach with it and its so light.Even the bit of extra length when its shut doesn't really cause any problems and then I just get the slx out for any higher work.
Funnily enough I posted in a thread last year how I thought the slx was good value for money because it reaches 30ft and does groundfloor windows and will hopefully last longer, it was just a shame about the lasting longer bit :(
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I'm curious when you say it's as good as new - do you mean it handles like new or still looks like new? Because i have the SLX and use it everyday but it wears very fast. like Pingu i've already had to cut the sections down to remove the paper thin carbon due to wear. It was split around the holes from new which looked bad but didn't affect the pole in any way. I have to wear gloves to stop the carbon dust engraining my hands. It's still an excellent tool but if a facelift can last three years and show no sign of wear then the Gardiners pole should do the same - after all the clamps are low friction. Maybe the carbonfibre to resin mix is wrong compared to Facelifts recipe?
I always carry an allen key to nip the clamps. Would i buy another? For performance yes without a doubt but the wear issue bothers me.
If a Facelift was comparible on price then i could be tempted but it's still a dear pole.
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Strange. I'm not experiencing these issues with my SL-X, and mine was from the first batch too.
I'm a bit worried now, gonna check the pole in a minute.
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Started to use the ptfe spray on my slx and it does cut down on wear.(My hands dont get black, just greasy!) Wish I'd used it from the start.
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Mine's from the first batch but I don't have any issues with wear or clamps ???
I've never loc-tited the threads either. I only have to nip up the odd clamp maybe once a week. It doesn't look like new obviously, as I use it for every job but it hasn't worn anymore than I would expect a carbon pole to.
Maybe there were some quality control issues with the first batch?
Tony
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Thats my impression also...in the same vein I do believe the SL-X is a vital piece of equipment for me...My pole does create me some 'angst' at least a couple of times a week the top section will collapse completely which does cause me to use Alex's name in a manner that I'm sure his family would take offence to ;D
But it does allow me to make money so with 'my' pole I now just consider that it has a charectar all it's own and just like a teenager...it just tries it on every now and then until I 'pull it's head off' then it calms down and toes the line.
Great pole and I await the day it grows up and leaves home !
Dave.
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Mine is great but the wife keeps falling off hers ;D
ps I have been disappointed with my slx (spinning brush) but I think the new batch will be better and I would try again.
Hi Bod, I had the same problem with mine. Needed to adjust several times a day even after using the locktite . I contacted alex's office and they sent me a replacement fibre glass pole, collected mine serviced it and sent it back...no problems since. That's what i call service! I'm now considering getting the new 30' model when they become available. 8) Syd
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Syd
Alex collected mine yesterday for a service. ;D
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I think a lot of people with spinning sections haven't applied the loctite correctly.
There were some issues with the first batch though.
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Tim what is causing this 'spinning' is wear on the inner pole section (where clamp is afixed)...you will only be able to keep tightening and applying loctite for so long and then the worn out section(about 15mm) will need to be removed and the clamp re-instated.
Still a cracking good pole though!
Cheers
Dave.
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There were some issues with the first batch though.
The only issues with the first batch of original SL-X poles were the cut outs for the clamps. The manufacturer had only cut these out about 2mm between the clamp jaws which worked perfectly well for the first few months of use (depending on wear). After this time it became apparent that this gap should have been about 5mm. This is why we offer a free service, simply to rectify this issue. Any other issues are down to wear and tear which affects all composite poles - the rate of this wear and tear being unique to each user.
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There were some issues with the first batch though.
The only issues with the first batch of original SL-X poles were the cut outs for the clamps. The manufacturer had only cut these out about 2mm between the clamp jaws which worked perfectly well for the first few months of use (depending on wear). After this time it became apparent that this gap should have been about 5mm. This is why we offer a free service, simply to rectify this issue. Any other issues are down to wear and tear which affects all composite poles - the rate of this wear and tear being unique to each user.
that clears up what was wrong with mine, i got my dremel out and shaved another 1mm out and it has been fine till now but this week has just closed the gap when tightened .nice to know i can still make the gap bigger. i thought it would have made the section too weak if id shaved any more but obviously not.
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There were some issues with the first batch though.
The only issues with the first batch of original SL-X poles were the cut outs for the clamps. The manufacturer had only cut these out about 2mm between the clamp jaws which worked perfectly well for the first few months of use (depending on wear). After this time it became apparent that this gap should have been about 5mm. This is why we offer a free service, simply to rectify this issue. Any other issues are down to wear and tear which affects all composite poles - the rate of this wear and tear being unique to each user.
that clears up what was wrong with mine, i got my dremel out and shaved another 1mm out and it has been fine till now but this week has just closed the gap when tightened .nice to know i can still make the gap bigger. i thought it would have made the section too weak if id shaved any more but obviously not.
When the pole gets even older you can completely re-seat the clamp which turns the clock right back. Ring me up if you want to know how!
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There were some issues with the first batch though.
The only issues with the first batch of original SL-X poles were the cut outs for the clamps. The manufacturer had only cut these out about 2mm between the clamp jaws which worked perfectly well for the first few months of use (depending on wear). After this time it became apparent that this gap should have been about 5mm. This is why we offer a free service, simply to rectify this issue. Any other issues are down to wear and tear which affects all composite poles - the rate of this wear and tear being unique to each user.
that clears up what was wrong with mine, i got my dremel out and shaved another 1mm out and it has been fine till now but this week has just closed the gap when tightened .nice to know i can still make the gap bigger. i thought it would have made the section too weak if id shaved any more but obviously not.
When the pole gets even older you can completely re-seat the clamp which turns the clock right back. Ring me up if you want to know how!
thanks alex tried ringing but its obviously your office number so will ring tomorrow i need to order a couple of brushes anyway.