I've never really understood what people mean when they are on a budget. As Blue Frog asks - what is your budget - do you mean you want to buy the best, cheapest pole?
This always reminds me of an experience I had about 25 years ago. As many will know, I worked for Bosch Power Tools in South Africa for many years. I had a young man phone me up and tell me that he was starting a new business fitting curtain tracks and blinds into new build flats and duplexes. He asked me if I would pop round and see them, which I did after work on my way home as that was the most convenient time for them.
I showed him a small rotary hammer drill (equivalent to Hilti drill) as most of the holes they would be drilling would be in concrete lintels and I knew that a 13mm impact drilling machine they would have chosen wouldn't do the job. They were on a tight budget and could afford 3 impact drills, but if they bought the hammer drill they could only afford 1.
He phoned me a couple of days later to say that they had decided to buy a rotary hammer and could I drop one off on the way home. I mentioned to him that a local hardware shop had them on special that week and that he could also buy a couple of SDS drill bits with the money he saved on the drill. At his request, the shop phoned me to tell me that he had come in a bought a machine and some drill bits. I never gave it another thought after that.
About 5 years later he came up to me at a show and shook my hand like I was a long lost friend. I didn't recognise him at first, although I remembered the atmosphere in their living room when I was there that evening on my way home from work. He said that his wife and he had had a right argument after I had left over what to buy. She opted for the 3 impact drills and he sided with my advice, which had caused a major family rift.
He then said that the business had since grown and that they have now got a bigger house in a much better area. He said that the reason for their success was the drilling machine that I had recommended them to buy and that they now had quite a number of them with a number of teams working in different places. His wife initially still maintained that the rotary hammer wasn't the reason for their success, but it was getting into the right business at the right time. He then went out and bought a 13mm impact drill and gave it to a team to work with. They hardly did any work that day when compared to the other team working in the same building. Had they stuck with the 3 impact drills, the business would have sunk.
I love this story as you want to buy the best for your business, and at the moment the best pole is a Gardiner SLX with a super light brush. If you can't quite afford it, borrow some money from somewhere, just don't make do with a cheaper pole. Being light and rigid will result in less fatigue and even if this allows you to do one more house a day, the pole will very quickly pay for itself.
Spruce