[TomCrowther]

Hi Guys, i am in a bit of a quandry re which way to go re longer poles.
{I have a 60ft monster pole, 11 ft collapsed length and weighs about 2 tonnes. I already have a shoulder problem and no longer use this pole}. I have a Supermax 40 which is a good pole but I have a few jobs coming up where I need around 50-54ft.
Do I get the three extension sections at a minimum cost of £320 plus vat which would take me to 52.5 ft or go the whole hog and get an Extreme pole at £1090 plus vat?
I do want to target higher work but there are no guarantees I will get it. Do you find the Extreme to be worth the extra layout in terms of ease of use and not killing yourself while cleaning 5th floor windows?
Many thanks for any advice and Happy New Year.

[AJ]

We bought two of these 60ft Modulite poles about 4 months ago.

http://www.cleaningspot.co.uk/acatalog/Carbon_fibre_water_fed_pole.html

Every day use, cant fault them.
We did have to make a couple of alterations when we got them though.
1. They needed butt end stops to prevent chipping them on the floor. Got them from gardiners for pences each.
2. Needed something to stop them pushing together and getting stuck. A couple of twists of electrical tape sorted it.

At £956 including vat, I'm very happy with them.

[PoleKing]

I'd go for Ionics.
£800 for 55ft £1000 for 65ft.
Check this link for comparison.
Once you've had Ionics kit you'll never want anyone else's! IMO.

http://www.ionicshop.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=290

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

Hi Guys, i am in a bit of a quandry re which way to go re longer poles.
{I have a 60ft monster pole, 11 ft collapsed length and weighs about 2 tonnes. I already have a shoulder problem and no longer use this pole}. I have a Supermax 40 which is a good pole but I have a few jobs coming up where I need around 50-54ft.
Do I get the three extension sections at a minimum cost of £320 plus vat which would take me to 52.5 ft or go the whole hog and get an Extreme pole at £1090 plus vat?
I do want to target higher work but there are no guarantees I will get it. Do you find the Extreme to be worth the extra layout in terms of ease of use and not killing yourself while cleaning 5th floor windows?
Many thanks for any advice and Happy New Year.

As good as the Smax is, I wouldn't want to use one much above 40ft. The Xtreme is a different beast & far superior to other Gardiner poles.

I have a Xtreme 47 with one standard extension & have used it at full length. I had the Xtreme 48 (which was the original Xtreme pole) & Gardiners re-engineered it to what is now the Xtreme 47. The 47 is superior to the original 48- it has less bounce with the addition of mid-way clamping points & extra clamping points on the base section.
 If you remove the stop tape (it does have red markers anyway) you can then break the pole down (remove sections) to use it at whatever length you want- i.e. it doesn't have to stay in 47ft configuration, you could remove some sections & use it at 30ft for instance. Using an Xtreme at 25/30ft is literally like cleaning with a penclin it's so light & rigid!!

Once you go above 40/45ft you start to realize what you've spent your money on & with a pat on your own back can congratulate yourself with making the right decision!!

[TomCrowther]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the feedback.
Yes, I think when working at height the "tool" becomes even more important. All the poles I use now are Gardiners, 18ft CLX, 25ft SL and 40ft Smax. Guess I am a bit of a fan of their poles. Having said that, happy to look at the others too.

[colin purewater]

SL2 mate lightest pole by miles and is a dream
To work with. 61ft I think but I've heard story's
Of it being extended over 80ft-100ft  although
It isn't recommended.

All so it is the ever lasting pole IMO
As when a section breaks or wears you just buy
A new one. No clamps to break either
Really simple but excellent pole!

[TomCrowther]

Who makes the SL2 Colin?

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

I have the sl2 at 45 ft and the xtreme at 30ft so I'm not speaking about the height you are, but poles wise the xtreme wins hands down over every thing else. The sl2 made by gardiners is good but it is a modular pole, so a lot more faffing around. I also think that the xtreme is more rigid.

The difference between the SLx and xtreme is staggering and gets more pronounced the higher you go. The sl2 is a tiny fraction lighter than the xtreme not that it notices because it feels a little whippier.

Simon.