When I started wfp I bought a trolley from Peter Fogwill and it came with an Unger aluminium telescopic pole with sections to take it to about 40FT. It was incredibly heavy and I used the first three sections (which were quite light but long) for most of my work. The twistloc clamps hurt my hands after prolonged use and after about a year a fellow window cleaner/franchiser recommended a modular carbon fibre pole which on reflection was probably a "fishing pole" with reinforced ends. It cost me £300 and allowed me to go to 35ft. I used a golf bag with legs to carry it around.
I think I paid well over the odds and learned a lesson - but as I don't know what it was I don't really know. But ... it was incredibly light and my hand pain went away. I was faster than with my unger telescopic and for the next two years I cut it and glued it when it broke, scavenged pole sections when offered them by a "fishing" custy and it was quicker than the Unger.
But although the joints never broke, the mid sections sometimes did and it became obvious that I needed to replace it after about two years.
I had tried one of those cheap g/f orange tele's which seemed to stick and scuff and get bits in my hand but which was light up to about 15ft. It fell apart and I discarded it.
The SLX has done it for me - I found it heavy compared with my fishing pole and so simply took away the two biggest (and heaviest) sections for most of my work (although they can easily be slipped on as can the extra g/f modular piece) and at 20ft it feels no heavier than my carbon fishing pole for the same length. (I know it must be as it has thicker sections plus clamps, but as the fishing pole has been discarded I can't quantify it.) Perhaps Alex's brush weight compensates over my previous vikan?
Where the SLX scores for me over a modular is this:-
No breakages. Easy clamps - especially the very latest; incredibly light clamps needing the tiniest of bite. When in a tight space doing an upstairs window (Say on the side of a semi in a narrow passage next to a bush or a fence) the modular couldn't be adjusted for length and would bang against obstacles.
No carry bag needed, no need to sometimes juggle poles, hose and carrybag over awkward sections.
No sticking together and (once asking custy to help me free it!) finding it almost impossible to unlock.
However the fishing pole is perfectly usable but I honestly beleive that I earn an extra £25, all other things being equal in a day due to less faffing, less tired (not weight but extra walking to get bits together) and general confidence to close windows and work fast and hard in the knowledge that it isn't going to snap.
I do however still use the top section and brush of the fishing pole (3ft as per matts) on one long run of downstairs commercial as that is incredibly light. (On a house it isn't worth changing over poles for downstairs IMO)
And... if I were to go to a two reel set up with my wife or daughter helping then I would see occasions where I would say go and clean the front door with the fishing pole top end while I do the tops and then you do the bottoms behind me while I reel in and start on the next house.