[mileslake]

Try fishing poles. Great.

[Blue Frog Systems]

I'm doing a fishing pole conversion at the moment.

I'm waiting for the glue to set at the moment and will be posting a thread up about it soon

[Tim82]

whats the ridgability on the xtel the stronger the better

Quite strong and flexeble but will crack at the bottom eventually if you let the butt get really worn (by standing it on the ground). I only need to change a section every few months and they're not that expensive. (I do a lot of 3-storey windows by the way).

[outdoor restore]

whats the ridgability on the xtel the stronger the better

Fibreglass xtel very flexible at full reach (24ft); Hybrid much stiffer and lighter.

[steve a]

Got the 34ft extel hybrid and thought it was the bees knees till i got the slx and the sl2, now I hardly ever get the extel out (only for jobs of less than a dozen windows coz its a pain getting the sl2 out for less).

[AuRavelling79]

I went from Unger telescopic (which clamps hurt my hands and was very whippy) to fishing pole rigid but fragile) and then to SLX. (Which I run as a 20ft jobbie with three extra sections on hand for when I need them to go to 25/30/35ft)

Fishing pole was light but modular (obviously) and suffered from occasional snapping/sticking issues.

For me the lightness of my SLX which combines the lightness of a fishing pole with being telescopic makes me an extra £30 a day.

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

I would recommend the slx at the required size.  I have had xtel gf and hybrid and although they are good for the money they do not compare to the slx.  You will work faster and have more energy with the lighter stiffer pole.

Simon.

[Mike #1]

i have been using brodex hydra 18ft for a few weeks now find it better than x-tel hybrid my 24ft wore so much in 12 months it impossible to use on downstairs windows as if i collaspe pole fully it spins if i extend each section so it does'nt the pole is about 7ft no good so far can't fault hydra 3yr warranty as well i have the 24ft hydra as well do not use that often as i have found i can manage 95% of my work with 18ft pole

[matt]

I went from Unger telescopic (which clamps hurt my hands and was very whippy) to fishing pole rigid but fragile) and then to SLX. (Which I run as a 20ft jobbie with three extra sections on hand for when I need them to go to 25/30/35ft)

Fishing pole was light but modular (obviously) and suffered from occasional snapping/sticking issues.

For me the lightness of my SLX which combines the lightness of a fishing pole with being telescopic makes me an extra £30 a day.

interesting

as i have used the slx and i found it a fair bit heavier that my zenflex, yes its lighter that the fibreglass X-tels and ali poles, but it didnt come close to the zenflex

[outdoor restore]

i have been using brodex hydra 18ft for a few weeks now find it better than x-tel hybrid my 24ft wore so much in 12 months it impossible to use on downstairs windows as if i collaspe pole fully it spins if i extend each section so it does'nt the pole is about 7ft no good so far can't fault hydra 3yr warranty as well i have the 24ft hydra as well do not use that often as i have found i can manage 95% of my work with 18ft pole

Have this problem with one section on one of my hybrids, but it only makes a difference of about an inch when closed, pity you can't buy the xtel clamp bodies to cut the pole and replace the clamp body an inch down. Have tried to build up the affected area with araldite and sand but didn't have much success.  But to be honest the problem is only a minor pain

[Mike #1]

problem is that 3 sections have worn down so over a period of time the clamping point on each section changes hence the problem with worn sections and usage

[matt]

There’s not that great a difference though matt, do you know the actual weight difference between the two?

no, i have no idea of the difference

but i felt it, it was a few months after i returned to work after my hernia op, and with my pole i didnt feel it, with the slx i felt the are of my hernia pulling like hell

i couldnt use it to be honest

the fishing pole is so light i guess i have been spoilt

[matt]

About 500-600 grams or the weight difference of a typical Vikan brush.

well my Vikan is super super light ( though i guess its on par with the superlight brush )

the difference was noticeable though

[suds window service]

go from 1 extreme the Unger

to the other

a converted fishing pole

have a search on here about them, the lightness is outstanding

i have been using my gangster for the last week and its been FANTASTIC
done everything that my xtels or harris could do,but so much lighter
from tomorrow it will be joined by my newly converted zenoflex its defo gave me a new Leese of life as i was pretty exhausted by the end of the day,now feel so much better!

so i will be saving me pennies for an f16 type pole next. i would not go back to heavy fibre glass poles again.

[AuRavelling79]

There’s not that great a difference though matt, do you know the actual weight difference between the two?

no, i have no idea of the difference

but i felt it, it was a few months after i returned to work after my hernia op, and with my pole i didnt feel it, with the slx i felt the are of my hernia pulling like hell

i couldnt use it to be honest

the fishing pole is so light i guess i have been spoilt

Matt - I agree that the SLX is heavier than a fishing pole - but at 20ft you are using the lighter sections of the SLX only and so the difference for me is unnoticeable - but I agree that at 30 or 35 ft there is a noticeable weight difference.

[matt]

There’s not that great a difference though matt, do you know the actual weight difference between the two?

no, i have no idea of the difference

but i felt it, it was a few months after i returned to work after my hernia op, and with my pole i didnt feel it, with the slx i felt the are of my hernia pulling like hell

i couldnt use it to be honest

the fishing pole is so light i guess i have been spoilt

Matt - I agree that the SLX is heavier than a fishing pole - but at 20ft you are using the lighter sections of the SLX only and so the difference for me is unnoticeable - but I agree that at 30 or 35 ft there is a noticeable weight difference.

the pole i used had a few sections un extended at the base, i guess that was the problem