[Nameless Drudge]

My ongoing research  has fan jets as a clear winner over pencil jets.

Take this statement seemingly agreed on by most "Fan jets are better for rinsing beading glass",
well if this is so, and i agree entirely,then why are pencil jets being used at all ?  Most people have a trigger/tap/flow control  and have water splatter under control  which was often mentioned as a downside to fan jets so why pencil jets?

What i am after is someone who can point out to me why pencil jets are better than fan jets as maybe i am missing something.

I see nearly all brushes are sold with pencil jets(cheaper option i am guessing) but the fact a wfp equipment manufacturer is pushing something doesn`t count for diddly sh*t in my opinion. Seems to me that window cleaners are just treated like guinea pigs in this respect and are repeatedly expected to pay through the nose for inferior products. Anyway i digress,just wanted that little rant in.

So if fan jets are the best why are pencil jets even available? or am i currently wrong and  pencil jets are the best.

[chopsie]

I  am a newbie, been going 10 months and using fans last two months. I  believe lads who rinse off the glass generally prefer pencils as there is less chance of overspray from the mist. I really like the fans and rinsing on glass, just hoping customers are happy with results

[CLEANCARE WC]

My personal preferance is the exact opposite, prefer pencil jets cos with fans there is always a danger of spitting on an uncleaned area bringing dirt down and i reckon thats why pencils are the standard. i have had fan jets coupled with a trigger but soon left them behind when i got a variflo and just dont see a need for a trigger. fan jets are great for fascia/soffit/cladding cleaning. maybe start a poll? I reckon most people are pencils no trigger with some sort of variflo. be interesting to find out.

[CLEANCARE WC]

sorry just realised you acknowledged everything i said about spitting and i havent really answered your question, but thats my main reason for preferring pencils.

[Londoner]

Its just that fan jets are more likely to dislodge dirt from somewhere you don't wan't to. Pencil jets are more precise. But I've used both

[mikecam]

I use pencils and i have never used fans so i couldn't compare them. But i certainley don;t have any problems with pencils. I like the idea of being able to jet the water exactly where i need it, maybe to flush a bit of dirt out of a nook/cranny or follow a piece of crap right off the pane without picking it up on the brush. Its true that on glass with a tendency to bead you cannot always see a clear rinse, but as pointed out before on other thread, if you brush the glass you get a few split seconds where it will slightly sheet. I've never had problems rinsing on the glass with pencils either.

[Nameless Drudge]

Know what you mean about quickly  brushing the glass on beading windows and have been trying that technique but i feel more comfortable on beading glass with the fan jets rinsing brush on  (bristle tips)  with a gentle side to side motion whilst working downwards.

[Nameless Drudge]

Pencil jets are more efficient for cleaning

Fan jests are more efficient for rinsing

What did your ongoing research consist of?

You have made  two broad statements there,can you qualify them a little?. I will say it does appear that rinsing is the key to wfp results and anything that aids in this respect ought to be prioritised.

[Nameless Drudge]

Why do i feel as though you are throwing down the gauntlet?,not interested in a game here.

Am looking for education not a challenge of who knows best between me and you.

[Spruce]

Hi Ewan
I agree. Sean please tell us about the steps of this ongoing research that you have done comparing both and your finds. I would be interested in this. Thanks.
I have used both.
Spruce

[Nameless Drudge]

Hi Ewan
I agree. Sean please tell us about the steps of this ongoing research that you have done comparing both and your finds. I would be interested in this. Thanks.
I have used both.
Spruce

Well,read the first post of this thread and give your opinion then !

[gewindows]

Fans are better for rinsing in general (faster, better and more thorough on hydrophobic glass).

However pencils are cheaper to produce so come as the default jet when brush-heads are supplied, peeps are used get used to them. Why bother changing to a different style, when they believe pencils are good enough, after all a set of fans will cost more money and theyre expensive by comparison to pencils.


Familiarity breeds contempt.

[mikecam]

Why bother changing to a different style, when they believe pencils are good enough,

I don't believe anything. I know for a fact i get perfect results with pencil jets and thats why i've never bothered to try fan jets. If you can't get perfect results with pencil jets i can fully understand you changing over to fan jets. Like i say, its not a problem i have, but you do.

[gewindows]

Like i say, its not a problem i have, but you do.

I dont have a problem with fan-jets, where did you get that gem of information from?

[mikecam]

Like i say, its not a problem i have, but you do.

I dont have a problem with fan-jets, where did you get that gem of information from?

No you don't, you clealry state that above. You're saying you have a problem with pencil jets.

[gewindows]

Sorry, you're right, it was a typing error.

Why do you think I have a problem with pencil jets?

[mikecam]

Sorry, you're right, it was a typing error.

Why do you think I have a problem with pencil jets?

Just from reading your posts above it seems you ain't happy with pencils and are prepared to pay extra for fans? Like i say i've never used fans so i couldn't comment on the merits or other wise of them.

[Spruce]

I changed from fan jets to pencils and now prefer pencils overall.

With a pencil jet you get a clean, well defined jet of water from each jet and can be aimed precisely where you want it, ie. into a corner if need be.
With fan jets I found rinsing difficult as there was not that clear spray edge, it seemed to become a fine spray which was difficult to pinpoint - it was like watering the garden with a rose spray. I found that the fan sprays often brought down muck off the soffits where these were close to the top of the window frame especially as I rinse off glass.

The fan jets do protrude quite a bit into the brush area so are quite close to the glass when cleaning, so I can't see the fan width when cleaning being that much wider than a jet when cleaning - maybe 2-3mm as apposed to 15 -20mm for the fan jets.
I had fan jets on a 16" Salmon brush years ago, and 3 rows of bristles where removed to make the fan jets effective. The scrubbing qualities of the remaining bristles was poor.

I would probably agree that fan jets work better on hydrophobic glass, but I don't have a problem with the pencils results either.

So Sean, what fan jets would you recommend - a 40 or a 60 degree fan from the research you have been doing?

Spruce

[gewindows]

Sorry, you're right, it was a typing error.

Why do you think I have a problem with pencil jets?

Just from reading your posts above it seems you ain't happy with pencils and are prepared to pay extra for fans? Like i say i've never used fans so i couldn't comment on the merits or other wise of them.

I prefer fans, I think they rinse hydrophobic glass better than pencils (certainly more thoroughly anyway) having used both, and I think they rinse all windows quicker regardless of glass type.

I havent got a problem with pencil jets, I just prefer fan jets.

[Spruce]

Hi Rise and Shine

What brush size do you use and where are the jets positioned and how many bristles rows are removed?

I have been toying with trying them again. I see that ebay has some machine worked ones that dont need a 13mm hole drilled in the brush stock so had though of getting a pair.

Spruce