[SherwoodCleaningSe]

Rigidity to weight is an interesting concept. If you have a floppy pole you are expending energy every time you brush the windows. A heavier pole costs energy with every lift.  

As an example my mk 1 slx 25 is about 50% hevier than the mk 2 slx 18 but it is a LOT more rigid. Every time I cleaned some windows that were under 20ft though I picked up the 18. When the good mrs Sherwood came back to work from being off sick she wanted her slx18 back so I had to use the 25 all day again. All of a sudden my arms were aching and I had elbow pain.  The rigidity is very important but in relation to weight.  A pole that is only 2% heavier but twice as rigid would be a good trade off. 50% heavier twice as rigid and your arms hurts.

Anyway off now to do another health centre with my extremes.

Simon.

[Mike #1]

simon mate the difference is 20% not 2% ,   i will try and sort out a good video of my elite at 35 ft extension so you can all have a look only trouble is i have done all my 3 storey work , might take a few days to organise ,, mike

[Adam WFP Co]

Hi,   

Well done Nat for carrying out this test and for giving you opinions. It is always good to have an impartial view on products.

I will be organising some better video's and pics over the weekend and will put them on the website for Monday. Hopefully this will give you a better view of how rigid the Elite poles are.

[Steve CM]

Adam

I'm in Milton Keynes. Any chance i can come and view/demo your range. Would be of great interest.

Thanks

[Adam WFP Co]

Hi Steve, please send me an email with your Telephone number and I will give you a call to get this organised.

Thanks

[Nathanael Jones]

I've just done a quick re-test with smaller bottles (255g each) and the results show both poles handling the weight with equal amounts of flex (almost none).

I'll upload a pic tonight when I can find the cable for my phone!

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

simon mate the difference is 20% not 2% ,   i will try and sort out a good video of my elite at 35 ft extension so you can all have a look only trouble is i have done all my 3 storey work , might take a few days to organise ,, mike

I know its 20%. I meant to say 2%. I think 20% would be too great a weight increase to gain a small amount if rigidity. I know some would say that it's only a couple of hundred gramms but over the course of a day, a week and then a year I think it would cost more than the pole itself. If I was asked to clean extra windows at each property for no extra I'd turn it down, extra effort no benefit.

Another job done with the extreme and I'd now say that I wouldn't even go back to using the slx. It's like wfp heaven.

Simon.

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

Just want to add though that it is good to see more wfp manufacturers coming out with better poles at competitive prices. It wasn't that long ago when a 45 ft pole would weigh several kilos cost well over a grand, be as bendy as a banana and still have the manufacturer raving about how good it's supposed to be.

Simon.

[Alex Allen]

1 bottle looks bigger than the other 

I've asked Nat to do a re-test with a more representative weight.  The SLX has been fine tuned to offer maximum rigidity at a more standard head weight (250g brushes not 750g oil bottles).  This overloading of weight will not offer a good representation of rigidity in a real world working environment.  This has allowed us to make the SL-X as light as it is (20% lighter).

thats nonsence, a more representative test would be a 2kg weight

in a real world working enviroment 750g is nothing
you regularly exert 2kg when cleaning the windows

[Alex Allen]

Rigidity to weight is an interesting concept. If you have a floppy pole you are expending energy every time you brush the windows. A heavier pole costs energy with every lift.  

As an example my mk 1 slx 25 is about 50% hevier than the mk 2 slx 18 but it is a LOT more rigid. Every time I cleaned some windows that were under 20ft though I picked up the 18. When the good mrs Sherwood came back to work from being off sick she wanted her slx18 back so I had to use the 25 all day again. All of a sudden my arms were aching and I had elbow pain.  The rigidity is very important but in relation to weight.  A pole that is only 2% heavier but twice as rigid would be a good trade off. 50% heavier twice as rigid and your arms hurts.

Anyway off now to do another health centre with my extremes.

Simon.

thats why carbon fibre is used, for it strength to weight ratio
you go to light with it and it will start to flex like a glass fibre pole, thats why that pole bends in the picture with just 750g
it will be lighter but you need rigid poles for window cleaning, you have to be able push out the flex in the pole to use the brush
thats the whole point to using carbon fibre having less weight but keeping the ridigity  :

[Alex Gardiner]

1 bottle looks bigger than the other  

I've asked Nat to do a re-test with a more representative weight.  The SLX has been fine tuned to offer maximum rigidity at a more standard head weight (250g brushes not 750g oil bottles).  This overloading of weight will not offer a good representation of rigidity in a real world working environment.  This has allowed us to make the SL-X as light as it is (20% lighter).

thats nonsence, a more representative test would be a 2kg weight

in a real world working enviroment 750g is nothing
you regularly exert 2kg when cleaning the windows

Most of the force exerted during use of a pole is in compression on the length of the pole due to the acute angle of use. The greatest lateral force similar to the test environment (the photos show the poles almost horizontal) is actually exerted on the base sections not the top sections, which by diameter are more rigid anyway. The crucial thing for working ease is to keep the top sections as light as possible, this reduces whip and bounce which adversely affect the work experience. Combine this light weight with good rigidity and you have a work experience second to none.

[Dave Willis]

very true, I don't know about the Elite but the SLX/Supermax poles are nicely balanced.

[Mike #1]

Hi,   

Well done Nat for carrying out this test and for giving you opinions. It is always good to have an impartial view on products.

I will be organising some better video's and pics over the weekend and will put them on the website for Monday. Hopefully this will give you a better view of how rigid the Elite poles are.


Nice one adam will save me the trouble looking forward to new pics and video's

[Nathanael Jones]

More pics are here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.205344102837305.50963.186358978069151&l=71779f292c

As you can see, with no weight, & with the smaller weight the rigidity is fairly equal for the 2 poles.

[Mike #1]

had a look Nat really good pics great job at comparison

[Dave Willis]

They do appear to be very similar. How many factories are there that make carbon poles?

[Nathanael Jones]

They do appear to be very similar. How many factories are there that make carbon poles?

They are definitely different poles, the SLX sections are slimmer & the finish is very slightly glossier.

[Mike #1]

ptfe spray makes my elite glossy

[JSMC]

how much these retailing at?

[Nathanael Jones]

how much these retailing at?

Prices here:
http://www.surecleansystems.com/products.asp?cat=64