I took the plunge and bought an 18ft Nano last black friday. My big concern was how long it would last as there was no where near as much adjustment gap in the clamps as there is with Gardiner clamps. One year on and clamp no1 has very little adjustment left in it but is still gripping fine. I work full time 5 to 6 days a week and this pole covers 95% of my work. I bought a spare clamp and fitted it yesterday just to see if changing the clamp would extend the lifespan or whether it was wear and tear on the pole section itself and delighted to find the new clamp looks like it has plenty of room for adjustment in it so now more confident i may get several more months out of it. The plus side of these clamps is that you don't have to adjust them as often as you do with the Gardiners ones and also they are removable with an allen key rather than glued on and at less than £8 a clamp then if your buying a pole just get a spare no 1 clamp, at that price its not an issue. (not disputing that Gardiners clamps are superior though). Also, the end cap wears out much faster than a Gardiners one so would be a good idea to get a couple of spares but again at £3.83 its not a problem
The pole itself is a pleasure to use, very light, very rigid , so much so it would be very difficult going back to a clx/slx , the same has been said about the Extreme. I've never used an Extreme so cant make a direct comparison but nevertheless, there are some black and white differences, the main one being the price as already mentioned, a significant saving on the Nano. The weight is very similar, just 30 to 40 g heavier than an extreme (for a 18ft). another good point to bear in mind is that my plastic Gardiners goosenecks fit ,the metal screw thread is supplied loose so i can use all the Gardiners goodies with it.
You have to treat it with care just the same way you would an Extreme, i wash it through a couple of time a week and once a month take it to bits and give a good going over with ptfe spray. Having said this, i've dropped it no end of times and its come to no harm. I've also put a strip of electrical tape at the base of each section as these are the areas that start to splinter.
If i can get another 6 months out of it i'll be well chuffed but happy its come through some heavy use over a full year.
For me, the price makes it a no brainer. Obviously i cant comment on the larger poles, Xline claim their pole is stronger than the Extreme but then again they would wouldn't they, just as Alex would favour his own. Hope that's helped abit, i've just ordered another for stock so voting with my wallet.
