[jo5hm4n]

All our staff use Gardiners SLX Poles and no issues they are great.

I have a family member who does some part time work for us though helps out on first cleans etc, but he is  much older in age and he is struggling a bit with his shoulders on high windows etc.

I am more than happy to get him a more expensive lighter pole as i can tell he needs it.

Can anyone vouch on the difference from SLX vs an Xtreme pole?

Does it actually make a difference and help on the difficult high up windows, or day to day in and out constant cleaning etc.

Ive heard some people say they are prone to snapping sections easier.  Is there any way round this?  I heard somebody once mention combining slx pole with xtreme?  As in maybe top section slx, rest of pole xtreme?  Could be bonkers but i thought somebody said something like this.

Anyway any advice would be great thank you.

[dazmond]

The difference between a SLX 25 and an xtreme 25 is huge if you have lots of awkward windows over connys,extensions,etc at all sorts of angles(I do)....

It's lighter with less bend and much less vertical pressure. Couple it with a carbon gooseneck and xtreme brush and it cuts down overall strain dramatically over the course of your working day.

However if you can reach all your work with an 18 footer I'd stick with an SLX

[Stoots]

It will definitely help but dont blame him if he snaps it in a few months, they dont last anywhere near as long.

[PHILIP HARDY]

It will definitely help but dont blame him if he snaps it in a few months, they dont last anywhere near as long.

Got to agree with Stoots, buying an Extreme for a member of staff is ridicules.  Presuming he's a good guy, work in the bungalows and str8forward jobs for him rather than getting an expensive pole that wont last 30% of the time an SLX will.

[CleanClear]

Changing your brush can make a massive difference. What brush are you using on the pole ?

[Tam1872]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

[AuRavelling79]

Warning Gold long waffle post.

TLDR: Worth getting if your relative is on board with care and maintenance.

Long version ... 

Firstly he is a family member, much older, with shoulder issues. He is a part timer.

An Extreme is much lighter, is much less strain on the body and will snap more easily.

I am nearly 66 and I use an Extreme 20 for all my work. I am part time moving from 3 to two days between last autumn and this autumn.

1. As mentioned elsewhere - put him on lower windows.

2. Get him an extreme - no longer than 25ft.

3. Put a light brush on it. (But one that will do the job on first cleans.)

Extreme maintenance is a must. Closing stiff windows with it is a 'mustn't'. Pressing very hard is a mustn't.

I have used extremes since 2011 for high work and 2015 for regular up to 3 storey work.

As soon as you buy your extreme open it fully and spray it with silicone lubricant (a wax furniture polish works but hey warranty). Wipe it and close it.

Now, if you are giving the pole to just one man (best plan) get him to look after it.

After each job run the pole hose through an old sill towel as he puts it away.

After each day fully extend it, wipe it over with said towel, put your little finger in the hole (ooh err) in the base and wipe any grit away.

Once a week extend it and spray silicone lubricant over it. Wipe it.

Every 3/4 months take it apart, check and renew where necessary stop tape. Get a can of Halfords Clear Lacquer and give the pole two coats, reassemble. Lubricate.

Now. I have had 3 every day 20'/25' Xtremes and 1 x 47' Xtreme.

The first Xtreme broke after 18 months. (No lacquer used)

It had lost eight inches off the second section. I put the top three sections including the broken one in my 47 to replace the top three sections (which at this point were 5 years old - but I kept the best of those sections as a spare).

I bought three new top sections and put them in the fourth section with a new clamp and base thus restoring my 20ft regular pole.

By more careful maintenance but no lacquer I got 2.5 years out of it. It is now my secondary pole with a new no.5 section thus a 25'. Fully lacquered and cared for. Most of it is 4 years old except the base section.

Finally in 2022 I bought an Xtreme 25. The biggest section went to the pole above.

The regular pole is still going at 3 years plus. I reckon another year left unless I am unlucky.

If you explain to your relative the cost of the pole, how only you and he will use it and get him to baby it then it will pay you back in spades.

But they can break for no apparent reason. It's not the end of the world. Just a new section or if less than a few inches cut and carry on the first time.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

At 65 years of age and having used them now for many years, in my experience if you treat them with the respect any good tool deserves they are an excellent pole and have definitely made a difference to my working day.

Yes they definitely are not as robust as the SL-X poles when it comes to closing windows etc but it's not impossible to do. Just don't exert lateral force on the pole when you do it. (I have even broken an SL-X 18 doing this) Push along the length of the pole and if the window doesn't move then angle the brush over using the gooseneck adjustment and clean the window it where it is.

Grit in the pole is it's enemy. You won't keep all of it out but keep as much out as is reasonably possible and it will lengthen it's life. AuRavelling79's post explained ways to do this.

I regularly take mine apart in winter and push a small microfibre through each section with a long dowel I purchased from a DIY store. I also wipe the pole hose regularly throughout the day to minimise the amount of grit going into the pole, especially when the floor or grass is wet.

The Gardiner widget is a great tool to help with dis-assembly of the pole

[tlwcs]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

[KS Cleaning]

At 18’ the difference is negligible and not worth the extra expense. I would say from 22’ feet onwards is when you feel the real benefit of the Extreme. Would I buy one for an employee? No….unless he/she had a proven track record of looking after equipment.

[CleanClear]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

I thought one fella thinking its ok to ask staff to pay for equiptment was mad. There's now two of them !!!

[matthewprice]

Had shoulder problems .i am now 58 . Can definitely feel the strain more . Bought an extreme 25 . God it’s great to use . Used it for 3weeks . Where possible . It has made a big difference . Lovely to use . Thanks for advice on cleaning/ protecting . It’s a massive investment . But feel it’s worth it

[Scottish Cleaning Service]

I have always used the extreme 18' pole since I started 6 years ago. Top section broke and I bought a new one and I treated myself to a slx 18' to run with before I fixed the extreme. Noticed the difference in weight immediately and hated it. Fixed the extreme and used the slx for spraying hypo on roofs and SFG,s. Your mind and body will get used to the extreme and you can't go back the way and why would you. As far as I see it, Extremes are the rolls royce of wfp and money magnates. I've been lucky I started with the best and all my wfp,s are extremes and wouldn't use anything else for window cleaning.  😉

[Tam1872]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

I thought one fella thinking its ok to ask staff to pay for equiptment was mad. There's now two of them !!!

Equipment that's over and above standard issue then yes, every single company has standard issue Equipment and in any industry if you want something better then you buy it yourself. Why would you think window cleaning would somehow be different?.

[CleanClear]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

I thought one fella thinking its ok to ask staff to pay for equiptment was mad. There's now two of them !!!

Equipment that's over and above standard issue then yes, every single company has standard issue Equipment and in any industry if you want something better then you buy it yourself. Why would you think window cleaning would somehow be different?.

I'll tell you exactly why Tam,  and its nothing to do with what  'what i think' , nor is it related to what 'you think' .
The original poster asked this question :

I have a family member who does some part time work for us though helps out on first cleans etc, but he is  much older in age and he is struggling a bit with his shoulders on high windows etc.

I am more than happy to get him a more expensive lighter pole as i can tell he needs it.

Your answer to this is this :

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

So, let me ask you Tam..... how would you address this with your staff/family member ? Would you say... "Hey, thanks for helping us out on first cleans and stuff and we're really grateful for your help but if you wanna keep helping us i can see you need some more  expensive lightweight equiptment to help you out. If you pay us £200 (£300/£400 whatever) extra we can buy you lighter gear and keep you going?"

  Would you actually say that would you ? 

[CleanClear]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

Hey Tony !!! Luckily you caught on to this too. You give it to one and next thing they all want it ? I'm thinking you have a great explanation there and because i'm a bit slow i just quite don't understand it. For my benefit just explain how this works, so to stop the favouritism what do we say....? He gets paid extra difference , or a deduction or they do or something... i'm struggling to grasp it. What is it they can do the same ? Its probably just me being a bit thick, so just explain to me exactly what you mean and what we should do in this scenario ?............. Many Thanks.............................................

[tlwcs]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

Hey Tony !!! Luckily you caught on to this too. You give it to one and next thing they all want it ? I'm thinking you have a great explanation there and because i'm a bit slow i just quite don't understand it. For my benefit just explain how this works, so to stop the favouritism what do we say....? He gets paid extra difference , or a deduction or they do or something... i'm struggling to grasp it. What is it they can do the same ? Its probably just me being a bit thick, so just explain to me exactly what you mean and what we should do in this scenario ?............. Many Thanks.............................................

Two days after your first response, must have been a big session.

[AuRavelling79]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

Hey Tony !!! Luckily you caught on to this too. You give it to one and next thing they all want it ? I'm thinking you have a great explanation there and because i'm a bit slow i just quite don't understand it. For my benefit just explain how this works, so to stop the favouritism what do we say....? He gets paid extra difference , or a deduction or they do or something... i'm struggling to grasp it. What is it they can do the same ? Its probably just me being a bit thick, so just explain to me exactly what you mean and what we should do in this scenario ?............. Many Thanks.............................................

Two days after your first response, must have been a big session.

That thought did cross my mind.

But then I thought 'lets judge each post on its own merit' and in this case I decided in vino veritas.

 

[CleanClear]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

Hey Tony !!! Luckily you caught on to this too. You give it to one and next thing they all want it ? I'm thinking you have a great explanation there and because i'm a bit slow i just quite don't understand it. For my benefit just explain how this works, so to stop the favouritism what do we say....? He gets paid extra difference , or a deduction or they do or something... i'm struggling to grasp it. What is it they can do the same ? Its probably just me being a bit thick, so just explain to me exactly what you mean and what we should do in this scenario ?............. Many Thanks.............................................

Two days after your first response, must have been a big session.

I still can't stop laughing !! 

[Tam1872]

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

That’s a great point tam makes. Your other staff are going to want one as well, If you say he’s paid the difference and they can do the same, it takes away the favouritism.
Tony

I thought one fella thinking its ok to ask staff to pay for equiptment was mad. There's now two of them !!!

Equipment that's over and above standard issue then yes, every single company has standard issue Equipment and in any industry if you want something better then you buy it yourself. Why would you think window cleaning would somehow be different?.

I'll tell you exactly why Tam,  and its nothing to do with what  'what i think' , nor is it related to what 'you think' .
The original poster asked this question :

I have a family member who does some part time work for us though helps out on first cleans etc, but he is  much older in age and he is struggling a bit with his shoulders on high windows etc.

I am more than happy to get him a more expensive lighter pole as i can tell he needs it.

Your answer to this is this :

Id be inclined to ask him to contribute something towards it if he wants the lighter one.  If you do that there's more chance he's actually going to look after it.

So, let me ask you Tam..... how would you address this with your staff/family member ? Would you say... "Hey, thanks for helping us out on first cleans and stuff and we're really grateful for your help but if you wanna keep helping us i can see you need some more  expensive lightweight equiptment to help you out. If you pay us £200 (£300/£400 whatever) extra we can buy you lighter gear and keep you going?"

  Would you actually say that would you ? 

No, id treat all my employees the same and they would all get issued the same equipment, if they wanted a lighter pole then they could put the extra cost to it. 

I know people in the army who have to buy there own kit as the standard issue isn't good enough for them.