[dd]

I need a new pole soon to replace my 18 foot universal fibre glass and not sure whether to get another universal, or a 17 foot xtell or try the new brodex hydra pole, both of which have shorter closed length. But I understand universal is harder wearing and more rigid than xtell.

All these poles have a different clamping system and the more room for adjustment the longer the pole should last.

Brodex claim their clamps have the most adjustment. the 18 foot hydra pole is £126+VAT so a lot more than an xtell pole, but it does have a 1 year guarantee. Opinions gratefully received.

[steve a]

Why not give Brodex a ring and ask them. Watch out for the pushy sales person though.

[CLEANGLASSUK]

STEVE UK has bought the hydra pole and its crap, its keeps sticking when extending it, they are sending him a new one and they want the old one back to check it out.
I tried it and i dont like it and on just extending it and closing it it gave me a black mans pinch,

[neil100]

Your in for a treat then because the universal is awfull,the clamps on them are the worst I have ever used and they are very heavy.

I have been useing a 17' xtell for a month now and Its superb.The clamps are super fast with a lot of adjustment in the screws and the pole glides up and down.Its a lot shorter when compact so you can use it downstairs far easier then your 18' universal. My hourly rate has improved again as I allways used a minipole along with my 18' pole.

The xtel is more whippy but its very light 1.4kg.Just make sure you put a lightweight brush on it. Go to gardinerpolesystems and you can buy it with the superlight brush deliverd for £101.00 incl vat, A Steal at that price.

I also like the extender 18' pole, lighter again then a universal and the same weight as the 17' xtel and when you have a superlight brush on its very rigid, a lot more rigid then the xtel but you nee a to use a mini pole for downstairs. the shaping of the extender means the pole will not twist round when clamps are lose.It does not slide as well as an xtel pole does when adjusting,

You seam to get more grit in the clamps on an xtel so you have to wash the pole out a bit more often.

Neil

[dd]

Thanks for replies.

How long is 17 foot xtel likely to last with daily use?

[Alex Gardiner]

Thanks for replies.

How long is 17 foot xtel likely to last with daily use?

If you're not careful with it - 4 months, if you're very careful 6-8 months.

[Captain Scarlet]

they lasted me about 2 months, get and sl-x instead, ive had 4 xtels, the first two were gone in 2 months, had  2 free replacements

[trevor perry]

Thanks for replies.

How long is 17 foot xtel likely to last with daily use?

If you're not careful with it - 4 months, if you're very careful 6-8 months.

i have had the 21ft xtel fibreglass for a year now it is really hammered and abused but is still going strong and still a fair bit of adjustment in the clamps yet, it is a bit whippy when fully extended but a great pole for the money in fact i have just ordered another untill alex gets some slx in stock.

[STEVE-UK]

In theory The hydra is the best pole its simular length to a 18ft  ionics when collapsed but half the weight, i think its going have the same life span as the universal and am not worried about applying pressure with it as apposed to the xtel.

The guys at brodex said they expected a few problems with the 1st batch and will send a replacement pole out

If the replacement hyrda works ok , i would say its the ideal 17 foot pole on sale at the moment, although if extel sold the 17ft in carbon or hybrid that would be the pole i would buy due its short collapsed length

[prestigeclean]

i,ve got the 34ft hydra carbon and the 18ft hydra fibre glass and i tend to use the top 3 or 4 sections of the carbon most of the time as its very rigid to be honest i think the fibre glass 18ft will last longer than the xtel but once you use carbon its soooooooooomuch better , if you adjust the clamps properly you can raise and lower the pole just as quick as an xtel , however the so called light weight brush is way heavier than gardiners superlite although it scrubs well , i would buy both again because i really like the carbon abd both come with 1 year guarentee regards alan

[STEVE-UK]

i ordered the commercial head, but found the goose neck to long and the brush to bulky, so changed it to the residential  gooseneck and flock superlite brush

[dd]

Thanks again for replies, hydra sounds most tempting if teething problems rectified. 17 ft xtel sounds a nice pole to use but prefer it to be a bit more robust.

One day I might go for slx, but extra length not needed for most of my work and waiting for a clearer idea as to likely life expectancy of pole, as it is a more expensive option.