[dazmond]

anyone prefer TRAD after WFP on domestic round?do u make that much more money after all the expense and aggro with pumps,hoses,batteries etc?not to mention the ongoing increased overheads.im in 2 minds whether to go for it as ive got a pretty good round and can reach all the windows that WFP reaches[above conny roofs,skylights etc]with TRAD poles and swivel squeegys that ive been using for years.maybe i should market myself as a good TRAD cleaner LOOK YOUR WINDOWS ARE DRY WHEN IVE CLEANED THEM

im stayin a sole trader and most of my work is in a affluent area.i dont have a prob with TRAD poles they come in handy for 2nd storey windows and slippy surfaces.i think WFP would b a little quicker tho.im gettin a new van next year so i might as well give it a go.what do u think guys?ive been TRAD for 15 yrs and im 37 now.i like the fact its so peaceful where i work most of the time.good custy relations etc.does noise of pump do ur head in?water all over the place.spotting?cant see finished results?custys dont like it in the main?that damn hose snagging again?elbow pain,extra weight round the waist?water bills?poles breaking?waitin and payin even more money out on gear?evens out in the main and a good bit of extra profit on top of the aggro?be honest if u can guys.best wishes to u all.

dazmond

[daz1977]

hi  i have just been using wfp for about a month now and to be honest i hated it to start with so much that i nearly put it on ebay after 3 days,  but had a weekend off and thought i would give it a other go as couldnt put up with the told you so of the misses,  and now i wouldnt be with out it in fact i am dropping jobs that demand that i do trad,  its safer and easier, i also get around my round a lot quicker, u just have to get use to how to deal with the hoses and that

i can only hear my pump when i am in the van, they are pretty quiet

i use to use poles on second floor windows but got sick of swapping squeegers then having to take it down to dry, no i seem to do half the work,  and am mre relaxed, the only prob i got is that i bought a small tank and need to get a bigger one and mine only lasts 4 hours at a time

the fact that you might spend a little more on water can be claimed back any way

[rich fraser]

I would never go back to trad again. I have been wfp for 4 months now. I have managed to do my round that would normally take 5 weeks on the ladders down to3 with wfp. I now have two weeks to advertise, go to the gym and take my kids to school and just do stuff that i never had time for.
I dont think you will find anyone on here that would go back full time to ladders after givin wfp a good chance

[dazmond]

thanks guys.i suppose its that feeling it could all be a costly mistake,changing over etc.i like my round as it is and im happy with what i earn BUT i should give it a good try and see if it can make the work a bit easier on the knees.it just seems like a lot of hassle compared to ladders and squeegys.id be a fool not invest in my business with a tool like WFP.I noticed even squeekys changed over after his anti WFP rants lookin at some of his backposts

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

it all depends on the type of work you do......if you are doing windows that are unsafe to do properly with ladders then wfp is the only sensible option......on the other hand if your working area is fairly safe and you are used to the ladder climbing and you have taken sensible precautions against ladder slip etc then there is no reason why you cant stay traditional, it is cheaper.....if my work was all that way i would prefer ladder work....i have a couple of areas where i am quicker on the ladders than wfp....but most of my work is done with wfp.

if you are used to using trad poles then why not get a wagtail flipper?.....much easier than dragging hose around IMHO. assuming you have the technique

[Londoner]

I still think trad is better but WFP is quicker and more profitable. Its also less tiring by the end of the day.

Business is business.

[Mike #1]

i work on my own aswell dazmond and it's a lot eaiser wfp 18 mths now and it's great got 1 street that used to take me 4 hours large bay windows porches canopy roofs really time consuming now only takes 2 hrs you get used to the xtra cost and you work less hours and more safely

[Ian_Giles]

I've a large Georgian house to do today, trad would be a minimum of 4 hours, with WFP it is going to take less than an hour...unless she has the inside done then I'll be there all bloody morning 
On work such as this the time difference is enormous between the two methods.
My price for the outside is less than I would charge were I doing it trad but on normal squeegee windows I price the same...and that is the big one!....pricing!!
Coming from trad to WFP is the best way of doing it, as when you price up work you will instinctively price it up as if you were going to do it trad, and that way you will ensure you've covered all the extra expenses and so on, and have also made considerably more money.

Newbies coming straight into WFP can very easily underprice, thinking they are making good money but not having full awareness of startup and ongoing running costs.

WFP is less consistent than trad but if you are one that likes to get your work spot on then for the most part you will do so.
If you use trad poles for high work then your consistency is going to be on a par with WFP anyway, probably better with WFP in truth. I've used poles for 1st floor work and no way can you achieve the same results with a trad pole when compared to doing trad up close and off a ladder.

Once you have spent a few months not working off a ladder there is no way you will want to go back to working off a ladder!

I have personally found that there is very, very little in the way of trad work that is quicker than WFP, even on bungalows, and in case anyone is wondering, I am not in any way slow with Trad.

WFP is a whole new way of cleaning windows, there is a much bigger learning curve than you might at first imagine and you really do have to re-learn the best way to approach each of your accounts.

Ian

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

i agree with that, however its always good to keep every skill base up to date.

[GWCS]

I've a large Georgian house to do today, trad would be a minimum of 4 hours, with WFP it is going to take less than an hour...unless she has the inside done then I'll be there all bloody morning 
On work such as this the time difference is enormous between the two methods.
My price for the outside is less than I would charge were I doing it trad but on normal squeegee windows I price the same...and that is the big one!....pricing!!
Coming from trad to WFP is the best way of doing it, as when you price up work you will instinctively price it up as if you were going to do it trad, and that way you will ensure you've covered all the extra expenses and so on, and have also made considerably more money.

Newbies coming straight into WFP can very easily underprice, thinking they are making good money but not having full awareness of startup and ongoing running costs.

WFP is less consistent than trad but if you are one that likes to get your work spot on then for the most part you will do so.
If you use trad poles for high work then your consistency is going to be on a par with WFP anyway, probably better with WFP in truth. I've used poles for 1st floor work and no way can you achieve the same results with a trad pole when compared to doing trad up close and off a ladder.

Once you have spent a few months not working off a ladder there is no way you will want to go back to working off a ladder!

I have personally found that there is very, very little in the way of trad work that is quicker than WFP, even on bungalows, and in case anyone is wondering, I am not in any way slow with Trad.

WFP is a whole new way of cleaning windows, there is a much bigger learning curve than you might at first imagine and you really do have to re-learn the best way to approach each of your accounts.

Ian

Totally agree, however i always like to keep my feet on some rungs to keep my brain and body active for when ladder work is required. I actually do like being up on a ladder.. wfp pole i find a bit dare i say it.. boring!

I give my customer the choice of clean type, and if they want it done trad, that's their choice but they pay more for it, because it takes longer to do it - including all the extra H&S gear required, such as stabilizing devices etc on sloped, or un even ground. However any high windows, over 1st floor or over flat roofs or pitched roofs that cannot be accessed properly on a ladder, will still be done wfp.

[kenaltobelli]

ive had a realy good year up to the other week ; then some one cannceld one complained
so i did my own windows they were a mess; changed all filters now so fingers crossed
im back on track before any one says owt the tds is 001/3 back to 000 now'
this is one thing you dont get with trad unless your sloppy
but it had me thinking was it me friday job or cos im in a state over whats going on at mo
with trad esp on resy you can be certain of results.

[TonyD]

I'm just ready to dabble with wfp.  I enjoy trad work, simple and hassle free most of the time.  For me the safety benefits of wfp are the main attraction. 

I was wondering while the subject fits - Does anyone do upstairs wfp, downstairs trad ?   Mainly for the water saving and the fact that at least you know half the windows are 100% perfect every time. 

[kenaltobelli]

yes tony thats what i do with the one that stoped i didnt bother that day;
hence sometimes it maybe me but on one other job;
your in town on a hill evry 2 mins a bus flys past evry bodys going to work /school
the only way is wfp you do them best you can and they still complain bit of a sickner
that one.

[s.hughes]

I use both systems of work. The 1s I have changed over to wfp I will never do with a ladder again but I would say that my work is 70% trad 30% trad.

[dazmond]

thanks again guys.ian giles i always find ur posts wise and very informative.i can tell uv had many yrs in the WC game.im glad this forum is here and i hope i will get some help when i take the plunge into WFP.I stagnated a bit in this business as i had a few issues with the booze a few yrs ago.ive been sober 3 yrs now and ive paid my debts off.time to build a future for myself with a little help from u guys.i seem to have more confidence with pricing well on new jobs and sortin out the bad payers.15 yrs WC but i have more ambition to build a better business.im more focused on work now im 37 rather than wine,women and song

[mlscontractcleaner]

WFP all the way for us; the ladders are more ornimental than any thing else. We obviously use a small ladder/pointer to do inside windows but that's it.

Safety, speed, extra income, they all outway the occasional downside, honest