Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: kevinc on November 29, 2013, 07:10:39 pm

Title: ionics,any good?
Post by: kevinc on November 29, 2013, 07:10:39 pm
are ionics tanks n stystems any good? looking at them for a new set up and wondered if you guys had any views-also are the tanks baffled?
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: PoleKing on November 29, 2013, 07:30:39 pm
Yes.
They are very good kit.
But you pay a premium for them.
If you have the money and are happy to part with it you won't go far wrong with them.
After sales is very good too.

For a lot less money you can get set up DIY though.
Exactly the same kit but you fit it together yourself.
Does the same job for c. 1/4 of the price.

Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: kevinc on November 29, 2013, 07:36:48 pm
the tanks are black so i assume they are baffled? and the cages look very well thought out.i'm just in two minds,done the diy bit but looking for something more proffessional this time-maybe this will be it
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: PoleKing on November 29, 2013, 07:45:15 pm
the tanks are black so i assume they are baffled? and the cages look very well thought out.i'm just in two minds,done the diy bit but looking for something more proffessional this time-maybe this will be it

Fair enough.
What didn't you like about your DIY system that you couldn't get over if you were to DIY again?
You can have a tank made at loads of places exactly to your spec.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: kevinc on November 29, 2013, 08:00:56 pm
have to be honest darren,just bought a stystem off fleabay,300l for £260-comes with flow control/tds meter and pump.
i have heard ionics are good but think against what i could do diy there would be a difference in quality and the final finish of things.guess these guys have workshops for fabricating where i have my back garden and "cobble it"to fit in the van-both equally usable and does the job but one will look more finished than the other,important for me as i need to downsize a bit as me mate kempy had a cross with the vosa people on the weighbridge and had me thinking i need something a lot better than what i have
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: ARWindows on November 29, 2013, 08:05:09 pm
try concept 2o not as expensive but very impressive plus brilliant after sales service.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: PoleKing on November 29, 2013, 08:24:14 pm
Fair enough.
My advice would be just have your tank in the van and nothing else bud if you're tight on weight.
Have all your purification kit at home (if circumstances permit)
+1 on ARW too.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: robert mitchell on November 29, 2013, 08:31:17 pm
try pure2o they are ionics but the cheaper version , made and fitted at same place and same after sales service .
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: james stanley on November 29, 2013, 08:36:12 pm
Purefreedom wipe the floor with pure 2o , ionics and brodex for a good value for money system  ;)
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: dannymack on November 29, 2013, 08:44:18 pm
Wouldn't touch ionic stuff. I bought an ergo light pole many years ago the clamps went after a few months, ended up spending fortune on new clamps I think they are tooooo expensive. They prob have quality stuff but then you will pay through the nose for them !!!! 😬
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: robert mitchell on November 29, 2013, 08:48:10 pm
Danny , the poles are awful in my opinion but the pure2o systems are good value considering they are crash tested and the price includes fitting .

They will price match pure freedom /brodex etc too.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: dannymack on November 29, 2013, 08:56:10 pm
Robert you are defo right about the poles my one was crap. Lamps didn't last and expensive to replace. Not sure about the systems they do m8 as I've stayed clear of Ionics. The same as Omnipole tooooo expensive, if stick with Gardiners not only is there stuff very good but after sales is fantastic &  Alex is always on hand to help out 👳👳👳
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: kempy on November 29, 2013, 09:08:37 pm
Nice one kev , think your be happy with it . Especially as legally your limit will be 490-500 litres.

Add another tank or several 25 litre drums
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: trippyboy on November 29, 2013, 09:17:24 pm
Loadsa money  ::)roll
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: kevinc on November 29, 2013, 09:27:03 pm
feel happy about the buy after your weighbridge thing kempy,specially as i used to go past that weighbridge with a 1000l tank full to the brim and the van swaying all over-got sensible now,only using what i need now for the day-maybe a di just in case to add if more new work comes along during the day
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: Scrimble on November 29, 2013, 09:33:30 pm
Purefreedom wipe the floor with pure 2o , ionics and brodex for a good value for money system  ;)

rubbish, purefreedom still use the dog turd unbaffled wydale tanks where as pure20 use proper polypropylene baffled tanks,

massive difference IMO

Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: kevinc on November 29, 2013, 09:41:35 pm
this is the thing are the ionics tanks baffled better?well anything is going to be better than a wyvale but are they much better?
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: AuRavelling79 on November 29, 2013, 09:47:48 pm
this is the thing are the ionics tanks baffled better?well anything is going to be better than a wyvale but are they much better?

Wyvale?

I cannot believe the reasoning behind the OP's comments.

His mate gets done for overloading so he needs to buy an Ionics system? Where's the logic in that?
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: kevinc on November 29, 2013, 09:55:05 pm
no granville,i need to reduce the size of my tank,i tend to fill the tank for the day whether its a 1000l or a 300l (i try to be prepared for whatever the day throws at me)this tank came up v cheap on fleabay and would limit the payload to a more tolerable level,i just wondered what these stystems were like as in build quality and if the tanks were baffled which i'm sure they are thats all
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: David Kent @ KentKleen on November 29, 2013, 09:56:52 pm
Can someone tell me what wyevale tanks are please?
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: kempy on November 29, 2013, 09:58:27 pm
A steel frame with a plastic water tank . Simple , can't be much variation I'm sure  it will be spot on
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: David Kent @ KentKleen on November 29, 2013, 10:01:14 pm
is that a wyevale kempy?
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: AuRavelling79 on November 29, 2013, 10:13:00 pm
Can someone tell me what wyevale tanks are please?

He means Wyedale.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: David Kent @ KentKleen on November 29, 2013, 10:16:23 pm
I know what they are! I have 5 of them. Are they baffled or how can i tell they are baffled?
  ;D
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: windowswashed on November 29, 2013, 10:38:56 pm
When I first started I bought gardiners hose reels, they IMO are garbage absolutely naff putting it politely. Bought an ionics reel so much better, better to reel in, sturdier, better constructed, etc, lasted me 9 years until two short welds snapped  which I rewelded the entire length of brackets so now they are indestructible as 'Im a qualified non destructive test welder from previous employment, but considering I have 100m of microbore and 100m of minibore on that's not bad cause of excessive hose so I don't need to move my van as much whilst working some days. Same with ionics pole racks and a few other things, all expensive but last longer so better value in the long run.

When I first started Ionics were bloody expensive and known as OTT nicknamed Over The Top and they were far pricier than other competitors because their sales staff were on good commission judging by their job vacancy ads. I bought the ionics carbon 45 ft pole as my first pole to help me with my second commercial job and this pole was the sturdiest pole on the market at the time, very rigid and built to last. Compare these poles to the likes of facelift (phoenix I think they're called now) and gardiners which reduced the carbon wall thickness, thus reducing the weight and costs they don't last half the time but do come close for rigidity now with the extreme equivalent versions.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: robert mitchell on November 29, 2013, 10:45:38 pm
my first ionics pole was useless , heavy , bendy , clamps kept breaking every time it was used , they did replace it free of charge with a full carbon pole which i still have for the odd high job but its not a patch on gardeners poles .

I use the gardeners hose reel and find it very good and only £50 quid so a disposable item really .

My ionics reel is very sturdy but very heavy , i lift in and out a lot through the day so prefer the lighter weight .


there customer service is very good though .

i believe the best tank/frame out there is the gardeners/grippamax , behaves like a solid load and  barely notice its there when your driving .
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: Pete Thompson on November 29, 2013, 10:53:00 pm
Pure2o all the way.

It might be ionic's "budget" range, but IMO pure2o machines are still better than pure freedom, brodex etc, I looked at them all before I bought one.

A friend of mine recently bought a 2nd hand pure2o tank and frame from Rob ^^ up there (which she is very happy with Rob), and ionics installed it into her van with a new pump, new resin bottles etc.  I had no hesitation in recommending pure2o to her because I knew the build quality was top-notch.

As for baffling of these black tanks, I asked about that when I purchased my system and patrick sent me some photos of one of the tanks mid-build, showing the baffling and it was very good.  I'll see if I can find them.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: PoleKing on November 29, 2013, 11:01:03 pm
When I first started I bought gardiners hose reels, they IMO are garbage absolutely naff putting it politely. Bought an ionics reel so much better, better to reel in, sturdier, better constructed, etc, lasted me 9 years until two short welds snapped  which I rewelded the entire length of brackets so now they are indestructible as 'Im a qualified non destructive test welder from previous employment, but considering I have 100m of microbore and 100m of minibore on that's not bad cause of excessive hose so I don't need to move my van as much whilst working some days. Same with ionics pole racks and a few other things, all expensive but last longer so better value in the long run.

When I first started Ionics were bloody expensive and known as OTT nicknamed Over The Top and they were far pricier than other competitors because their sales staff were on good commission judging by their job vacancy ads. I bought the ionics carbon 45 ft pole as my first pole to help me with my second commercial job and this pole was the sturdiest pole on the market at the time, very rigid and built to last. Compare these poles to the likes of facelift (phoenix I think they're called now) and gardiners which reduced the carbon wall thickness, thus reducing the weight and costs they don't last half the time but do come close for rigidity now with the extreme equivalent versions.

It wasn't a nickname.
OTT was what ionic were called.
Before they did WFP they did abseiling and literally went...over the top.
Ionic poles are great.
Their swift 45+ is unsurpassed in quality IMO.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: robert mitchell on November 29, 2013, 11:06:44 pm
Glad she is happy with it , good quality and built to last .

i have sorted the few teething problems i had with my grippa system and its all good now , very low centre of gravity and well baffled so drives very well.

pure2o/ionics and grippa are the only systems on the market that i would buy at the moment .


Darren , not tried the swift but the grafter and the glider(full carbon) i have tried have both been next to useless - too bendy and heavy.

Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: PoleKing on November 29, 2013, 11:09:24 pm
Glad she is happy with it , good quality and built to last .

i have sorted the few teething problems i had with my grippa system and its all good now , very low centre of gravity and well baffled so drives very well.

pure2o/ionics and grippa are the only systems on the market that i would buy at the moment .


Darren , not tried the swift but the grafter and the glider(full carbon) i have tried have both been next to useless - too bendy and heavy.



Couldn't agree more.
Grafter is only marginally better than a Brodex ally pole.
Glyder, not a bad pole for the first week IMO.
The swift is something else though. Superb pole.
(Sorry Alex) but better than my 47 extreme IMHO.
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: Pete Thompson on November 29, 2013, 11:27:48 pm
Here's the pic of the baffling in the ionic tank.

Mine's a 400 litre tank, and I've never noticed any "sway" in the van, front-to-back or side-to-side.

(http://i42.tinypic.com/i2nig1.jpg)
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: robert mitchell on November 29, 2013, 11:36:53 pm
Those baffles look pretty good to me .
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: dannymack on November 30, 2013, 07:59:10 am
Pete you sure that's not a book shelf pmsl !!! 👳👳👳
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: andyM on November 30, 2013, 08:08:56 am
Pete you sure that's not a book shelf pmsl !!!

 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: Pro-Smart on November 30, 2013, 10:01:10 am
are ionics tanks n stystems any good? looking at them for a new set up and wondered if you guys had any views-also are the tanks baffled?

Hi Kev,

I started 2 years ago and after some research I went for an Ionics PRO6 600 litre system fitted into a SWB Scenic.

Yes, it was at the top end of the price scale but I managed to get a pretty good deal by negotiating a package price including waterproofing, pole rack, poles, s/steel hose reel etc...

So, 2 years on and I found it to be really reliable - hardly use the DI filter as I get 2ppm after RO with 270ppm going in! Only thing to go wrong is once the float valve sensor failed and resulted in a small flood! The system looks very impressive when anyone, including prospective customers look inside. The s/steel hose reel is really rugged and would recommend any time. The poles were okay but I've replaced my Grafter with a Gardiners SLX 30 (brilliant!) - still using the Ionics Swift which very light and stiff. The 600l tank is baffled and I don't feel it at all as I corner on 2 wheels!  After sales service has been very good.

I'm not that into DIY stuff, although I can change a 3-pin plug  ;D, therefore I wanted a system that will last and last and not keep causing me problems with expensive downtime. Have also added p/washing to the business in the last year and used that same philosophy when I bought the kit for that too...

Cheers, Kev
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: PoleKing on December 01, 2013, 05:42:07 pm
are ionics tanks n stystems any good? looking at them for a new set up and wondered if you guys had any views-also are the tanks baffled?

Hi Kev,

I started 2 years ago and after some research I went for an Ionics PRO6 600 litre system fitted into a SWB Scenic.

Yes, it was at the top end of the price scale but I managed to get a pretty good deal by negotiating a package price including waterproofing, pole rack, poles, s/steel hose reel etc...

So, 2 years on and I found it to be really reliable - hardly use the DI filter as I get 2ppm after RO with 270ppm going in! Only thing to go wrong is once the float valve sensor failed and resulted in a small flood! The system looks very impressive when anyone, including prospective customers look inside. The s/steel hose reel is really rugged and would recommend any time. The poles were okay but I've replaced my Grafter with a Gardiners SLX 30 (brilliant!) - still using the Ionics Swift which very light and stiff. The 600l tank is baffled and I don't feel it at all as I corner on 2 wheels!  After sales service has been very good.

I'm not that into DIY stuff, although I can change a 3-pin plug  ;D, therefore I wanted a system that will last and last and not keep causing me problems with expensive downtime. Have also added p/washing to the business in the last year and used that same philosophy when I bought the kit for that too...

Cheers, Kev

A SWB scenic? As in Renault scenic people carrier?!
Surely not?
Title: Re: ionics,any good?
Post by: Pro-Smart on December 01, 2013, 07:10:05 pm
are ionics tanks n stystems any good? looking at them for a new set up and wondered if you guys had any views-also are the tanks baffled?

Hi Kev,

I started 2 years ago and after some research I went for an Ionics PRO6 600 litre system fitted into a SWB Scenic.

Yes, it was at the top end of the price scale but I managed to get a pretty good deal by negotiating a package price including waterproofing, pole rack, poles, s/steel hose reel etc...

So, 2 years on and I found it to be really reliable - hardly use the DI filter as I get 2ppm after RO with 270ppm going in! Only thing to go wrong is once the float valve sensor failed and resulted in a small flood! The system looks very impressive when anyone, including prospective customers look inside. The s/steel hose reel is really rugged and would recommend any time. The poles were okay but I've replaced my Grafter with a Gardiners SLX 30 (brilliant!) - still using the Ionics Swift which very light and stiff. The 600l tank is baffled and I don't feel it at all as I corner on 2 wheels!  After sales service has been very good.

I'm not that into DIY stuff, although I can change a 3-pin plug  ;D, therefore I wanted a system that will last and last and not keep causing me problems with expensive downtime. Have also added p/washing to the business in the last year and used that same philosophy when I bought the kit for that too...

Cheers, Kev

A SWB scenic? As in Renault scenic people carrier?!
Surely not?

Oops - I meant Trafic! It must've been the sun roof that reminded me of the scenic!!!!  ;D