Hi Mister squeegie,
The slx man (alex ) used to come on here and give good advice.The pole became the market leader without any advertising or promotion because of a few key users on this site.It drove, and still drives the other pole suppliers bonkers, but he was the first one to give us what we actually wanted- a light rigid all day pole with a short closed length that goes above twenty feet.
But you probably already know that.
My question is did you buy your pole from an american supplier or did you order one from the uk?