[paul alan]

been out alone again today, usually its me and the wife and she usually does 1/3 of the work and answers the phone and writes out the chits etc so makes things much much easier.

went out at 9 and finished at 5, probably had an hour in breaks.

I use an slx 27 with a 200+ gram brush, whilst working I picked the wifes clx 18 and boy was it easier.

So I want an slx 18 for 80% of my work I think it will suffice, gardiners don't recommend removing sections from my slx 27 as what's left wont be insulated which is a shame as it would be problem solved for naught.

I considered buying the slx extension for the 18 but that would give me a 22 which is only 1 less than the 27 and they don't seem to do an extension that would give me an 18 that would be insulated if you catch my drift.

What size pole does everyone use day in day out??

Obviously some people are going to say stop being a wimp etc etc btu after doing 200kg deadlifts and 120k squats yesterday in the gym then I hope I can be excused for not wanting to lug a heavier pole around all day.

[Tony dunmall]

18 extreme with a spare section if needed to make a 22

[paul alan]

do like the sound of it but a bit too pricey, I'm having trouble convincing the missus about 2 slx 18s at this very moment.

anyhow dont they snap too easy?

[M & C Window Cleaning]

I worked with an SLX18 for a couple of years as it reached 90% of my work and used an SLX25 for those jobs it couldnt reach. However, some of it was at full reach and I was on tip toes with the 18. So when I broke it last year I opted to sell what was left for spares or repair for £60 on fleabay and treat myself to the latest Xtreme 22.
So far it's been a real pleasure to use. I coupled it with an Xtreme Natural Hybrid brush. Now those long reaches over large conny roofs are so much easier.
Are they as robust as an SLX? No! But they're not made of eggshels either. I'd say unless you're accident prone or heavy handed, you'll be fine I'm sure.

[H2GoKent]

I use a slx25 for most of my work, but my slx47 a lot, sometimes with it's extensions, and when I have my oppo working with me I use my slx30.
Your post has made me wonder if I should get an 18 for shops and houses, might not be a bad idea.

[paul alan]

up until the last few weeks it hasn't been a problem, its never crossed my mind that its too heavy but now I'm working much more I'm feeling worn out in hours 6,7,8.

after working with the clx on the odd occasion the difference is massive, and I can scrub quicker too.

I'm a bigish lad at 6 3" and a solid 200lbs but I think I need to get smart about things as my neck, left shoulder and wrist are all showing signs of wear and things are getting busier all the time.

[paul alan]

I worked with an SLX18 for a couple of years as it reached 90% of my work and used an SLX25 for those jobs it couldnt reach. However, some of it was at full reach and I was on tip toes with the 18. So when I broke it last year I opted to sell what was left for spares or repair for £60 on fleabay and treat myself to the latest Xtreme 22.
So far it's been a real pleasure to use. I coupled it with an Xtreme Natural Hybrid brush. Now those long reaches over large conny roofs are so much easier.
Are they as robust as an SLX? No! But they're not made of eggshels either. I'd say unless you're accident prone or heavy handed, you'll be fine I'm sure.

accident prone? not really but the slx 27 at full stretch over a vertical can be hard to control sometimes so does get knocked about a bit.
 heavy handed? I think yes, sometimes when I'm scrubbing a large pane I can almost feel the glass and frame bending.

[nathankaye]

If your going to the gym then train according to your needs. Rather than heavy weights train for endurance instead and that will help you.

I use a slx25 which handles most of my work though im thinking of getting an extension pole for the odd new houses ive picked up recently.
Are you using the full length of the slx 27, cause your a big lad at 6.3. Im just shy of 6ft and i can get most 2nd storey windows etc. Only ones i struggle with are down to the length of extension on the houses so I cant get the angle.
But if your doing normal 2 storey size houses and at 6ft 3 the 25 should be ok for you.

[dazmond]

I use an SLX 25 for most work and xtreme 47 for anything higher.

Work shorter days or you ll end up with injuries by the sound of it.keep f/s/g jobs etc to a minimum and use xtreme brushes if your shoulders are sore.

200lb deadlifts  won't do you any harm unless your overdoing it or you ve got a back strain.

Do u have weekends off or are you virtually working 7days a week?

[paul alan]

I use an SLX 25 for most work and xtreme 47 for anything higher.

Work shorter days or you ll end up with injuries by the sound of it.keep f/s/g jobs etc to a minimum and use xtreme brushes if your shoulders are sore.

200lb deadlifts  won't do you any harm unless your overdoing it or you ve got a back strain.

Do u have weekends off or are you virtually working 7days a week?

200 kilo deads mate!

I'm working 7 days for the last 7-8 weeks but Sundays are usually 2-3 hours, its only for a few months while I'm building up more work for a part time employee then I'm going to scale back eventually to 3 days, hopefully by next summer.

[paul alan]

If your going to the gym then train according to your needs. Rather than heavy weights train for endurance instead and that will help you.

I use a slx25 which handles most of my work though im thinking of getting an extension pole for the odd new houses ive picked up recently.
Are you using the full length of the slx 27, cause your a big lad at 6.3. Im just shy of 6ft and i can get most 2nd storey windows etc. Only ones i struggle with are down to the length of extension on the houses so I cant get the angle.
But if your doing normal 2 storey size houses and at 6ft 3 the 25 should be ok for you.

your right I should do some endurance but I'm more of a sprinter than a long distance runner, besides I find it harder to do.

the strength training does give me some cardiovascular work and could easily run 3 miles but if doing endurance it would subtract from my strength training .

I feel like work is endurance based at the minute as some days are a challenge when working alone.

[paul alan]

What about just removing sections from slx 27?

is it much of a risk? if not I have a full range of slx at my disposal.

does anyone else do this?

I have some pro 26 connectors in the post so I can diy tubeless so removal should be easy enough.

[nathankaye]

I use blue tooth earphones for work which are great as you dont have wires dangling with the jack ones. But i only have one in the ear so i can still have a conversation when customers come etc.
Yet i find sticking some tunes on or listening to a podcast helps the day to go by

[paul alan]

I use blue tooth earphones for work which are great as you dont have wires dangling with the jack ones. But i only have one in the ear so i can still have a conversation when customers come etc.
Yet i find sticking some tunes on or listening to a podcast helps the day to go by

when I say working alone I mean doing 2 mens worth of work on my own.

[Dry Clean]

I use an SLX 25 for most work and xtreme 47 for anything higher.

Work shorter days or you ll end up with injuries by the sound of it.keep f/s/g jobs etc to a minimum and use xtreme brushes if your shoulders are sore.

200lb deadlifts  won't do you any harm unless your overdoing it or you ve got a back strain.

Do u have weekends off or are you virtually working 7days a week?

Why would you only use an extreme brush if your shoulders are sore ?  either the brush is up to the job or it isn't, if its up to the job then use it sore shoulders or not.

[Dry Clean]

Yes Paul WFP is hard, thing is when doing it day in and day out its easy to forget this until something gives, an SLX is all right
for an everyday pole at 22ft and below but above that a extreme pole is a must, that said a CLX with an extreme brush will still be
easier to use than a extreme pole with a brick on the end.

[AuRavelling79]

Take sections off. I always have.

My first carbon pole was an SLX35 which I ran as a "20" and just added the extra sections when I needed them.

Now I run a "20" Extreme for my general work. Never worried about it being insulated. Just be careful.

[Plankton]

If the poles wet any electrical current will jump wherever it wants anyway, so I'd just get some base caps for the narrower sections.

[nathankaye]

So your building the round up so you can take on a part timer and for you to do less work. In order to do this your working 7 days a week compared to what?
How many days were it before?

Point being, you must be making a bit of extra money now and probably enough to pay a part timer now. So why dont you? Build up the extra work when you have the part timer with you. That way you can train them if need be and its not taking away from your usual turnover because its all the extra your doing now. Start investing now so your not running yourselve into the ground before you even  get your master plan working

[dazmond]

I use an SLX 25 for most work and xtreme 47 for anything higher.

Work shorter days or you ll end up with injuries by the sound of it.keep f/s/g jobs etc to a minimum and use xtreme brushes if your shoulders are sore.

200lb deadlifts  won't do you any harm unless your overdoing it or you ve got a back strain.

Do u have weekends off or are you virtually working 7days a week?

Why would you only use an extreme brush if your shoulders are sore ?  either the brush is up to the job or it isn't, if its up to the job then use it sore shoulders or not.

extreme brushes do the job but i prefer a "meatier" brush esp for larger jobs that are on a longer frequency.they also wear out really quickly and not great for upper sills (you have to be extra careful not to mark them).