[nathankaye]

Loads of good advice, especially on gardiners poles. As you can probably tell already! The vast majority of us use gardiners for our poles as they are very competative in price (check out ionics if need prove 😂) and they are very well made.

When i first switched over from trad to wfp, I thought I knew alot about it because a mate of mine made the switch a year before me and I helped him a day a week for that year.  He went super cheap and guaranteed we were fixing leaks and plumbing issues weekly. He went with 2 glass fibre poles 😭 tut tut tut,  never ever and i mean ever make that mistake!
So I thought i would buy 2 poles, one an hybrid and the other a carbon but i was impatient and bought all my equipment from a company called purefreedom. (Disclaimer, their products are good and im not paid to say so either 😂😂) it was a mistake that didnt take too long to realise!
In 2 yrs rarely used the hybrid which the clx selection with gardiners are also. This is because they are very whippy. To stop this you dont fully extend each section, you only extend to perhaps a 2/3rds but then you defeat the purpose and have to buy much larger than needed as you are shortening the length.
With carbon, they are lighter and the brush goes exactly where you want it to do so and all your energy goes into it. Whereas with the hybrid poles, alot of the excerted energy goes into the flex of the pole!

Brushes and jets are a personal thing. I spent the first six months to a year trying different brushes and jets and jet combinations.  The chart on gardiners will help you make an informed choice however.
Yet as much as we on hear have a wealth of experience and knowledge, that can only go so far with you as like all of us, we have been on this steep learning curve your embarking on. Whichever setup you go for, you will probably endure with as you build your round and finances but you will soon be itching to make improvements. Especially on a tight budget.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

James has gone quiet , I bet he's sitting through Alex's televised brush guide 

No. He has discovered Nathan's utube channel.   24 hours of bing watching 

[nathankaye]

James has gone quiet , I bet he's sitting through Alex's televised brush guide 

No. He has discovered Nathan's utube channel.   24 hours of bing watching 

Poor chap 😂😂

[James Styles]

Thanks for all the awesome information and advice guys you have all helped me massively, yes I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos on wfp hahaha, watched some of NKServices vids, there’s a channel called Luke the window cleaner too, loads of channels tbf, all very informative, I think I will be going for the clx 22 and gardiner backpack, I just want to understand everything, all the little bits n pieces and how everything works so I order it with the right selections and not miss anything out, it’s a lot to get your head around lol

[Llaaww]

Gardiner backpacks need to be made more robust. Ours last about 12 months before something breaks. It may be a switch or flow controller, or any of the components but it will eventually fail. We now carry spares in case one goes down. They are the mutts nutts as a tool for the window cleaning industry, but they are not as robust as they can be made. Deffinatly get one, but be aware they don't last for ever.

[nathankaye]

All you need extra is something that connects the hose from the back pack to the hose on your pole.
The main one are the rectus fittings. One female and one male which is straight forward.
These come with a barb fitting which goes into the pole hose. So all you need to do is know the diameter of the inside of the pole hose, which is normally 6mm but you will know this when you buy one as it tells you.
On gardiners website ig also tells you which size O clips to use to secure the hose onto the barbs and away you go.

This becomes the easy part. The hard bit is mastering it all and then finding and changing and playing with it all untill it suits your  personal needs and requirements and then practical application of it all on the glass.

Sadly there is no short cuts, I know as I thought there was due to helping my friend out. But i still went down the steep learning curve and sometimes it can be painful.
I say this not to discourage but more of the reality. Dont have a false expectation of how things my be, its going to be hard and what you decide to buy now, may not last you a year, or may not suit you as you pick up the work.
But i wish you the very best, especially in trying to improve your own situation n life as you posted (i think on whichever thread)

[chris turner]

Did James say where he is based? Maybe someone could supply him with water for a while until he gets established. I will if he's anywhere near me..

[P @ F]

Thanks for all the awesome information and advice guys you have all helped me massively, yes I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos on wfp hahaha, watched some of NKServices vids, there’s a channel called Luke the window cleaner too, loads of channels tbf, all very informative, I think I will be going for the clx 22 and gardiner backpack, I just want to understand everything, all the little bits n pieces and how everything works so I order it with the right selections and not miss anything out, it’s a lot to get your head around lol

Come on James "It's only window cleaning"   

[dazmond]

can you imagine what daz would post as a shopping list for james ?

Extreme 35
Grippa 9Kw
Connect with heated seats
Electric reel and a backpack just in case 

it would be....

xtreme 25
xtreme 47

9kw grippa hydroheat

pure freedom reelmaster
500L tank,PF crash tested frame

connect 240 L2 limited......

roof rack and 3.5m trade ladders,trad gear,etc

gardiners V3 backpack......

[dazmond]

Clx 22 is a good shout.  But if you can stretch to it try to get a short pole as well. Short poles are the mutts nuts. My clx  14 turned up tens of thousands before I had to replace the base section and a jet.

no need for a short pole...

[dazmond]

Gardiner backpacks need to be made more robust. Ours last about 12 months before something breaks. It may be a switch or flow controller, or any of the components but it will eventually fail. We now carry spares in case one goes down. They are the mutts nutts as a tool for the window cleaning industry, but they are not as robust as they can be made. Deffinatly get one, but be aware they don't last for ever.

their only £100 to replace anyway.....mines still going strong after 2 years....it doesnt get used much though(chemical application mainly)

[jonboywalton75]

can you imagine what daz would post as a shopping list for james ?

Extreme 35
Grippa 9Kw
Connect with heated seats
Electric reel and a backpack just in case 

it would be....

xtreme 25
xtreme 47

9kw grippa hydroheat

pure freedom reelmaster
500L tank,PF crash tested frame

connect 240 L2 limited......

roof rack and 3.5m trade ladders,trad gear,etc

gardiners V3 backpack......

Alright if you've got 30 grand squirelled away

[P @ F]

Mine is 4 years old now , still looks like it’s just come out the box  , don’t chuck it around and keep it fully charged

[Jonny 87]

Ditto. ^^^^^^^

I actually won my Gardiner backpack on this forum. ☺️  The one with the poem competition.

I reckon the battery is starting to go, but still, that must be 3 years or so. Can’t knock that.

[Llaaww]

Mine get used day in day out. We totally beast them. I will take a photo tomo and show you.

For myself I have resigned myself to buy at least one per year, but my buddy would rather fix and mend them. All of them have earned their keep and then some.

[P @ F]

To be honest not even a full day and its paid for itself 

[James Styles]

To be honest not even a full day and its paid for itself 

That’s where I want to get to mate, but imagine at the moment splashing out all this cash and I have 0 customers lol it’s quite daunting 

[nathankaye]

To be honest not even a full day and its paid for itself 

That’s where I want to get to mate, but imagine at the moment splashing out all this cash and I have 0 customers lol it’s quite daunting 

Whats the back story james?
Have you recently lost your job? and turning to window cleaning?  I ask as you made mention that currently you dont work and that must be hard. However your on a forum full of people who have started from very similar positions to you and they have made it work. It may seem a little daunting mate but it works or else we wouldnt be saying it and running our businesses.

[dazmond]

To be honest not even a full day and its paid for itself 

That’s where I want to get to mate, but imagine at the moment splashing out all this cash and I have 0 customers lol it’s quite daunting 

Whats the back story james?
Have you recently lost your job? and turning to window cleaning?  I ask as you made mention that currently you dont work and that must be hard. However your on a forum full of people who have started from very similar positions to you and they have made it work. It may seem a little daunting mate but it works or else we wouldnt be saying it and running our businesses.

if you go on the other forum youll find out nathan......

[James Styles]

To be honest not even a full day and its paid for itself 

That’s where I want to get to mate, but imagine at the moment splashing out all this cash and I have 0 customers lol it’s quite daunting 

Whats the back story james?
Have you recently lost your job? and turning to window cleaning?  I ask as you made mention that currently you dont work and that must be hard. However your on a forum full of people who have started from very similar positions to you and they have made it work. It may seem a little daunting mate but it works or else we wouldnt be saying it and running our businesses.

I was working in a powder coating factory for 7 years but was made redundant, then I had a bad time, I had depression for a few years, I am stronger now and want to get my life together, I worked for a window cleaner about 10 years ago for over about 2 years but he did it the traditional way, but I do have experience in window cleaning which should help, just have 0 experience with wfp, I’ve always wanted to be my own boss and the time just feels right.