[zesty]

Hi Alex,

With the threads we are seeing on repetitive strain recently, have you thought about designing some sort of handles for all models of water fed poles?

Obviously you have the control bars for the highest poles, but it seems as wfp users are now getting into the 10-20 year mark of using them, we are seeing more strain.

Some sort of quick release handle system might be a life saver for many.

I’ve used control bars, I personally find them to wide. But I’m sure you can come up with something for all poles!

It does seem for most people it’s an issue of gripping the pole too tightly. Some sort of handle would help many.

[Phil J]

You've still gotta grip the handle Zesty?

[Splash & dash]

I don’t see holding a pole is any different to holding any other tool I understand about RSI and guess using a pole could cause or aggravate an existing condition , I suffered from tennis elbow years ago from using a hammer all day in my previous job , I thought using the pole would cause issues  but after 17 years it hasn’t , having used poles with handles I found this awkward and you still had to grip it so don’t think that will solve anything.

[zesty]

I don’t see holding a pole is any different to holding any other tool I understand about RSI and guess using a pole could cause or aggravate an existing condition , I suffered from tennis elbow years ago from using a hammer all day in my previous job , I thought using the pole would cause issues  but after 17 years it hasn’t , having used poles with handles I found this awkward and you still had to grip it so don’t think that will solve anything.

I don’t get any issues myself, but It’s seems a fair few on here do.

There has to be a more comfortable way to hold the pole, I sometimes find holding the bottom of the pole is easier on the hand then gripping it. By that I mean palm under the end cap.

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

We need something.  After 17 years wfp my right shoulder, elbow, wrist are knackered!!

[zesty]

We need something.  After 17 years wfp my right shoulder, elbow, wrist are knackered!!

And I think this is exactly what we are going to see more of, given that WFP is now coming out of its infancy.

Gotta be a more ergonomic way to use the pole.

[NWH]

If you had a bar or handle you would still be switching the strain to another upper part of the body,you don’t want anything that compromises the shoulder more if you get serious problems with the shoulder joints you’ll be in more pain and trouble.
The shoulder is probably the most complicated areas of the body for surgery if not it’s up there,tree surgeons and gardeners that do a lot of hedge cutting get serious shoulder problems you wouldn’t want a handle that puts more emphasis on the shoulder just by holding a thin handle attached to the pole could do this.

[zesty]

If you had a bar or handle you would still be switching the strain to another upper part of the body,you don’t want anything that compromises the shoulder more if you get serious problems with the shoulder joints you’ll be in more pain and trouble.
The shoulder is probably the most complicated areas of the body for surgery if not it’s up there,tree surgeons and gardeners that do a lot of hedge cutting get serious shoulder problems you wouldn’t want a handle that puts more emphasis on the shoulder just by holding a thin handle attached to the pole could do this.

Not entirely true.

There are better ways of holding the pole, for instance, using a palm up hold on the base of the pole is less stressful on the tendons. It’s just not that easy with the pole hose sticking out.

Also the left hand (if you’re right handed) with a narrow ish handle coming out the side of the pole helps, like the gardiner version. It gives the muscles a break by switching it up.

[Splash & dash]

We need something.  After 17 years wfp my right shoulder, elbow, wrist are knackered!!

But others have been using it for the same time without any issues , we all are susceptible to certain things maybe that’s the case using the pole 

[NWH]

You can hold the pole at the base I agree but if you do this for any long length of time you’ll feel this on the inside of the forearm and you’ll get Golfers elbow,the only way round a repetitive movement with WFP I’ve found is regular massage and poles and brushes that enable you to clean basically using fingertips.
These Xline brushes or similar are stupidly heavy for what you need to clean a window you just don’t need all that weight in a brush,the extreme brushes are all that’s needed to do what we need.

[NWH]

I was looking for the lightest brush possible and the extreme came out which cleaned the windows to as good a standard as any other brush 4-5 times it’s weight,the thing that was lacking then was having a brush that’s as light and being able to clean the sills as well,that brush has no arrived so it’s game over for me trying other brushes no other brush maker has come near to extreme brushes for cleaning quality and weight combined as yet imo.
What are most of us doing day to day it’s maintenance cleans it’s a flash over and being able to clean a sill with one brush,the extremes do both of those things now.

[NWH]

People with many employees would stay away from these brushes due to the cost and not actually having to use it themselves,most employees would kill these brushes in next to no time an Xline or similar lasts longer but weighs the same as a brick on a stick.
You know you’ve got a heavy brush on the pole after 1 o’clock.

[zesty]

You can hold the pole at the base I agree but if you do this for any long length of time you’ll feel this on the inside of the forearm and you’ll get Golfers elbow,the only way round a repetitive movement with WFP I’ve found is regular massage and poles and brushes that enable you to clean basically using fingertips.
These Xline brushes or similar are stupidly heavy for what you need to clean a window you just don’t need all that weight in a brush,the extreme brushes are all that’s needed to do what we need.

It’s more the fingers that holding the base of the pole helps, as you can use more of the palm and relax the finger tendons.

At the end of the day it’s about giving people options, I don’t have any pain myself, but I’d still use a handle if it made life easier in the long run...

[Matt.]

Has Alex not already sorted this problem out in bringing the extreme poles to the market.

It’s everyone’s individual choice to choose what pole they use, next Alex will be asked if he can work a few hours on people’s rounds as they get tired of an afternoon, and part of buying a pole Alex will be liable 😂😂😂
There is no way in the world u will have these problems using the extreme poles so put ur health and safety in front of a bit of extra money in ur pocket.
Last few nights I have been cleaning windows upto 60ft using extreme 47 plus 2 high strength extensions, each section I cleaned was taking me about 4 hours and the only part of my body that aches is the lower back when I have to lean down to the floor to pick up hose, if anything I had a bit of cramp in my legs when I went to bed and that’s probably down to lack of fitness and age, or maybe just being in the same position for a few hours,  after a sleep u feel grand again.
I will work using my right hand, left hand and swap it round to share any strains on my body but there is minimal effort needed.
My body aches more from a full days jet washing but I don’t think Alex will give me a hand on this 😂😂

[dd]

Personally I would not be a fan of handles as I often find myself gripping different parts of the pole e.g I sometimes slide it through my hands as I work it down when cleaning an upstairs window.

I think handles on a pole would create problems. There is no need to grip a pole tightly in my experience. It is more about being conscious of your grip and how you use your body generally.

[Bungle]

Herman is in his shed knocking something up as we speak.

[dazmond]

We need something.  After 17 years wfp my right shoulder, elbow, wrist are knackered!!

dont you still use SLX poles mate?......you need to move to the xtreme poles and brushes...i know they dont last as long but they cut the strain down considerably esp for the awkward windows on your round....

[Alex Gardiner]

Hi Alex,

With the threads we are seeing on repetitive strain recently, have you thought about designing some sort of handles for all models of water fed poles?

Obviously you have the control bars for the highest poles, but it seems as wfp users are now getting into the 10-20 year mark of using them, we are seeing more strain.

Some sort of quick release handle system might be a life saver for many.

I’ve used control bars, I personally find them to wide. But I’m sure you can come up with something for all poles!

It does seem for most people it’s an issue of gripping the pole too tightly. Some sort of handle would help many.

Hi Zesty

Interesting question and also interesting reading everyone's thoughts on this.

Having already designed the control bars for the large diameter Ultimate poles, it has been thought about to produce something smaller for everyday poles.

There are some issues though as some posters have raised - so it is not an easy thing to design and be sure it will actually improve the working day. It would be pointless designing something that adds to pole weight and then makes the pole less usable and potentially creating extra RSI issues.

The best course of action is to start by reducing pole and brush weight. Switching to lighter poles, lighter brushes and goosenecks should be the very first step if RSI is a concern.

My father had various issues with his wrist and shoulders, both from road traffic accidents, that meant he had to be very careful whilst window cleaning. Before he retired he would only work with Xtreme poles and brushes as these put minimal strain on his vulnerable wrist, shoulders and neck. This allowed him to continue working until retirement.

The next step if RSI and joint issues are a concern is to limit the height of work cleaned. If previously you would work up to 45ft, then it may be worth reducing your limit to 35ft and so on.

There is of course an increased cost to such poles and potential loss of income limiting the height of work undertaken, but if there are known joint/body issues it is usually worth it to keep working safely.

[zesty]

It was more a post on behalf of others Alex, as there was a few threads on RSI and tennis elbow etc...

You’re right with the lightest equipment, personally I only use xtreme poles and xtreme brushes with a carbon gooseneck.

It’s seems several on this forum have RSI, so it’s just a thought really. There’s probably some balance to the weight/ergonomics of holding the pole. I wondered if a smaller version of the control bars would keep some people Working for longer...

[Slacky]

I reckon we’ll end up going back to using squeegees to counteract all this RSI malarkey.

If only someone would invent something useful to ensure the same problems don’t occur with traditional tools.