[wightsurf]

Got my new Emporium ultra-lite 
It so lite i can't believe it,I think i will get alot more done on larger jobs.I have a large job tomorow so i will get a idea of what it's like,might take some pics to show as well.The fist section is wieghtless, i would recomend to anyone get a carbon pole . Choice is up to you but i now know what i have been missing.
The pole comes in a Tube to protect it upto section number six,then another tube for each section number seven.And me being a tall person at 5ft 8, i have no trouble reaching the top of each section to put them together.
Now for the brush ,its a bently and i have never used one before but i dont like the look of it.I'm going to try it but i think i'm going to put my salmon on there.I'm going to do a few windows then go up and have a look from the inside to see what the finish looks like.

martin

[dmlservices]

hi
i think you will struggle with the bently, used one for a while, but results were very 'hit and miss', the salmon would be better, but better still a supalite dual trim , let us know how you get on with the pole, and some feed back regarding strength , robustness, and if you suffer any locked sections, as i want to buy a modular, but undecided between , diy, emporium,or sl2 (sl2 is top of my list so far)


daz

[Jeff Brimble]

Whatever modular you use, tape the tops of the pole to act as a ridge/stop to prevent compression in use.

[Mike 108]

Jeff

Can you explain?

Mike

[wightsurf]

Jeff
Do i tape all the sections or are the top two ok?

thanks
Martin

[Paul Coleman]

Got my new Emporium ultra-lite 
It so lite i can't believe it,I think i will get alot more done on larger jobs.I have a large job tomorow so i will get a idea of what it's like,might take some pics to show as well.The fist section is wieghtless, i would recomend to anyone get a carbon pole . Choice is up to you but i now know what i have been missing.
The pole comes in a Tube to protect it upto section number six,then another tube for each section number seven.And me being a tall person at 5ft 8, i have no trouble reaching the top of each section to put them together.
Now for the brush ,its a bently and i have never used one before but i dont like the look of it.I'm going to try it but i think i'm going to put my salmon on there.I'm going to do a few windows then go up and have a look from the inside to see what the finish looks like.

martin

I will use my Bentley until they are worn out but I will certainly use  different brushes when I replace them.  The good thing about them is that they are very light.  The down side is that the bristles are very soft so I wouldn't fancy using them on a very dirty first clean.  Also, the bristles do seem to retain any bits a lot more easily than other brushes that I've used.  I recall that Alex was only supplying them as a stopgap anyway until he sorted out something better as light brushes were thin on the ground at the time.
I rinse off the glass where possible so it's probably not such a big issue for me as it might be for someone who leaves brush on glass to rinse.

[Jeff Brimble]

Cannot get to my photo accounts  :
Push fit the pole sections together, wrap 4 or 5 turns of pvc tape accurately round the tip of the base section at each joint so that the top section is prevented from compressing further down the base section and locking, the tape creates a temporary "ridge" that can be later removed to allow for pole wear. I would do it on all the sections but its the top ones that are used most.
You could always stop using the pole say every 3/4 hour instead and slightly undo each joint. But the tape fitted once lasts for years and also reduces wear.
You could also use ptfe spray but the sections may spin in use afterwards.

[wightsurf]

thanks jeff

[Tosh]

Cannot get to my photo accounts  :

Push fit the pole sections together, wrap 4 or 5 turns of pvc tape accurately round the tip of the base section at each joint so that the top section is prevented from compressing further down the base section and locking, the tape creates a temporary "ridge" that can be later removed to allow for pole wear.

Here's a photo to help Jeff's description out:

If you look at the 2nd and 5th pole from the left, you can see I've gaffer-taped the male ends so the female ends of the pole cannot slide too deeply into them.

Although the photo doesn't show it; I've done this with all my male ends.

The stuff hanging out of the pole is a few inches of that 'foam-spray-stuff-that-goes-hard'; I had some in my shed, and on Malc G's advice I stuffed some kitchen roll about eight inches into the male end and filled it with expanding foam.

[Jeff Brimble]

Just deleted all my last reply so heres a short version
Good to see some input must have taken sometime over the weekend but well worth it. The foam if left 20min can be smoothed with some news paper before it dries hard, into a cone shape. Its a messy job.Dont put too much foam in or you cannot store the poles inside each other 2" is all you need, you could also try silicon sealant which is then waterproof.
Whats the interesting looking characters name, thats looking down the camera lense ?

[NWH]

Or get a stronger modular pole and save all that faffing.

[Tosh]

Or get a stronger modular pole and save all that faffing.

Do I detect a bit of 'pole snobbery' in this post?  I hope not!  Or is it you feel a bit daft 'cos you've forked out a small fortune on a modified fishing pole?

I'll agree, at 30 foot plus a modified fishing pole bought from one of the window cleaning suppliers maybe better than a DIY job, but my DIY 20" pole is almost as good as the ones costing twenty-times the amount I paid for mine.

And I won't be really cross if one of my customers, or myself steps on and breaks it; and it's easily done.  Ask Squeaky.

Anyway, I reckon it took me an hour to knock my DIY pole up; next time I do it; I reckon half-an-hour tops.  And it's class.

But it would take me a lot longer to earn the money to buy a 'manufactured' fishing pole.

[NWH]

I have lost hundreds and hundreds of pounds not being able to work at height because of cheap Emporium type poles snapping on me.

[geefree]

My ex-tel is just on its last legs.... i pulled the middle section out today, and the whole lot came out in my hand... to reveal a worn out section at the base, lots of splits and cracks, it resembled a pulled xmas cracker....i had to hold all the bits together to put it back in.... dont think its 12 months old yet.

i know people say you get what you pay for.. just over £100....

but hey thats still a lot of money in my books.... and they are built for working with on a daily basis.... not for getting out of the garage once a year...

so all in all , pretty disappointed... as i do like the weight and the way it folds down to 5 foot,  may get another one..... but switch the poles around so they used at different times alternately etc.

Gary.

[Tosh]

Gary,

If your 'bread and butter' is two story work, have a go at a DIY fishing pole.  If you've got 30 plus foot work (a lot of three-story and above), then maybe an 'off-the-shelf' is better; I believe that's the case; though I could be wrong.

But I've been using my DIY pole for over a week; so still a noob to a modular light-weight pole, but it's made a massive difference to my work; I honestly love it.

And if you've got a SL2 (for example), then I'd advise you to 'keep it for best', and use a DIY pole for your routine lower level work.

For just £20 for the pole, and mabye another £10 for an angle an an attachment, it's a bargin; and it works; it's light, ridgid; I'm still knocking windows shut with mine; no problems.

In fact I'm giving it a load of abuse; just to see how good it is; and so far nothing but good news.

It's really simple to do too.

PS.  I've weighed my DIY 20 foot pole and brush on a set of electronic kitchen scales, the combined weight of each is just under 1.3 Kg (compared with my Unger pole of similar height which is just over 2.00 kg; so nearly half the weight).

[geefree]

thanks Tosh,

but is the tubing on the outside, and do you have to screw all the bits together at each house?

[wightsurf]

Well i have had my first days work with my new toy.To start with i was very carefull with it to scared to touch the glass! It's so lite i could'nt believe it.It must of took me over a hour to start to get the hang of it.The main issue for me was getting use to the fact that you have to choose what section to work from.From 7 sections it seemed a bit long and on 6 sections it seemed a bit short.But in the end i got used to this.
The pole is very rigid and easy to use and seems built very well.The numbers on each section come in very handy as well.I taped each section as Jeff said and had no trouble with it sticking in fact it came appart very easy.I have used this pole solid all day and i don't feel the aches and pains from such a large job.
First days thoughts is it's a very good pole but will only use it on the larger jobs i have.On houses and the like i am going to diy one because they will get knocked about i feel.

[Tosh]

thanks Tosh,

but is the tubing on the outside, and do you have to screw all the bits together at each house?

Yes, the pole hose is on the exterior; I promise you that this does not cause any real problems and can actually be a positive.

For example, when you're working in a tight area, you can remove the brush head from the pole and clean windows just using the brush head.  If you work from a trolley system or a back pack, not having the hose going through the pole can also give you extra reach.

And there's no 'screwing' bits together.  Nothing swivels; it feels stiff and sturdy too, as long as you discard the top sections of the fishing pole (and this is what many popular modular carbon WFP poles are based on) and put your brush on a sensible thickish section.

The pieces just slot on and slot off; easy as anything.  Try it.

In fact I'll put my money where my mouth is.

Gazza, if most of your work is just normal domestic two-story work; and you follow my directions on what pole to buy and how to do it; and you're not completely satisfied; I WILL SEND THE MONEY THAT YOU HAVE FORKED OUT.

But for the above guarantee to work, I want you to use the DIY pole for at least one month, and I want all receipts of what you've paid for before I send you a cheque; if you're not happy with it.  I also don’t want you to be a ‘mong’ like Squeaky is and let your customers stand on the pole, or yourself also (and his was a SL2 which broke).  Careless accidents will result in a nil payment.

The most I can lose is about £30 and I'll charge it against the tax man if you don't get on with it.  I will pay up to; no problems.  I know too many people on this forum in real life to Welch on a 'bet'.  But I promise you'll love it, and if you don't, well you've lost nowt; I'll reimburse you.

Why am I doing this?  I like this forum and my fellow window cleaners.

And we’ll also start a new post detailing the above.

Are you game?  Any questions?
PS.  If you like it, I want a nice bottle of red-wine sent to me at Christmas!

[geefree]

You are on tosh. lets go !!!

[Tosh]

You are on tosh. lets go !!!

Well done, fella, give me a bit of time to do the dishes and start a new post off.

All credit must go to Jeff B and Matt; All these modified fishing poles on the market originated from Jeff B's experiments and were posted up on Matt's DIY WFP website.

But, can you do me a favour and give me your e-mail; so I can e-mail you back; and you know where to go to claim your money back if you're not happy with the end product; but I am 99% confident that you'll like the end product; so I'm safe.

Do it in this post; and then delete it once I acknowledge it.