Thought I'd best get the new toy out and get used to it on a domestic round before venturing onto the 60 foot job, which was the reason for buying it.
Now I know there's a reason for the SL-X and a reason for the Super Lite but all the same let's get on with it.
There were a few 3 storeys on today so plenty of opportunity to try it at different heights and angles.
Getting the pole up was fun compared to the 24 foot glass fibre or the Prolong. The lack of weight is unbelievable and I feared that the brush head wouldn't have enough weight behind it to do a decent scrub on the glass, but this was taken care of with the stiffer than usual Vikan brush heads. Moving around with the pole kept extended at 24 foot was also easy.
Having the pipework outside the pole was a bit of a challenge with it flapping around and twanging the pole with each movement, yes there are velcrose straps to hold it on but this is where the slightest of problems kick in. If you have an hour of work at one height then the worlds a happy place but when you need to reduce a section or two to clean the next level on a regular basis then a couple of issues occur (1)removing the strapping and trying not to lose them and (2) you now end up with a couple of sections of pole laying on the ground, which is constantly on your mind to not step on and not leave behind.
Ground floor now means you another section laying around and cleaning ground floor with a 6 foot section needs care not to bury the end of the pole into the dirt.
Pros:
The weight of the pole
The weight and brush head
Sections easily fit together and stay there without moving
At 30 foot and over conservatories the pole stays straight and rigid.
Against:
2 sections for 1st floor isn't long enough to leave resting on the sill whilst 3 sections is too long to reasonable work with. If the end section was to be 3 or 4 foot then this could easily be overcome as opposed to all sections being 6 foot.
The rubber on the end of each section rides away from the base which I presume is there to protect the ends.
Constantly having to add and remove sections which have to be carried around each property. Ditto in and out of vehicle when moving.
Overall:
A fantastic piece of kit. Unlikely to be the cheapest bit of window cleaning equipment you'll ever spend money on, but having used it and then picked up my 18 foot G/F Brodex I was amazed by how heavy the G/F pole felt, and up until today I thought that was very light. Even my wife managed to do a 3rd storey window today and she normally only does ground floor. I dread to think what my 30 foot Prolong will now feel like, and as for the aircraft graded alu pole...........
Unlike each and every other day over the years today I came into the house without my neck and shoulders having stinging pains.
