[see clear lee]

thought id share how my slx is fairing after one years use and compare anyone elses out there, just to clarify i agree with all the arguments about there being no other solid light pole on the market but i have had some issues to say the least, id also like to say that ive been window cleaning for over 10 years and pride myself for working very hard to establish work and have the fortune of only working 3 days a week so my pole gets what id describe as light to medium use on mainly domestic from 9 am to 4pm.
after 3 months of use it was sent back to have the clamps adjusted as they wernt holding the pole,
afer 6 months it was sent back again to have the clamps reset and the old top sections where the wear had worn down the pole cut off and re-cut and drilled, so the clamps would again work,
also i had to replace a section at a cost of £50 as i dropped it ONCE and it turned the pole where it fell to a soft carbon mush
after 9 months i emailed alex re : the wear issue and i was kindly told how to d.i.y fix the clamps and how to saw the pole to make them fit ( even my new section ),
now 12 months old i have to again chop 2" off just the top 2 clamp sections (these get more wear as  used more)
now for £450 i wish it had/would last longer as at this rate all its going to be good for next year is bungalows................................anyone had any of these issues??

 

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

I agree, it's the best pole on the market as regards rigidity and weight, but boy does it wear fast.  It's not as bad as a cheap x tel, but after a few months I had to perform a little surgery on mine, the only thing I needed to do was reset the clamps cutting the bolt shorter so I should have a little more life left in it.

It is a high maintenance pole, if used on near block paved drives the hose seems to get covered in sand and it can jam the pole and needs a clean.  If you press on with a sandy pole hose you can almost see the wear and tear happening.  I think cleaning will lengthen the life of the pole a lot, however cleaning a pole after every job with a block paved driveway can be tedious and will take away the time that you gained from having such a light rigid pole.  I've had my pole for about 10 months and do a similar amount of work, I'm hoping to get 2 years out of mine.

Saying all of that, could I now go back to another more heavy more floppy make, NEVER.

Simon.

[kris martin]

i want an slx despite you sayng they need a lot of tlc, i was just wondering am i right in reading that the hose comes down the outside of the pole

[pingu]

Yes I got my pole and first used it on the 20th May 08 and it has been back to the UK to Alex for Repairs and I have also had to do numerous DIY fixes...carbon fibre is great but is also does wear...

Great Pole but it does wear...but better that than me having to use a heavy pole...

Personally unless a good alternative comes up ...I am already putting pennies away to buy another SL-X..it has its faults and I do hate the thing from time to time but it allows me to make good money so I have to accept that every 18months I have to buy another pole...

I am glad other have/are experiancing issues with this pole...at 1 stage I thought I was the only one as loads of people were saying 'no my pole is 25 years old, used every day, and for fishing at weekends and not a scratch on it' type comments!

Cheers
Dave.

[wwoodee22]

The only problem i've had is the second clamp down loosens and i just tighten it up with allen key, have too do this about once a week along with cleaning it by removing every section and washing them. But still the best pole i've used, been wfp since 2001 and have had poles from all the major suppliers

[pingu]

Just a thought...I think you need to wash this pole externally and internally each day....

[JSMC]

lot o cash for it to be needing repairs after a year dont ya think?

[m b shaw]

I think that was my point last week when i tested a glyder,that if i was spending a serious amount of money on a pole it would the best in all i asked of it.Now i can t comment on an slx because i have nt tried one but after reading these comments i don t think i ever will.If i bought the best pole on the market i would certainly expect it to last longer than is being reported,and to not keep having to repair it.Another thing that occurs to me is firms are trying to get the pole weights down,when in reality,  you work with the pole vertical and abit more weight ,i e more strengh and durability,does nt realy mean much.I ve got old carbon poles that you could knock nails in with and they are heavy compared to the new ones but they would last an age. cheers mick

[P @ F]

Well all this goes to show , i may well have spent double on my pole , 45 foot i think , facelift 8 section , £821 three years ago  , used on a regular basis , never cleaned it , or tightened a clamp on it , it may be heavier and whippier , but a damn good pole , for once i made the right choice !
Macmac had one and used to bang on about his all the time , do you still use one macmac , if your out there ?

 RICH p @ f

[R W C]

Well all this goes to show , i may well have spent double on my pole , 45 foot i think , facelift 8 section , £821 three years ago  , used on a regular basis , never cleaned it , or tightened a clamp on it , it may be heavier and whippier , but a damn good pole , for once i made the right choice !
Macmac had one and used to bang on about his all the time , do you still use one macmac , if your out there ?

 RICH p @ f

Thats good to know as ive currently bought one and have to say the carbon seems very good on this pole,

[P @ F]

I have heard of people going through levers for these poles for a pass time , but ive not had one go on me yet its all down to the way you use it !

Anyway back to the slx , im sure it is a good pole , from the sounds of it , for occasional use , the big high jobs  where lightness is paramount , i have in respect , admiration for Alex and Kirsty , correct me if wrong , but if it were not for people like Alex , pushing the boundries to get the weight and rigidity to the desired ammount , then it can only be good for the industry .

Well done and keep up the good work Alex !   

Rich P @ F

[see clear lee]

i want an slx despite you sayng they need a lot of tlc, i was just wondering am i right in reading that the hose comes down the outside of the pole

no mate its inside the pole.

I am glad other have/are experiancing issues with this pole...at 1 stage I thought I was the only one as loads of people were saying 'no my pole is 25 years old, used every day, and for fishing at weekends and not a scratch on it' type comments!

Cheers
Dave.

to be honest ive been in 2 minds weather to post my findings as i didnt want to get into dissagreements about alex.....blagh blagh blagh.....i always use his services and have always been impressed with the delivery speeds and service, but as said to have a pole that lasts under a year before being advised how to diy fix it, i thought was a little unfair, in my opinion weather its a £450 pole or a £450 plasma tv used every day it should be guaranteed ( the pole )for a year at least .  nowhere on the web site does it state when  and what to use it on and how much use you should expect to get before having to send it back of fix it.

[[GQC] Tim]

I've just had my clamps serviced, but apart from that I can't say it has worn much? 

[d s windowcleaning]

think im going to stick with facelift .

[pingu]

Alex and his team are without doubt fantastic and their customers service for me and others here has been the best I have experianced with suppliers...but this is not about hurting Alex's feeling but a honest review of some cleaning equipment.

Truth..the SL-X does wear and I am now finding that I am having to DIY fix it on a little more of a regular basis now...so...this pole of mine is wearing...just a fact.

Respectfully Dave.

[Dave Turley]

mine's 8 months old and i've just done my ffirst major strip down and overhaul. (alex offered a free service but.... A- I thought i'd save him the trouble, and B- I didn't want to be without my sl-x for 4 days!)


the pole is wearing but to be fair it's mainly my own fault for not cleaning it as often as I should have.

I cleaned it, replaced  the electrical tape inside, and adjusted the clamps.

on the second clamp I hed to cut 3/4 of an inch of pole and redrill & regrind the slot in the pole, to renew the gripping surface.

also, I had to grind the slot in the clamp lever longer as the bolts were fouling on them.

all in all, bearing in mind that in august last year these poles hadn't been out long, I think I got good value for money and it'll be a long time yet before I need to replace it.... likely with another sl-x!   

[macmac]

Well all this goes to show , i may well have spent double on my pole , 45 foot i think , facelift 8 section , £821 three years ago  , used on a regular basis , never cleaned it , or tightened a clamp on it , it may be heavier and whippier , but a damn good pole , for once i made the right choice !
Macmac had one and used to bang on about his all the time , do you still use one macmac , if your out there ?

 RICH p @ f

Hi mate

Yes I still got the facelift but it's gathering dust now since I got the slx. The slx whoops the pants off the facelift I'm afraid!

Had my slx 1 year (first batch).

Used and abused, dropped, thrown, bent through balcony railings on a daily basis. Only ever cleaned it once too. Might have to nip a clamp up with allen key once every 1 to 2 weeks (& I've never glued them either). Just a drop of 3in1 oil on the clamp cams now'n again to keep them sweet.
Still getting used daily, no sections spinning, no clamp problems just a pleasure to use.

Tony

[AuRavelling79]

Mine is the latest version (knurled clamp adjusters - not allen keys) and is one month old today. As expected it is working well on day in day out use on domestic, light commercial and schools.

Lightness is king to me and I rarely use the fifth standard section let alone the g/f add on. Often I will run it with just three sections if no long reaches are involved. I have budgetted for two years life and hope for three - we shall see. In fact I can see myself replacing the top two or three sections before any appreciable wear is evident on four and five!

All I know is is that I am doing about 15/20% extra work than in the time taken on my fishing pole, which was about the same faster than my Unger aluminium thing (it was the clamps and "whippiness" of that which drained me.)

When I was on ladders I used a triple DIY ladder with mitts and swivel feet - std advice was to get something more substantial. But I changed it every year and the lightness paid dividends financially for me (except when it blew away in a light breeze when propped against a building with me not on it!).

If I have a long run (say 20 windows plus) of ground floor work (schools, commercial, flats etc) I will put the SLX away and use the top of my fishing pole because it is a bit shorter and lighter.