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new uni valve looks mint

ECLM
WCF

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I so enjoyed that comment you made about Reach It and their add on sections.
But this has the potential of being a game changer IMPO whereas Perry's effort at the 'one pole fits all' design just doesn't hack it.
Click to expand...
The issue I have always seen regarding Reach-It and the UK is determining whether it's the poles or the personality that is the issue. Now if it's the personality? well Que-Sera but that has never stopped ME buying a good product. I am now on the latest version of the Reach-It Mini, (both earlier poles sold on and still going strong), 25ft, breaks down at 1 and 5 (4ft and 15ft respectively). Perfect when using external hose. The tallest building I do is around 4 stories including basement (40ft ...ish). I used to do this by using the XT (11ft base extension). I've recently purchased his A&B extensions and the Adaptor (pre the latest painted ones thank god). With the B extension slotted between 4&5 I can now do this job with much less effort and with the pole feeling much more rigid. On top of that I now have the potential for a second 25 foot hi-mod pole using the A+B+Adaptor if I'm working with a 'ring-in' on a larger job.

There is no doubt that the UK window cleaning business is unique compared to pretty much anywhere else on the planet and you guys have worked out a tried and true method to handle your rounds with WFP over many years, so although 'just doesn't hack it', appears to me a touch inflammatory, for you guys this may very well be the case. However, internationally these poles, for many, appear to be a very credible and economically viable solution. As for Perry, as irritable as some of you guys seem to find him, he is one of the very few manufacturers who actually listens to feedback and acts to remedy any negatives regarding quality, durability or usability. Interesting that in over 4 years (apart from a couple of very nasty public personality clashes) I have never heard him say or write "User error, not covered".

I'm just an ageing window cleaner doing the best he can on a daily basis. As I haven't won Lotto/Lottery and squandered large amounts of past income, I still work, therefore anything that allows me to work easier, quicker and as ergonomically as possible is 'a winner' in my books.

Reach-It, Constructor Brush, TecBuk, Wagtail, Liquidator, Razer Red, Black Diamond are all part of my daily kit. Once uni-valve hits I'll pay exorbitant postage costs to NZ and get one or two of those also. If nothing else it cures boredom :)

 
The issue I have always seen regarding Reach-It and the UK is determining whether it's the poles or the personality that is the issue. Now if it's the personality? well Que-Sera but that has never stopped ME buying a good product. I am now on the latest version of the Reach-It Mini, (both earlier poles sold on and still going strong), 25ft, breaks down at 1 and 5 (4ft and 15ft respectively). Perfect when using external hose. The tallest building I do is around 4 stories including basement (40ft ...ish). I used to do this by using the XT (11ft base extension). I've recently purchased his A&B extensions and the Adaptor (pre the latest painted ones thank god). With the B extension slotted between 4&5 I can now do this job with much less effort and with the pole feeling much more rigid. On top of that I now have the potential for a second 25 foot hi-mod pole using the A+B+Adaptor if I'm working with a 'ring-in' on a larger job.
There is no doubt that the UK window cleaning business is unique compared to pretty much anywhere else on the planet and you guys have worked out a tried and true method to handle your rounds with WFP over many years, so although 'just doesn't hack it', appears to me a touch inflammatory, for you guys this may very well be the case. However, internationally these poles, for many, appear to be a very credible and economically viable solution. As for Perry, as irritable as some of you guys seem to find him, he is one of the very few manufacturers who actually listens to feedback and acts to remedy any negatives regarding quality, durability or usability. Interesting that in over 4 years (apart from a couple of very nasty public personality clashes) I have never heard him say or write "User error, not covered".

I'm just an ageing window cleaner doing the best he can on a daily basis. As I haven't won Lotto/Lottery and squandered large amounts of past income, I still work, therefore anything that allows me to work easier, quicker and as ergonomically as possible is 'a winner' in my books.

Reach-It, Constructor Brush, TecBuk, Wagtail, Liquidator, Razer Red, Black Diamond are all part of my daily kit. Once uni-valve hits I'll pay exorbitant postage costs to NZ and get one or two of those also. If nothing else it cures boredom /emoticons/smile.png
Click to expand...
Eric, I honestly applaud you for your reply. /emoticons/smile.png

Personally, I think you have hit the nail on the head with your observations. Personality reasons are probably where the main issues come from. He hasn't a good track record business wise in the UK and it will probably never change as the British have long memories. He has come across on occasion but he seems to slip in and slip out of the country again without much fanfare. He was boosting about how good his Reach-iT clamps were once when the 'heat' was on Gardiners and then shortly afterward up graded them due to issues that he was obviously also having. Things like that get noticed and 'logged'.

I expect his main market focus will be the US as that it where the big business is wfp. His mother lives/or used to live in NZ so I'm guessing he has some affiliation to that part of the world.

His prices are just not competitive for Reach-iT when compared to other suppliers. I looked at weight once for his poles and deducted that I would need help getting it out of the van. I didn't want something so strong and heavy that would hold my weight standing on it plus a bag of concrete. That was years ago btw. /emoticons/smile.png

In fact I don't even know who supplies his product in the UK. The price for his Constructor brush is way over the top - 170 dollars. It isn't going to be that much better than a Gardiner brush if you compare the cost of each. What does it weigh? When I last looked I couldn't find that detail.

The reason for the ribbing he got from Damo and I and others is that we saw a video of him assembling a Reach-iT pole with various sections to get the height, and tbh, he should never have released it. He should have practiced assembling it until he got it down to a fine art before filming and releasing his video. He just lost his way. Unfortunately that doesn't earn him any respect.

Don't get me wrong, he has released some very informative videos, but none of them are well presented. He is doesn't look comfortable with a pole in his hand and it shows. He isn't a window cleaner so there isn't much in his armory that comes from personal on the job experience as it comes from others experience. It just reflects badly on his business image.

A good example of how to release an informative video well presented is that of Gardiners. And Alex still goes out and cleans windows, so he knows from personal experience how things work and how they should work.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Eric, I honestly applaud you for your reply. /emoticons/smile.png
Personally, I think you have hit the nail on the head with your observations. Personality reasons are probably where the main issues come from. He hasn't a good track record business wise in the UK and it will probably never change as the British have long memories. He has come across on occasion but he seems to slip in and slip out of the country again without much fanfare. He was boosting about how good his Reach-iT clamps were once when the 'heat' was on Gardiners and then shortly afterward up graded them due to issues that he was obviously also having. Things like that get noticed and 'logged'.

I expect his main market focus will be the US as that it where the big business is wfp. His mother lives/or used to live in NZ so I'm guessing he has some affiliation to that part of the world.

His prices are just not competitive for Reach-iT when compared to other suppliers. I looked at weight once for his poles and deducted that I would need help getting it out of the van. I didn't want something so strong and heavy that would hold my weight standing on it plus a bag of concrete. That was years ago btw. /emoticons/smile.png

In fact I don't even know who supplies his product in the UK. The price for his Constructor brush is way over the top - 170 dollars. It isn't going to be that much better than a Gardiner brush if you compare the cost of each. What does it weigh? When I last looked I couldn't find that detail.

The reason for the ribbing he got from Damo and I and others is that we saw a video of him assembling a Reach-iT pole with various sections to get the height, and tbh, he should never have released it. He should have practiced assembling it until he got it down to a fine art before filming and releasing his video. He just lost his way. Unfortunately that doesn't earn him any respect.

Don't get me wrong, he has released some very informative videos, but none of them are well presented. He is doesn't look comfortable with a pole in his hand and it shows. He isn't a window cleaner so there isn't much in his armory that comes from personal on the job experience as it comes from others experience. It just reflects badly on his business image.

A good example of how to release an informative video well presented is that of Gardiners. And Alex still goes out and cleans windows, so he knows from personal experience how things work and how they should work.
Click to expand...
Kiwi: Born Bred and Educated.

Peter McKernan is UK agent

Current Constructor Brush including Side to Side depending on bristle configuration start at around 290gm (The Swift). I personally rate them and although they are heavier than other brushes they don't feel it in use. They are incredibly quick on the glass and even with very light pressure are excellent 'grime movers' but to be perfectly frank I don't think they are the answer for traditional UK domestic, but, the side to side on some of your lightweight brushes would be just the ticket if you get on with the pivoting concept.

Maybe he should have used me for the extensions demo :)

 
No disrespect to anyone here but when I saw the Constructor brush I honestly thought it was a joke. It would be useless for the majority of UK users. They "start" at 290g- we "ended" with 290g brushes years ago!/emoticons/biggrin.png I take it by "side to side" you refer to a swivel mechanism? These have been out in the UK for some years now, Gardiners have an excellent one that comes with various options.

This constructor brush all seems a bit pointless to me- like the wagtail jet-stream and I know of no one who has even bothered to try one those either.

I love innovation but only in the right direction, not just for the sake of it.

 
Yeah we're expecting a delivery Friday so all being well if we've been told correctly will be dispatching the same day for delivery Saturday/Monday

 
No disrespect to anyone here but when I saw the Constructor brush I honestly thought it was a joke. It would be useless for the majority of UK users. They "start" at 290g- we "ended" with 290g brushes years ago!/emoticons/biggrin.png I take it by "side to side" you refer to a swivel mechanism? These have been out in the UK for some years now, Gardiners have an excellent one that comes with various options.This constructor brush all seems a bit pointless to me- like the wagtail jet-stream and I know of no one who has even bothered to try one those either.

I love innovation but only in the right direction, not just for the sake of it.
Click to expand...
"joke", "useless" why? It's simply a new way of trying to stop landfill. 6-12 months and then a few quid in bristles to totally restore. No pod gaps therefore complete coverage instantly with less agitation...

Weight: My brush, Taking the side2side off weighs 210..ish and that's 300mm (12" wide). More weight can be shaved if I got out my saw and cut 2cm off each end of the Alu extrusion to make it UK 'normal'...comparison Gardiners (excluding the Extreme range) 200-270gm ...not sure how long they are but I've physically seen one so I'm guessing 240-260mm? X-Line Dual Trims 222gm for 260mm. Tecbuk Dual Trim 200ish for a 220mm.... so on those figures the dry weights are all pretty comparable. The other thing that needs to be considered is bristle type. Nylon bristles? more absorbent, tendency to clump and weight increases and stays there until it dries off again. Polyester filaments non absorbent, shed water and tend not to increase too much in weight, but in use I've found I need to have more flow. No biggie for me as we use clients water over here and our pressure in general is pretty stable at 100-120psi ...but for you guys carrying your own? needs to be considered.

Look, when I got the first prototype early last year I was genuinely skeptical and it took me a couple of weeks to even try it out. First couple of times ...hnnnh...maybe, maybe not...

once I got used to it and understood the whole bristle track idea I really rated it, and, continue to do so. The up front expense is certainly hard to justify for a lot of us (I'm an early adopter do no biggie. I've got a shed full of **** that didn't work. A lot of named after a certain bird :) ), but the concept is you buy into a system that is modular and the only ongoing cost is bristle track...and maybe end caps. You don't buy the complete kit every time. I've just checked our NZ price and with the current garbage exchange rate a 12" is $255NZ ...for that you get 1x assembled brush, a second one for you to configure yourself and 2x Side to Side Pivots. So as opposed to a brush costing X amount you are buying a KIT for X amount. 12 months ago my brother replaced his Tucker Brush. Block alone was $160NZ...and should we talk about heavy...

By the by I see the guys who do Vision are selling the new Uni-Valve ...

 
Think I'll try the Gardiners one more chance of them staying in business and re-stocking. Gardiners customer service has improved, don't think much of the recorded message service but they have been calling back.

 
Nope @Parky , these are rarer than a Window Cleaning Forum member that actually cleans windows. I think only one perhaps two lads got a sneak preview around the UK. I don't think it's even been out for field testing, straight from design to production. I could of course be wrong.

 
We have ordered quite a few we've sold 3 quarters of them via pre orders still have around 10 unallocated for /emoticons/wink.png im presuming theyll be sold by friday at this rate, ive spoken to steve today and our order will be with us Friday. They're £29.99+VAT +Delivery at 3.50

 

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