Hi guys my current poles from pure freedom slide and spin and do so months later with new sections in, they are glass fibre and carbon composites I'm using. Need something what does not spin and slide. Are full carbon poles the answer? I'm looking at gardiner poles full carbon six. Any info appreciated
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What pole?
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I have both the slx18 and the Slx22 both are great pole had them for around Six months both work perfect and no problems what so ever with them, and I'm guilty as never maintained them either, I bought the 22 first then the 18 after as my son helped me out a couple of times, I generally use the 22 most of the time as it's got the univalve installed also a lot of jobs I need the extra length got to order another univalve for the 18, I got them after being recommended by quite a few members on here glad I listened to them.
My SLX22 is a little over 4 years old. Its worn but still working well.
It gets maintained and has had the Smart Clamp upgrade. It gets a spray of clear lacquer periodically.
The most important thing is to keep them as clean as possible. If we are working in damp conditions we regularly wipe the pole hose clean to stop the bits of crud getting into the pole's insides. That stuff acts like grinding paste. We do that when necessary, probably as much as 6 times a day.
Each time the pole gets put back into the van the hose gets cleaned off with a cloth as its coiled up.
I occasionally flush the pole with water from the hose reel hose or the garden hose at home to clean out any dirt.
You can't beat the Gardiner Smart clamp.
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It gets maintained and has had the Smart Clamp upgrade. It gets a spray of clear lacquer periodically.
The most important thing is to keep them as clean as possible. If we are working in damp conditions we regularly wipe the pole hose clean to stop the bits of crud getting into the pole's insides. That stuff acts like grinding paste. We do that when necessary, probably as much as 6 times a day.
Each time the pole gets put back into the van the hose gets cleaned off with a cloth as its coiled up.
I occasionally flush the pole with water from the hose reel hose or the garden hose at home to clean out any dirt.
You can't beat the Gardiner Smart clamp.
.
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I've got an slx 25 it's about 3 years old and has smart clamps it doesn't get maintained at all , is used about 1 day a week for 8 hours , it's as good as the day I bought it , yes it's full carbon , I've tried most poles on the market and Gardiner's are head and shoulders above everything else , in my opinion it's worth paying a little more for the full carbon it makes it more rigid. I have extream poles in every size they do , they are very good but not quite as robust as an slx , I still use the six and like it a lot , my staff love it to , you won't be disappointed
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All Gardiner poles come with smart clamps as standard they are very good , you do need to adjust them occasionally which is just a quarter turn on the end of the clamp no tools are needed
jimmyboots
Well-known member
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If you get an SLX 22 you wont be dissapointed.
Small when closed together, very light, best clamps on the market, very rigid and as hard wearing as any other pole out there.
And cosmetically, the transfers on the latest ones last an incredibly long time /emoticons/biggrin.png
Small when closed together, very light, best clamps on the market, very rigid and as hard wearing as any other pole out there.
And cosmetically, the transfers on the latest ones last an incredibly long time /emoticons/biggrin.png
Marko067
Well-known member
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The smart clamps are also easy to operate when they are tight enough to stop the pole sections spinning which makes them a joy to use. Here's a pic of the smart clamp fitted to Gardiner's latest poles. This one is slackened off so you can see the various components. The spring on the left and the Delrin shim on the right.
One thing I used to hate was how hard to operate the old ones used to be when tight enough to stop the sections spinning. They used to give me a sore thumb.
One thing I used to hate was how hard to operate the old ones used to be when tight enough to stop the sections spinning. They used to give me a sore thumb.
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Been told by gardiner the clx carbon composite poles will be ok ad I don't do high buildings, will the clx start spinning and sliding sooner than a Slx? As this is my main concern, don't wanna pay more if it's not necessary? I thought full carbon would last longer than composite??
I occasionally spray mine with lacquer (just 1 quick light coat and then it grips again on my poles that aren't gardiner ones)
Take the pole apart and wip clean..spray a quick coat of car clear lacquer (just a dusting not loads)
Thanks to @Damo and his dad for the tip
There is a you tube vid of theirs somewhere
If it slips in a particular place where you always clamp it build that spot up with a few light coats
Added bonus is no carbon dust on your hands
However a gardiners pole with the smart clamps make a big difference
Take the pole apart and wip clean..spray a quick coat of car clear lacquer (just a dusting not loads)
Thanks to @Damo and his dad for the tip
There is a you tube vid of theirs somewhere
If it slips in a particular place where you always clamp it build that spot up with a few light coats
Added bonus is no carbon dust on your hands
However a gardiners pole with the smart clamps make a big difference
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- Location
- Cornwall
I've had the clx it's ok but compared to the slx it's wippey, the six will last longer but both poles would probably do you well if you go for the clx Ime sure you will be happy with it , to be fair I found the ware rate between the two poles very similar, if you are going to be using the clx at its full extension for plastic cleans you will find it more difficult to be accurate with scrubbing due to the fact it's more flexible pole , depending on the amount of work you do go for the slx if you can afford it it's not that much more money when you think about the lifetime of it , also if you are using it 8 hours a day every day you will be quicker with the slx , and so earn a little more anyway , don't get me wrong the clx is a nice pole but not as good as a slx hope this helps
The first slx25 we purchased was from the early batch which had bigger pole sections. I did a clamp upgrade on that but about a year ago one of the pole sections split.
I replaced the whole pole with a new one. We felt that the pole was well worn and served us well. I didn't even check to see if sections were still available as spares. The clamp upgrade I did on that pole was not the latest clamps either so it really wasn't worth messing on.
My philosophy is that sometimes its better to replace. If it was a fairly new pole and I broke a section, then I would replace that. But if its well past its best then its time to get a new one.
I have an SLX40 which is due a clamp upgrade. I have the clamps. I just need to fit them. It doesn't do much work a month although it got used on 4 separate occasions today. The top three or four sections are fairly worn. When the time comes to replace that I will consider buying an SLX30 and using the last 2 sections of the current SLX 40 as they don't get used that much and turn the SLX30 into an SLX40.
I have a CLX22 that was from the first shipment that Alex bought out. Its also well worn and is in need of the clamp upgrade, but spending £30 + VAT on a set of clamps when a new pole including brush is £128.00 + VAT does not make economic sense.
Spending £30 on the clamp upgrade was well worth it on my pole SLX22. However, the SLX22 that SIL handed back is in pretty poor shape, so I'm loathed to upgrade those clamps when really we should consider a replacement pole. I would normally look to buy one and put it on one side until its needed. I always consider the fact that Alex could be out of stock when I most need one so a preorder means we won't be caught with our proverbial pants down.
We all get these decisions to make regarding if its worth repairing and item or just replacing it. More often than not in our business it makes more sense to replace rather than repair.
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