New pole, quick loq twist valve?

[ks789]

Hi all,
Really could do with new pole, had slx 22 for 6 odd years, still going but getting knackered. Was toying with idea of the super max 27, for extra strength etc, but would have preferred if they did a 22, weight wise. I think the extra weight would tell, day in day out, and I wouldnt hardly use that extra 5 feet. So, looks like another slx. Im a bit heavy handed so not really considering an extreme, and would like something that lasts another 6/7 years like my current slx.
Also I was going to get it with the twist valve. I know many prefer the univalve, but are there many out there who have stuck with the twist valve and happy with it? I wouldnt need to use it all the time as would still be using a one shot remote. I was also thinking of just having the standard yellow pole hose, as I got on quite well with it till eventually had to change it last year. I replaced it at a small local soap national depot with some red pole hose, not sure what make, but it has been absolutely terrible for kinking and wasting time.
Good to hear your views.

 

[Cleanco]

Don’t bother, I sacked mine off after a couple of days. Waste of time and money if you’ve already got a one shot anyway. I’ve found the invalve far better. I’ve tried most gadgets to stop the water flowing from in line taps, the old aqua stop, kinking hoses etc and haven’t found anything better imo

 

[Bwfc]

I enjoy mine works fairly well.

 

[kevinc250]

if you've had the slx 22 for six years and not had a problem reaching areas then, stick with that. six years from an slx is very good going by the way, don't bother with the twist valve, it was old technology when it was first released if i'm honest, the one shot will work just fine don't bother with the uni valve as you are used to the one shot already, buy the hose that works for you, that one simple thing can make your day a headache or not.
i should say at this point that, a one shot although i have used one-its great but, wouldn't work for my set up now, a uni-valve works well with the set up and is an important part of it. the twist valve, i knew peter who invented this and, his ideas were brilliant although by the time he got the idea to fruition someone had come up with a better idea and brought it to market, gardiner's could have got the uni valve years ago but due to well,someone thinking he was the king of window cleaning suppliers decided to get rid of the guys who designed the uni valve because they couldn't do what he asked,-its all there somewhere on the internet should you want to troll through it all.
hence they ended up with twist valve.

 

[Cleanco]

if you've had the slx 22 for six years and not had a problem reaching areas then, stick with that. six years from an slx is very good going by the way, don't bother with the twist valve, it was old technology when it was first released if i'm honest, the one shot will work just fine don't bother with the uni valve as you are used to the one shot already, buy the hose that works for you, that one simple thing can make your day a headache or not.
i should say at this point that, a one shot although i have used one-its great but, wouldn't work for my set up now, a uni-valve works well with the set up and is an important part of it. the twist valve, i knew peter who invented this and, his ideas were brilliant although by the time he got the idea to fruition someone had come up with a better idea and brought it to market, gardiner's could have got the uni valve years ago but due to well,someone thinking he was the king of window cleaning suppliers decided to get rid of the guys who designed the uni valve because they couldn't do what he asked,-its all there somewhere on the internet should you want to troll through it all.
hence they ended up with twist valve.

Is peters the aqua stop that your referring to?

 

[ks789]

if you've had the slx 22 for six years and not had a problem reaching areas then, stick with that. six years from an slx is very good going by the way, don't bother with the twist valve, it was old technology when it was first released if i'm honest, the one shot will work just fine don't bother with the uni valve as you are used to the one shot already, buy the hose that works for you, that one simple thing can make your day a headache or not.
i should say at this point that, a one shot although i have used one-its great but, wouldn't work for my set up now, a uni-valve works well with the set up and is an important part of it. the twist valve, i knew peter who invented this and, his ideas were brilliant although by the time he got the idea to fruition someone had come up with a better idea and brought it to market, gardiner's could have got the uni valve years ago but due to well,someone thinking he was the king of window cleaning suppliers decided to get rid of the guys who designed the uni valve because they couldn't do what he asked,-its all there somewhere on the internet should you want to troll through it all.
hence they ended up with twist valve.

Yes very pleased with how the slx has lasted to be fair. The one shot and controller are over 6 years old too and has been great, Reckon might upgrade it to the newer one, I think it has longer range and flow control too but wont use with a smart phone as I only use dumb phones.

 

[Marko067]

Having used both Univalves and Gardiner's gooseneck twist valves extensively my personal favourite is the twist valve. I think both are excellent pieces of kit, but like so many other things both have their quirks/drawbacks which I won't go into here.

Though I found the Univalve to be more versatile than the twist valve, I found it's quirks to more irritating to me than those of the twist valve and I use mine with a swivel. But that's just me. I also prefer the twist action over tugging on the hose.

The first version of the twist valve wasn't much good to be honest and quickly ended up in the bin, but the current version in much better. In my view it could be improved on a little more by lengthening the hose barbs on both ends of the tap insert to be similar to those on the Univalve. However, I still prefer it over the Univalve for my current work.

I have never tried the 'One shot' so can't comment on that but I'm personally glad that we have the choice.

I believe in the end it is very much 'horses for courses'. What works for the individual.

 

[Stuart S]

Hi,

I bought the twist valve several years ago (I think maybe 3). I run my flow rate pretty high, so I want as little wasted water flow as possible. For that reason I don't want systems where I have to take my hands off the pole to stop the flow. I tried putting in-line tap systems, and electronic radio switches etc. in place (I like to try new things in the name of efficiency) but it's a bit of a faff as far as I'm concerned. Since I bought the twist valve I've never looked back. It took a little time to get used to, and balance - adjusting the level of tension to suit your style can be delicate, too loose and it turns when you don't want it to, too tight and it takes hard work to turn it off - but if you spend a couple of days getting your head round it, it's a REAL water-saver. Other points to note, I would keep a spare valve or two on your van. I've replaced mine 3 times since I've been using it, which I don't think is too bad (they're pretty cheap), but Gardiners insist on charging £20+ to deliver small parts to Scotland, so I keep as many spares as possible when I order.

Regarding hose, I switched to the kink-free stuff from Gardiners on my last order. It's a serious relief, I hate how their standard yellow hose handles, especially in the cold. It's fine at first, but soon starts kinking, no matter what I do. I switched to a van mounted system last year, so I have a 100m microbore hose on the van with a 10m kink-free hose on the end. With the old hose it was a nightmare, it wrapped all around you, but this stuff sits there nice and inert. Also, I know it's a small thing, but personally I would stick to yellow for hoses, as it's quite clearly hi-vis. You might think this a bit extreme, but my colour-blindness is quite significant, so colours like red can be quite confusing for my eyes, whereas yellow is definitely there and unmissable. Just a thought re H&S.

Personally, I would like to be moving away from Gardiners, I don't like the build quality of some of their products, including the backpacks, I don't like their customer service model, and I don't like being charged £20 postage for a few spray nozzles that could easily be posted. I say this though, because I think credit is due for the above two products. The twist valve is pretty much the only reason I'm still using their stuff.

Just my opinion though, make of it what you will. I'm sure others will have other thoughts. Hope you get sorted.

Stuart

 

[ks789]

Many thanks for all replies. For the price I think its worth a punt. I do a lot of big houses in the sticks with huge gardens and sometimes the one shot is out of range.

 

[Chris M]

I use the twist valve all the time now- It does take a while to get used to it and find you need to adjust the tension as the day progresses- stiff on a cold morning and later but during the sumer not a problem.
I would say that to order a number of replacement Inner Valve Assemblies which wear after about 6 months but they are only about - typically when the warranty runs out- I wonder WHY? But that's only in my experience.
Not tried a Univalve as I prefer the keep my hands on the pole
Tip 1- Keep a small headed screwdriver in your toolbox to replace the inner valve when it starts to wear- takes about 5 mins when you know how.
Tip 2- use some of the Good Ladies nail polish to mark the top cap and boby positions for quick fit.

 

[Ocahan01]

Been using the twist valve in my new Slx now for about 5 weeks and I have to say I really like it.
I thought I’d give it a try and if I didn’t like it I’d just buy a univalve but I’ll be sticking with it now for the foreseeable future. It’s an easy thing to recommend but because it’s such a simple device it’s hard to get too in depth about. You twist it and it turns off the water it’s really that simple. Just test out the tension on the adjustment clamp to get the right amount of twist pressure to suit you.

 

[southcoastkev]

Another vote for the twist valve. It's brilliant when moving along windows so you don't need to take your hands off the pole. I don't really ever use a swivel though so if you do then a univalve would be spot on.

 

[Peter J]

I’m on the twist valve at the moment; had it about 3 months. I previously had a univalve I bought the twist valve purely because it was cheaper and it was a tough winter so money was tight. I think they’re both as good as each other it’s mainly down to personal preference. You’ve got to stop the water somehow. I agree with the others about the setting of the twist. It needs adjusting every now and then and takes a few days to get it where you want it.

One big downside with the twist is that it can be really tough to turn on and off if you’re at full height and a bit of an angle but they do mention that in the description.

 

[Stuart S]

Forgot about this thread. Just an update to my earlier post - I got fed up now with the twist lock. It's by far the best switching mechanism for me when it works. Switching without having to take my hands off the pole is great. HOWEVER, the switching mechanism is two TINY little plastic nodules, we're talking not much bigger than a pinhead. As soon as there's any resistance of any sort (such as a little ice on an unexpected cold snap), they snap and the thing is screwed. I've been through 3 this winter I think, and with Gardiners wanting to charge near £25 postage to post a small replacement valve via Royal Mail, I've had my fill.

I'm phasing out my Gardiners stuff each time it breaks, with the exception of the kink-free hose, which so far seems to be working ok.

 

[ks789]

Forgot about this thread. Just an update to my earlier post - I got fed up now with the twist lock. It's by far the best switching mechanism for me when it works. Switching without having to take my hands off the pole is great. HOWEVER, the switching mechanism is two TINY little plastic nodules, we're talking not much bigger than a pinhead. As soon as there's any resistance of any sort (such as a little ice on an unexpected cold snap), they snap and the thing is screwed. I've been through 3 this winter I think, and with Gardiners wanting to charge near £25 postage to post a small replacement valve via Royal Mail, I've had my fill.

I'm phasing out my Gardiners stuff each time it breaks, with the exception of the kink-free hose, which so far seems to be working ok.

Is it the ultraflex hose? got some on the way, looking forward to it as anything will be an improvement on my current hose ( some rubbish red stuff from soap national, amazing the knots it ties itself into, the standard yellow all season from gardiners never gave me any where near as much grief)

 

[Stuart S]

Aye, the ultraflex. It's starting to slightly kink, but nowhere near what other hoses have done.

 

[southcoastkev]

Aye, the ultraflex. It's starting to slightly kink, but nowhere near what other hoses have done.

@Stuart S I have been using the gardiner ultraflex too. I like the fact it's lightweight and doesn't feel as springy/coily as the gardiner green pu hose. I found the green hose could get really twisted up. But the same as you I'm finding the ultraflex is starting to kink a little bit (been using about a month or so). To be honest I think once it's worn out I'll go back to the window cleaning warehouse black hose. It doesn't last forever but has caused the amount of least grief when I'm working.

 

[Stuart S]

Interesting. How do you find the black hose for visibility? I tend to stick with yellow as it's clearly hi-vis (in case I need to argue about H&S), but just wondering what your thoughts are.

 

[southcoastkev]

@Stuart S no issues mate but I use a backpack so the hose is usually quite close to me anyway.

 

[Kevjos]

I use the twist valve all the time now- It does take a while to get used to it and find you need to adjust the tension as the day progresses- stiff on a cold morning and later but during the sumer not a problem.
I would say that to order a number of replacement Inner Valve Assemblies which wear after about 6 months but they are only about - typically when the warranty runs out- I wonder WHY? But that's only in my experience.
Not tried a Univalve as I prefer the keep my hands on the pole
Tip 1- Keep a small headed screwdriver in your toolbox to replace the inner valve when it starts to wear- takes about 5 mins when you know how.
Tip 2- use some of the Good Ladies nail polish to mark the top cap and boby positions for quick fit.

Hi everyone. I haven’t posted before so this is a bit random. I’ve had a one man band pressure washer business for three years now ( part time ) it’s gone pretty well and have had many repeat customers. I’m looking at buying a telescopic pressure washer wand ( 24 ft ) any comments or recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks. Kevin. Hertfordshire.

 

[AW Services]

Hi everyone. I haven’t posted before so this is a bit random. I’ve had a one man band pressure washer business for three years now ( part time ) it’s gone pretty well and have had many repeat customers. I’m looking at buying a telescopic pressure washer wand ( 24 ft ) any comments or recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks. Kevin. Hertfordshire.

Hello Kevin. Welcome. Just a friendly note: if you post your enquiry on the pressure washing thread you'd be likely to attract a wider trade and more advice.

For telescopic power poles there are many companies offering a range in heights and materials from GRP to Carbon fibre

I'd firstly recommend looking on the Gutter Vacuum systems Ltd website at their in house brand

Secondly there are others:
streamline
equip2clean
Karcher and countless others

Hope that helps.

Austin