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Pole weight vs stiffness

Ash87

Active member
Messages
190
Location
Devon
Hi, its new pole time for me i know theres not much weight difference between an 18ft CLX and SLX  im wondering if because the SLX is more rigid it puts less strain on the operator   ? 

I struggle with bad Hips and lower back and i think having a more rigid pole will help stabilise my muscles. Cheers 

Ash 

 
As cgh has said the extream are the stiffest lightest option but are more delicate the six is a very robust pole , if you know someone who has one ask of you can have a go with it to see what you think before buying , if you are ever down my way you are very welcome to come and try mine 

 
Yeah i did look at the extreme as can see the weight is much lower, i was under the impression they arent very robust though? I have a few jobs where im working at an angle (over a conservatory for example) do they widthstand much other than just up and down windows ? 

Having re read your post what do you mean by delicate? Thats my concern with the extreme other wise its a no brainer id just get the lightest pole stiffest pole available

 
The extreme is no delicate flower but I see why they paint it as such cause they don't want strings of complaints from heavy handed window cleaners. 

I have bad RSI in my left elbow and nearly had to give in as SLX was causing too much pain with energy return when flexing.  Bought an extreme 9 months back and had no issue with elbows since. Bought worker an SLX 30 last week, seems a lot stiffer than old SLX. Maybe just me  

 
Hi, its new pole time for me i know theres not much weight difference between an 18ft CLX and SLX  im wondering if because the SLX is more rigid it puts less strain on the operator   ? 

I struggle with bad Hips and lower back and i think having a more rigid pole will help stabilise my muscles. Cheers 

Ash 
hi ash87,just my opinion but even an extreme won't help your hip and lower back pain (a heavy pole and repetative up and down motions would show on the elbows and upper back).

personally you need to see a good chiropractor as maybe your hips are mis aligned causing the lower back pain.

or maybe a trapped nerve you don't know about.we've just come back from a holiday in turkey,the whole purpose of that holiday was for my wife to see a certain chiropractor,she had trigger finger and suspected sciatica on one side,ten sessions with this guy and the trigger finger has gone and Amanda has no pain in the hip or lower back pain-turns out one hip was not properly in its socket causing the pain and pain down one side of the leg,i also had my back sorted whilst I was there,just find a good chiropractor mate first before looking at poles

 
@kevinc250  i see a chiropractor regularly i have a long history of back problems due to a condition with my vertebrae . I dont struggle with the weight of the pole up and down or even working off to the side, its the return of energy as @Green Pro Clean Ltd  put it that I think is contributing to my pelvis trouble. Im using a CLX atm and if i use it side to side i can feel my glutes twitching trying to stabilise when the pole bends a bit. 

 
Yeah i did look at the extreme as can see the weight is much lower, i was under the impression they arent very robust though? I have a few jobs where im working at an angle (over a conservatory for example) do they widthstand much other than just up and down windows ? 

Having re read your post what do you mean by delicate? Thats my concern with the extreme other wise its a no brainer id just get the lightest pole stiffest pole available








By More delicate I mean I have broken 3 top sections of my extream pole in about 12 months I have never broken any other pole section in over 15 years of using wfp , I don’t miss treat it I don’t bang windows shut all have broken cleaning the glass , the reason that they brake is that the sections are thinner than a six so any ware on the sections will result in the section failing much sooner , I still have one of the original slx poles in daily use it must be 8 years old ? Maybe older : don’t get me wrong the extream is a good pole just don’t expect it to last as long as a six . They are very good for working over a conservatory at shallow angles but again this puts far more strain the pole , I have extream every poles in 18 , 25 ,35 ,47 the 18 is my every day most used pole when I have broken a section I then use a six 18 untill I get a replacement section and to be honest don’t find much difference in weight but the six does  bend a lot more 

 
Another way of looking at it:

If an Extreme pole gets you out working for a couple of extra days a year, (rather than having to take days off because your CLX is causing you aches & pains), the Extreme effectively pays for itself. I reckon my Extreme has paid for itself many times over.

 
To answer your OP, I personally have found that the more rigid the pole, the less strain it puts on the operator. I found using an SLX18 a whole lot better than the CLX18.

I now use an Xtreme 22. It's the same weight as the SLX18 but even more rigid. It's true, it's not as robust but it is a great pole. As long as I can afford to I would not use any other pole.

 
Yeh I bit the bullet a few months ago and bought the extreme 18. As I was suffering with a funny shoulder. Very light and minimal flex. Before I was using a 25slx all the time. I almost guarantee if you buy it now, in 6 months time you’ll be thinking “I’m so glad I bought that pole” but that doesn’t mean you’ll have perfect hearty to do with work. Maybe get a professional to look at you as well. But they’ll probably suggest the lightest/best pole as well. 

*Also, every little helps. I use either the DuPont ultimate, or a flimsy little extreme brush. And I decided to go back to the original yellow pvc pole hose rather than the reinforced pole hose I had in my Slx. Now my extreme 18 I can clean one handed no problem, well it’ll be abit wobbly but you get my point. Very light 

 
Yeh I bit the bullet a few months ago and bought the extreme 18. As I was suffering with a funny shoulder. Very light and minimal flex. Before I was using a 25slx all the time. I almost guarantee if you buy it now, in 6 months time you’ll be thinking “I’m so glad I bought that pole” but that doesn’t mean you’ll have perfect hearty to do with work. Maybe get a professional to look at you as well. But they’ll probably suggest the lightest/best pole as well. 

*Also, every little helps. I use either the DuPont ultimate, or a flimsy little extreme brush. And I decided to go back to the original yellow pvc pole hose rather than the reinforced pole hose I had in my Slx. Now my extreme 18 I can clean one handed no problem, well it’ll be abit wobbly but you get my point. Very light 
You could have took sections off your slx25 and you would have had a lighter pole and a healthier bank balance ?, 

 
I find squeezing that protection ball on & off & taking sections off and on too annoying. I prefer using my Xtreme 18 80% of the time, then quickly swapping poles for the odd window at the end. 

Each to their own. And it’s all tax deductible at the end of the day. Rather spend £500 on a great pole, then pay a extra £500 in a tax bill or whatever 

 
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