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FaceLift PHANTOM Pole

It doesn't look like anyone is going to admit they purchased one??

There has been no response to the same question asked on the other forum.

 
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Blimey there were loads of people waking round with those poles in their hands.

I sat in the cafe for 15/20minutes around noon, and at least 6 people walked outside with the phantom pole.

 
I’ve got one, very impressed so far. I got the 25ft carbon, bit heavier than I expected but it’s as smooth as a babies bum when extended - really nice. Clamps are great too. I’ve used it for two full days so far and I’m very impressed. Compared to the SLX22 it’s replaced, it’s definitely on par if not slightly better- reason being it’s wrapped in 3k carbon and coupled with the new clamps can see it lasting a lot longer than the SLX has. I personally think they’ve jumped the gun a bit releasing it as they don’t have a swivel or quick release yet. The new red pole hose is also pretty impressive, it’s a cross between the Gardiner green pu hose and rhino hose. Obviously it’s new so it’s behaving at the moment with no real twisting and tangling. I’ve not tried it with hot yet which will be the real test. I also brought the DuPont phantom brush - this has been a revelation! Yes it’s heavier and a brick compared to my extreme/ultimate brushes but it makes short work of everything I’ve thrown at it. It eats cobwebs on wooden and aluminium frames and clears spider poo from glass within two passes. I used it on a first clean yesterday and today and it performed superbly. I have put some 100 degree fan jets on but have been using the pencil jets it was supplied with all day today - love it!!! I’ve also cobbled the Gardiner swivel neck onto the existing adaptor as without it I really couldn’t function. Overall I’m really impressed with the whole set up. I’ll be purchasing the hi-mod version for the missus in the Black Friday sales (fingers crossed!) - I tested it on the stand at the weekend and the 40ft was surprisingly light, they didn’t have anything shorter but my money is now going to facelift for the foreseeable future. It’s about time the competition stepped up and - so far - I’m very impressed with what they are producing.


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I’ve got one, very impressed so far. I got the 25ft carbon, bit heavier than I expected but it’s as smooth as a babies bum when extended - really nice. Clamps are great too. I’ve used it for two full days so far and I’m very impressed. Compared to the SLX22 it’s replaced, it’s definitely on par if not slightly better- reason being it’s wrapped in 3k carbon and coupled with the new clamps can see it lasting a lot longer than the SLX has. I personally think they’ve jumped the gun a bit releasing it as they don’t have a swivel or quick release yet. The new red pole hose is also pretty impressive, it’s a cross between the Gardiner green pu hose and rhino hose. Obviously it’s new so it’s behaving at the moment with no real twisting and tangling. I’ve not tried it with hot yet which will be the real test. I also brought the DuPont phantom brush - this has been a revelation! Yes it’s heavier and a brick compared to my extreme/ultimate brushes but it makes short work of everything I’ve thrown at it. It eats cobwebs on wooden and aluminium frames and clears spider poo from glass within two passes. I used it on a first clean yesterday and today and it performed superbly. I have put some 100 degree fan jets on but have been using the pencil jets it was supplied with all day today - love it!!! I’ve also cobbled the Gardiner swivel neck onto the existing adaptor as without it I really couldn’t function. Overall I’m really impressed with the whole set up. I’ll be purchasing the hi-mod version for the missus in the Black Friday sales (fingers crossed!) - I tested it on the stand at the weekend and the 40ft was surprisingly light, they didn’t have anything shorter but my money is now going to facelift for the foreseeable future. It’s about time the competition stepped up and - so far - I’m very impressed with what they are producing.


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Whats the difference in the high mod version 

 
I’ve got one, very impressed so far. I got the 25ft carbon, bit heavier than I expected but it’s as smooth as a babies bum when extended - really nice. Clamps are great too. I’ve used it for two full days so far and I’m very impressed. Compared to the SLX22 it’s replaced, it’s definitely on par if not slightly better- reason being it’s wrapped in 3k carbon and coupled with the new clamps can see it lasting a lot longer than the SLX has. I personally think they’ve jumped the gun a bit releasing it as they don’t have a swivel or quick release yet. The new red pole hose is also pretty impressive, it’s a cross between the Gardiner green pu hose and rhino hose. Obviously it’s new so it’s behaving at the moment with no real twisting and tangling. I’ve not tried it with hot yet which will be the real test. I also brought the DuPont phantom brush - this has been a revelation! Yes it’s heavier and a brick compared to my extreme/ultimate brushes but it makes short work of everything I’ve thrown at it. It eats cobwebs on wooden and aluminium frames and clears spider poo from glass within two passes. I used it on a first clean yesterday and today and it performed superbly. I have put some 100 degree fan jets on but have been using the pencil jets it was supplied with all day today - love it!!! I’ve also cobbled the Gardiner swivel neck onto the existing adaptor as without it I really couldn’t function. Overall I’m really impressed with the whole set up. I’ll be purchasing the hi-mod version for the missus in the Black Friday sales (fingers crossed!) - I tested it on the stand at the weekend and the 40ft was surprisingly light, they didn’t have anything shorter but my money is now going to facelift for the foreseeable future. It’s about time the competition stepped up and - so far - I’m very impressed with what they are producing.


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Fantastic It’s good to hear that your getting on so well with it I’m due a new 18ft pole in the next couple of months or so, this may well be it :)


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It doesn't look like anyone is going to admit they purchased one??

There has been no response to the same question asked on the other forum.
bruce,i had friend phone me up today asking the same thing,you may just know him but i'll not post his name on a forum,very much of a gardiner guy but not too happy with the longevity of the workers slx's so is going to buy a phantom for a worker to try,now out of all the people I know-lets call him "t" would not vear from gardiners whatsoever but the idea of a serviceable pole suits him.for "t" to think this is the logical way forward does make me think a bit as he is lets say open to more knowledge than most of us.

the idea of the replacable  shim wasn't really steves idea but was one of jim thompsons ideas a few years ago and even then when he posted the idea on a forum he left something out-he was very clever and clued up to what the suppliers could glean from forums.

going back to the phantom,it will still wear at the shims due to pivotal use,i feel the sections will wear too ,jim had this sorted too but the downside was just replacing shims every year or so rather than the pole sections or pole it would make a pole last for many years, the suppliers don't really want that for many reasons money more than any other,

 
 
Whats the difference in the high mod version 
It’s the equivalent of the xtreme pole. It actually felt - and looked like - a new SLX (wrapped carbon) but was as light as a feather. Very tempting!!!!


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449fe9f0c33e1089d85ec8ef3445c706.jpg



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I’ve got one, very impressed so far. I got the 25ft carbon, bit heavier than I expected but it’s as smooth as a babies bum when extended - really nice. Clamps are great too. I’ve used it for two full days so far and I’m very impressed. Compared to the SLX22 it’s replaced, it’s definitely on par if not slightly better- reason being it’s wrapped in 3k carbon and coupled with the new clamps can see it lasting a lot longer than the SLX has. I personally think they’ve jumped the gun a bit releasing it as they don’t have a swivel or quick release yet. The new red pole hose is also pretty impressive, it’s a cross between the Gardiner green pu hose and rhino hose. Obviously it’s new so it’s behaving at the moment with no real twisting and tangling. I’ve not tried it with hot yet which will be the real test. I also brought the DuPont phantom brush - this has been a revelation! Yes it’s heavier and a brick compared to my extreme/ultimate brushes but it makes short work of everything I’ve thrown at it. It eats cobwebs on wooden and aluminium frames and clears spider poo from glass within two passes. I used it on a first clean yesterday and today and it performed superbly. I have put some 100 degree fan jets on but have been using the pencil jets it was supplied with all day today - love it!!! I’ve also cobbled the Gardiner swivel neck onto the existing adaptor as without it I really couldn’t function. Overall I’m really impressed with the whole set up. I’ll be purchasing the hi-mod version for the missus in the Black Friday sales (fingers crossed!) - I tested it on the stand at the weekend and the 40ft was surprisingly light, they didn’t have anything shorter but my money is now going to facelift for the foreseeable future. It’s about time the competition stepped up and - so far - I’m very impressed with what they are producing.


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Fantastic It’s good to hear that your getting on so well with it I’m due a new 18ft pole in the next couple of months or so, this may well be it ?


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Jim had some excellent ideas. But as he and many have discovered getting those ideas from the ‘lightbulb moment’ and DIY shed to market is a very long journey. .doesnt really matter that It may not have been Steve’s original idea. Kudos to him for a finished product that at this early stage seems to be well ahead of the competition... CNER Advanced new bicomponent 3rd gen clamps look very promising also. 

 
bruce,i had friend phone me up today asking the same thing,you may just know him but i'll not post his name on a forum,very much of a gardiner guy but not too happy with the longevity of the workers slx's so is going to buy a phantom for a worker to try,now out of all the people I know-lets call him "t" would not vear from gardiners whatsoever but the idea of a serviceable pole suits him.for "t" to think this is the logical way forward does make me think a bit as he is lets say open to more knowledge than most of us.

the idea of the replacable  shim wasn't really steves idea but was one of jim thompsons ideas a few years ago and even then when he posted the idea on a forum he left something out-he was very clever and clued up to what the suppliers could glean from forums.

going back to the phantom,it will still wear at the shims due to pivotal use,i feel the sections will wear too ,jim had this sorted too but the downside was just replacing shims every year or so rather than the pole sections or pole it would make a pole last for many years, the suppliers don't really want that for many reasons money more than any other,


The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say @kevinc250. This Phantom pole could be a step forwards, its only time that will answer that one.

Again for me its history that usually tells it own story. If I was looking for a new pole in the next couple of weeks I would choose an SLX. I go on my past experience with a brand. Over time if there are a lot of favourable reports and reviews on the Phantom then I might throw that into the decision pot next time. A few years ago the Phoenix pole was released with much sales hype, but a few reviewers weren't happy with the longevity of that pole. There was much slagging off with Gardiners clamps and how much better the Phoenix clamps were. Now Phantom have horizontal clamps. I have a long memory when it comes to this sort of sales talk.

Would I trust a favourable review of the pole by one of Facelift loyal customers? I'm warey.

We tell horror stories when it comes to dealing with Brodex. But there are still people who buy from them despite the warnings. That's their choice. 

I was in the sales world for a number of years. What struck he was the first post by a forum member was asking if anyone had seen the new Phantom pole by Facelift. We haven't seen Stephen Fox on here for ages but there was an immediate response from him. My first gut feeling was that he had prompted the post as he appeared to be waiting for it. He's gone quiet again.

For me I'm rather sceptical about making a decision to jump ship on a worker's SLX not lasting. But to each his own. My opinion is that if his employee wrecked his SLX he will do the same with every pole he is given. The next conclusion drawn would be that they are both poorly manufactured poles.

Son in law handed me back his SLX22 that he had used for the previous 4 years. It was in a disgusting state. Even the bare minimum of maintenance was never done. I did a couple of repairs to it every now and again. I fitted new clamps and sprayed the sections with engine lacquer after he left us. I cut two of the sections shorter as the ends were broken due being clamped to close to the end. Missing stop tape was never replaced and he could even be asked to adjust the clamps as they wore. I doubt he even flushed the pole out with running water.

Now someone could have blamed poor manufacture for the state of his pole, but mine was put into service at the same time, is now 6 years old and I hope it will last another 2 or 3 years.

I have a CLX22 from the first Gardiner batch in 2009. It is in better condition than the SLX is. In fact I should have upgraded the clamps on that pole and not wasted my time trying to revive that SLX.

Some people have no idea or care about anything they own. My son in law is one of them - just buy a new one. The quicker he destroys it the sooner he will get a new one. That's his personality.

.

 
Don't believe the hype ?, I will stick with my Xtreme series 2.

County Durham Lad
I’ve not picked my SLX up all week so it’s looking good so far - I’ll do a wear report after a month.
Don’t understand your comment on ‘hype’ iron giant? The OP said no one else has commented on it yet. I don’t use any other forums so don’t know what anyone else thinks of it?


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I’ve not picked my SLX up all week so it’s looking good so far - I’ll do a wear report after a month.
Don’t understand your comment on ‘hype’ iron giant? The OP said no one else has commented on it yet. I don’t use any other forums so don’t know what anyone else thinks of it?


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Face-lift do a big marketing campaign saying they have a real game changer like last time and it wasn't the case. 6 months down the line will be the real teller

County Durham Lad

 
Face-lift do a big marketing campaign saying they have a real game changer like last time and it wasn't the case. 6 months down the line will be the real teller

County Durham Lad
 
Neither do  I rate the Slx lads go on about how it's a good daily pole that will take abuse it wears down in 6 months and is too heavy as a daily for me, I will upload pics of a series 2 Xtreme #2 section after 30 months use it's barely worn

County Durham Lad
 

 
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I did find the advertising frustrating- it’s all nonsense but they obviously pay a marketing company to do it for them. I personally think they should have waited until all the accessories were finalised and just given a release date and stuck with it but I’m no marketing guru!
They don’t make the series II Xtreme anymore do they iron giant - I assume because they have the metal banding which stops wear, they obviously cottoned on that the repeat business v’s initial sales figures didn’t add up!! Who would ever want to sell a product that never wears out!!!


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I did find the advertising frustrating- it’s all nonsense but they obviously pay a marketing company to do it for them. I personally think they should have waited until all the accessories were finalised and just given a release date and stuck with it but I’m no marketing guru!
They don’t make the series II Xtreme anymore do they iron giant - I assume because they have the metal banding which stops wear, they obviously cottoned on that the repeat business v’s initial sales figures didn’t add up!! Who would ever want to sell a product that never wears out!!!


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Hi AGlassAct

We stopped making the Series-II Xtreme poles anymore because we had reliability issues with the carbon/steel mix, not because it didn't wear.

The X3 Xtreme pole that has replaced it actually lasts longer and has less wear and reliability issues. Whilst the stainless steel banding did stop wear or spinning on the outside clamping points it did not stop any of the wear from the inside of the sections - which is actually the majority of the wear on a carbon pole.

Looking at your SLX22 - nearly 3 years use  isn't too bad ?

 
I did find the advertising frustrating- it’s all nonsense but they obviously pay a marketing company to do it for them. I personally think they should have waited until all the accessories were finalised and just given a release date and stuck with it but I’m no marketing guru!
They don’t make the series II Xtreme anymore do they iron giant - I assume because they have the metal banding which stops wear, they obviously cottoned on that the repeat business v’s initial sales figures didn’t add up!! Who would ever want to sell a product that never wears out!!!


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They do weaken and or snap just below the top band on sections #1 #2 and #3, but since using Slx sections and having time to reflect on how I feel used the pole on a daily basis and being 5ft so partially extending sections and maybe having them extend on the certain high lower level windows this can put some undue pressure on those bands and I personally feel that this is is what happened possibly on a wider scale and with my new replacement sections I am working differently and more consciously on a daily basis.

County Durham Lad
 

 
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