What length pole?

As per title, I am thinking of buying a new pole. My current everyday pole is an SLX 39, which is like cracking open a walnut with a sledgehammer for the majority of my work! So I want to reserve this for 2 storey houses, skylights and solar panels. For an everyday pole, ie mainly ground and first floors, will a 22 cut it? Or is a 25 a better option?

Yeah, my 22 will comfortably clean most ground and first floor properties, and I can reach a lot of town houses and dormer windows too. The other advantage of the 22 over the 25 is the shorter collapsed length which makes it more manauverable.

Yeh Slx or xtreme 22 it ! I had a 25ft but the the closed length is 5ft, too long for tight ally’s etc 

RWCleaning said:

Yeh Slx or xtreme 22 it ! I had a 25ft but the the closed length is 5ft, too long for tight ally’s etc 

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High-tower said:

Yeah, my 22 will comfortably clean most ground and first floor properties, and I can reach a lot of town houses and dormer windows too. The other advantage of the 22 over the 25 is the shorter collapsed length which makes it more manauverable.

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I fully agree with both of these posters, for exactly the reasons they gave. I can't add anything to what they've said. 

i would go for a 25ft pole.its the perfect size for most day to day work,closed length is fine for me(i have very large arms and hands!)it also reaches most 3 storey windows and velux too....i use a 47 footer for anything higher....

Ok cheers for the answers chaps, much appreciated. I’m swaying towards a 22’ now. I’d love an extreme but it would be a bit of a push financially I think. I think I’ll find the weight difference between the 39’ and the 22’ a luxury anyway!

Extreme or slx 18 or 22 for everyday work I have a Slx25 with extensions up to #9 the Slx25 is my less favourite because of the added length my son uses the Slx25 for townhouses as he is shorter than me. 

22 foot plus 2 extensions for most my work. Very rare it just gets used as a 22 though as it’s not big enough. I have a 45 foot pole for anyhthing higher plus access to a good friends 60 foot pole of needed. 

Buy the ultimate high reach 74, for the high stuff, then when you swap over to the Slx 39 for the down stairs will be a walk in the park. 

I have an SLX22 and it will get to the vast majority of our work. An SLX40 covers the rest. I would probably look at an SLX27 next time around as we do have a few that my SLX22 will just reach on my tippy toes.

How the hack you manage to do all your work with an SLX39 is beyond me. I only use my SLX40 for the windows my SLX22 won't reach. Once those windows are done, I swap it for my SLX22 and finish the job off with that.

My rule of thumb is 10ft per storey then add 5ft for good measure to allow for awkward windows etc. I don’t like using my poles  fully extended to their max limit as they are too wippy and can cause more stress to the body than the extra weight of a slightly larger pole. Another reason is that it causes stress to the ends of the sections weakening them over time. 

I bought a slx18 last year thinking it would become my main pole, but it's just too wippy and short.

Just upgraded last week to a Xtreme 25, swivel head and 35cm Dupont brush. I absolutely love it. The houses up here are a bit higher than yours though, as the basement is mostly above ground.

I use the Xtreme 47 for the high stuff, don't see the slx18 getting much use to be honest. 

RWCleaning said:

Buy the ultimate high reach 74, for the high stuff, then when you swap over to the Slx 39 for the down stairs will be a walk in the park. 

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Joking aside if you know anyone that has one for sale, apart from Alex who wants £3.6k ?, I might be in the market.

Den said:

Extreme or slx 18 or 22 for everyday work I have a Slx25 with extensions up to #9 the Slx25 is my less favourite because of the added length my son uses the Slx25 for townhouses as he is shorter than me. 

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you d be better off with an xtreme 25 and an xtreme 47.the 25ft is light as a feather for every day work and the 47 footer for anything higher than 3 storey....

I have a dodgy shoulder and arthritis so always looking for the lightest possible set up, ten years ago wouldn't have bothered me as much but now I'm 50 I'm trying to future proof myself for the future I could still use an extreme 25 all day I choose not as honestly not needed and don't like the longer length of the 25

dazmond said:

you d be better off with an xtreme 25 and an xtreme 47.the 25ft is light as a feather for every day work and the 47 footer for anything higher than 3 storey....

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I'm 6'2" and 18stone isn't that I'm a weakling just seems daft to me to use bigger and heavier when not need plus having serveral poles the longer ones last forever and only the smaller poles that's need replacing more frequently. 

Your right about buying a extreme 47 though as I do some 4 storey house and the slx with extensions is hard work will buy one eventually. 

Den said:

I have a dodgy shoulder and arthritis so always looking for the lightest possible set up, ten years ago wouldn't have bothered me as much but now I'm 50 I'm trying to future proof myself for the future I could still use an extreme 25 all day I choose not as honestly not needed and don't like the longer length of the 25

I'm 6'2" and 18stone isn't that I'm a weakling just seems daft to me to use bigger and heavier when not need plus having serveral poles the longer ones last forever and only the smaller poles that's need replacing more frequently. 

Your right about buying a extreme 47 though as I do some 4 storey house and the slx with extensions is hard work will buy one eventually. 

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im also 6ft 2in and 18 stone (but im a bodybuilder in my spare time)and 47 years of age....each to their own but anything shorter than a 25 footer is just too short for my regular work,i need to use it at full extension for some 1st floor windows on some parts of my round!also i dont always like to extend each section fully when cleaning awkward windows,i dont think its good for the poles longevity and i prefer the extra rigidity.....

my xtreme 47 was bought in a gardiners sale years ago for £850(old style clamps).i only use it around 10 times a month (and for the odd solar panel cleaning job)ive had it years and itll last another 20 years i reckon!?

My slx with extension only comes approx 4 times every 4 weeks and the four 4 storey houses every 8 weeks would gladly pay £850 for a new extreme 47 

I could almost go a week before I have to use the 22 or 25 or maybe only for a handful of windows so honestly not needed I would rather come home knowing that I'm future proofing myself and spend time with the 7 grandchildren or going out with mates etc,

My gym days are truly over yes I'm fatter and not as strong and fit and the worst bit gone bald lol but happier now I have been cutting back work.

like you said each to their own but my round don't require to me permanently use a bigger pole so why ? I know you are only trying to give info what works for you but it's like me saying to you should used a 30ft plus pole all day long when not needed why would you? 

dazmond said:

im also 6ft 2in and 18 stone (but im a bodybuilder in my spare time)and 47 years of age....each to their own but anything shorter than a 25 footer is just too short for my regular work,i need to use it at full extension for some 1st floor windows on some parts of my round!also i dont always like to extend each section fully when cleaning awkward windows,i dont think its good for the poles longevity and i prefer the extra rigidity.....

my xtreme 47 was bought in a gardiners sale years ago for £850(old style clamps).i only use it around 10 times a month (and for the odd solar panel cleaning job)ive had it years and itll last another 20 years i reckon!?

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My slx with extension only comes approx 4 times every 4 weeks and the four 4 storey houses every 8 weeks would gladly pay £850 for a new extreme 47 

 

I could almost go a week before I have to use the 22 or 25 or maybe only for a handful of windows so honestly not needed I would rather come home knowing that I'm future proofing myself and spend time with the 7 grandchildren or going out with mates etc,

 

 My gym days are truly over yes I'm fatter and not as strong and fit and the worst bit gone bald lol but happier now I have been cutting back work.

 

like you said each to their own but my round don't require to me permanently use a bigger pole so why ? I know you are only trying to give info what works for you but it's like me saying to you should used a 30ft plus pole all day long when not needed why would you? 

I have an 18 and a 30 slx.

18 covers about 80% 

a 22 would cover 90% 

a 25 would cover 95%

my 30 covers 100% just about on my toes with a couple of windows.

If I could only have one pole i would have a 25 with a couple of extensions in the van for the odd house.

spruce said:

I have an SLX22 and it will get to the vast majority of our work. An SLX40 covers the rest. I would probably look at an SLX27 next time around as we do have a few that my SLX22 will just reach on my tippy toes.

How the hack you manage to do all your work with an SLX39 is beyond me. I only use my SLX40 for the windows my SLX22 won't reach. Once those windows are done, I swap it for my SLX22 and finish the job off with that.

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To be fair I used to compete at powerlifting and boxed amateur so my shoulders are in good nick, but when I swapped from a 30 to a 39 it took a few weeks to get accustomed to the extra weight. I am also thinking about preventing problems rather than fixing them when they appear and don’t want to suffer repetitive strain further down the line. Ultimately I’m looking at getting an extreme but need to save the pennies as they are a fair bit more than the regular carbon fibre poles.