Which one? SLX or Extreme pole

Just after some advice. I'm looking to buy a shorter pole and wanted to know if the Extreme was worth the extra money over the SLX. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Depending what length you’d want, 

if you are only going up to 27ft I would say slx, anything above 35ft xtreme. 

dan2016 said:

Depending what length you’d want, 

if you are only going up to 27ft I would say slx, anything above 35ft xtreme. 

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I'm just looking.at the SLX 18 or Extreme 18

extremes dont last (used as everyday poles).......at 18 ft id go with the SLX all day long....although personally i dont use anything under 25ft as my main pole....

dazmond said:

extremes dont last (used as everyday poles).......at 18 ft id go with the SLX all day long....although personally i dont use anything under 25ft as my main pole....

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There’s several members on here that use extremes as an every day pole and they last if looked after properly (flush them through with water at the end of each day).

I changed 2 SLX22 poles to 2 extreme 22 poles a couple of months back. Glad I did. Much less aching at the end of each day and lovely to work with.

I mentioned this a while back on here, my worker, Jake, said going from the SLX to the xtreme was like going from a scaffold pole to a bamboo ?

I'd rather use my extreme 25 than my slx 18. I only use the slx for a single job since it's a tad shorter, because when the slx is extended it's like waving around a cooked noodle compared to the extreme. ?

I have used a Series-2 Xtreme-22 as my daily pole for almost 4 years now and I couldn't and wouldn't use anything else.

steve garwood said:

There’s several members on here that use extremes as an every day pole and they last if looked after properly (flush them through with water at the end of each day).

I changed 2 SLX22 poles to 2 extreme 22 poles a couple of months back. Glad I did. Much less aching at the end of each day and lovely to work with.

I mentioned this a while back on here, my worker, Jake, said going from the SLX to the xtreme was like going from a scaffold pole to a bamboo ?

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ive had 4 xtreme poles now as my everyday poles......i bought an xtreme 25 a year ago....snapped 2 sections after 10 months,snapped another 4 sections on the other poles,they ARE brittle and wear a lot quicker than SLXs,im lucky to get 12-18 months out of one....

I have used an extream 18 as my everyday pole for around 4 years it’s finally had it be binned and now using an slx 18 , is the extream worth paying double the price , probably not , but it is a nice pole .

Slx25 every day , great pole/ pays my bills for me , ( well with me hanging on the end of it ).

steve garwood said:

(flush them through with water at the end of each day).

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Is this essential for the upkeep of the extreme pole Steve? Cos to be brutally honest I couldn't be bothered doing this after every shift even tho it doesn't take long

It would be cheaper getting a membership at the gym and getting an SLX. Seriously, aching at the end of the day using an SLX, do you have any balls sir? ??

Pjj said:

I have used an extream 18 as my everyday pole for around 4 years it’s finally had it be binned and now using an slx 18 , is the extream worth paying double the price , probably not , but it is a nice pole .

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This is my problem. The extreme is over £300 more than the SLX and doesn't last as long but I already have sore shoulders from working with a 30ft for everything hence why I want a smaller one. By getting an SLX it will nearly half the weight of my existing pole but I'm wondering if it's worth spending the extra and getting the Extreme.

I only have three jobs that I need my SLX 25 for and when I do them I occasionally end up using the SLX for a couple of hours and I get used it. However, when I switch back to my X22, the difference is striking. So much better all round.

Section 3 split after 85 grand’s worth of solid graft. £120 to replace the section is worth it compared to what it’s earned me.

Maintenance wise, I strip it down, clean it inside and out and re-tape it about every two months. I only flush it out when I clean it. I recon if you work in the rain a lot then you would have to flush it out more regularly

I personally would not go back to an SLX for my everyday pole unless I had no choice 

Mel Hathaway said:

This is my problem. The extreme is over £300 more than the SLX and doesn't last as long but I already have sore shoulders from working with a 30ft for everything hence why I want a smaller one. By getting an SLX it will nearly half the weight of my existing pole but I'm wondering if it's worth spending the extra and getting the Extreme.

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I have tennis elbow elbow in both arms , using the slx over the extream hasn’t made any difference to it , I do however like the extream 18 but is it worth paying double the price , it’s a difficult one but at the moment I have no intention of buying anyone one , don’t get me wrong they are a nice pole but double the price for a few grams lighter the choose it yours 

Those ‘few grams’ made a big difference for me, especially when working with the pole extended. My big problem was with RSI in the wrists and some minor problems with my elbows that just wouldn’t go away. Almost completely eliminated working with the Xtreme

Gotta admit though, £600 for the Xtreme 22 compared to the equivalent SLX does make you wonder why such a big difference. Seems excessive to me and if I was half my age I’d probably go for the SLX

Pjj said:

don’t get me wrong they are a nice pole but double the price for a few grams lighter the choose it yours 

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For me its not the weight that matters as it's negligible, it the stiffness of the pole where the key lies.

If you can do only one more job every day with the extreme compared to the slx, it's a no brainer as it will pay for itself in no time.

Pjj said:

I have used an extream 18 as my everyday pole for around 4 years it’s finally had it be binned and now using an slx 18 , is the extream worth paying double the price , probably not , but it is a nice pole .

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Mines like triggers broom ? I bought mine in October 2015 and section #3 snapped in less than a year so was replaced, then after 18 months section #2 didn't snap but you could tell it was weakening at the metal band, then the following year section #1 had an accident in the wind with some scaffolding. 

My pole currently consists of xtreme series-2 sections #1-2 & 5 and sections #3-4 are slx sections, I just bought some more series-2 sections as spares last week so I am good for 4 years and more now. @spruce puts some of us to shame he is 67 years old and uses a SLX-25 as his daily pole 

Iron Giant said:

Mines like triggers broom ? I bought mine in October 2015 and section #3 snapped in less than a year so was replaced, then after 18 months section #2 didn't snap but you could tell it was weakening at the metal band, then the following year section #1 had an accident in the wind with some scaffolding. 

My pole currently consists of xtreme series-2 sections #1-2 & 5 and sections #3-4 are slx sections, I just bought some more series-2 sections as spares last week so I am good for 4 years and more now. @spruce puts some of us to shame he is 67 years old and uses a SLX-25 as his daily pole 

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Its my son who uses an SLX25. Mine is an SLX22. I used my old SLX40 for a good portion of the day yesterday and I'm feeling it this morning. Another 4 days like this and it was all be over for another year. ?

Its not my upper body where the problem is. Its my aching back which tends to cause my legs to weaken whilst working and I become unsteady on my feet. So I'm not sure how a lighter pole will benefit me.

Whilst I do look after my things I also tend to be a little heavy handed. The SLX's have been a perfect balance for me because they have lasted well with my use.

I often push open windows down and the stiffer fly windows I might hammer closed with the bristles of the brush softening the blow. Included in this hammer is that I push down as well so the blow starts the window movement and the pushing keeps it window moving. I believe this 'heavy handedness' wouldn't go well with an Extreme pole.

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spruce said:

Its my son who uses an SLX25. Mine is an SLX22. I used my old SLX40 for a good portion of the day yesterday and I'm feeling it this morning. Another 4 days like this and it was all be over for another year. ?

Its not my upper body where the problem is. Its my aching back which tends to cause my legs to weaken whilst working and I become unsteady on my feet. So I'm not sure how a lighter pole will benefit me.

Whilst I do look after my things I also tend to be a little heavy handed. The SLX's have been a perfect balance for me because they have lasted well with my use.

I often push open windows down and the stiffer fly windows I might hammer closed with the bristles of the brush softening the blow. Included in this hammer is that I push down as well so the blow starts the window movement and the pushing keeps it window moving. I believe this 'heavy handedness' wouldn't go well with an Extreme pole.

.

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If an open window won't close after I have placed my brush on it then it get's left open, I won't push windows shut at all as one section of my pole is worth far more than one pane of glass, which is how I prefer to look at it, after my xtreme section #4 snapped clean in half last week after almost 4 years of use, but I am finding the slx section #4 to be too heavy after around a week of use. 

Xtreme 18 and 25 also extreme extensions to 35 when needed, for my 4 storey houses I add slx # 8 and #9 

have had my extreme 18' a year now still going strong.

also I use the extreme brushes apart from the ultimate flock for leaded.

1. Two  Different extreme prototype brushes

2. Extreme medium 35cm brush

3. Ultimate flock on leaded.