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Gardiners swivel

Pjj

Premium Member
Messages
13,422
Location
Cornwall
I think it was @Part Timer that said the Gardiners swivel is a must have piece of kit , so I bought one and it arrived just on the lockdown period ,si I hadn’t had a chance to use it , I tried it out today and it does  take a bit of getting used to but after 3-4 jobs I found I was quite proficient with it , it’s very good if you have to stand to one side of a window , but where I thought it would be great on Juliet balcony railings I was disappointed with it it took far longer to clean than with the rigid normal quick lock one . But over all I do see it has its uses , dont think I would use it all the time at this stage but Ime glad that I got it . 

 
Just a bit more practice and everything will be second nature. You can tighten or loosen the swivel if it's to stiff or loose.

I can get my 45cm brush through 1st floor Juliets without much trouble and you only need to go through 4 times max.

Cleaning sills above conny roofs / flat roofs is so much easier

 
Just a bit more practice and everything will be second nature. You can tighten or loosen the swivel if it's to stiff or loose.

I can get my 45cm brush through 1st floor Juliets without much trouble and you only need to go through 4 times max.

Cleaning sills above conny roofs / flat roofs is so much easier
What length poles do you use it on ?? I had it on my 18 today , is it any advantage on a 35 or 45 foot  pole  ?. 

 
Best thing ever imo wouldn't go back to a fix neck extreme brush in Juliet rails brilliant combo for them. 

Only have it on our 25's / 27's as we don't use anything shorter. Never tried it on anything longer as invariably access to the higher windows tends to be, on average, a lot more straight forward.
I use swivel on my 4 storey work no problems

 
Best thing ever imo wouldn't go back to a fix neck extreme brush in Juliet rails brilliant combo for them. 

I use swivel on my 4 storey work no problems
Do you think it’s an advantage at that height and if so why ?? 

 
Have them on all my poles from 4’ to extreme 35’ with extensions so don’t bother changing when cleaning 4 storey work perfect honestly imo one of the best things ever.

I have a slx with a fix head purely for gutters fascias, connie roof.

extreme pole and brushes with swivel, electric reel, tub-less and univalves makes life so my life so much easier. 

Will swap three new fix heads for you swivel ?

 
Have them on all my poles from 4’ to extreme 35’ with extensions so don’t bother changing when cleaning 4 storey work perfect honestly imo one of the best things ever.

I have a slx with a fix head purely for gutters fascias, connie roof.

extreme pole and brushes with swivel, electric reel, tub-less and univalves makes life so my life so much easier. 

Will swap three new fix heads for you swivel ?
Thanks for that it’s Intresting to see and hear how ones get on with different bits of kit , I only used it on a few jobs today but could see it did make life easier on some of them . 

 
Thanks for that it’s Intresting to see and hear how ones get on with different bits of kit , I only used it on a few jobs today but could see it did make life easier on some of them . 
Honestly stick with it for all your residential work and the Juliet rails normal extreme brush (in your case the the stiff version ) quick to get in out the rails. 

 
Used a swivel for 2 years and wouldn't go back personally. It never comes off my pole use it on every job. Whatever angle I am at the full bristles touch the glass. Just get it set to exactly the right stiffness that works for you. 

One of the things I've noticed is I've naturally adapted to using it over time without realising really. For instance if I had 2 upstairs windows to do fairly close to each other, before I would move to each one. Now I stand in the middle and do both as the angle allows me to. Just little things like that.

 
I've used a swivel for about three years now, maybe a little longer and I haven't got a single job where it's easier with a fixed brush.

I use Gardiners Q-loq version. I got to work a while back and realised I'd forgotten to put my regular brushes back in the motor after a brush cleaning session. So I shoved an old fixed brush on I had in the motor. It was awful, like trying to use a squeegee with a fused wrist. Doable, but so much easier with the swivel movement.

 
I've used a swivel for about three years now, maybe a little longer and I haven't got a single job where it's easier with a fixed brush.

I use Gardiners Q-loq version. I got to work a while back and realised I'd forgotten to put my regular brushes back in the motor after a brush cleaning session. So I shoved an old fixed brush on I had in the motor. It was awful, like trying to use a squeegee with a fused wrist. Doable, but so much easier with the swivel movement.
In your opinion ?. I didn’t get on with it

 
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Today first three jobs were 3 storey townhouse all next to each other,  extreme 25 swivel the new extreme tapertec 26cm and the new low profile John guest set up Juliet rails front and back 1st floor easy peasy.

another windie I know got the swivel on my recommendation, first day phoned me loved it, third phoned me and said his back was knackered and blamed the swivel ?said to him I would buy it off him but he didn’t want to sell lol. 

no good when have bird mess on window  and you want to use  edge of brush gave it a week 
Gardiner superscraper have them on all my poles ?

 
There's a couple of things I've come to realise with the swivel :

I find the shorter the swivel/gooseneck is, the better it works for me.

I find it important to set the adjuster screw only just tight enough that the brush doesn't flop about if you hold the pole horizontal and roll it over. That way you can re-set the angle of the brush with just a gentle twist of the wrist without having to press hard against the window.

I rejected it first after a very short trial, it felt odd and alien to me. Went back to it again for another try after reading the enthusiasm on the forum.

Main two things that changed it for me second time round : setting the screw nice and loose. And standing to one side of the practice windows and getting used to briskly but lightly rolling the wrist while watching what the brush was doing.

It's like an extension of my arms and hands now.

I do think it works best with a lightweight brush as the screw can be set lightly without the brush flopping. This keeps it easy to adjust the angle without having to press the brush hard against the window.

 
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