Polz’n bladz on youtube has an interesting video on matching your rubber to your channel. The thing is, and I just learned this recently, is that all of the manufacturers size their channels and rubber a little differently. Ettore rubber and channels are a good bit taller than Unger’s, so if you put an Unger rubber in an Ettore channel you won’t have any ‘play’ in the angle, and closing out will be difficult. If you do the opposite, Ettore rubber in an Unger channel, you’ll have excess rubber sticking out, leading to sloppy action from the squeegee. It really takes some experimenting to figure out what combination(s) suit you best.
One combination that I’ve been using lately, especially on commercial glass, is Unger hard rubber in the Steccone aluminum channel. The channel is a little taller than an Unger, but not as tall as Ettore. So you get tighter action, without sacrificing overall usability. Combine that with 45° ends and dog-earing, and you’ve got a killer combination for fanning large plates of glass. I currently have a 22" channel set up like this with an aluminum handle, and it’s the bomb! I plan on setting up the rest of the squeegees I keep on my belt like this. Currently they’re all Ettore stainless channels and rubber: 16", 12", and 6".
Oh, and and to complicate matters further, I’m pretty sure that there are even differences between channels from the same manufacturer. For instance, I don’t think the Ettore brass channel is sized exactly the same as the stainless one.
Yeah, I’m with Alex - you’ve really got to experiment. I’m not as scientific as him: if something is screwed up, I go to the next thing without really analyzing it. So that’s good info from Alex.
I went from Pulex which seemed to be a really rounded channel to the ettore which seems to be a little straighter. I took me a while to get used to it, but I love the ettore stainless channels with ettore rubber. I dumped brass a long time ago and haven’t looked back. I didn’t like the steccone because it just felt way too light and I would end up leaving water on the glass. I’m not sold on the unger channel, I’ve been playing with it this week and switched back to the ettore channel.
Also, the biggest size I use is the 18".
If you like the 22", you might consider one of the wide body channels like Slayer or Sorbo. I just found 18" to be the sweet spot for size and rubber cost. I didn’t like the idea of having 2 different types of rubber (standard and wide body) because I like to cut and reuse the rubber 18" -> cut -> 12".
But this is totally a preference thing. My setup next week will be an ettore channel, ettore rubber, and an unger ergotech handle modified with the ettore quick release and able to accept the ettore channel.
i took my slimline wagtail channel made it 45 degree ends and put it on my unger handle. works good so far, the backing of the channel is more curb so allows more room to close.
So I’m thinking of buying an ettore handle and channel. I’m thinking 16inch. There seems to be a lot of choices. Which of those would you recommend. This is simply for trial. I’m thinking of buying a few different squeegee to try them out
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Window Cleaning Resource mobile app
I personally like the swivel and super system with stainless channels. But I don’t like the zero degree (contour plus).
Unger also has one similar but they require their s-channels. Ettore can use either channel.
So you could buy the ettore handle and channel and then get an unger channel and see which one fits you best. I never used the steccone for long enough to say how it compares.
i like to leave my squeegee floating in my bucket between jobs , my 3 workers prefer to leave their squeegee upright in their b.o.a.b. they end up changing their rubbers more than i do
then again,could be they simply do more windows than i do
none. i use Wagtail squeegees only, they have aluminium channel with a stainless steel pivot nut and bolt. the design of wagtail has no recesses where dirt can build up . even the handle has 2 drain holes inside it . iv not ever needed to spend any time cleaning a wagtail.
You said that you have been scraping more paint than usual. Try wiping the edge of the glass where you start your pull with a towel before you clean the window. Or start your pull in the middle of the glass and then come back and fan. Reason for this is when you scrape you tend to push towards the edges, so you might be starting your pull with debris already under your blade.
Also you said that you wipe your blade before you start. Do you change your lint trap when you dry your towels? I’ve found that when we neglect the lint trap, we get more line on out towels. When you wipe your blade you are just depositing lint on it.
I’ve been using a brand new boab and its knicked. You might not think that your blade comes in contact with your boab but it does. As you walk it moves around and rubs. Put your squeegee in and look to see where it would rub and then compare it to where your blade streaks.
So I’m not sure what I had going on last week. These are all great tips. If you have more I want to know so I can keep them in my book of tricks. today was my second day using the same rubber from a new box. minimal paint on the job I’m on. I do notice that as my wrist gets tired I have to pay more attention but this rubber has been holding up quite nicely for me. I did switch mops, my go to 18" mop wasn’t holding soap for what ever reason so I’m rocking the 14 inch and it’s leaving a better layer on the glass. I’ve got no clue what I had going on or what fixed it but Thanks for all the help and like I said any more tips are greatly appreciated.
I’m not sure how others work but my suggestion is to keep your wrist fairly straight. Use you’re arms more and it might help with stamina. It would definitely help prevent carpel tunnel.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Window Cleaning Resource mobile app
I rotate my wrist to turn and close. Otherwise it’s all arm. I’ve been super busy for the last month. Been scheduling $3-400 worth of work daily and I know my prices are still low. I cleaned 900 windows in 3.5 days. (Outside only on commercial). So my whole body has been a bit tired. But I’m loving it. On a different note I changed my 12 inch rubber today 3 days is all it could take my 22 inch is still running strong though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Window Cleaning Resource mobile app
