I know that the special wide bodied channels were developed so window cleaners could use really long channels on big windows. These special channels are necessary if the window cleaner wants to exceed 22" in channel length. However some guys are using them in 18" lengths and even smaller. QUESTION? Why use a Slayer in shorter lengths? Isn’t it just as good to use a regular channel style. As a side note. (Isn’t the Ettore Super Cannel just as good as a Slayer in shorter lengths. I like the idea that it uses regular rubber.)
Just like soap and all the other little things it comes down to personal preference. I use a slayer 18 inch, classic ettore brass in 6, 8, and 10 inch. I break out the 36 inch slayer on a couple of storefronts.
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I like the way the Slayer allows the solution to get out of the channel quicker. (The Ettore Super Channel does a fair job but not as good as the Slayer) I also like the feel of the Slayer compared to regular channels. Hunter’s right it really comes down to personal likes and dislikes. Mrs Squeegee likes the Steccone featherweights.
The wide channels are not “neccessary” in any length but the Slayer in particular is a fantastic channel for poling. I do most all of my poling with an 18" Slayer because for me it outperforms the standard style channels. I also use the 18" Slayer for fanning the low glass. Really smooth glide that does’nt require as much pressure as a standard style channel.
Anything less than 18" I use a standard style channel and rubber.
I tried the Ettore Super Channel and for me it did not perform nearly as well as the Slayer or channels. Like you I was hoping to be able to use standard style rubber but the Super Channel was a no go for me.
Hey Nuvudude,
That’s probably the reason I don’t see a whole lot of chattter on the forums regarding the Ettore Super Channel. :rolleyes:
I liked using the Ettore Super Channels. I just like using the Slayer better. If you prefer using standard rubber then give the Super Channel a try.
I’ll be super happy when WCR comes out with their very own squeegee handle, especially for use with the Slayer channel. I really like those and wish I had a handle to match.
I’m like most of the guys on this thread, though. I like the slayer and other wide body channels for poling. I can use my Ettore Contour Pro+ to swirl on a pole at heights up to eight foot. It works nicely. I also use the steccone feather weights for my up close, hand to glass stuff. I do differ in the size though. I only use a 10" blade for walk-up style windows (the kind you can reach from a normal standing position). I use the 18" for poling.
I did run into a guy that uses a 36" and a 24" blade for some store fronts. Do many of you guys/gals use these bigger channels? I heard it was a giant time savings (one or two pulls compared to the five or six pulls with a smaller channel).
Slayer Rocks:D
This is an interesting discussion. thank you for sharing
However I think you should vary more examples to your writing much more interesting !
If I did storefront all day long every day I would definitely use at least a 24" or larger channel because it would cut down tremendously on strokes, thus saving time. Most of my commercial is not the monster store front panes so I use an 18" as my largest channel and it works fine. I just don’t want to have to buy another (very large) size of rubber and have to keep up with and carry yet another squeegee, much less one with a huge channel.
On my belt I only carry a 6", 14", and an 18" for all of my work. Lately I’ve been fanning standard double hungs with the 18" Slayer just for kicks so I’ve been telling myself I could ditch the 14", but nah…I really do need to keep it close by.
I always have on my belt or in my bucket a 30 inch Slayer, a 22 inch Unger Ergotec, a 18 inch Unger Ergotec 0 degree, a 12 inch all aluminum Ettore, and a 3 inch Unger Ergotec. I use the 30 inch Slayer for most of my commercial pole work. It REALLY speeds things up. It has a different angle then the Ergotecs, which allows you to start out really clean along the top frame. Very rarely I’ll have some soap on the top of the Slayer channel that leaves a small streak and requires another pull down.
Mostly I use my 22’ Ergotec. I love the Slayer, but I just can’t fan with it as fast as the Ergotec - maybe I just need to practice more. The Ergotec fits nicely into my Unger BOAB.
If there’s big open panes I’m using my 30’ Slayer though.
I wouldn’t want the Ettore Super Channels for the very reason they use regular rubber. That would get expensive quick. I feel that the LFI rubber in the Slayer last quite a bit longer then regular rubber. More resistance to nicks in my opinion.
Micah, I’ve been using Soren rubber in my Slayer channel and it cost even more than regular Ettore rubber. I haven’t tried LFI because I thought it is hard rubber and just for hot weather.
Do you use the LFI in cold weather too? If so how does it work? If it works well in hot and cold weather then I need to try some so I can quit paying so much for Soren.
Ettore and Soren rubber blades are getting way too expensive. I just ordered 2 twelve packs of Ettore 14’ blades and that’s $50.00
I’ll make a lot of money with those blades but it’s just a small box of rubber. I wonder why it has to be so expensive!
If I could use the LFI year round I may just spring for a larger size Slayer for the accounts with huge panes.
i’m just anxious to get my Slayer!!!
I use the 30 and 36 inch channels all day long on storefronts. It saves lots of time and energy. It takes time to master the Z method and other shortcuts the has developed. He has videos on Youtube. There is a big difference in how the Slayer performs compared to regular channels. I think it has a lot to do with the slots in the channel and how you can adjust the rubber on the glass. You can go either direction with the channel. It took me a while to learn this trick. It is the angle that you hold your pole.
It has been a long time but I tried those large sizes a long time ago. My impression was that the long channels did not make full contact on some glass because the windows were not totally flat. They would have skipped areas on some windows so I stopped using them The slots on the Slayer look the same as the slots by the way. I don’t see a difference there.
I still don’t get why the Slayer slots are the same configuration as the slots so that they take the same rubber.
I agree with you. Rubber is just getting too expensive. The longest size I find to be practical for use is 24". That is my opinion. Maybe someone else can convince me that I am wrong. Go ahead.
I suspect that the reason the type squeegee has a different configuration is just to force the consumer to buy their more expensive rubber. Is there another reason? The big sizes may come in handy for some unusual situation but it hasn’t worked for me with most work.
Personally I don’t use anything larger than 18 inches either, that’s why I started this thread. I carry a 5 inch, 12 inch and an 18 inch. It sounds to me like the slayer is easier to pole but someone said it is more difficult to fan. If both channels are 18 inches long why is a regular channel easier to fan than a /slayer?
That would probably be a matter of the weight and thickness of the channel. Still, you can fan with any channel, including the thick ones.
Hey Merv,
If you can move faster with a regular channel why use a slayer/ in a shorter length channel?
The Slayer is definitely much better for poling. I use the 18" Slayer for both poling and fanning. The Slayer may be a little trickier to fan with but I’ve been fanning with the Slayer (and) for so long that I don’t notice it.
I just don’t want to carry an 18" squeegee in both the Slayer and standard style so I just stick with the Slayer.
If I were to add on a larger Slayer channel I wouldn’t go larger than a 24" because (just like Merv said) anything larger would not be practical for the work that I do. Ettore’s 18" soren rubber that fit’s the Slayer style channels is like $40.00 a dozen. I think they’re takin’ us for a ride just because they can.
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