So yesterday I did 2 residentials, inside/out and I made an observation about my Ninjas with the green unger clip alternative. On smaller channes I had a harder time fanning and the rubber was wearing quite quickly at the edges. What I did to compensate for this was to re-insert the green clips a tad lower which takes away the pronounce dog earing affect. Even tho I no longer had dog earing I still had a sturdy back support behind the rubber resulting in a bit less detailing.
So basically if I know I’ll be doing alot of straight pulls on the end of a pole I will probably set it up with the dog earing clip method but for nose to glass cleaning I will take away the dog ear affect. I’ll try to post a couple of pics later so you can see what I mean.
looking at that clip you have in the picture . the Unger clip looks 2/3 times the thickness of the other clip i used…
and that when pressed against the glass is causing too much friction at the ends due to this thickness…i cut the clip down in length 50- 70 % ( my clip )- it works well and the reduction in detailing is really a big advantage…
. i think this is maybe why your having this problem mark with the dog earing due to the thickness of those green clips and its stopping the whole squeegee length molding or conforming to the glass
i have only dog eared one channel …my main channel … 14 " Ninja and all i can say it works like dream… and detailing has been cut by at least 50 %.
i would say very strongly that all ninja users at least try it. the saving in detailing might be very helpful or at least put it in the middle as shown by mark.
.i cannot honestly believe that people see no difference between using unger ninja end clips and not…all you have to do is try it. is as simple as that. try with the unger ninja end clips and try it with the other end clips.
I agree! The Unger Green clips are much thicker than the oro clips. I’ve been experimenting with the Unger green clips and the oro clips. For a thinner clip I’ve been flattening out the oro clips completely except for the pull tab on the end. Just use a pair of pliers or a hammer and flatten out the part that goes into the channel and leave the pull tab as is. You can shorten the length too if you like. I like using just one clip so I don’t shorten the length of the oro clips.
The Ninja clips aren’t bad as far as performance goes but they are a pain when changing rubber blades if you’re using Ettore rubber. On that note I’ve ditched the Ninja end clips completely because I like using Ettore rubber. I’m enjoying the Ninja’s with the alternative clips.
As much as I like the Ninjas they are a bit overkill when it comes to the bulkiness, at least for use with channel sizes 18" and under. They’re not really light, not particularly heavy either, but they are quite bulky. The Ninja handle, although quite comfortable at the grip, is pretty bulky otherwise. Probably too bulky for use with the small channels for my taste. I’ve been thinking about just using my Steccones in sizes 18" and under and use the Ninjas for anything over 18". The Steccones are ridiculously easy to use and very easy on the hands. My right hand has had some discomfort over the past week so I think I’ll use the Steccones in the smaller sizes 18" and under this coming week.
I just ordered the 8" Ninja channel for cutups. We’ll see how it goes. The smallest Ninja channel I have at the moment is a 12" but without the Ninja clips it actually around 10" which means the 8" that I ordered will measure at around 6" after removing the Ninja clps. Too small? Ahhh…I just wanted to see what it’s like.
The wagtail I use most is only 9" wide. (wagtail handle with 9" cutdown steconne channel) just love the light weight. I only like widths larger than 16" forpole work
Maybe try & drill the channel in the center (a la Wagtail) & use a retaining screw, then you can loose clips completely. All the wide bodied channels I’ve used are pretty well held in the groove.
The first thing I noticed about the Ninja is that the clips seemed bulky. I gave it to one of my guys to try out, so I’m waiting to see what he thinks before we start modifying anything.
Interesting feedback on the Ninja endclips. The clips were designed to be very thin on the window facing side of the channel so they do not interfere with fanning or closing out. The bulk is in the mechanism on the top side as we built in the open/close mechanism. The idea of taking off the clip and putting in a clip is interesting and if it works for you - go for it! We designend our Ninja clips to eliminate the hassle of having to insert the clips, etc. One trick you can try with our Ninja clips. Insert the rubber and close the clips = pull slightly on the rubber with the clips closed. This will strech the rubber slighly and give you a dog ear as well. Mark
Mark, I think we all understand the concept of the Ninja end clips but in all honesty, the Ninja clips are more hassle than any other squeegee end clip I’ve ever tried. The Ninjas are great squeegees but those end clips had to go. I gave them a couple of months and finally had to give in to the more convenient standard end clips.
With standard end clips I can change out a rubber blade much faster and without hassle. Also I can see the edge or end of the blade while squeegeeing, whereas I could not see the end of the blade with the Ninja end clips while squeegeeing. Also closing out is more complete without the thick (even on the bottom) Ninja end clips.
With all that said, don’t feel bad. The Unger Ninja is one of the best (if not the best) squeegees I’ve ever used, especially without the Ninja end clips.
From my observations, everyone who has had anything negative to say about the ninja, it has always come down to the clips. But each one has his/her own reason.
They are:
Too bulky
Come undone on their own and rubber becomes loose or falls out.
Some rubber brands hard to load rubber because of slightly different size bead.
But most agree the built in end clip is a great idea. And I’ve heard no one complain about the handle. Think…
I for one love the end clips but I do residential and no commercial so the size of the clips is irrelevant to me. The Ninja is hands down the best squeegee I’ve ever used and the only thing I’d like to see is a zero degree Ninja handle.
