Nice reply @Chris !
My favorite poles are seriously Gardiner and XERO… same factory? Well that explains it lol
Here are 2 completely different pole brands from opposite sides of the world.
I’ll show you the bottom only.
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I cant 100% confirm that. But I can confirm they are both good poles.
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This reminds me of that story about 90% of all the socks in the entire world being manufactured by a handful of factories near Shanghai.
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Even if you can’t 100% confirm that statement, one thing is for sure…
there is a major difference between well made carbon fiber poles and ones that are not as well made. Quality makes a difference when a tool is used day in and day out 
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Those are big differences you are right.
But I think the biggest difference is type. Modularscopic VS Telescopic.
https://windowcleaner.com/waterfed-poles/understanding/waterfedpoles/
Back to your points:
Weight & Stiffness. Depends on the clamps but mostly carbon fiber. The factories have a menu, you can get 2 poles that look identical but use different carbon fiber.
Take the XERO Pro & Ultimate as an example. At first glance, they look identical. But upon inspection, you can see that the Ultimate weighs just 4 pounds & The Pro weighs 6.5 - When you look down the pole you can see although it has the same OD the walls are a lot thinner on the Ultimate. Different Carbon Fiber results in it being substantially Lighter & Stiffer than the standard Pro.
Cost ( Ill use the XERO Pole to illustrate )
https://shopwindowcleaningresource.com/xero-pro-carbon-fiber-water-fed-pole.html
https://shopwindowcleaningresource.com/xero-ultimate-hi-modulus-carbon-fiber-water-fed-pole.html
2 Links - I sold over 1,000 poles from 1 link & only about 100 from the other link in 2017. Can you guess what one is the better seller? I’m sure you can.
2 Other factors to consider:
Customer Service & Clamp Replacment Cost.
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Very informative posts, thanks for sharing Chris.
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Thought you guys might be interested in seeing this new pole. Not on the market just yet… ( Worlds first ) OVAL shaped pole.
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And to answer the original question. There is NO best-waterfed pole that would be applicable to all window cleaners.
Some poles are better for commercial.
Some are better for residential.
Some are better for owner-operators.
Some are better for employees.
Some poles are better for “lightness”
Some poles are better for durability.
IE: A XERO ultimate would not be the best pole for someone who only WFPS a few times a year.
I can go on and on and on. So many factors to consider. And we haven’t even gotten into purification yet.
If you happen to be in the market one of the best things you can do is a phone consultation with Alex, John or Josh. They have like combined 50 years waterfed experience between the 3 of them. They can ask you a few simple questions and help make some recommendations based on your unique situation.
Give us a call we pick up 24x7x365 ( seriously ) 862-266-0677
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What is the difference in these 2 poles? besides the Gardiner being a little cheaper:
https://shopwindowcleaningresource.com/xero-pro-carbon-fiber-water-fed-pole.html
vs.
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Gardiner has Horizontal Clamps & XERO Pro has Vertical clamps.
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Gardiner is measured in reach & XERO is measured in actual length.
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Compare the 39 foot Gardiner to the 40 foot XERO. The XERO is cheaper and is actually longer. Although the SLX says 39 feet on it that’s actually reach NOT actual length.
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Detroit doesn’t have a community forum like WCR here. This forum is 100% supported by sales from Shop WCR.
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The XERO comes with upgraded premium fittings, Premium Hose, A Tucker Brush & FREE 2 day shipping.
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The XERO comes with Josh, John & Alex 24x7 - 862-266-0677
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Gardiner is a good pole and we would love to be able to carry it again here. We played a big part in launching it here in America when it first came out.
We sold it & promoted it actively for maybe 3 years or so. The manufacturer cut all US distributors in favor of 1 master distributor and we have not been able to carry it since.
But in the meantime there are plenty of great pole brands we feel very comfortable putting people into.
8 pole brands that we actively support - Water Fed Window Cleaning Poles - XERO, Tucker, Unger, and more – WindowCleaner.com
You cant go wrong with anything from that page.
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Thanks Chris, good information in your comparison. I have not dealt with DS- they came up in a “Gardiner slx” search on google. I’m in favor of keeping this forum supported- Thanks!
Are you able to tell us who manufactures these…
OK, I’m chimin’ in here. I bought that Tucker pole that came with a free DI several months ago, and I love the verticle clamps and the Tucker pole itself. My experience is limited, but I think that the deal; I found here on that pole and DI system might be one of the best deals I’ve run into in the 6 months I’ve been a window cleaner.
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The profile looks like the frame on my Colnago carbon road bike 
So no more tube rotation or need to tighten the clamps too much…interesting indeed.
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I WANT ONE OF THOSE OVAL POLES! I’m holding out til they get here.
This might not be accurate, Chris. According to their specs - slx35 has a working reach of 40 feet while the slx39 has a working reach of 44 feet. I remembered having to research all of that before I purchased mine as there are some companies that aren’t as clear about actual lengths.
Hmm you could be right. I’ll bust out the tape measure tommorow to confirm 
If your reading that on their website I’m sure I’m wrong.
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They should just list the pole height and call it a day. I know we all did and do research before we purchase but wouldn’t the world be better if they just be honest right up front. And the whole working height argument is a waste of time cause everyone is a different height so that 5ft guy wont be getting the same as the 6foot guy.
Steps off soap box 
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