This forum has taught us a lot of things, but our real world experiences haven’t always lined up with popular opinions.
I don’t miss my telescopic wand… What do you mostly use it for?
To add to this: “cleaning units” (gpm x psi) are a stupid and useless system of measurement.
Edit: The telescopic wand is trash and the only concievable use for it is cleaning gutter interiors, and I wouldn’t even use it for that.
Telescopic wand for detail work when you have to be cautious with bleach or can’t use bleach at all. Thick algae up high. When you’re trying to hit an extra story, when it’s windy, when you don’t want half your bleach to float away or you’re working in a tight space.
The latter 3 scenarios say “better machine” or “12v,” tge first scenario is one I would never be in because I don’t do jobs that tell me no bleach. I would otherwise use a lift instead and charge it to the customer.
Except for trying to understand horsepower requirements when sizing a pump to a motor. The cleaning units approach was the only thing that really made it stick in my head, and allows me to easily flip the formula around, depending on the situation.
Telescopic wands should come in hi-mod carbon fiber, just like waterfed poles. If waterfed poles had stuck with the original aluminum and fiberglass options, they would not have gained nearly as broad an acceptance in modern window cleaning techniques. They’d be the same kind of gimmicky tool that telescopic PW wands are seen as today.
There are limited, but specific scenarios where a telescopic wand would be an invaluable tool to have, if not for their ridiculously inadequate and backbreaking fiberglass construction.
Just my 2¢
Can’t use a lift or bleach in all situations.
Other times we’ve had to be cautious with bleach when working high up, so more pressure was needed, rather than more bleach. Telescopic wand was faster than cover plants and less risk of killing bushes.
Doesn’t matter how powerful your machine is, telescopic wand will always get you higher. On the picture in the first post, we got paid by percentage of the building we were able wash. We were using the igx800 engine which was 8gpm@4000. Telescopic wand helped us get an extra floor and wash in the pockets better.
An “invaluable” tool is one that is used often, not one which is used on .01% of jobs. Most people on this board can go their entire business careers without using a telescopic pole once. That’s not “invaluable,” it’s a niche tool.
It’s an invaluable tool for those performing niche services…
That better? 
Heck, my whole way of washing houses is unpopular. Because I don’t haul a large gpm pressure washer, tanks, hoses on reels or use a traditional 12v system, I’m not doing it right. I don’t mind all the nay sayers. I did at first, but not anymore. The fact is my system works and works very well, and customers love the results, that’s all that matters. My way is unpopular because you can’t buy the system I use and no one but me does it like I do. It’s not professional equipment, so I must not be professional, right? I have a pressure washer, but I don’t use it for house washing and would never even consider it.
I’m proud of the fact I could another way to wash houses thinking outside the box. My day job, I’m a mechanical engineer. I’ve always been told since I started my career that things are done a certain way because that’s how it’s always been done or that everyone does it that way. I like the KISS method. All we’re doing is spraying bleach and soap on a house and rinsing it off.
There you go, probably going to be the most unpopular opinion!
What system do you use, then? And the big question: is it faster or in any way superior to the industry standard method?
I have a thread posted somewhere on here showing my build with all the info. Basically it boosts water pressure using a 12v on demand system, then I downstream using a modified purchased gun from Blue Mule. I can do most large 2 story houses in about an hour. I can vary the ratio ask the way down to 5:1, but use 21:1 for most houses. It sprays about 35ft vertically, so I almost never need a ladder.
You would do well to learn how to wash. It will be easier on your body and business
Silly IBS, he knows how to wash! The fact that his opinion is widely rejected by those in the industry just means he must be right!
As I said, I learned a lot from the forums, but I was willing to have an open mind and discovered not everything said and agreed on here is absolute. I encourage everyone to not take everyone else’s opinions as gospel. Hard to navigate that if you’re just starting out, but be willing to make your own observations and experiments.
What advice have you got for someone doing commercial with a 2.3gpm dewalt? Would you say it’s a stupid idea?
Now be nice. When you are getting getting paid for a percentage of a job until you learn how to wash it all, you need something light weight and portable. That is the best way to do a truly awesomewash.
If you really want to talk about the most unpopular opinion on this forum, it is this:
$99 guy
Fires will instantly ignite, pitchforks are gripped firmly, and keyboards are about to be pounded.
Can’t wash a 14 story building without a working swing stage 
Hope to never see you make the “list”. I pop over here weekly to catch up Fatality Inspection Data | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
