Hey folks how’s it going? Just bought the 18" liquidator channel and i usually use red razor rubber but having issues with it leaving a trail of soliton if i don’t apply a fair bit of pressure. Just wondered if anyone uses the 18 inch liquidator and if so what rubber do you find works well in it? thanks
I’ve been using Black Diamond rubber in my 18" so far. It’s slightly off the dimensions from Moerman branded rubber but in the hand it’s usable as-is, even without the paper clip trick. Pole work you’d probably want the genuine Moerman stuff, IMO.
I think PolznBladz made a video comparing the two, where it shows the Moerman rubber to be just a hair larger at the bulb, and a hair wider from bulb to blade so it interacts differently with the end clips. That having been said, I was able to adapt my technique for the liquidator 2.0 using BD soft.
I had issues with pressure initially. Especially with the 18". Are you getting drag lines from underneath the end clips and at other random places in the middle of the channel? For me, I was able to mitigate most of the issues by cutting my rubber just 1mm LONGER than the channel on each end, then choking up on the handle to hold it near the channel instead of down low. The extra rubber length makes it easier for the end clips to engage and do their job, and the higher grip makes it easier to BALANCE your pressure through maneuvers on the glass.
The liquidator 2.0 is very temperamental it seems. Like riding a RR liter bike, it’s capable of incredible performance but it requires a lot from the user. And it works best when used with the rubber designed for it as well.
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never tried BD rubber before. been told to try ettore master soft in the 18" to see if that sorts it.
yeah the lines usually are near the ends of the squeegee, at the clips. if i push hard it’s ok but that may be due to razor red rubber being a harder rubber?
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Bob (PolznBladz) don’t recommend the 18’. I’m thinking to cut down one to 16’ and see if that changes things around.
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Seems likely. I don’t have any razr red but I tried BD hard in the original liquidator and even working in temps above 95°F it gave me issues. Soft is the way to go.
Hey Pete maybe Eric @anon35812390 can chime in here. I heard the 18 was the hardest of the liquidator channels to work with.
PS… Pete the BD rubber works good, give it a try…
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The 18" liquidator is the only one I have had issues with leaving lines (I have a 12" and 14" one that have worked perfect from day 1). It’s probably a just a matter of…wait for it…pressure and angle of attack, but I just can’t seem to get it, so use my ettore 18" when the job calls for it. Been meaning to cut it down and make a 6" channel like some Polzn Bladz uses on some of his videos.
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awesome mate thanks for that!
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yeah it doesn’t always leave a good job the 18 sometimes leaves lines if you don’t push quite hard
The 18 is my least favourite channel. I have the best success with it on fixed handle. A pivot (Excelerator AND Wagtail) handle has issues keeping even pressure at both tips especially on the turns and ends up becoming quite a physical workout. My handle of choice, with the 18, is the original black Moerman, heavily modded (I epoxied the pivot and epoxy locked the angle at 25°). Razer Red is fine in it on large commercial glass…as long as the rubber is ‘pinned’ with zip ties or paper clip at the tips.
This issue is not new for me. I personally never liked the 18" brass and could never get on with 18" Wagtail either. The maximum sweet spot for me seems to be 16 although I haven’t cut Down a Liquidator to try that.
Also I will say that on a pivot handle where the best result seems to come from shallower scallops there really is very little advantage to using an 18"
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After seeing this post Samuel I experimented with my fresh 18" (V2 Clips) in my handle set at 25 degrees. I hold the handle quite loosely but the foreshortened grip is something I’ve always used with pivoting squeegees especially required with the Excelerator because it’s pivot is so quick and direct. Slowed the action down and focused on keeping as even a pressure as possible on the channel. With the Moerman soft rubber it performed well. Check my attached pic. I rest my thumb on the angle change button. It’s a challenge but with practice it could be very effective. especially on large glass. The shortened grip definitely gives a more controlled feel.
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You a lefty as well?
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Yep. It appears many of us are… 
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lefties rule
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“If the left side of your brain controls the right side of your body, and the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body, then left-handed people must be the only ones in their right minds.” --Anonymous
although i identify as a lefty because i right with my left i do many things by default with my right and some things with either.
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yeah might do that too
I cut my 18 down to 16 as the 18 was a bit temperamental unless you bent the end clips further down towards the rubber as being a slim channel it loses pressure at the ends the bigger you go so the big liquidators your better heating up the end clip in a boiling cup of water and bending them very slightly down towards the rubber to maintain the pressure along the channel. Hope that makes sense??
Yes what you wrote makes sense Pete thanks.
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So this is still an issue then I originally bought the liquidator 18" the 1st version and I was not very happy with it, so I did the same and cut it down to a 16 and it worked fine. I lost that squeegee and next time I purchased a 14".
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