PolznBladz - Liquidator Surgery vs pulls and loooong blades

Forget that most straight pull guys develop and master their workflow e.g. Multiple panes soaped (if heat permits) and that their/your overall speed will look a lot quicker than this. Instead note the steps that are eliminated. No change of tool (or swapping for second pole), and no detailing…and yes this is route work not initial or infrequent cleans.

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Not quite. Not really a proper comparison. First off your just comparing cleaning one window at a time which is rare. 80-90% of the time I soap multiple windows and then squeegee them off even in the summer unless the sun is directly on the glass and even then I generally work around the sun so I’m not working with the sun on the glass.

Second I rarely detail commercial glass unless it’s store front windows or around the entrances and even then it’s rare. Third even if I was to detail those windows it would only be the top of the left side of the pane where the last pull was started as I would have cut in the top and used a figure seven and only a straight pull on the last pull.

Fourth the speed utilized with the standard squeegee was not moving at full speed. Any window cleaner who knows what he’s doing would have done the window quicker than shown in the video. A true comparison would only be with a guy using the trad squeegee who isn’t biased.

Fifth here are a lot of windows where the liquidator doesn’t do a detail free job. A lot of windows have rough edges that don’t allow for a no detail finish which can actually slow you down because of the need to be more precise with the liquidator.

I could go on but it’s jot necessary. Don’t get me wrong, the liquidator has its place, but let’s at least keep it honest.

In the same way I don’t use Sorbo Squeegees on residential or Ettore brass on commercial (above an 18") The liquidator has its draw backs and is jot suited for every job. It’s a great tool but it has its short comings and there are plenty of jobs (more than less) that I would absolutely use a 36 inch Sorbo squeegee and washer over a liquidator hands down.

Let’s not take it too far.

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Not Quite? What does that even mean? Your 5 points are illustrating how you personally work with the tools you choose to use on a daily basis. That’s perfectly fine but in no way do they negate the validity of what Bob is illustrating.

He’s not ‘dissing’ the 36, although I’m stuffed if I would use one and you seem to be missing the main point of combination tool vs straight pulls. The pole goes up ONCE and comes back down when the pane is finished. There is no swapping of tools. Even if your clients let you off with detailing you still have two moves (or a partner to work alongside). Soap/Wet 1-10 depending on sun/wind, then either swap to second pole or drop pole swap scrubber for Squeegee and blade off, and that’s not even mentioning the “need for speed” when you do it this way.

I personally use Liquidator Channels exclusively and now Excelerator and Fliq have replaced my Wagtails (used those exclusively from early 2012) and have never felt the need to use a channel over 18", ever (although I do have a 22" Liquidator that I’ve used a half dozen times)…and that’s on domestic, storefronts and commercial. I don’t see any point in having a trunk full of tools if one or two can service the majority of my contracts efficiently and with physical economy.

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That’s really what prompted me to convert and condense my whole system to the new Moerman tools. I got tired of having multiple tool sets for different routes and jobs on different days. Now I have one set of 4 squeegees that do basically everything, with a couple backup tools in the bin JIC.

Even if the liquidators proved to be slower in a certain circumstance, I doubt it would be by much.

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I didn’t miss the point at all. He is comparing the speed of both tools side by side and he says their is no comparison. I’m saying that he didn’t properly compare the two so his outcome is flawed. If he was to properly utilize the traditional tools he would have gotten a different out come. The problem is he is partial to the liquidator so he fails to properly represent what can be done with the traditional tools.

As for swaping tools it doesn’t matter if you have to swap out tools if the end result is faster. As for the need for speed, there is no need if you use the proper soap. There is only a need for speed when you use dish soap which doesn’t do as good of a job as most proper window cleaning soaps like glass gleam. That’s the other downfall of the liquidator. You need to to use dish soap for it to be properly used. Good luck using a proper window cleaning soap with it. You could maybe use Unger soap as it has a bit more slip but you will go through a lot of it.

As for having a lot of tools. I use whatever tools are most effective for the job at hand. That means having different tools. A mechanic can unscrew any size bolt with one pare of pliers but it’s much more effective to have a set of proper wrenches and sockets. Besides I have a 5 gallon bucket I use for cleaning with and another 5 gallon bucket for extra tools I’m not using on the job at hand. That’s hardly a “trunk full”.

My goal is to make money (which includes doing a perfect detailed job) and time is money. The more windows I can clean in a day the more I make and the more I can relax and take my time on each window knowing I will still make more. If that means carrying an extra bucket with a few extra tools then so be it. If that means using the liquidator alone, so be it. I’m not partial. I have a liquidator with the flick and at first I liked it but then after using it I found it not to really save me any time over all and on some jobs it cost me time.

I love the concept but for me it didn’t play out practically. I’m not criticizing the tool at all. It’s a great tool and if guys can make it work for them that’s great. I didn’t like it myself. I am simply criticizing his criticism and comparison of his tool to traditional tools. He goes way too far and isn’t honest in his comparison. It is absolutely not a one tool for all jobs I can assure you of that. I have plenty of jobs that I wouldnt dare use it on. Large two stars buildings with tons of second floor large Pane glass. You really think it’s efficient to fan each window with that thing? It’s really faster than a 36 inch squeegee doing straight pulls? Not a chance.

On a 2 story building with tons of two story large commercial glass that thing wouldn’t stand a chance. You would have to bring it down to reset it after each window. With two poles, large strip washer and large squeegee you can do 6-10 panes of glass without bring your washer down to rewet,not to mention how much faster it would be to make 2 pulls vs fanning each window with that. In his own words he is correct it would be no contest, but for the trad tools. Not the liquidator.

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I’m all for being a fan of the liquidator but let’s remain honest.

Valid points on both sides.

I have vested interests. I’m buying two Excelerator’s (14" + 18") at the end of this week, and I have half a block of second storey large commercial panels that I do once a month, which I was planing on using them on. Now I’m not so sure. Haven’t used a 36" Sorbo (I have a 22") and I’m curious to see which would be faster.

Graeme Hibbard.
SPARKLE WINDOW CLEANING
Christchurch, New Zealand

Graeme, if you’re not used to Wagtails or Excelerator you will find your personal tried and true method quicker. I initially learnt to use a pivoting squeegee using a Wagtail PC. It took me a couple of weeks before I was happy to leave the green beast (0° Unger) in the shed. When I received my prototype Excelerator I arrogantly assumed it would be a ‘simple’ transition, it wasn’t. It took me a solid month before I comfortably put aside my modded Wagulator. Although sharing the same DNA they perform differently. The Excelerator is more nimble. The pivot is on steroids and the heavier pad is much more efficient if used on top so that you flip over to soap/scrub and flip up and back to clear and blade.

Ignore the rhetoric, invest some time into practice and watch Bob’s videos. He’s the guy who has been with the design process and fine tuning from day one.

Soap: with my 0° Unger because I used primarily straight pulls I had no issue with GG4 (well, except for price, it’s nose bleedingly expensive here in NZ) but as soon as I changed to a pivoting tool it didn’t cut it because the slip wasn’t there. I currently use eCover cut with IPA and it works very well.

There are a large number of wide body squeegee users out there and they have optimised their work flow to suit that tool. It’s a proficient squeegee for pole work and I have used them in the distant past but quite simply for ergonomics, physical economy and overall day to day use I can’t recommend the free pivoting squeegee system strongly enough.

You should back up your rhetoric and post some video (don’t worry about the music, I turn the volume down anyway)… :slight_smile: that way? New members like Graeme can make informed decisions based on real world use and not verbal ‘squeegee wars’…

Same guy same windows different tools.
Bob wouldn’t like these videos played side by side. lol

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What we need is a 36" fliq for the 36" sorbo. I bet that would be fast!

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LOL… yep and with a few months of pumping iron it might even be workable :slight_smile:

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Nah, he’s a little more gracious than that Mike :slight_smile: For the record. SteveO is using a Wagtail with standard Wagtail pad which holds very little water. The Fliq would allow you to do all those panes without dropping the pole and here the reverse of what Whatapane has been criticising Bob for is happening. Super proficient and experienced pulls with his every day tool and… well…it’s obvious that the Wag is not his everyday tool. A better representation would be the way Luke uses his Flipper or the way Marcus hammers through his work.

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The man is on a roll…

Take a freakin hike. Wasting my time taking selfies doesn’t add or take away credibility from anything I say. Anyone can take my comments or leave them. I have nothing to prove. I know who I am. My comments are spot on whether you want to admit it or not. It doesn’t take a video to understand it either. If it does then it’s pointless to even hold a conversation with you.

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Lol! So Bob isn’t biased in his use of traditional Squeegees in his video but SteveO is. That’s priceless! Where do I get a 14" fliq so I can through my 36 inch Sorbo in the trash?

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SteveO didn’t put those up together I did. I don’t think he has an axe to grind. He just enjoys putting up videos for the guys to watch. I think it’s funny that we can watch steveO clean twice as fast with traditional tools and PolznBladz clean twice as fast with the wagtail style tools.

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Really dude, you need to lighten up and actually read what I’m saying instead of what you think I’m saying. As for taking a hike? Well, that’s just objectionable…stop being an arse.

NOooo. BIas isn’t involved here at all…The skill they exhibit with their tools of choice is obvious. The ones they use much less, if at all, less so.

This “spirited” conversation reminds me of a certain series of archery tournaments (and not just cause of the verbal arrows being fired here).

In the first tournament, the winner shot a longbow with a shelf cut almost to center. So everybody said "well longbows must be the best for this kind of shooting"
In the next tournament a year later, a different winner shot a recurve bow with a deep shelf cut past center, and an elevated arrow rest. So everyone said "Surely THIS is the wave of the future. Recurve bows must be best!"
In the third tournament a year later, yet a third champion emerged who shot…a longbow! With no shelf, and wood arrows resting on his knuckle!

The point is, practice with what ya got, and don’t worry about what anyone else is using. Skills are more important than tools.

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