TOOL TALK w/ Steve-O

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Wow, long vid. Didn’t finish- but here’s my initial thought:

If you don’t like the way the liquidator behaves on the glass, but you want all the other benefits of the excelerator tool, why not just take off the end clips?

You could use a longer and/or older liquidator channel if you don’t want to lose the length, or the clips give you trouble.

This negates all the issues of the f*liq clips and handles not fitting right. Unless it’s somehow the channel, itself you can’t stand… :thinking:

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I watched this also and as much as I respect SteveO’s videos and skills I have absolutely no desire to even attempt any of theses ‘fixes’. I agree with Alex about simply taking the end clips off if you can’t make the Liquidator work for you. Taking them off shortens the channel by two inches so if you want to continue to use the Fliq then you’ll need to use an 18" channel and trim it on each end to match up with the 14" Fliq. Doing this you retain the integrity of the handle, bearing in mind that it pinches the channel PRECISELY with the pivot integrity calculated in the equation. Putting a different profile channel in the jaws alters it and the pivot is then either ‘sloppy’ or has resistance, which it’s not designed to have, so will wear. Swapping out for a SS or Brass channel, being heavier, will also throw out the balance, causing the pivot and handling to change also.

Since early 2012 I’ve used Wagtails and since late 2012 I’ve been modifying Wagtails Ad Infinitum and it’s no secret I’ve had some fairly bitter public spats with Willie. BUT, I’ve always taken the original design as the base and simply firmed and tweaked so that the system itself was performing more smoothly and efficiently. Prior to Excelerator my final mod with the (already heavily modified handle and disc) was to optimise it for the Liquidator channel. This was the only third party channel I’d fitted to my Wags although I had minor flirtations with Steccone (OK…ish) and Ettore Brass and SS (too heavy, made balance top heavy).

NOW! Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective the Excelerator/Liquidator/Fliq is an integrated unit. Liquidator also is optimised for Moermans own rubber… (broken record…use their HARD rubber). It DOES NOT lend well to being phaffed around with. Bob spent many months using, testing and getting it to HIS satisfaction. He has a very light touch and is uncompromising with perfecting PRECISION so anyone having issues or problems? Subscribe to his YouTube channel and study his methods, workflow and technique.

Finally, rubber other than Moermans… the clips are designed so that the space from clip tip to the rubber edge is 1-1.5 mm. This allows the dog-ear to do its job but still allows the rubber to have slight flex on close out. Be aware of that when you use your favourite rubber…

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I am fascinated by that ginormous double bend ledger. I have no regular work where needed, but would love to learn how to use it and go find the right jobs for it. Having and knowing how to use a tool like that could be an excellent way to differentiate from the crowd…well, either that or my A.D.D. just attracts me to all the shiny new toys.

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The challenge for tool makers is that what pleases one window cleaner doesn’t always please another. We only have to post our soap preference on the forum and read all the hundreds of comments on how their concoction is the best.

It’s always fun to watch other guys and glean small differences in technique. It’s fun to play around and tweak our tools. At the end of the day what generally makes the biggest difference is our determination to get work done that wins the day.

We will never see the perfect tool come out on the market because the minute someone perfects it is the moment he just ruined it for another window cleaner who likes it a different way. Even the first “perfect” window cleaning tool, the Ettore bras squeegee, is for many is now a dust bin tool.

The more I have tried tools the more I go back to the old school tools. I prefer the same fixed handles brass Ettore squeegee I started with for residential. I have upgraded to the Unger Ninja handle for commercial but only because I prefer Sorbo channels for commercial and the Ninja has the option of unlocking the handle so you can use the swivel when needed. Most of the time it’s locked in place.

Even though I like a fixed squeegee I still love to watch guys show their techniques. I often dig into my dust bin of tools to try an old tool with a new idea usually only to place it back in the bin.

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I agree…

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Just pee on it.

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For some reason this was the first post that showed up when i opened the thread. No idea what the context was, but instant like. lol

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My comment was attached to the pic above it. Since his washer is frozen to the ladder and it is adding to the frustration of his day, my suggestion was to pee on it and the heat from the urine would release the washer from the ladder. Just an easy fix to his problem to jump start his day and get it back on track!

I thought the comment was on a different thread. I’m not sure how it ended up on this thread?

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