Pole Recommendation Needed

[mickey4paws]

Hi all,
We need to replace our telepole. I'm sick of buying cheap ones that just end up breaking. So I've decided to get a Skimlite brand pole and wonder if anyone has had experience with them.

I can't decide between the 9016 Dually here:

http://skimlite.com/9000.html

or the 3500 Durapro here:

http://skimlite.com/3500.html

I was concerned about the 9016 being too heavy, but according to Skimlite, the 9016 weighs 3.25 pounds & the 3500 weighs 2.75 pounds. I like that both these poles have dual locks and the locking mechanisms are replaceable, if needed.

[aylad]

Just out of curiousity, what does it take to break a pole? We've still got the original one that we got when our pool was built 8-9 years ago, and I can't imagine any pool chore putting enough pressure on it to make it bend, let alone break?

Janet

[mickey4paws]

Hi Janet,

I probably should have explained better. The pole itself doesn't break, but rather the locks. So when you're vacuuming for instance, the pole will collapse because the lock is broken. I think they're just made cheaply and that's why they break. So I said the next pole we get is going to be a good one, lol.

Wow, yours has lasted a long time. It must be a good brand.

[Phillbo]

Do you store your poles in the sun ? The locks are typically plastic and will get destroyed by the sun.

[mickey4paws]

We have a chain link fence that has a sort of long pocket attached to it that holds all the poles. It gets sun for a few hours in the afternoon. Thanks for the reply, and definitely something to consider when I order my new pole. Maybe I can make some kind of top for the pocket to keep the sun off of it.

[aylad]

Wow, yours has lasted a long time. It must be a good brand.

The label on it says " Pentair Metal Cam Telescopic Pole".

The people who built my pool furnished it instead of their standard startup chemical package, when I told them I didn't need anything that was in the package. Fortunately, I had found this site about 6 months earlier and pretty well understood the chemistry issues before we got to that point.

Janet

[mickey4paws]

That was smart to get the pole instead of a bunch of chemicals you didn't need

I wish our local pool store sold decent poles. One time I bought one there and took it home and started using it. Ended up with blue hands from the paint on the pole.

I ended up ordering the Dually pole made by Skimlite (9016). It's probably more heavy duty than I need but wanted to go with something that will hopefully last. Plus, if the locks do break, they are replaceable.

[aylad]

Let us know how it works out for you--that may be some useful information for somebody else when the time comes.

Janet

[mickey4paws]

I will definitely let everyone know how it works out. I'm hoping it will ship today and I'll probably receive it the beginning of next week.

[mickey4paws]

Just wanted to let you guys know I got my pole yesterday and tried it out this morning. I know it's kind of silly to get so excited by a telescopic pole, but so far, I think it's great It feels really sturdy and it's very easy to adjust. I used it with a leaf rake to get up all the leaves that have fallen out of our maple tree, and it was very easy to handle. It was nice having a pole that didn't collapse on itself.

It has both an outside lock, and an inside lock. With the inside lock, all you have to do is twist it to loosen it, extend the pole, and then twist it back in the opposite direction.

I'd give it a 9.5 out of 10. The only reason I knocked off a half point is because the pole itself is smooth, so when your hands are wet, it makes it a bit difficult to twist the pole to unlock it if you need to adjust it. Probably would be better if the pole had a ribbed type texture. But I came up with a solution - I just use one of those rubber pads that you use to open jars with.

Pole: http://skimlite.com/9000.html