Does anybody make a skimmer basket that lasts?

[JoyfulNoise]

So I do have a minor niggle about the ProTuff after living with it for a few hours. The grey color heats up to a million degrees in full sun. My cheap ones are white or blue and don't have that issue.

White spray paint ….

 

[C3Cl3N3O3]

White spray paint ….

It doesn't rise to the level of necessitating all that, but it's kind of a bummer. What were they thinking?

 

[DrewLG]

What were they thinking?

ProTuff is a small company, and they obsess over product details. I'm sure they'd love to hear about ways they could improve the pole. Why not give them a call?

Mike Kaufman, President
ProTuff Products
[email protected]
844 PRO-TUFF (voice)
833 242-2302 (text)

 

[Dirk]

What were they thinking?

They were thinking you wouldn't store it in sunlight.

Since buying, or perhaps since I sent them a question, they've been sending me all sorts of messages. Here's one:

Proper Care & Storage

The following very simple recommendations will help you get 2 - 300% more life from your new ProTuff product:
-- Rinse off pool chemicals with non-chlorinated water when finished.
-- Shake off/out any excess water.
-- Store in the shade where it will not receive any direct sunlight.
-- Don't place your rake/net in a bag - retained moisture encourages mold.

If you simply follow these usage and care instructions, you will get maximum life out of your new premium pool leaf rake, silt rake and/or ProTuff pool pole.

Chlorinated water eventually causes degradation of some sort to nearly all materials (plastic, metal, nylon, ...). The only difference between materials is the type of degradation and the length of time necessary for that degradation to become noticeable. All ProTuff brand items are designed for the maximum ability to withstand this degradation, but no product is invincible. So, for maximum life, avoid storing ANY pool product with chlorine water on/in it. Rinse it and shake it to get maximum life. Ultraviolet rays from sunlight will degrade and de-color most non-metal components over time. Some materials are better than others at withstanding that degradation, and the UV inhibitors that we embed in our materials are also helpful. But, again, not invincible. So, if you want the non-metal components of your ProTuff product to remain looking and functioning at their best, storage out of direct sunlight will always be best.

Paying extra for quality is nearly always the best bet, but, sometimes just a bit of extra care will maximize the benefits of that additional expense. Take care of it, and it will last a long time. And, at the end of the day, know that you are completely covered by the ProTuff Lifetime Warranty, regardless of the care of your new item.

Mine are mostly out of the sun. But the handles catch a few rays. Until the bushes I'm hiding them behind fill in a bit more, I'm going slip something over the rubber handles. Maybe a chunk of white PVC pipe.

 

[JamesW]

So I do have a minor niggle about the ProTuff after living with it for a few hours. The grey color heats up to a million degrees in full sun. My cheap ones are white or blue and don't have that issue.

Just don’t leave it in the sun or maybe wear oven mitts.

It’s metal and metal gets hot in the sun.

Aluminum also conducts heat well, so it feels hotter than materials that have lower heat conductivity.

Also, thicker metal holds more heat.

Made from 1.8mm thick, 6061-T6 aluminum, this pool pole is 3X stronger than typical pool poles.

7 Pool Tools You Can’t Go Without | ProTuff Products

Want to keep your pool feeling clean all year round? Check out our top pool tools that need to be in your shed.

www.protuffproducts.com

Also, aluminum melts at 1,221°F, so there is no way it got to 1,000,000 degrees.

 

[C3Cl3N3O3]

They were thinking you wouldn't store it in sunlight.

Since buying, or perhaps since I sent them a question, they've been sending me all sorts of messages. Here's one:



Mine are mostly out of the sun. But the handles catch a few rays. Until the bushes I'm hiding them behind fill in a bit more, I'm going slip something over the rubber handles. Maybe a chunk of white PVC pipe.

It's not a showstopper but a bummer.

If the rubber breaks down or becomes sticky or whatever, I'm going to be ****** and will return it.

 

[C3Cl3N3O3]

ProTuff is a small company, and they obsess over product details. I'm sure they'd love to hear about ways they could improve the pole. Why not give them a call?

Mike Kaufman, President
ProTuff Products
[email protected]
844 PRO-TUFF (voice)
833 242-2302 (text)

Thanks, I sent them an email on the subject.

 

[JamesW]

Based on your profile picture, I would think that you like hot things.

 

[Dirk]

I got inspired today, and by that I mean I was supposed to be doing something else and found a way to procrastinate. I mentioned most of my new ProTuff poles are behind a bush in the shade, but the most susceptible parts, the rubber handles, get too much sun. I'm a pack rat, and remembered I had saved a chunk of PVC from another project. I'm not sure what it is, it's kind'a corrugated, maybe it's flex? Or some sort of drain pipe? Don't remember. But it's 3". White on the outside but black on the inside. Relatively thin-walled. I chopped off a couple 1-footers, cleaned them with cleanser and a little Goof Off for the printing, and voila. They fit perfectly over that red trigger dealios.



I normally would have used black, as the white is too obvious. But the white will protect the handles better. It'll likely bug me enough, and I'll eventually spritz them with some "Pentair Tan" spray paint and then they'll disappear into the stucco.

If anyone is curious, the pole hooks are chunks of ABS. I made those a while ago. They might have been from 4" pipe. Maybe 3". Easy and 100% environment-proof. They won't scratch my poles and they'll last forever.