Is soft water not effective for windows? I was getting excited!
No, you need
pure water. Deionized is a strong cleaning agent. If you have high TDS in your area you need to run your water through RO (Reverse Osmosis) to get the TDS way down before you run it through your DI.
What is high/low on the TDS meter? Where do I need to be for quality windows?
You need to be under 10 TDS. Some guys go as high as 14 before they change out, you just need to experiment with the water in your area.
Get one of these:
<a href="http://shopwindowcleaningresource.com/hm-digital-tds-meter-3.html?a_aid=chris&a_bid=4f71dafd" target="_top"><img src="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/affiliate/accounts/default1/banners/hm digital tds meter3.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><img style="border:0" src="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/affiliate/scripts/imp.php?a_aid=chris&a_bid=4f71dafd" width="1" height="1" alt="" />
and... are Tucker WFPs any good?
Tucker's are excellent, just a little outdated. They are made out of aluminum so they're pretty heavy and they scratch easily. The biggest pain in the rear is the Tucker clamp system. You have to have a Tucker Tool to adjust the height and it gets old fast. I really REALLY prefer poles with flip-lock clamps.
This is a great pole that kicks a Tucker pole's rear as far as weight and ease of use:
<a href="http://shopwindowcleaningresource.com/xtel-fiberglass-pole-28.html?a_aid=chris&a_bid=80dbc06c" target="_top"><img src="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/affiliate/accounts/default1/banners/xtel wfp-6.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><img style="border:0" src="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/affiliate/scripts/imp.php?a_aid=chris&a_bid=80dbc06c" width="1" height="1" alt="" />
I love mine.
I'm going to get one of these this year:
<a href="http://shopwindowcleaningresource.com/gardiner-super-lite-56-pole-assembly.html?a_aid=chris&a_bid=2f0921ec" target="_top"><img src="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/affiliate/accounts/default1/banners/gardiner-super-lite.jpg" alt="" title="" width="220" height="220" /></a><img style="border:0" src="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/affiliate/scripts/imp.php?a_aid=chris&a_bid=2f0921ec" width="1" height="1" alt="" />
The Gardiner is a sectional pole, so you could use it for everything from ground floor to 5 stories. The Extel poles are sturdier, in my opinion. I don't mind letting my guys drag them around.
You don't have to go carbon fiber if you don't need to reach 50 or 60 feet.
I get ALL of my stuff from WCR.
<a href="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/?a_aid=chris&a_bid=c1f3f617" target="_top"><img src="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/affiliate/accounts/default1/banners/wc-needs3.jpg" alt="" title="" width="196" height="86" /></a><img style="border:0" src="http://www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/affiliate/scripts/imp.php?a_aid=chris&a_bid=c1f3f617" width="1" height="1" alt="" />