The legend is a new wide-bodied channel born out of Canada released in February of this year. As all things new on the market it has peaked the interest of the window cleaning community across the world.
Predominantly for sale from WCS (Window Cleaning Source) and Beautiful View the Window Cleaning Store in Canada, recently Black Diamond have taken up a distributor position with the Legend channel in both the US and Europe.
Mark Strange writes a superb review of the Legend in Window Cleaning Magazine (Issue 21 Page 31). In his article he describes the differences between the Legend and channels such Unger’s Ninja. He explains how to change out the rubber and which squeegee handles are best suited to it.
So why does this review count?
Having used the tool myself for the past two months gives me a great perspective over the channels performance out in the real world – something all of us window cleaners trawl YouTube for. The real, deal opinions.
So here is my report despatched to the readers of Window Cleaning Magazine.
First off, the channel is super light and comes in the full range from 10” to 30”. The look and feel of this Channel matches its performance.
I have included a film I made in this post. In the film I hand the Legend squeegee to some of my staff for the first time. I was looking for their immediate reaction. I always feel like I am facing the Emperor of Rome waiting for the thumbs up or thumb down. I value this approach in order to get a further evaluation that I can compare with my own experience of the tool.
Mikey was first to try it in the film. His first comment was regards the weight, “it doesn’t weigh anything”, and “ its really easy to use” oh and he did say, “it makes you work faster” when we started to talk about its unique feature.
“So you will be able to earn ME more money then Mikey?”, I asked. That was quickly shut down with a ‘NO’, arrr staff, don’t you just love them.
So what was the unique feature you spoke about?
Look closer at the Legend Channel and you will immediately see the tapered ends and that the rubber is cut to the shape. Gone are the bulky clip ends of the Unger Ninja days. So is this another Liquidator channel?
Liquidator Channels by Moerman where specifically engineered for precision, the idea of that was ZERO detailing after cleaning a window. The Legend makes no such claim, but I will say this… the skill of the window cleaner does have input into any channel to some degree. I can say this; using the Legend channel DID lead to less ‘tidying up’ around the edges and in the corners. Even for our less experienced tech, Dom, who also tried the channel in the film.
Clearly a lot of thought has gone into the look and performance of the Legend and the primary function of the tapered corner is to assist the flow into the corners of the windows. In fact it fits snug as a bug.
The Legend is easy to use; the inner design of the channel guides the inserted rubber to the glass very well. This channel is amazing on all windows but I think excels in the longer ranges for storefront glass.
I found less detailing was required with the Legend and it kissed the framework perfectly dragging all of that solution out.
Will the Legend Channel fit into my Bucket On A Belt (BOAB)?
Yeah, I remember the Unger Ninja days too. Great squeegee but it just didn’t fit into the BOAB at the beginning. I would have to check, but I am sure Unger had to make BOABS especially for the Ninja. You don’t have to worry, in the film at the end of this post you can see that it fits just fine.
Right, we get it… it’s a great channel; there must be a negative?
Rumours hit the community that the first batch of Legend Channels were so sharp at the ends, they resembled razor blades and that you could use it like a weapon. Two in one tool? COOL! – I’m kidding of course.
Myth busted: It was the initial batch that had some sharp edges. A small adjustment to the manufacturing process was all that was needed to eliminate that problem.
One other observation, which is not necessary indicative to the Legend per se but I would imagine common to any ‘bulked up’ channel.
If you clean a window above, say a doorway. Sometimes you get that skylight piece of glass, but the frames are deep, real deep. May be 2 inch deep frames. You will place that Legend Channel on top of your pole. On closing out you will need to ensure that you leverage that pole up more than what you would usually to avoid the side of the channel connecting with the frame. If you are not aware of this you might find your customer pointing out a band of Dawn along the bottom of that window.
What would be cool for the Legend?
The Legend currently does not have its own handle. It would be cool if it did but we understand there are not a lot of new features available within a squeegee handle currently, However, not a lot of multifunctional handles will fit a wide bodied channel either.
‘The Legend Squeegee Channel,’ I like the sound of that (Is my cheque in the post, guys?)
Can this Channel be a serious contender to Sorbo, Ettore Super, Unger Ninja channels?
I think so, although ultimately it is always personal preference. The Legend offers new features where others do not such as accepting multiple squeegee types and tapered angles. What will determine the Legend success is how window cleaners take to these small features. In my eyes the tapered ends are a home run for the wide bodied range of channels, but the market will ultimately decide.
It is always tough to break into an established area but I am confident this Channel will make some waves.
Overall view.
This channel is great to use and looks awesome, feels like nothing in the hand and can reduce the amount of mess and detailing along window edges and corners despite not being a precision tool. It balances well in the hand in conjunction with the Ergo Tec Ninja Squeegee handle I was using throughout my testing.
I would describe this channel as a Sorbo on speed. Souped-up for performance!
For what it costs with the dollar ticket on it, it’s nothing for you to decide if this Channel is right for you and your business.
DON’T FORGET TO SHARE YOUR LEGEND SQUEEGEE CHANNEL EXPERIENCE BELOW IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.
Watch the film below: