FOR A QUALITY SQUEEGEE THE KEY IS THE RUBBER (Pulex): The rubber blade is the main component of every squeegee because it is the element that comes into direct contact with the glass and dirt. It is so important that the material with which the squeegee is made - steel, brass or plastic - and the mechanics play a minor role. This is because the vast majority of squeegees on the market - economical ones sold in the household item department and often imported from the Far East - do not work as they should. Without mentioning molded plastic blades, which are definitely inferior, standard rubber cleaning blades are made of ordinary extruded rubber, which is obtained continuously from rolls dozens of meters in length and cut into sections ready to be fitted into the tool. This type of rubber does not have the features of a real mix of vulcanized rubber as it is extruded ready for use and not cut to size, the result being a blade with a rough, rounded edge. This means it becomes deformed when it comes into contact with dirt which is abrasive and washing solutions which are aggressive, or is exposed to atmospheric agents, or subjected to friction on glass and rubbing against window frames or under the eaves. As these blades are made using a very quick and easy process without any finishing touches or inspections, they are relatively inexpensive and obviously they wear out very quickly. Also, they virtually always leave unsightly marks all over the glass. And the wider the squeegee, the more evident the marks.The basic condition for a top quality squeegee is a perfect combination of three specific features of the blade - a) the type and nature of the rubber, b) the quality of the mix, c) the edge of the blade. As regards the first feature, Pulex rubber is real vulcanized natural rubber (NR), which is compression molded, item by item, from a meter-long (approx. 36”) strip. As natural rubber is of vegetable origin it is important that its organic chemical features are as constant and homogeneous as possible, so it must always be obtained from the same country, in this case Malaysia, and also from the same sites in that country. Despite this, there is always the risk of the mix containing particles and foreign bodies, some minute, due to the fact that it comes from a tree in a plantation and is collected, handled and packed using traditional manual methods that are still very rudimentary. As regards the second feature, it is important for the raw material to provide a mix that can be processed carefully and is free from impurities as far as possible, having all the necessary properties concerning molecular dispersion, cross-linking, elasticity, snap, resilience, hardness, resistance to chemical and atmospheric agents, coloring and surface smoothness. Thanks to the addition of various special additives formulated in over two decades of research and development, the grade of the mix of Pulex rubber is specifically calibrated for cleaning glass. The third aspect is also very important. There is no point in using expensive first-rate ingredients and developing a perfect mix for a specific use if the rubber is not cut precisely to get a perfectly linear cleaning edge to the blade. So in this final stage the rubber strip is molded using a high-power press, and cut in half by sophisticated machinery using a special process. This gives a blade that is about a meter long (36”) and has a very sharp edge. After careful inspection, the blade is cut into different sizes. And it is precisely on the perfection of the edge that the Pulex quality control system focuses. In order to detect defects, Pulex has been researching special equipment for years, the only manufacturer to devote considerable resources to this particular problem. And now Pulex has come up with a machine for optical, electronic and computerized control with respect to the edge of the blade. Exploratory laser rays “read” the degree of perfection of the cut and the two sharp edges and assess whether there are any defects in the less critical surrounding areas. This is why Pulex rubber blades, 
which are the result of a lengthy multi-stage process, are no comparison with the blades used in ordinary squeegees. They are universally known as TQR, Total Quality Rubber, i.e. the only rubber blades to be used in a total quality squeegee. In addition, as Pulex rubber blades come in two different degrees of shore hardness - standard and soft - they meet the needs of all window cleaners, worldwide and irrespective of their skills.Another installment from Mark Strange of "Beautiful View" from Toronto, Canada gives us a few more unbiased reviews of products in the window cleaners workplace. This time his opinion on Pulex rubber, in this weeks edition of "Tool Talk."
