Costway 21FT Telescoping Snow Roof Rake Large Poly Blade Aluminum Tube Non-Slip Handle

I considered not buying this snow rake because of the telescoping handle, but I really wanted the 21' length. The handle is as frustrating as I feared. After using it once I could not unscrew the segments so I could push them back in. Even after thawing them out I still had a lot of trouble getting them unscrewed and then pushing the segments back in. The second time I put silicone spray on the threads and tried not tightening the locking mechanism as much. As a result the handle extended while trying to use the rake so I tightened it a little more. Then I couldn't undo it again to shorten it. I finally managed to get 2 of the 3 mechanisms unscrewed and one segment pushed in. I got a second segment pushed in by bracing the end of the handle against a wall and pushing. I still haven't got the third mechanism unscrewed and hope after it warms up I will have a chance. Also, there is a trade off between weight and rigidity when the handle is fully extended. I think they went a little too far to light weight as the pole really bends a lot when it is extended. It is hard to lift the rake high enough to get it high on the roof so a lot of the time I have to push it while resting on the roof. This is partly due to the telescoping handle since each segment has to get smaller to fit inside the previous section. My old rake had the push button locks which allowed each segment to be the same size. It was a little slow to have to push the buttons, but I never had it freeze up and not be able to take a section off. Finally, one has to be careful when pushing the rake up the roof since the locking mechanisms stick out quite a bit and catches on the edge of the roof. If you are not careful you can damage the end of the metal or shingles depending on which you have. My technique has improved a lot during the two times I have used the rake, but again the button locking mechanism is superior since it barely sticks out once it is engaged.