Slippery X-Pole! HELP!!
I have had my XPole for about 3 months now, and I can not for the life of my figure out why it is so slippery. I've use other poles, at work and at friends houses, and I don't have the same problems on them. There are so many tricks that I can easily do on other poles that I slide down trying on mine. I've tried cleaning it, I've tried using grip on my hands, I've tried wiping myself down with alcohol, but it doesnt work! If I clean it, I would have to clean it between each move that I try or its so slippery I can't do a simple spin.
Any suggestions?
I don't have my own pole (yet), but I read that new XPole has a thin flim on them, to protect the pole from shipment. I heard acetone and distill vinegar can work wonders.
I have a chrome xpole sport
Yeah, mine is also slippy. I like the challenge :) I don't know, some days it works better than others. I haven't figured out if it's because the pole is warm or cold.... overall confused about the whole thing. Just keep trying! Also, not all grips are the same. Get Dewpoint if you can! I hear it's really the best.
xxxx
I have a chrome xpole x pert. I do notice that when i dont warm up the pole and its cold that it tends to be very slippery. i have very dry skin so i tend to slip off anyways. also the more u use ur pole the more the finish will begin to wear and it should become not as slick. when i first got my pole it was so slippery i couldnt do anything but now that ive had it for a bit its more gripable(is that even a word?lol). i have heard great things about dewpoint so i have decided to try it out because my hands are so dry. this is the first time i will have tried a grip aid so ill let u know how it works for me. climate, sweat and dry skin can also be big factors in pole grip as well. Sorry i dont have more helpful advice to give
my chrome xpole is extremely slippery too! i dont have this problem either at the poles at the studio i go to! i dont get it either! lol
I also find that the pole has to be completely warm - top to bottom - in order to stick. If any part of the pole feels cool (not cold), I will slide.
Maybe you have to take extra time to warm up your body and the pole? Perhaps the chrome takes longer to warm up than other finishes. Also, have faith that the pole will become stickier over time with constant use.
i remember seeing vds of girls using dryers to heat em up lolol
Only thing that really works is rubbing pole with small amount of itac 2 grip right before training. Makes it really sticky -- sometimes too much so! I don't use itac on my hands as it can go slick. I have also used dew point, which helps but it hasnt been quite the perfect solution I was hoping for! On a side note, dew point is a body grip, do u spray it for example on ur tummy and thighs and behind the knees. It is not recommended for the hands :)
Perhaps the alcohol is too harsh for your pole, but that doesn't seem right. Do you actually see or feel the chipping happening? Do you wear jewelry or use anything else abrasive on your pole?
wow , glad so many other people are in the same situation. i was getting ready to trade mine in for a brass one. after reading all the comments , ill persevere. thanks to all (even though it was not my question) te he he
I have trouble gripping my chrome Xpert at times too, especially in the winter when it is dry and cold. The best thing I can suggest is to really warm the pole up before going into inversion holds. You can do this by dancing around the pole, doing two handed spins, slides, anything that transfers your body heat to the pole. It also helps you warm up as well.
I wipe my pole with a combination of 1/2 rubbing alcohol and 1/2 water solution, using a microfiber towel. For really bad days, I use Firm Grip Spray (spray rosin) to give my pole a light dusting. It has really worked for me.
I've just discovered rubbing some shaving gel/foam into my legs (and therefore also my hands) before I start seems to help a lot on cold and dry days.
I've heard about using shaving cream, but have never tried it myself. Does it matter which kind you use?
I haven't really come across much about what works best. I use a fancy scented one, but I've seen people use cheap generic brands as well. As far as I know, anything that comes out as a gel and starts turning into foam is okay. I have found it doesn't work so well on hot sweaty days though.
iTac just released a pole cleaner!
Go to my facebook to see the picture! I used it at pole con and it works. I can pick you all up some and ship it to you! Doesn't damage your pole, one spray works like a charm. It comes with a pink cloth and a spray applicator!
www.facebook.com/theosimonpoledance
Thanks Theo!!! I REALLY look forward to use it on my chrome pole!!! ^_^
Thanks for the heads up, Theo. I added you on Fb to see the pic. DO you happen to know what ingredients they use?
@Cuteand sweet - Hi, our new pole cleaner is available right now. Retail price for a 250ml bottle (800 applications) plus special microfibre cloth is $17.99. To order please send me a email at peter@inyourfacesports.ca and we can communicate directly.
Cheers
I actually bought a bottle of iTac spray from Theo (thanks again!! ~hugs~)...and it works like a charm...
I use Tite Grip, iTac2 level 3 and sometimes Mighty Grip so there are a lot of "gunk" on my pole...after each pole session it takes me forever to clean my pole with alcohol...it is especially hard to get the iTac2 off (I have an xpole chrome btw). With the iTac spray, it comes of sooooo easily. And after you clean the pole, wait until its total dry before trying to get on the pole or it'll feel reeeeally slippery. I'm not sure if it improves my grip (I have really sweaty hand...this reminds me to e-mail Peter for a level 4 sample...lol) but it's definitely the best cleaner I've tried so far.
@greekgodess Hi the websites for iTac2 are poledancegrip.com & itac2.com and our facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/...
Thanks
I know I have A LOT of issues with slippage w/ the x poles.. tried both the 45mm and 55mm both are slippery and I couldn't even do a spin proper on them. I personally loooove the lil mynx poles, they are soo shiny and I stick to them sooo well! <3 Too bad they don't have a lot of marketing because I just think the surface of their poles is awwesome! 
I have a minx and an x. Hate the minx love the x. the minx is the most slippery thing in the world FOR ME. everyone is different.
Poles need to be "broken in" so to speak. It will take a while for your pole to really get conditioned. Just keep practicing on it as often as you can. Also, as your hands build up cauloses, you may stick to it better (I know that is the case for me.) Make sure you get your pole nice and warm, that will improve the grip a lot.
X-pert is soooooooooooo slippery also for me that it is becoming a nightmere!!!
I noticed I am not the only one with the same problem, I feel a bit better but I am not hppy for any of us!
Most of the times I can't even do simple spins.
In the begin I tought I couldn't dance on the pole anymore, then I went to a studio where they got the old x-perts and it was better, not great, but better.
Really, I am thinking to sell the pole, because in the gym I will need stages and that one at home is really frustrating.
I am considering going for fitpole or r-pole, I heard the grip is much better.
I am sure the humidity is a big factor in this, but my home won't get dry,so...
Maybe brass would be better...but where to get the poles in brass?
Unfortunatly in italy we got quite high ceilings and I can't use poles with standard sizes,I need extendable or free standing.
Any advise is welcome...
Are you warming your pole up? Once the poles warm up they grip more. The poles at the gym have been conditioned over time, so they are all roughed up from use. Your x pole is probably new, so it is still slick from manufacturing. You have to use it to condition it. Unfortunately, that means getting past the initially frustrating slick phase. That initial phase is going to come with all metal poles. This will take a while, but it will go away. You just have to be patient and persitent. Just spin on it a lot all the way to the floor. Do simple slides to the floor. Get your hands all over it. The humidity is probably playing a role in you not being able to grip. Maybe you can get a dehumidifier for your pole room.
Also, what metal did you get?
The r poles are powder coated, so they are going to be grippier, but it is also going to be harder to spin on them. They will probably tear up your hands. Brass will probably have better grip in the humidity, but I don't know where in Italy they sell them.
I have been having this problem myself. My X-pole X-pert was fine over the summer, but now that it is starting to cool off it is super slippery. It feels like there is a layer of condensation on it. I had never heard about warming it up first. Thanks everyone for all of the info.
Some girls use a blowdryer on their pole first. Or turn on a heater to warm up the room. I just sit there and run my hands up and down the pole A LOT to get the friction on my pole to get my pole warm. If you want to test it out, just run your hands up and don the top of your pole until it is warm, then try sticking to it. Then try sticking to a colder part of the pole. It is WAY different.
I usually turn down the a/c or turn it completely off before I get on my pole. I've heard of some girls actually setting it to turn off an hour before they get home so the pole is already warmed up for them. After a few climbs and pole sits, my X Pole X Pert is warm and almost ripping the skin off my legs.
Not to long ago, I actually tried the blowdryer thing. I was warmed up, but couldn't get my pole warm no matter how many spins or climbs I did. I even tried hugging it and nada....after I whipped out the blow dryer, it was FINALLY warm enough for me to maintain enough grip to even spin on so that it stayed warm. (xpert chrome)
My pole is a TG and it doesn't take very long to warm up. All the metals take different lengths of time to warm up. Keep that in mind. I think chrome takes longer to warm up that TG, but I'm not positive as I have never used a chrome pole. Stainless takes a while to warm up.
I am not exactly sure what you mean by warming up the pole.
I got a chrome x-pert.
I try to use it, I even use mighty grip gloves and grip cream...nothing....I can spin 1 time on 10 maybe.
Holds, forget them i slip down on the easiest ones...
It is really frustarting.
I will get a dehumidifier in my room, but I am afraid this time it won't change much.
I bought the pole to get better myself, not to go crazy to manage to work on it.
The r-pole sounds etter, you can work on the spin holds to make thm working...but if you slip down on every hold you try and even inversions you cna't do a thing!
They don't have brass pole here yet,I'll have to wait, but we got r-pole and fitpole.
I see mny people in my stuation,x-pole should think before realising those kind of products and warn about the down sides...probably the chrome is good only if you are really really really strong and the humidity balance where you live is perfect...
How long does it take for one person to break a pole in?
Funny thing is: Now that the weather gets colder I can actually get on my pole again without sliding right off I got a 50mm chrome x-pert.
During summer as soon as I was warmed up my body was covered in sweat so that I couldn't do anything on the pole. In a pole sit I would slide right down. (In germany we don't have air conditioning in our houses 
)
Tite grip helps for the hands, but I was always too lazy to use it on my whole body
For me the biggest problem with my pole is the sweat and my sweaty hands. I usually have to wipe the pole after every trick But, like I said, Tite Grip works wonders 
I will have air conditioner and dehumifier but still, the chrome is frustrating...I doubt it ill be ok.
Not even doing basic tricks on it, really makes wanna selling it....:/
Sephira, you're really slipping with the mighty grip gloves? 
Do you use the ones with tack or without tack?
When I use the gloves I'm sticking too much ...
I assume the one with tack, you mean the blck sticky tissue,right?
In the begin they stick,after a short while,the hands get sweaty and they get slippery too.
At the studio even then it is quite ok, but at home no.... i really stick in the hands grip for few seconds and then I slip down.....
Initially, when you walk up to a pole when it hasn't been used, touch it. it will feel cold. When you rub your hands all over the pole, the friction creates heat, and the pole becomes warm, and the metal becomes grippier. You can also warm up the pole by blowdrying it.
If the poles at the gym work for you but yours does not, and they are both x pole, then it sounds to me like it is more of a matter of the pole needing to be conditioned and warm than anything else. Conditioning may take a couple of weeks depeding on how much you use it.
I will try to blowdry it and see if it gets different.
At the studio they got the old x-pert, I got the new one.
At the studio the poles are not great even,they are just little bit better.
Most of the times I can't spin at the pole, it doesn't let me.I slip down before I get to half of the spin.
I wonder if the brass pole would be better...I tried one years ago in a club in uk that was GREAT,but couln't find it again anywhere.
It was gold and grippy at the right point for everybody so I guess it was brass?
I own a Chrome 45mm Xpole xpert I've had mine for 6 months and I still find it to be very slippery I've tried dawn dish soap to get that packaging film off when i first got it. Then for cleaning I've tried alcohol , vinegar, Windex, acetone and a mighty grip cloth that you just spray with water and clean your pole. Out of all of them i find that the mighty grip cloth works best it's only $6.99 on badkitty and you can wash it and re-use it as many times as you like :) also I have VERY sweaty hands even with grip aid I slip or they will work at first and then stop. But i found that dew point works well on my legs, and elbow. I think It's just a matter of trial and error. Good luck! xo
what kind of error do you mean?
Anyway 6 months trying all that stuff and still the pole is slippery...makes me considering even more that the chrome is not right for me...
If you sweat a lot, then you will always have an issue with hand grip, no matter what material, but brass may help a little. You'll will still need to wipe down the pole a lot. Strengthening your hand grip will help, and developing caulouses on your hands will also help.
Have you tried contacting platinum stages to see if they would ship to Italy? They ship to the UK. Also, Bobbi's poles is located in Australia, and they said they would ship to the U.S., so they might ship to Italy, but they are very expensive. Both of them have brass poles.
If you try all the suggestions we give and you truly are unhappy, if you find an R pole or a brass pole and fall in love, then go for it!
Hi,
thanks for the advises...
Blowdrying is the only thing I didn't try yet...so let's see after.
Getting platinum stages to europe is very expensive, at lest they told me last year, I don't know if something changed now but it might be a good idea.
I know fitpoles from Finland are very grippy, I was considering them as an alternative too, but in that case I'd have to sell the x-pole anyway, so I wanted to take some time to figure out if it was the case to do it or not.
Anyway the old x-poles were a bit better,not many complained but ith the new ones I heard many and not only here...it's weird.
I don't think the new x pole metal has changed. They just changed the way they are put together. If you can get your pole warm and sticky, practice on it A LOT to get it conditioned. That should also improve the grip.
I'd be careful with the sade paper. The chrome on the x poles is only a plating, so the sand paper could potentially lead to chipping of the chrome if done incorrectly.
Hey
Im a pole teacher and have dealt and still deal with all types of hands and problems poles.
Things that work that havent effected my xpole
Acetone
Vodka
Kitchen surface cleaner that gets rid of greece
Hairspray directly onto pole or onto hands
tite grip lotion - brilliant x
My xpole was very slippery too but I use rubbing alcohol to clean it and only when needed. To get rid of the slippery film, I literally rubbed by grip cream (tite grip) all over the pole - it made it gritty - then used the rubbing alcohol to clean it properly and it has been great since! I find that when I get dry skin, it makes it impossible to grip too but using some dew point on my legs (I never put it on my hands but I rub my legs together to spread the spray) I stick like glue!
I know I was ready to give up with my pole before I decided to rub the grip all over it, but thats all completely changed now!
Try cleaning with acetone then rubbing some dry hands on it. Make sure it is warm too. Also, wash your hands first and be mindful of what type of products you used on your body and your hair. I found I was getting moraccian oil on the pole from my hair and it made it very sippery.
I too have a Chrome pole....but just ordered a Lil Mynx colored powder coat for better grip. Should be here today.
I bought an xpole xpert when I started my level 2 class so I don't have to keep going to the studio and practice. I have an xpert gold and my friend has an xpert chrome, both of them is super slippery. I tried to do a basic invert and slip down to the bottom right away. I rub myself with grip and rub grip all over my pole and still going straight down!! I can do some basic spins but that's pretty much it. I asked some ppl and they did use sand paper to sand it down to get more grip, I think I might have to do that so i can practice my invert and dismount. Frustrated cuz I can't do any pullups and invert and ended up have to drive back to the studio to practice. Gonna get some sand paper tomorrow and see how it works.
Let us know how it works...
if it goes well, I'll consider it too.
Is there any risck to ruin the pole with sanpaper?
well i do feel much better that i wasnt the only on w the issue, at work i fly up and down but on the xpole i jump on and slide down =( i heard the sand paper worked the studio where i go have lil mynx, im thinking about buying one
My pole is a PS not an X but sometimes it goes slippery on me. When that happens I spray Cramer anti slip on a paper towel (just a bit) and wipe the pole. If it's too sticky then I wipe it again with some rubbing alcohol - 70%, more than that is too dry for me. That usually gets me back to the regular stick I have when my pole is being normal. You can try that to get it grip at the same level as your pole studio. If anyone tries it just don't put too much or you will stick so much your skin will hurt.
Chrome plating is less than a tenth of a millimeter thick. if you are confident that you will not sand through that thin coating when you sand, then go for it. because if you break through it, then the chrome will start to chip off in jagged, sharp pieces.
otherwise-- DO NOT SAND A POLE UNLESS IT IS STAINLESS STEEL.
My husband got me a #600 sand paper (the finest one) to sand down the pole, didn't work. So he got me a slighty thicker one, #400, seems to scratch the pole more ( I can see all the scratch mark under the light). Feels better on my hand, but once I do an invert, here we go again, went straight down. Sigh...maybe I try other method. I also order some thigh high boots. Maybe I will just have to wear the pleather boots and use it as a grip lol.
I also have a chrome x-pole, gave ip trying to use it at home cause it was too slippery. Tried buffing it with a rough scourer which helped a little, but not enough. Yesterday we sprayed it with a can of brass finish spray paint, NOT BRASS COLOURED, brass finish. It's awesome! I can grip, climb, invert etc...
I am about ready to paint my brass pole! Love the spin, the size but there is something with this cold weather that it just sweats.....literally! I had small bead of water on it today! Or I might "rough it up" a little....not sure what yet, but something!
have you tried corn huskers lyme?
you slather it on your body an it makes you tacky.
Some people think I am tacky minus the Cornhuskers! LOL.....but I will try some for sure! Thanks!
AG, I have not been able to find Corn Husker's lotion in any stores for the life of me. Time to check the internet!
I've had my x-pole for a couple of months and I'm pretty much on it every day in some form. I use might grip on my hands and itac2 on my body. I'll have so much mighty grip on i can't spin but as soon as I try my butterfly I slide right down. I've cleaned the pole with a micro fiber cloth, with window cleaner like the pamphlet says and even got a kitchen brush and scrub a bit with the scrub side, blow dried it to warm it up and everything and I still can only do like 2 moves in a combo before my face is in the carpet. help! lol Trying to come up with a routine. I over compensate by inverting higher, but when I get to the studio I'm in the wrong position because I don't slip there. lol
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