These days, understandably, everyone is looking to save a little money.  You might buy store brand food, shop at Wal-Mart rather than Macy’s, put off buying that new car or forgo other expenses.  It is extremely important that when it comes to your pole you do not skimp.

With any exercise equipment, quality should be a key factor in your decision to buy.  A quality piece of exercise equiment has many benefits that make the extra money worthwhile.  These benefits are overall durability, enjoyment of the product and most importantly safety.

A cheap piece of equipment usually has a very limited lifetime and must be replaced when it breaks.  A more expensive piece of equipment generally has a nearly infinite lifetime and is built to be repaired when it breaks.  So while a pole that you pay $100 dollars for is less expensive it will generally last a year or less while a more expensive pole like the X-Pole, when properly cared for, will last as long as you would care to keep it.  From this perspective the X-Pole is less expensive, a $300 X-Pole could last ten or twenty years while a $100 pole will need to be replaced yearly.  So the ten year cost for an X-Pole is $300.   The ten year cost for an inexpensive pole like the Peek-a-Boo Pole is an astounding $1000.  At twenty years the X-Pole is still $300 while the Peek-A-Boo Pole has cost you an insane $2000.

While cost is a big issue, how about enjoying what you purchased.  The more expensive X-Pole is a very solid piece of equipment.  When its properly installed you won’t feel like it will fall down nor will you feel like you have to modify your movement to accomodate a flimsy pole.  With a less sturdy pole you will always fell uncertain, you will be less likely to push yourself and will ultimately be less likely to stick with the exercise and experience the amazing benefits a pole-dancing workout can deliver.  Investing in a quality pole can be the difference between sticking to your new years resolution or not.

Safety Is #1

Of all the reasons to invest in a quality pole safety is number one.  How much is your safety worth? $100? $200?  Lower quality poles can fail in many ways causing many kinds of injuries.  Their joints generally do not fit as well, this can result in serious injuries to your hands, legs or torso.  You could potentially have scars for life.

Lower quality poles will use plastic mountings and their compression mechanisms are insecure.  This means that spinning can actually losen the pole resulting in your pole falling down, or worst case scenario the plastic mountings can break causing a full collapse.  Either way, if your pole falls down there is the potential for damage to your pole, your home or yourself.  There has never been a good exercise session that ended in a trip to the emergency room.

What Does A High Quality Pole Look Like?

A high quality pole will have several features.

• All metal construction
• High quality polished chrome, titanium or brass finish
• Recessed and machined holes and joints
• No sharp edges

Our favorite high quality pole is of course the X-Pole.  Below you can see some photos of the quality of the X-Pole.  You will notice that all joints fit together well, there are no edges to cut yourself on and all screws and holes are recessed to prevent any sort of injury.  This is the kind of equipment that will last for many years and provide countless hours of enjoyment.

What Does A Poor Quality Pole Look Like?

Poor quality poles will have the following characteristics:

• Poor fitting joints
• Rolled metal bodies rather than solid machined tubing
• Plastic mountings or connections
• Low quality finishes
• Loose or wobbly performance

Pictures below were provided by one of our readers after the failure of her pole.  This is a Peek-A-Boo pole which is also sold under the brand of Carmen Electra and Pole Aerobics.  These poles should never be purchased for regular or athletic use.  They are dangerous and will not foster enjoyment of pole dancing as a sport.

Summary

Ultimately, when you choose a piece of exercise equipment less expensive is not better.  Cheap equipment can be dangerous, frustrating and short-lived.  If you want something that will keep you moving for the rest of your life look for a high quality peice of equipment that you will not outgrow, that won’t easily break and that will make it fun for you to continue moving.