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I am buying a PS Star Stand Alone 3.0 tomorrow!!!
SOOO excited because I am FINALLY buying a Platinum Stages Star Stand Alone 3.0 Pole tomorrow!!!
I got to try one out tonight and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to put together and take apart. it literally took me 5 minutes to do this. The pole is quite sturdy, it does wobble a bit, but I jumped all over that pole TRYING to tip it over, and it stayed firm.
The pole itself screwed together easily, and using it on spin mode (we didn't have the pin!! lol) The seem where the poles connect are totally smooth, no catching or scratching. I am getting a 2ft extender piece so I will have 9 feet of POLE!!! (drool!)
I had no problem doing left handed spins without any fear that the pole would unscrew itself. Not sure about when it is static, but I'm a righty mostly so not quite as important to me.
I will definatly be adding some additional weight to the bottom, I read a post about using steel posts inside the legs, which seems like a good idea to me! I will not be purchashing the carrying cases, I plan on using a heavy duty suitcase with wheels!
Can't wait to order this, I hope shipping doesn't take FOREVER! (Shipping is flippin expensive! $130 bucks!) BUT I will be impatiently waiting like a mad woman!
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50 Replies
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And I will defintitely be posting a video of set up and take down of the pole. And maybe some new moves on spinny mode!!
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I'm curious to know how you like it! I want a stage pole, but the X-Stage Lite is too tall for me. Are you getting brass or stainless steel?
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I'm ordering a 50mm stainless steel. I've never used a brass pole, and I've been usng our studio poles which are lil mynx, about 15- 20 feet or so? The one I tried tonight was 45mm stainless steel, but I am used to having a 50mm so it was a little awkward to practice.
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We also have a stage at our studio, it is older, about a foot off the ground, not sure if it is PS or XStage. It was a pain in the booty to move and take apart. You had to have 2 people too, because it was heavy to lug to outcall parties! It also wasn't very sturdy and we resorted to taking bags of kitty litter to weigh it down.
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the PS unscrews when you go "lefter"…also their customer service is not super nice… bought a by 4 stage and there was damage to the pole it was brand new…. of course i threwed the package at the gargabe…but they were asking for it…
also for carring the x stage around teyre making wheels now!!
X stage all the way
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I have a PS and Olivia is right, when you go left on static the pole comes unscrewed. Also I bought new bottem feet that were much better than the rinky dink ones it came with. I would love to see what x-stage has to offer in portables, because PS star stand alone is not worth the money $$$ …….However in their defense I use their super poles and have had alot of success with them as well as loving the fact that you can take it in and out of static very easily. I like the Idea of getting some steal plates for inside the legs to add x-tra weight though good call ;o) good luck with your purchase
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Is this the new design for the PS Star Stand Alone? I know they took the 45's off the market because they were totally unsafe and also there was a big problem with the unscrewing that people have mentioned. Supposedly they were redesigning these….I hope this is the case with the pole you ordered.
Things to watch out for: Pie shapes popping off the base when you walk near the edges, case falling apart, pole walking across the floor while doing things like reverse grab, rust at seams, pole unscrewing while spinning, HORRIBLE customer service. I don't want to rain on your parade, I just want you to be aware that there have been several issues with this design.
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I have the original SSA and it's a peice of crap. The warnings that come with it say that you cannot place any weight on it or spin on it – which means if this if you get hurt using this pos you cannot even come back at them because it's basically a $600 Peek a boo.
Maybe the 3.0's are better but I doubt it. Their customer service sucks! I only bought this stage so I could do performances and when they were coming out with the 3.0's they said they'd upgrade me for *free* if I paid to ship the faulty parts back to them (which is the entire thing). I have the 45 which is deemed by their own admission UNSAFE and it's extensions – I've never been offered a refund just to send things back at my own cost. Why should I have to pay because they sold me an unsafe pole????
Just saying! I've personally sold many girls on buying PS products over the last 3 years and have owned 5 of their poles and this is how they treat a good returning customer?
NowI have to buy an X-stage light so my stage costs are not something like $1600. I wish I'd have saved and waited for the X-Stage Light. I get so angry everytime I tihnk about it.
The X-stage is so much better, well made and their customer service is AMAZING!!!!!
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about their customer service: when i ordered the stage (view previous post) i installed it…then i saw a dent in the pole… (the day after) OF COURSE i put the package to garbage,,,DUHHH
they were asking me to go get the package and take pics…and then return the pole to my fees…
I mean …really…. so i opened my studio now and guess what…. im not using platinum stages products 🙂
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I will say this…when there is a significant difference in pricing of the same type of product you should ask why? Do you really think XStage would sell a product at a significantly higher price if they didnt' have to?
XStages cost more due to the tiime put into developing the pole as well as the quality of the parts and product itself – it's heavy duty, safe, stays together the way it's meant to, and is durable. Having used an SSA I can say that the price difference is warranted.
Every pole has it's share of problems but the Star has had more than any pole should have…especially for a product you are literally trusting your life to. I haven't heard anything about the differences in the "new 3.0" but I've head and dealt with many customer service issues with them over the past 6 years and that hasn't improved at all.
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Hey ladies, thanks for all your feedback, here are some points I addressed, as well as a few thoughts and questions of my own…
To Olivia "the PS unscrews when you go "lefter".
I understand that is it more an issue when the pole is on static, and since I spin mostly right handed, I will practice my lefty spins on spin mode.
To Charley "I have the 45 which is deemed by their own admission UNSAFE"
To ChemGoddess "I know they took the 45's off the market because they were totally unsafe"
I tried a 45mm v.3 and did not find it unsafe? Is that written anywhere on their website or in any articles?? They are obviously still selling them.. I did my damndest to flip it over and had no success even with very aggressive spins.
To ChemGoddess "Pie shapes popping off the base when you walk near the edges"
Maybe this was an orginal design flaw? The pie shapes are placed on top of the feet, and the pole goes overtop of it, effectively locking them down. I had no issues with the base other than I thought it was more mat like, not plastic. But that doesn't bother me as I am used to hardwood and concrete floors lol.
To Empryrean "when there is a significant difference in pricing of the same type of product you should ask why? Do you really think XStage would sell a product at a significantly higher price if they didnt' have to?"
The xstage and xstage lite are both $799, the PS Star is $599. I would expect the difference to be because the base is lighter, therefore less costly to make. I don't find the price to be too varying to make me wonder about bad quality.
It seems like a lot of people have had issues with customer service.. and while this does worry me, I think every company will have its share of happy and unhappy clients. However, my studio just ordered and received theirs just 2 weeks ago, and they said they had no problems with ordering or delivery…
However, I definitely plan to film myself while opening the boxes and doing the initial set up.. that way if they try to say I did the damage I will have fresh evidence! LOL.
Either way, I'm pretty happy with my choice as my BF will not let me put a pole in the house that will potentially damage any celiings before we sell our condo! And on the plus side, the weather has gotten nice so I definitely plan on taking this bad boy to the park!
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OK, I meant to order the pole last night, but procrastination and such.. lol.
I literally JUST got off the phone with Kevin @ Platinum Stages and he was very helpful, friendly and polite with me on the phone. Paid a grand total of $606.74 for my pole plus shipping! (which was $130 to St Louis if anyone is interested =) I used a 10% off code from their facebook page and saved $50 which I used to also purchase a 2 foot extender piece.
I will keep everyone updated! Shipping is 10 -14 days so I will be begin waiting IMpatiently right NOW. lol
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And I forgot to mention.. there will be a lighting kit for the star coming out hopefully in June..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoyu0HlrWYs
And they also offered me a discount on new carrying cases they are redesigning that will be collapsable with wheels to make it easy to transport. For now, I will stick with my rolling suitcase idea.
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There was a HUGE hoopla on FB a few months back where a lot of this came out. I believe that the 45 issue was written in emails to people. I will see if I can find the FB thing when I have a little more time. It was started by Alethea and had close to 200 comments. I had gotten an email from PS regarding my post, forwarded the info to my studio owner and they STILL ignored her phone calls.
As far as customer service goes, they are great while ordering, no so much once they have your money.
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Here we go:
Star Stand Alone Stage – WARNING Well, I'm probably going to start a shitstorm with this, but the idea of someone getting hurt is much worse. I feel it is my responsibility as a pole dancer and teacher to give warning about this product.
The Main Flaw is the pieces of the pole are just screwed together on threading and there is no loc…king mechanism to hold the pole pieces in place. If you spin against the threading, THE POLE WILL COME UNSCREWED IN YOUR HANDS. This has happened to me before, and even left me standing next to the stage with the top pole completely off in my hands. The first time I was on the Star Stand Alone I was on spin mode upsidown holding in my knee and noticed the threading in the middle joint was showing and the pole felt wobbly. I grabbed the bottom half with my hands and screwed the two back together until i could come down. The Base of the stage as well i do not feel like is heavy or sturdy enough. The collar around the pole does not fit well and the plastic triangle pieces of the base frequently pop up.
I like Platnium Stages, they have a great one piece pole i am happy to use in competitions and in studios. But this particular product the Star Stand Alone is not made well and downright dangerous for pole dancing. I just don't want anyone to get hurt there are tons of options for safer poles out there. After my experiences i will not teach or perform on this product. Feel Free to tag yourself in this picture if you agree and or want to share your story.There are 180 comments following this. It was posted on November 27 so if you are friends with Alethea you can keep hitting "older Posts" until you get to that date.
I am not sure if this link will take you directly there.
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Oh, BTW, this is where I read about the 45mm. It is a post by Stellar:
QUOTE:
I just received a polite call from Platinum Stages regarding the entry that I had written before. During this call I was informed of several things that I did not previously know. These included:
Platinum Stages now recognises that the 1.7…5 inch gauge Star Standalone pole, which is the one I performed on in the Rock the Pole Showcase, is not safe and they have ceased selling this.
The screw-together pole joints have been eliminated and replaced with a more effective joint system which does not enable the poles to come unscrewed while doing aerial combos or left-spins any longer.
There is now a much wider shaft which I was told has helped to eliminate a considerable amount of wobble.
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I was not able to see the FB thread, I think the link is too old. Was that from Nov 27 2010?
It seems like the 45 mm poles have had the most problems, and since I ordered a 50mm which is my preference I'm not too concerned. I did try one out and was pleased with the experience.
Well my order is in, and it seems like PS has taken the steps to fix the problems they had with the earlier versions so I'm pretty stoked to be getting mine in 10-14 days.
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hope you have a better experince with it then others have had and seriously hope they have fixed the issues they have had. It would take a lot of convincing that they had before I would get on one again. I actually lifted charleys off the ground doing a fireman spin on spin mode.
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The FB thread is working fine for me.
I sincerely hope this product works better for you than it did for me.
I only use mine for paid performances and have had riggers put mine together only to have it unscrew.
I was onstage in front of about 3000 people or more and my top extension came undone while I was in a basic cross knee release. I had to lower myself down onto the other extension and then climb up and screw it back together TWICE during my 12 minute performance. It was a little embarassing. That was the LAST time I ever used that pole. It can rot in my garage.
When Kevin called me over the Alethea post he told me that the 45 was unsafe and that they were no longer selling them – okay fine, but what am I supposed to do with an unsafe pole? Send it back to him at MY cost. Why should I have to pay MONEY because they sent me an unsafe pole? Again, all I did was order my FIFTH pole through them. He told me he would send me the EZ Connect for free. Okay great but that doesn't change the fact that he said my pole wasn't safe. Later he said it was safe just not safe with extensions – okay again I paid $50 for those extensions and shipping – Why can't I be refunded. We went in circles and it all came down to they refused to pay for the shipping back – but the bottom line is the piece of crap pole I have is their mistake not mine!!!!! I wanted this pole, I waited like a month to get it, I worked for 4 months straight to save up for it – every dime I earned went to that pole and not I have an unusable pole and their solution is that I spend MORE money to send back a faulty piece of equipment?!?!!??!?!!
So, while I hope 3.0 is better I am still upset that they think it's okay that the rest of us were sent unsafe poles that come unscrewed with wobbly bases. If they fixed stuff great but why isn't my $600 worthy of good customer care? How come I don't deserve a good, sturdy, safe pole? Because I order sooner rather than later?
I'll never own another PS pole again. I won't support the company and I don't believe this company has any integrity or ethics. I still believe the pole to be unsafe because the one I have IS…and it has the written warning from the company to prove it. The warnings say not hold your body wieght on it, spin on it, climb it or invert it – I'm paraphrasing here but it says not to do anything more than walk around it and I'm not kidding!!!
FROM THE INSTRUCTIONS:
"ALWAYS keep both feet on the surface."
"NEVER use this product's center pole to support your body weight"
"NEVER use the product's center pole to invert body, hang or spin" -
Oh…I forgot about that quote from the instructions!
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Aren't PS the ones with the pole that attaches to the hitch bar on the back of your truck? I have serious doubts about that one too, lol! They show the girl getting driven about holding onto the pole but I don't think it has the integrity for much other than that because if it did they would show it in the ad, wouldn't they? If they are who I think they are I saw an ad for their stage where a guy said "There is something wrong about a girl who has to install her own stripper pole" and made some joke about every pole coming with a free pregnancy test and how you can bring your Daddy issues with you along with your pole. If a company says stuff like that about the users of it's product, I am sorry, they just don't have my support because they have no respect for their customers.
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I have no experience with the stand alone stage, but I will say I've had awesome experiences with PS customer service. I ordered mine after the new bottom loaders came out (not a fan of bottom loading on any brand…yuck) and they made mine top loading at no extra charge. When I got my pole I needed to replace one of the sections.. all it took was a phone call. They promptly sent me a replacement section and I sent the bad one back in the box they sent the replacement in. Again, no extra charge, no hassle. I'm sorry for everyone who's had a bad experience with them, but just so you know, STLpoledancer, it's not always horrible!
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So I placed my order on March 17th, with the site saying shipping is 10-14 business days.
A few days ago I got an email from Kim Arcement saying that their shipping was a little delayed, and that my pole would be shipped the first week of April (essentially it would get here 4-5 days late). I emailed back and asked for a partial refund or free upgraded shipping for the inconvience, and she offered me a free sample of Platinum Grip ($9.95 value) and an instructional DVD ($27 value) so I'm satisfied with their counter offer. =)Kinda sad that I have to wait longer, I'm just so darn impatient. But at least I have a studio to go to so I can get my pole fix!
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Got an updated email today saying my pole will be shipped some time next week! OMFG, I'm so excited! This is worse than waiting for Christmas!
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So now what are all of us SSA 45mm pole owners supposed to do with our unsafe product?
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