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Chrome/Titanium/Gold/Brass ???
Just wondering which pole I should get as it’s my first one?!
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27 Replies
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Pole finish is a very personal choice for many reasons. The most common is probably how our body reacts to the finish. Do you have any studios in your area? If you do I would suggest going to them to try different finishes and see which one feels best for you.
Unfortunately we normally learn this through trial and error by actually being on different finishes.
My personal preference in the order of most grippy (for me) to least grippy (for me) is:
Powder Coated, Stainless Steel, Titanium Gold, Brass, Chrome. I prefer good ole fashioned Stainless Steel. Powder coat will tear my skin off or burn it if doing drops. I don't like the smell of brass.
Do a forum search and you will find many threads on finish. You will also notice that each person has their own preferences and they will be very different.
I also like Aerial Amy's blog topic on pole finish. Check it out…
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This is pertaining to x -pole brand finishes.
Chrome: Skin type – normal to dry (not great if you sweat a LOT) Climate – All
Titanium gold: Skin type – Normal to dry (not great if you sweat a LOT) Climate – Works GREAT in cold climates!
Brass – Skin type – naturally warm/moist and sweats easily during exercise. Climate – Warm to Hot. (cold dry climate not recommended unless you stay very warm and sweaty while exercising)
Honestly though, you can learn to work with any finish. It's not always easy but possible. I personally feel Chrome is best for most new dancers, (unless you really sweat) because Titanium gold can become too grippy and new dancers tend to have a death grip on the pole to begin with. I have all of the finishes listed above and use the different poles according to the weather. Its cooler now, and I use my Titanium gold and chrome pole. In the hot summer I used my brass.
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in addition to veena's input, I have to say that if you get sticky during practices, brass and powder coating can become way too grippy and pull your skin. It is good if you have sweaty hands (to a degree). Chrome has been good for me for my mega tacky legs, but it hard to grab with my hands as they sweat profusely. TG was the same for me as chrome, enough body grip and could slide down easily, but it didn't work well with my hands sweating. Stainless is good on warm days and not cold, but feels similar to chrome.
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oh, and I find I can use my brass in all temps as it needs no warming up.
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The best advice I got was to go with what ever finish and size you’re used to.
In my case, that meant going with Chrome and a 45 mm pole because that’s what my gym uses.
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I disagree on the size part simply on the basis of different diameters work better for different people. I learned on a 50 and it was horrible!
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AG, I get what Vertical is saying though. If you go to a studio and like the size and finish then go with that. It makes sense!
Not everyone has been to a studio or even ever touched a pole, so the little guideline I posted would be helpful in that case.
The sweaty dancer has the most challenging time finding a pole that works for them, slipping can happen regardless of finish, TG and Chrome tend to be the worst though as far a sweat goes. I love my chrome and TG poles and I love my 40, and 45mm. I can work with a 50mm if I need to with no touble really.
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Thanks guys. My hands get really sweaty so I'm guessing brass will probably be best for me? I've had to get gloves and try several different chalks etc :/ but I still strugglr. Have been getting lessons on a 50mm and think I'm goin to get a 45mm x
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I have the same problem with slippage. I usually end up putting gloves on no matter what pole I'm on. Like I said, body-wise I stick well to any pole, and way too much on brass and powder coat.
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Amamda, just to be clear when I talked about skin, I meant the body not just the hands. You can have dry skin or not sweat much, but also have sweaty hands. So you want to match the pole finish to your body and climate not your hands. LIke AG said she usually ends up with glove on no matter what the finish.
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Since there’s no edit button, I’ll add that, yes the chrome and 45 are what I’m currently learning on and they work well for me, which is why I bought what I bought.
If you’re not at a studio, then SV’s advice is great for figuring out what will hopefully work for you.
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I don’t know what kind of pole I learned on before :/ I get what u’re sayin about sweaty hands vs sweaty body. I’ve done alot of research today and am thinkin I’ll go with chrome 45mm. That seems to be the general opinion. Just one last thing,when ordering an xpert xpole,do u have to order extensions separately?.. (My ceiling is only 7 ft so I apparently need to use a 750mm extension instead of one of the 1000mm ones supplied..)
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Send us an email with your ceiling height and we will give you a quote with the extension. Just use the contact us at the bottom of the site. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif
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I never knew it was body NOT hands for the sweat factor. VERY GOOD to know!
My body is dry my hands are clammy moist COLD. I learned on 50mm brass and SS I like the assured feeling of grip of brass when learning new things. For spins and fluidity I prefer SS.
Regardless I always have to dry my hands off -but for brass I have to wipe off the pole more often. I don't use grip aids, since my clammy hands just make yucky residue. I will be doing more studio practice this winter so I can test my grip and body compatibility.
So I am always questioning, weighing the pros and cons- brass or SS? (pole shopping is hard when I can't afford to buy one, find out I don't like it and return it, zero costs.
Anyone else have funky gross clammy hands? And know what they prefer over the two?
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I have clammy hands, and in regards to hand grip for tricks, brass is better, but I still slide, though not nearly what I do on SS. I have mega body grip, so I stick too much to brass and i stick fairly well to chrome and SS without grip aides. Essentially, I prefer different poles for different things. SS is great for spins for me, but brass it too frictioney and I get caught half way through a spin.
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I wish I had space and the extra ‘expenses’ in my entertainment budget to buy 2. But so far 1 for now (near future) should I choose brass (tricks) or SS(spins & strengthening)? So the pondering continues. At least I chose the brand & size.
I wonder if anyone was in my position decided SS and was satisfied. Hmm thank goodness for studios! -
IMO, it is better to go slicker and add grip aides if you need it since that is easy, but if you get a pole that is too grippy, there is nothing you can do about it.
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I disagree, I would rather have a very grippy pole and have to be precise in my movement than have a slick pole and risk slipping and falling.
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to each their own. I can't even slide down my brass pole. I have to unstick and sorta fall off (onto my mat.) I can't even do combos cuz there isn'[t enough give with my skin. If I go fro gemini to inverted thigh hold or vice versa, my skin stays in one place when it needs to shift slightly.
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Yep, AG, that is how I felt when I first started using my TG pole. I couldn't do combos ect, I was so use to having the ability to slide into place, making slight adjustments. This is why I don't recommend new dancers use the very grippy finishes. I've literally had skin rip off https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif it doesn't happen anymore, unless I"m working on new stuff. We have the default set to chrome when people order, I think that is a good general pole finish. It's all so personal though, but we have to start on something! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif I've very lucky and do not suffer from sweaty hands.
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my chromie seems to be much better for my skin than brass. I can actually slide down the darn thing! but I'm still sticky enough to the pole. My hands are the only issue.
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I find that I slip way too much on a Chrome pole when my hands are too sweaty. I cannot do anything without having to wipe down my pole and wash my hands or dry them. It's very annoying! But when I'm not overly warm, a chrome pole is OK. If the pole is even slightly cold, I slip all over just like when I've got overly sweaty hands. The "open window" of a chrome pole for me is too small therefore I would honestly never buy a chrome. I have a TG pole and it's great! It gets grippier the warmer I am and I don't mind that. I don't slip when I get sweaty hands either, well at least not as badly as a chrome. However when the pole is cold, I slip and slide all over. This seems to be the case for all poles. Brass, TG, chrome, SS…. I just have to make sure I'm adequately warmed up.
I'm not really a big fan of brass…. I think it's the worst pole when it's cold to try and pole on. And when you're warm you've got too much grip. It really hurts when it's tugging your skin because you're super warm and sweaty. I've tried doing spins on a brass and parts of my body will stick and tug when it honestly shouldn't.
As for SS, I think I like that best. I would trade my TG for a SS in a heart beat. When the pole is cold, I still get grip… When I'm super warm I still have great grip. I'm really enjoying the 50mm SS Platinum Stages pole and would probably want that as my second pole in the future. I have a 45mm and really like the size, and working on a 50mm doesn't really bother me much. Takes a bit of getting used to (with grip) when I learn everything on a 45mm and have to transfer it to a 50mm. If you don't have a studio to try out different pole finishes and size, I think it's best to get the 45mm chrome as this is most popular with new polers. I hope that it works out with your body chemistry and that the 45mm is the right size for you!
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@veena what skin types do they suggest for stainless steel ? I saw u listed ones up there for gold an chrome and I was wondering about stainless steel. I am performing next year in a cosplay costume thonits revealing I’ll be very scared an prob sweat a lot. Bc of the mask I’ll have over my mouth. So I’m looking for one that works well with sweat , wasn’t sure is stainless steel was better than the gold. Thanks!!
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SS is better than chrome and Titanium for sweat, but still you’ll want some antiperspirant. 🙂
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Do u think ss is also better than gold? And thank u!
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