-
My climate + skin type = pole finish confusion
I've been doing my homework, trying to decide what pole finish is for me. There's a lot of information out there but, confusingly, some of it is very contradictory. For example, I read that brass is great for humid climates or sweaty dancers because the finish is porous and will wick away the humidity and sweat. The next thing I read about brass is from dancers saying that in humid conditions the pole is far too grippy! Or they stick too much if they are sweaty. Definately confusing, and the only thing I'm absolutely certain about is that I don't like titanium gold because it felt wet against my skin. That finish did not agree with my body chemistry.
I liked my homemade galvanized steel pole but it was a very rough matte surface and I think it wicked away the sweat. But it was an uncomfortable surface to dance on being unpolished, and not a good way to judge whether my body will agree with stainless steel. Sadly, I don't have any way to try out other pole surfaces, so I'm just researching as best as I can.
I see that climate has a lot to do with how poles grip and slip. My area is classified as a cold, semi-arid continental climate. So we have huge swings in temperature (warm to hot summers and quite cold winters) and in weather (the saying here in Alberta is "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes!"). We also tend to be quite dry year round, with a spike in humidity in the spring when we get the most rain.
Knowing my climate, any guesses as to what pole finish will work the best or be the least tempermental? For those of you who live in the same type of climate, what pole works best for you out of those that you've tried? I see that a lot of studios here use stainless steel, but I wonder if that's because it is so easy to maintain…brass is also featured but not as much as stainless.
As for my skin type, I'll take my hands right out of the equation. With my hyperhidrosis, I think that I'm going to have to wear gloves regardless of pole finish for my own safety with such sweaty hands. I sweat through all the grip aides that I've tried, but will continue to try to find my miracle product so that I can pole without gloves.
My skin type is moist (I never need to use moisturizer on my body, and I don't wash with moisturizing products or I break out and get oily) and seemed to be nicely grippy/tacky when I used to pole. I didn't have any problems with my body slipping on my TG pole, I stuck quite well when I wanted to. I do sweat when I dance, but not enough to worry about slipping.
Any thoughts on what pole finish will work for my climate and skin type? Is there a thread out there that I missed regarding climate, skin type and poles?
-
13 Replies
-
Hello, fellow canadian!
I live on Vancouver island, so it's ALWAYS humid here! And, I believe we have a similar saying about not enjoy the weather and waiting five minutes 😉
I currently own a stainless steel pole, and while my hands are always grippy (seriously, I don't know what's wrong with me :P), the humidity tends to change things a bit around here. I find when it's VERY humid, like when we're having rain during a hot day, my pole can become fairly slippery, but on most days that I would describe as "dry," it's awesome.
While I was in Iceland, I also tried a pole there- it was stainless steel as well. It's very dry in Iceland! And those poles had great grip, even without much warm-up.
I have also tried a powder-coated pole, and found that to be delightfully grippy as well. With some warm-up time, I understand that they are quite nice to dance on… but for some people, they can be "grabby," as in overly grippy to the point that they grab and pull at your skin. I could see that being fairly uncomfortable for those trying to learn spins!
I think the main thing would be just to pick one and go for it! You'll learn about the finish, how to deal with it, and what kinds of ways to keep it or make it grippy. After 5 years of dancing on Stainless steel, I know all of it's moods! I clean my pole incessantly, many times during a session, and I'm quite picky about people wearing anything metal when using it. I love my pole!
I wish you luck!
-
Brass is one of those metals that works well with sweat and humidity. It's just tricky business. For me, it is far too grippy, but my skin is very grippy. Some girls may not get skin as tacky as mine and have the appropriate amount of grip. Honestly, I suggest you go play on the brass and stainless poles to get a feel for them with your body and your climate. Only you will be able to tell whether either will work for you. Unfortunately, we are all different.
-
I also recommend giving a stainless steel pole a try. I think it is a great all around finish. I am also a heavy sweater. I love my TG pole, so I must not have quite the same type of skin as you do. But I also really enjoy working on stainless steel. I felt it was much easier for me to use than brass. When my skin is dry, brass is super grippy, but once my sweat kicks in, a brass pole might as well be covered in sunscreen. So I could go from mega grip to zero grip in the span of one pole session (or even the beginning of an aerial combo to the end). I never had that problem with dramatic changes when I used to attend a studio with stainless steel poles.
I have poled on both Platinum Stages and Lil Mynx stainless and enjoyed both finishes. I have never tried the Xpole stainless finish so I can't speak for it. My first home pole was an Xpole chrome and I swear I spent more time worrying about my grip on it than actually practicing. With the TG I seriously just get up and go, and same with the steel poles I've used.
-
I have an x pole stainless and I swear it feels exactly like chrome to me…
-
I can't believe how much the TG has helped me begin to land some "sticky" tricks like teddy, star, half flag and now the beginnings of a jade split. With chrome it wasn't happening unless I had the perfect recipe of body temp, skin condition, and pole temp. I didn't feel like a very good poler if I could only do tricks under ideal conditions. I know chrome is often recommended for beginners, but I found it so frustrating. I have heard that the Xpole stainless isn't much better, which sounds like your experience too. But I think the other two companies' steel poles are nice (you have all of them, right?)
I stick like glue to the TG, but that means it beats me up! I get crazy bruises and calluses now.
-
I love my stainless! I stick to stainless, chrome, and TG all about the same with brass being wayyy too grippy. I like stainless from all 3 companies.
-
Further proof that everyone is different, there is no one size fits all for everyone, and sporting goods stores need to start carrying poles so that you can demo the floor models. 🙂
-
I would say powder coated poles are the least temperamental.
-
I agree with that. They still over grip for me, but I seem to be weird in that aspect.
-
Thanks so much for all of your replies! I've eliminated chrome and TG from my choices. I didn't like TG when I had it, and it seems that chrome is very similar and quite temperamental regarding heat and humidity. I've also eliminated brass because I'm rather clumsy and just know I'm going to dent and ding it up, I don't want to polish anything more than absolutely necessary, and I'm sensitive to smells when I have or have recently had a migraine so I don't want to smell of pennies after dancing! I'd still happily try chrome or brass given the opportunity, but I won't risk buying either as my next pole.
That leaves me with powder coated and stainless steel as my most viable options, with Lil Mynx as my company of choice for their quick set up. Because I love the StudioVeena modifications, especially the button switch from spinny to static on the base, I've decided the best pole for me to get back in the game would be the SV powder coated pole. The extra grip will surely help me to gain confidence, strength, and progress faster. From there, I can always buy a 45mm stainless Lil Mynx as a second pole if I want/need something slicker for static spins. The bases won't be the same, but I'm assuming that the roof mount would be so the two poles would be interchangeable?
-
That sounds like a fantastic plan! Powder coat + steel both sound like good options. Yes, brass makes your hands smell, which is another reason I don't like it. I'm a klutz too, so I hear you on needing a durable pole. Especially with shoes 🙂
I don't own one, but from what I gather, the StudioVeena pole mounts just like any other Lil Mynx rotator pole. So I think you should be able to use the same plant hook ceiling mount with a Lil Mynx stainless if you choose. (Veena can tell you for sure.)
-
LM is the only PC pole right now. X pole will be releasing PC poles this summer in all their sizes. 🙂
-
Yes you would be able to use other Lil Mynx poles with the SV pole mount! 🙂
Log in to reply.