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Why I will never buy an X-Pole
The new X-Poles are GARBAGE. If they cannot safely go above normal home height DONT SAY THAT THEY DO. They are not meant for studios at all, like they claim. In fact the quality of the poles has deteriorated so much it makes it comparable to the Hustler pole at Spencer Gifts!
1. User Error cop out- Being blamed for putting up poles wrong. its "too tight" it "wasnt tight enough" and every contradiction possible as to why the first pole we put up bent, bevedled out at the edges and broke.
2. Sending the tech, (who was nice) to help us, and the SAME THING HAPPENED with the new poles beveling at the edges, and leaving sharp parts sicking out. (user error right)
3. The second pole installed "correctly" fell almost breaking the mirror, damaging the wall, and also the owner of the studio who was doing a fireman spin on the pole. Luckily she is an athlete and landed on her feet when the pole fell, anyone else would have fallen and gotten hurt pretty bad, and if it was during a class it would have hurt the person at the next pole.
"Oh yeah and remember folks X pole says please read the directions, and watch the video, but don't follow what the direction sheet says, as its wrong. "
Too bad X-Pole decided to cheapen their product and blame a potential reseller for wrong installation. We called Platinum Stages, they are going to help us.
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72 Replies
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That sux that you had this experience! I haven’t heard of anyone having this much trouble w/ the products!
Let us know if Platinum fixes all the issues!
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While no pole is perfect I can also say that I have had PS poles break and come down during use.
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Wow, I am also a studio owner and I also use X-Poles at 12′ tall. I have gotten so angry at X-Pole for blaming us (“user error”) for slipped xjoints, which has caused many problems. We made small triangular pieces of wood and used them to ancor the top dome, otherwise we may have had the same problem with slippage! I highly recommend creating those small triangles for anyone with a tall pole, that way if the pressure lessons the pole won’t slip.
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@ Ophidia… what is the dimensions of the wood triangle you put under the domes?
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We place them around the edges of the dome (not on the inside) so that they effectively box the dome in. We used four small wooden triangles at about 1″x2″ each and screwed them into the ceiling. I’ll take a picture and post it to make it more clear 🙂
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@ lizsavage – I have to agree, I hate the new X poles!! My friend bought 6 of them, 11 feet tall. she installed permanent ceiling mounts which have been very difficult to deal with, in fact she had to replace the first kind with a different kind that work better, but it takes forever to loosen/tighten the poles. the poles have to be put up before each class and taken down after, since she is renting the exercise room at a gym. But the main problem has been the stupid X joints. She has had the exact same kind of problems you talked about, and we had to go through the whole process of taking apart, banging out with a broomstick (which broke the broomstick, lol), etc. Their video makes it look easy, but it is not. She had to hire a strong guy to help because the two of us could not do it, and one of the joints was so jammed that he had to take it home and use a vice to get it out. The whole experience has been awful. Anyway, good luck with PS and let us know how it turns out!! I will be praying for you, lol 😉
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I'm about to try the broomstick tomorrow on mine (already had to unstick the pre-inserted one with the handle of a hammer…took for-freaking-ever). Maybe there is someone at X-Pole who needs to read this (and the "X-Pole is Peeling") thread??
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I am the owner of the studio that LIZ SAVAGE above mentioned. It was a really really scary situation. I took the poles back to X-Pole and got a refund. They have always had great customer service. I talked to them for a while about all the problems with the new xpoles, including things i have seen mentioned on this forum. They noted everyyything and will be sending it off to the head of the company to see how they can better the product. They were genuinely concerned and i know that they will do their best to fix the problems. I kept saying that the pole was cheaper quality, and they were insisting that they arent. What i think is happening is their manufacturer in CHINA is making the poles cheaper quality, and since there isnt a quality control check, xpole doesnt even know it!!! I definitely got a bad batch of poles, no doubt, and i blame the manufacturer. The weight of the pole pieces are much lighter, and they are thinner than the old poles, so when u tighten the xjoint its literally making the metal flare out and get bumpy.
I think the xpoles are great for at home. I love the Kendra pole. However, for heights over 11'10, i wouldnt recommend it.
I am going to get permanent mounted platinum stage poles now.
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I recently bought an XPole. Prior to my purchase I read that a lot of people have the issue of the x-joint getting stuck. So, I bought the Permatex Anti-Seize Lubricant and applied it onto the thread before putting the x-joint together, it works like a charm. I put on the wrong extension on and I had to undo the whole process….the x-joint just slip right out.
About the bending issue….My current ceiling height is only 8' so it's working fine but I plan on moving soon and the new place ceiling will be about 11-12'…I wonder if my pole will hold?? Or should I get an XPole permanent mount??
PS. If any want to the Anti-Seize Lubricant, here's the link to Amazon:
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I thought that X Pole were manufactured in Korea, not China?
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It I were designing the xpole, I would combine the x-pole, PS and lil mynx pro-lite styles. The pro lite is 2 poles, but the top pole and an extension at the bottom that is a smaller width than the bottom pole, so it slides right snigly into the bottom pole. It has larger "pins" in the extension, so the pole won't turn and the pins won't slip out of place. Couple that with the xpole extension/ adjustor cover and give it a pin like PS for spin mode and you have one rad pole.
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Thank you Ophidia for the info regarding boxing the dome in.
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I brought the joint issue up to xpole today. They said that ever since they redesigned the joint, they haven't been getting complaints. I hope they did fix the problem. They redesigned it right after I bought my pole, so I think I have the "better joints."
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@Jehann you’re welcome! Does it make sense? I haven’t gotten a chance to take a picture yet..
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@sensualscimitar – When did you buy your pole? I bought mine and recieved it the end of April. I haven't had any problems with my x-joints getting stuck, though I did have one rotate. I'm thinking I perhaps didn't have it tight enough, but the one joint that rotated is damaged. Now I'm curious if I got one out of the 'good batch' or the 'bad batch'
As for the weight of the pole, mine is very heavy, and the pole itself seems fairly thick and sturdy. I've had no problems with sharp edges or the joints flaring.
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Correction – I got my pole the first of April.
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I got mine in January
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@Ophidia, it does make sense! Thanks for sharing. SimpllySweet had posted how she pout a wood disk under the dome. I like to hear all the ideas people are using to keep the poles how they belong… upright!
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I just bought a used xpert xpole from a friend ~ I was going to order directly from xpole, but the lady on the phone said something about the shipping being held up in China and it would be a while before I would get it…. Anyway… The pole I bought is a about a year old and wasn't used very often. I put it together with no problems and am pretty impressed with it so far. My husband did have to file down a sharp spot at the joint. OUCH! No wonder it was barely used! The pole is pretty hefty and seems sturdy enough. I do see how the "x joint" can become a problem though ~ It's easy to see how they can slip and how the little grooves can become stripped! I feel like it's not a matter of "if" it will slip, but "when"! Although I am satisfied with the pole, and learned that (for me) chrom is waaaaay better than ss, I am glad I did not buy a new xpole. I don't think I will be buying one unless or until they improve the x joint. Does anyone know if the same issues apply to the stationary xpoles?
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I think that the x joint slippage can happen on the stationary pole too. I had my x-pert in stationary mode when the pole stripped and rotated. You start out with your hand on the B pole when you spin, so the circular force is mostly on the b pole, which causes the B pole to strip and rotate. It would seem that spinny mode would be less likely to cause joint issues just based on physics.
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Yes, mine was on stationary when it slipped, too. But it was the top extension, so since I'm not tall enough to spin that high, I'm still perplexed. Plus, I had a guy tighten it (back and forth the way I was told by the lady at X-Pole), so it was super tight and still slipped. Very frustrating.
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Hi Ladies,
I can tell you I got my 'real' Xpole in June, after a disastrous experience with a fake xpole. I have to tell you my experience with the company has been beyond wonderful. Their customer support has been top notch and without going into much detail about my situation, I know for sure that they care very much about their products. I've not had any issues with the x-joints as described or even slippage. I don't take mine up and down a lot and it's not over 12 feet, although I was wanting to extend mine that high.
I would say if you're having that much problems to contact the main company at http://www.x-pole.co.uk/contact-us.html.
Good luck.
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Good luck with ps. They have the worst customer service in the history of the world, topped only by the worst products in the history of the world. They’ve cost my studio thousands of dollars in their junk products and then when we would tell them their poles were actually cracking and wiggling at the joints, they told us it was our fault. At least you are getting the permanent poles…don’t bother with the removables. They are literally chrome over plastic for all the top and bottom parts. The Chrome peels right off the plastic and I’ve got the adjustors cover wrapped in athletic tape because it’s so sharp I’ve actually cut myself so badly I bled everywhere. The cut went down the entire length of my thigh, just from a standard dismount.
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I have seen this problem at another studio. It doesn't sound like jointed poles are really the way to go in a studio situation that's such a shame that you have had that problem. There seem to be so many variables with studio heights, ceilings and installations it would seem like one piece poles are only way to guarantee longevity. I hope you can get your money back and maybe get some one piece poles. Jointed X-poles should, as I understand it, be only used in a 'take up and down regularly' situation not in a permanent fixed situation. I have an x-pole and have been on an x-stage lite – both of which are great – but I think it's a horses for courses thing…
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That stinks that you have had these issues with xpole. Their customer service and products are wonderful though and I am sure that any issues you have brought to their attention, they will look into. I am a studio owner and I have lil mynx and xpole (spinning, 12+ feet) in my one studio and platinum stages in my other studio. I have not had any trouble with lil mynx or xpole and both have always had great customer service. As for PS, i have had nothing but trouble and they have the absolute WORST customer service!!!! I would never recommend their products to anyone. The poles are cheap, they are unorganized and rude. I honestly don't know how they stay in business. They cost me thousands of dollars and headache and I never got anywhere with them. As soon as I can replace the PS poles, I am. Now with xpole, I will say that you have to understand how the xjoint works first or they can get damaged. When students purchase a xpole, I always go over how to tighten and loosen the xjoint. I have had students strip them, but xpole has always been great with exchanging them for us. In the studio with the tall xpoles, we cut out a wood circle the size of the dome, mounted it to the ceiling, and then installed the dome over the wood to prevent any slipping, and I have never had any issues. Best of luck!
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