Argh... Looking for new pole! Help!

aliceBheartless started this discussion · 9/24/2011

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I have a need to get a pole fast. I need it for an aerial burlesque show in October! My standby (top-loading multi-piece PS stainless 50mm) just crapped out on me :( I know I most likely cant replace that pole or even get extensions any more, so I need to jump back into the notion of pole shopping. I have been reading through the threads on this site until my eyes hurt. For you ladies and gents out there that have been on many different kinds of poles, what are your recommendations on brand? I need a multi-piece static/spinner, preferably 45mm or 50mm, with absolutely no permanent pieces for mounting, and I can't use a stage set up, either. I like stainless steel the best which is why I have always stuck by the older PS, but earlier this year, I just finally got refunded on a 2 (TWO!) year runaround with Platinum Stages on the newer bottom-loading extreme superpole. 😈 😈 😈 I have been hearing really mixed reviews on the Xpole, seems like the joints are an issue and sometimes just general materials/durability? I can't go Lil Mynx, though I have used those a fair amount here in Hawaii due to that permanently mounted top hook. Other than these three brands, what are the other options? I am willing to pay a little more to make sure that my pole can handle what it needs to and I get my money's worth. Any suggestions on Aussie brands? Thanks so much guys! Any advice is appreciated, even if its a forum link somewhere where this has been asked before!

32 replies

polegypsy · 9/24/2011
i have the old x-pole and i love her, she is multi-piece static/spinner, 45mm and no permanent pieces for mounting!! mine is chrome, the only problem i have had... the dome imploded cause i over tighten! as for x-joints, im not sure, i have not heard good on them as well, cause as i said i have the old X with the threads and not the x-joints. other then that, good luck
tarah · 9/26/2011
hi corby, just curious - what was your problem with the PS bottom loading pole? i got mine a year ago, so i think it's the same one you mentioned (screw thread is at the bottom with the sliding sleeve over it) 😕
aliceBheartless · 9/26/2011
Thanks so much for the input! Xpole is probably my best bet, since I need a professional grade pole in the multipiece. But I have been seeing some issues with them on the forums... never know what to think, I guess. But would definitely love to know more about Australian poles because I do have a connection by which I could get one. Tarah, the bottom loading extreme superpole I had was just wrong. I worked with their customer service for 2 years, shipping pieces back and getting new pieces and I never had a truly functional pole that entire time. The basic problem was with the joints. They were poorly threaded and always had movement and gapping in them, which is kind of scary and also makes the pole spin incorrectly. To correct this problem, I had received 2 full extreme poles, 3 more 3' extensions, and 1 more 4' extension. None of these combinations resulted in a pole that didn't gap or have movement in the joints. I put up with the joint problems because I wanted a pole until it dawned on me that I paid full price for a product that wasn't working. Overall, I didnt like that new design on the pole in general, which made it a lot easier to just walk away as well. I really dont like that sliding sleeve because it takes up too much usable space and for me was completely ungrippable. On an 8' pole, I use that bottom half for handsprings/split grip work so much more than I ever used the top 4" of the top loading pole. What I DO have to say... the PS customer service was excellent as long as I was contacting Kim or Janice. Both were immensely helpful and timely responders. The new product just wasnt worth it. I love the PS stainless steel static spinners. On the mainland, I still have one of the poles that I first learned to dance on, the PS Stainless static/spinner toploading 50 mm pole back from when there wasnt a single plastic part in the entire product, including the plates. I love that pole and will never let it go because its exactly how I like it. But its a single piece and 9' so its not easily carted around and I have moved 4 times in the last two years, and that pole would not have fit any of my living situations. I guess I am just trying to figure out if any of the multipiece poles are a solid investment because it seems that the joints for the extensions can be problematic on any brand.
Mary Ellyn · 9/26/2011
The "problem" with the XPert and XSport joints is that they begin to rotate within the pole. You have to check them regularly and as soon as they begin to rotate take it down, get the joint out and set it back in correctly. There is a trick to setting the joints and once you get use to it they will not rotate if you insert them correctly - I've had them rotate in the past but that never happens any longer unless I'm in a hurry and rush my set up!! The only other problems have been when using the poles over 11 feet high. Personally I don't think any pressure mounted pole should ever be used above 11 feet and mostly I prefer to keep it at 10.5 feet.
tarah · 9/26/2011
hey corby 🙂 thanks for the reply! it's too bad they changed the design (from top to bottom loading). wonder why they did that? anyway, sorry to hear of all of your troubles, it must have been very frustrating. i have a one-piece pole, 10 feet, so that explains why i haven't had any problems with it. i have been experimenting a little with gripping on the sleeve. at first i was afraid to even touch it for fear that it would break! anyway, i wish you good luck in finding a new pole that really works for you :)
aliceBheartless · 9/26/2011
Ah I see Empyrean. Thanks for the info. Is it visibly obvious when the joints are turning? I have never used a version of the Xpole with the new xjoints so I dont have a really good idea of what is going on there. How regularly would you say you have to check the pole for the turning of the joints? Is this something that is a pain to do? Shouldn't the joints stabilized by the design of the pole? To me, that really seems like a mechanical failure in the design of the pole, but again, I don't really know much about the Xpole and you said something about a trick to setting the joints, which makes me feel better about potentially purchasing one. Hey Tarah! I dont really know why they made that change, if the lower sliding cover were the same diameter as the pole, it wouldnt be nearly as big an issue for me because the entire pole would be workable. I am pretty sure the redesign was done because its easier to set up a pole from the bottom especially if its higher than 8' and in theory provides a workable pole from the floor to the ceiling without having the screwpin exposed. In a typical 8' extreme super pole the cover takes about 1' of workable pole space, and the plates+couplers together take about 6-8", leaving only about 6.5' of workable pole. (hehe loving that phrase) I am tall enough that only 6.5' isnt nearly enough pole. 😉 10' pole! I am so jealous!
tarah · 9/26/2011
that's true, it is easy to set up from the bottom. but i agree, 6.5 feet of "workable pole" is just not enough!! 😎
KillerRedTex · 9/26/2011
I regret selling my old school xpole and ss ps one piece super pole :( sad sad sad :( :( :(
amy · 9/26/2011
i think xpole or PS are your only options for multi piece but i could be wrong =( so, my biggest problem with the xpert pole is that it's got a lot of moving parts and is relatively complex compared to the old screw-together style, which in my opinion was awesome and actually the perfect design as long as you had those diesel unscrew handles tha they sold seperately- those things could get any two sections apart no matter how stuck they were. let me preface the rest of this by saying-- in my circle of friends, i'm the pole tech-- i'm always fixing stuff, figuring it out (its what i do for work) and i love problem solving. so it's not that the pole is too complicated, really... it's just that the xpert design, IMO, isn't as fool-proof as a simple mechanical screw-together connection. i'm also really used to the "one pin" static/spin setting for a PS pole, which makes the xpole a pain in comparison-- you certainly can't change the settings mid-dance and you need to ahve your allen wrenches handy at all times. i've heard about the joints spinning, and also about the pole "flaring" at the joints... i'd also be very careful in putting any weight on the bottom adjuster cover even on an xpert, as it does unscrew... there's a blooper vid on SV of someone doing a cartwheel on an xpert and the adjuster came completely unscrewed and they fell to the floor. obv this is something that could have been avoided, but just-- you know, there's a large possibility for user error. i put up and take down a PS multi piece, an xpert, and a bottom loading old-style screw-together xpole every week and BY FAR the PS is the easiest and quickest, esp if you need to start from scratch and start with the sections apart every time. and we leave the xpert on spin mode to avoid any issues with the joints spinning in the poles.
Jenn · 9/26/2011
I have the one piece PS pole(top loading), and when I first ordered it, they tried to send me a bottom loading. I told them I only wanted the top loading version because of all the problems I had heard about. I remember mentioning it on here and I can't remember who I spoke to, but someone said that the new poles can either be top or bottom loading. But if you have already had the bottom loading version you have probably figured it out if it can be done. I agree with pretty much all of what amy has mentioned. As far as simplicity and ease of setup, the PS poles are probably better design. They are so much easier to put up and the simple switch between spin mode and static is a great feature. I also have a 45mm Xpert. I haven't had any problems with my Xpert joints rotating, but I check and tighten them often, and tbh, I rarely use static mode anymore. Setting it up is definitely more time consuming then setting up a PS pole, but it feels very sturdy to me once it's up. A problem I had with the old version of the Xpole was that the poles would unwindall the time on me,because I am lefthanded and do a lot lefty spins. I don't have this problem at all with the new Xpert. I have had the adjuster cover unscrew on me in cartwheel mount a couple times though, and that was annoying. I have just learned to adjust my grip higher.
aliceBheartless · 9/26/2011
Amy thanks a lot for your input. Plenty of questions that I did not even know that I had were answered in your post. Though I am really sad to hear that Xpole and PS are potentially my only options for multi-piece poles because I have no faith in either brand. A PS pole in working order is my favorite pole. I have owned one single-piece from them, and 2 different multi-pieces, both have been the older top loading model. I have not owned other brands, but I have taken classes on plenty of different poles, most of which have never been multi-piece poles. My life is currently taking a shape that indicates I will be on the constant move for the foreseeable future. I like that PS offers the stainless finish, that its so easy to go from static to spinning, and generally feels like a simple set up. There aren't that many parts of the pole to just fall apart. What I don't like is the new-ish bottom loading design with the sleeve and the chintzy plastic parts that are getting more and more numerous with each redesign that pole goes through, as well as the apparent complete lack of quality control. Almost all of the extensions that were sent to me to correct the faulty one I already had were visibly uneven. I tried them all no matter what, but was dumfounded that they were sending me obviously faulty parts to correct the problem. For 2 years straight. Xpole seems like a needlessly complex product to me. While theoretically I love the idea of the new Xjoints, it worries me that they can just rotate within the pole. I have also heard a lot about the pole flaring at the extension pieces and I wasn't sure if it was possible to overtighten an Xpole by hand? Is that how they are flaring? And some rust problems? I have used multipiece Xpoles and they seemed fine, but I have never set one up or struck one either. I dont know if these issues are the noisy minority or if these are common problems. I guess what I mostly can't figure out is whether my expectations of what can be had in a multipiece pole are just really much too high?
Jenn · 9/26/2011
Sadly, I think you are right, there is no perfect pole. And it seems the more they try to tweak the designs the more complicated and annoying the poles are. If its possible, if I were you, I would try to find an older version of the PS multipiece or Xpole. If nothing else, maybe you can find the parts to make your olspole usable again. Lots of people sell their poles on here and I have seen a lot of ads for poles on Craigslist too,
aliceBheartless · 9/26/2011
Thanks Jenn! I didnt realize that I could go ahead and still get a top loader... I am guessing that they are all still with the newer interior threading specs though, which was the main issue. Do the new toploaders still have the chrome plastic sleeve to cover up the screw pin at the top, or is it just exposed? Also, thanks all for putting up with my ridiculously long posts. :)
Jenn · 9/26/2011
My pole doesn't have any kind of cover over the threads... the design is the same asthe old school version. However, I bought that pole about a year ago. The sales rep did say that theywere going to keep making the parts for those poles because so many people still have them and need parts. So I would suggest calling them dirctly and asking them if they still keep the pieces in stock.
aliceBheartless · 9/26/2011
O nice. I did email but havent heard back yet, though its still only Monday. I have noted in the past that they offer the extensions to the old style poles, but the last time I was searching their website they were no longer listing them in the store. I figured that they may have sold out on that since it appeared that they were trying to move ahead exclusively into the extreme superpole models. Sometimes though I have trouble navigating their site. So I may have just missed it.
Jenn · 9/26/2011
No, you didn't miss anything. The site doesn't list the old style anywhere. That's why I would just call the m directly. When I ordered mine, I bought if off one of their Ebay listings. The picture was of the old style so that is what I thought I was getting. When they emailed me the invoice it was for the new top loading version. So I called them and told them that was not what I wanted. They tried to convince me into getting the new style and the sales rep did say that the new style could be top or bottom loading. I wasn't convinced though, and insisted on buying the old style, and they were able to accomodate me. Someone on thisforum mentioned that you could order the top loading version by listing top loading in the comment section when you order, but I would be wary of that.
aliceBheartless · 9/26/2011
Haha... it took me until now to figure it out! You're jnybeth! :) I am subscribed to you on youtube! Anyways, I have horrible luck calling PS, I might be blacklisted in fact, because Kevin ignores me like it's his job. Maybe it is, and if so, well done Kevin. I think the new style top loaders are really just the same pole, machined so that the threads are inverted? Can anyone back that up? It can't possibly be as simple as the couplers inverted on the pole, can it?
Jenn · 9/26/2011
Okay, I did a little bit of searching and found the member on here that I had spoken to about the new PS poles being reversable. i don't think she is an active member anymore, but here is a link to one of her vids, and you can see it the new style and there is no adjuster cover, so i am thinking the screw is at the top, even though you can't see the top of the pole. So even if they don't supply the old styles anymore, I am sure you can make it work with the new version... https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/4dc61f7c-0270-46ee-844c-1e7a0ac37250 Yes, I am jnybeth on Youtube! I also rememver your vids from back in the day when you were at Brassy. I have friends in Portland that you probably know, (Aimee, Ozzy) and go there to visit every so often. It's too bad you moved away, i wouldhave liked to jam with ya! :)
tarah · 9/26/2011
well i will just add that when my pole arrived, my husband and our neighbor decided to put it up while i was at work. and when i came home, the pole was upside down! 😮 i was like, typical men, not reading the directions! 🙊 it looked so stupid with the sleeve up there at the top. but it was totally secure! note: i have the vaulted ceiling mount.
aliceBheartless · 9/26/2011
Hmmm. I suppose it could be that easy. I know Aimee, she was my very first pole teacher and totally inspired me to stick with pole! I don't know Ozzy personally but I know of her. I still go back to brassy everytime I get the chance. I love dancing there. It's so great!!! I am usually there with Webstwe, luckygirl1220, and poisoned ballerina.
Jenn · 9/27/2011
I follow Webstwe and Luckygirl on Youtube! Don't know of poisoned ballerina, isshe on youtube too?
aliceBheartless · 9/27/2011
Yep! I think her handle is... poisonedballerina. Very dance-y. We started class at the same time and have been at it for the whole time.
Mary Ellyn · 9/27/2011
The XJoints are a pain...the screw together joints were a pain. Everyone complained about the old XPole design. As mentioned there is no perfect multi-piece pole and I believe that's because it's very difficult to design one with so many components to consider without having some issues. Yes, you can see the joint turning by checking the little holes on the side of the pole. When you first put it up check it more often - like after an hour or two...then a few hours...then a day or so later. Then just every week or so if you still haven't had to fix it. The only times I've heard of the joints flaring is when someone installed the pole higher than 11 feet. I own and use 7 XPerts in my studio since they first came out almost two years ago...none of the joints are flared. I also feel the XJoints make the connection between the two sections more solid than it was on the old model with the threaded joints. I've used several multi piece PS poles - both old and new design and I feel the stainless on the multi piece pole does not grip as well as the PS one-piece pole and others say the same. That slide cover is dangerous. Not only does it move/turn if you grab it, but the way it protrudes can hurt you as you slide down. Worst - I saw someone pivot close to the base of it and her toe went "underneath" the slide cover at the floor and tore a chunk out of her toe!! Also the chrome finish peels off the slide cover and dome of the PS pole. The locking pin is a definite advantage but I've seen some PS poles where the locking pin jams and you can't so easily pull it out. There are just too many issues in my opinion with the PS multi-piece. If you want a one piece go with PoleDanzer or PS (if you can put up with PS's customer service) and if you want a multi-piece XPole is my recommendation.
Dancing Paws · 9/27/2011
If they could only combine lylmynx's prolite design with the dome top and PS's pin mechanism, then we'd have the perfect pole!
amy · 9/27/2011
call me crazy but... maybe you could order the PS multi piece, use it upside down, and with the old metal dome and bottom? my PS multi piece (ordered in the last year) grips VERY well, but its' a 45mm... i've heard of grip issues, but they were all with the 50mm. i think that their polishing is different for the two diameters...

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