Argh... Looking for new pole! Help!

aliceBheartless · 2011-09-24T21:00:16+00:00

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!

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aliceBheartless · 9/27/2011
Thanks for your advice Empyrean! I know that multipiece poles can be inherently unstable at the joints. But because I have owned two different ones that have not had joint problems, it really seems silly that now I can't buy a newer better designed pole without joint problems. I have never had a problem with the stainless steel being slippery in their multipieces once they are broken in after being bought new. Initially, they are slippery, but stainless steel is my metal of choice. I totally agree on that plastic chrome garbage that they keep adding to the pole, first the plates, then the sleeve, etc. complete junk. I have never had a problem with the locking pin in my home or at any studio, but I have had trouble with the xpole screws at the studio. I wish Xpole was made with that same stainless as the PS poles. Because their chrome is definitely a turn off to me. Amy, in theory, I suppose a pole could just be used upside down, but the PS top and bottom plates do not have the same coupler, so they can only be used at their specifically designed locations. Which would mean the bigger plate would have to be on the floor and the smaller plate with the pin locking system would have to be on the ceiling. I am pretty sure that the pin would work itself loose in that situation. Additionally, I cannot use the old style metal plates with the newer coupling devices of the extreme superpole right side up or upside down. The plates will not fit on the ends of the newer pole. Sensual... I know! Sometimes I wish I had the know-how to just machine a pole myself. I am pretty sure I could come up with something that would make me happy. :)
Mary Ellyn · 9/27/2011
I wouldn't worry about the joint stability on either pole unless you're tryhing to putting it up higher than 11 feet. I've only HEARD of problems with it when the poles were installed higher than they were meant to be so you should be fine. I thought I heard that the PS poles could be installed upside down with the adjuster at the top going into the dome??? Still ...that could potentially be dangerous if someone grabbed the slide cover instead of the pole at the top.
Dancing Paws · 9/27/2011
Me too! I'd make my own multi piece in plated copper!
aliceBheartless · 9/27/2011
I guess my biggest issue isnt that I worry about joint stability in a pole where the joints are working properly. I had an 8' pole where I couldnt beg my way into getting extensions with joints to screw together properly because they werent machine threaded in such a way that the joint screwed together evenly. And I received a lot of different extensions. PS never denied my requests for new extensions in an effort to make it work. I am afraid to buy a pole that is fatally flawed from the get go, I guess. My current height for a pole here would be 9.5' ceilings. I was thinking to get the 45mm Xpert in chrome (I havent heard good things about the stainless) and getting the extra suggested extension for that height to keep the extender screw from being very exposed, since I am not a small girl. and 9.5' is higher than any ceiling I have ever had. Oops I wasnt explaining well in that last post. The PS extreme superpole plates can be switched from top to bottom. The new style of pole maintained the same size in the top and bottom couplers. But their old style chrome and metal plates cannot be switched because the couplers in the old poles were not the same size. The dome fit the screwpin in the old style, which has about a 1 inch diameter, and the foot plate fit the coupler with the pin mechanism, which was the diameter of the pole: 2". So I just cannot use the old metal plates that I already have with my other pole, though I could just turn the superpole upside down, assuming the joints actually screwed together.
aliceBheartless · 9/28/2011
oooo fancy, sensual! Copper is probably waaaay too soft to be anything but plated, right? Also, where are you from in Oregon?
aliceBheartless · 9/28/2011
Also, thank you everyone for your input! By some incredibly lucky stroke, a friend of a friend was able to get that pole back together! Thank god for handymen. ;) I feel so fortunate. However, I am still in the market for my very own pole so that I wont have to borrow the company pole, since my boyfriend is getting me one for Christmas! YAY!
Dancing Paws · 9/28/2011
Yeah, copper is a really soft metal. Even with the thickest pole it would probably bend under the force of too many spins. It's just so purdy (and apparently super sticky??) I'm in Eugene right now, but I am not native. I am here while my man goes to grad school. I grew up in California.