Chrome or brass xstage?

renster started this discussion · 11/19/2012

Hi everyone! I'm new to poling and really enjoy it. I'm planning to purchase the xstage and have a choice of chrome or brass in Australia. Which one should I choose? I've read that brass is better......but would love all your opinions before I spend so much money. I'd really like to make sure I've made the right choice. Also, this may be a strange question, but do brass poles smell? I find that brass figurines have a brassy smell and when you handle them, the smell goes on the skin. The studio I learn at has powder coated poles which I love, but that is not an option with the xstage. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. I'm planning to sign up here for the wonderful friendships and knowledge on this site and learn from studio veena in addition to a live class now and again. :-)

14 replies

Saphyre · 11/19/2012
The choice is dependent on a couple of things. Your body chemistry and the weather. I have heard that sweatier bodies do better with Brass. Likewise, a warmer climate is usually more condusive to Brass. If you are dry, the brass may be too grippy for you. In a cooler climate, chrome might be a better choice. Personally, I have a chrome pole. I have sweaty hands, but a dry body. It is great most of them year, except for summer when it's humid. I am going to buy a brass pole in the spring in anticipation of next summer! Good question on the "smell" factor. Never even thought of that!
renster · 11/19/2012
Thanks so much for your tips Saphyre. I think I might do better on chrome then as my body is dry but my hands get sweaty - especially when I am trying a new trick. :-) I live in Melbourne which is has a very cool climate. I am still very curious if the brass poles "smell" - I have never even read a hint from anyone stating that they do......
Dancing Paws · 11/20/2012
When my skin was mega dry, I couldn't grab onto any finish with my body without grip aids, and brass was the easiest for me to grab with my hands. With my sweaty hands, brass is easier for me to grab.
Lyme Lyte · 11/20/2012
Love my brass grip over the chrome. Never liked my chrome......
Juicy J · 11/20/2012
Hi Renster, I have danced on nearly all types of finishes and I must say, Brass is still my favourite finish as what everyone else has said. I recently bought a secondhand 38mm Brass pole (Bobbi's Portable Pole) and have put away my 45mm Chrome X-Pert. You will find that the Brass tarnishes VERY easily. I have polished it properly once before I put up my Brass pole with a friend who's in the building industry and it's a lot harder work than you think it is to polish it to a nice and shiny finish! After putting the pole up with my boyfriend, after a few plays on it, it was back to its tarnished look. Even if I go for a quick spin on my pole, I do find that my hands 'smell' like you said. It smells like your hands have just held a whole lot of coins - metallic sort of smell. In the past when I have gone to Bobbi's Pole Studio, I found my hands smelt like rotten seafood even after washing it with soap and water!!! Something about overly used Brass poles gives off a wretched smell!!! I guess that mixed with sweat and various types of grip aids...mmmm!!! Yummy...not! But like the others have said, it ultimately comes down to your climate and your body chemistry. Chrome - low maintenance (no need to polish as the finish doesn't tarnish like Brass does) and common finish but can also be prone to be slippery Brass - higher maintenance (needs to be polished from time to time due to tarnishes) but pays off with its better grip
renster · 11/21/2012
Hi, thanks for your answers Ariel Gypsy, Lyme Lyte and Juicy J. I thought I had made my mind up, but now I am not so sure. Lyme Lite, what do you use to polish your pole with. I'm also glad you mentioned the metallic smell, because I have always noticed it on brass figurines. I guess it is a small price to pay for pole dancing :-)
Kyrsten · 11/21/2012
I've only used brass a few times and wasn't a big fan (I have very dry skin, for the record). I think it tends to be better for those with oily skin or those who sweat a lot. But I don't have that much experience so I don't want to offer you advice on that... however, if you're willing to shell out the extra cash for brass, another option would be to buy the chrome pole and have it powder coated locally, if you love the powder finish! I don't believe it's that expensive (it would probably be less than buying a brass pole). My studio has custom powder coated poles and they're super grippy. :)
Juicy J · 11/21/2012
Hi Renster, A lot of people use Brasso or my friend actually used Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish as he said it's gentle enough to use on Brass. I remember reading about this in one of the pole forums too when it comes to polishing brass that Mothers Mag works well! And worked well it did! My friend used a really fine steel wool and dipped a bit of it in the Mothers Mag pot and then proceeded to rub the steel wool over my brass pole. You can use a bit of force as well as the steel wool is quite fine and won't leave any scratches on the brass. You rub rub rub and then get a piece of cloth and wipe HARD over the entire pole where there's Mothers Mag and wipe it off and dry. Then he used some Grease Remover fluid on another piece of cloth to get rid of any excess grease. VOILA!!! IT was SHINY Brass!!!! I think with Brass, you will either love it or hate it.
Lyme Lyte · 11/21/2012
My brass is new so haven't had to clean it yet......not sure I will.....to lazy. As for my chrome pole it was always more grippy when its dirty.
Lyme Lyte · 11/21/2012
My brass is new so haven't had to clean it yet......not sure I will.....to lazy. As for my chrome pole it was always more grippy when its dirty.
PixiLouBell · 11/21/2012
i have the old brass and had to powdercoat it it became slick in the cold, it does also have the brass smell but only noticed it on my hands not body. let it be noted i have the old brass not the new, the new is supposed to b high polished for better grip so if LL says its good i believe her! personally wanting to try the 40 chrome and 40 new brass. i want to try them all
Juicy J · 11/21/2012
Pixi, I have heard the new X-Pert Brass finish can be quite slippery according to 2 girls I know who have it. If it's broken in well (i.e. used at the studio as the case with 1 of the girls), it's quite good - quite comparable to my Bobbi's Brass. Other than that, I have also heard from others that also own the new finish Brass X-Pert and have heard that it's excellent. All of them have the new 40mm diameter in Brass. Yeah, I think it was mainly my hands that smelt bad from using Brass, not necessarily my body like you said. I wonder how easily tarnished X-Pole's Brass is as I know my Bobbi's one gets tarnished fairly easily and already has some scratches and dings from the last owner before I bought it off her.
Lyme Lyte · 11/21/2012
I have used brass in a studio and didn't like it at all. My new brass is Platinum Stages, so not sure how that compares with the other brass. But for my grip, love it! Now it could be because it is smaller in diameter to....a 38, and with me just being 5ft, I have really small hands.
renster · 11/25/2012
Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it. I plan to go for chrome as I am hypersensitive to smells and therefore don't think I would enjoy the brass. (Plus I am too lazy to keep polishing it :-)).