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chrome vs brass
So, anyone else here find chrome hard to use? I’m used to brass and am unfortunately on medication that makes me sweat quite easily, including my hands and OMG my new chrome pole (second hand though, so not “new” new) is soooooo much harder to use than the brass poles I used to use back when I worked in the clubs.
I mean, the spinning is different but fun, but the 45mm feels larger than I’m used to and the chrome is so slick!
One club I worked at had 2 brass poles on the downstairs stage and a stainless steel pole on the upstairs table and I hated doing shifts upstairs as it was too slick. I used to think of it as a “fast pole” (like a “fast oven”) because I would spin faster and have a harder time with inverted work because it was much harder to grip well. But it wasn’t nearly as smooth as this chrome one.
Now I’m debating whether to invest in a brass pole insert in July when I get my tax rebate.
I have ordered some Dry Hands and hope this helps but holy hell, I never knew the difference would be this significant. -
16 Replies
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The different finishes tend to favor specific body chemistry, I’ve noticed. For instance, I am the exact opposite of what you described. My skin is often drier than most so chrome is by far my favorite finish. Every experience I’ve had with brass has been a nightmare as it tears my hands to shreds and I also seem to have a sensitivity to the metal itself.
However, I’ve known a lot more people who favor brass to chrome and it seems to be entirely dependent on either their body chemistry or just their texture preference. The sleek feel of chrome is something I feel more comfortable transitioning in and out of moves than any other finish. It does take longer to “come to grip” when warming up on chrome, but once it gets there for me it’s heaven. People who prefer brass often describe feeling more secure in their moves than on chrome and, from my own experience, that is very true but brass is definitely too much grip for my body chemistry.
The only suggestions I can offer to improve your experience on your chrome pole is to use a grip aid (like Dry Hands or iTac) on areas where perspiration may cause dangerous slippage and possibly invest in a pair of Mighty Grip gloves with the vinyl palms. I’ve never personally used these things (except the gloves once when I was first attempting a shoulder-mount), but pole-folks who prefer brass have sworn by these methods when they’re forced to use chrome. Also, a steamer may help warm your chrome so that it “comes to grip” faster.
I hope this info is somewhat helpful and that you are able to use your pole comfortably. Either that or I hope you’re able to get a brass without too much difficulty in the near future. I know I’d be devastated if I was stuck with a finish that didn’t agree with me. 🙁
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Dirty Girl Poletice is by far the best product I have tried for sweaty hands! Dry hands is ok, itac makes me slip worse! Tacky gloves definitely make you stick but no static spins. ☺
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Thanks @dustbunny I have seen their stuff online, I will see how the dry hands works and if it’s not strong enough will give the dirty girl poultice a go… I really sweat a LOT 🙁 I hate it, any physical activity has me pouring sweat, dripping down my face, my hands are slick and I don’t feel secure holding the chrome pole at all.
@Serzi Yeah, I have heard that different finishes seem to work well depending on the individual, and I knew chrome was less grippy when I bought my pole, I just didn’t realise just how significant the difference would be for me.
I definitely need to get my strength back up anyway, including my grip, but I hate not feeling confident when doing even basic spins because my hands are literally slipping- and climbing the pole is extremely hard too for the same reasons, even though I try to take as much weight as I can with my legs.I think a brass pole just might be necessary for me because I really do sweat so much :\ I always used to feel so self conscious if I was doing a dance with another girl because of that too- no one wants to be grabbing a sweaty gal haha
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I feel so bad that your chrome pole is giving you so much difficulty. Yes, sweat and chrome is the absolute worst combination. It’s like a damn water-slide if it catches you off-guard and, although my hands and most of my body stays extremely dry, I have some areas that I have to be wary of when my workouts get intense. I can’t imagine dancing on chrome if I had this issue with my hands or the rest of my body. Perhaps brass is truly best for you. I’ve also heard rave reviews on powder-coated poles and titanium gold for better grip, but I don’t believe I’ve tried either of them (maybe TG once…?) so I couldn’t tell you firsthand.
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i have a chrome too and it’s always slippery ! i do not sweat a lot but i’m living in a very wet home so i’m used to put itac on my pole and it work very good ! sometimes it’s too grippy but try it .i clean off with acetone and it’s ok
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Oh, yeah! Acetone works great for cleaning chrome. Btw, that reminds me, rubbing alcohol is a quick-dry solution for problem areas on skin. I sometimes blot it behind my knees and along my spine with a towel when I start getting sweaty. It may not work for everybody, but it does help remove natural oils from your skin when you sweat. A lot of the time it’s all I need to maintain my grip on chrome.
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I received my Dry Hands today and it is wonderful- such a difference!
I will probably still invest in a brass pole insert in July but for now this will allow me to practice on my chrome pole without so much difficulty (although I suspect more adventurous moves will be out of reach for me on chrome simply because I am *such* a prolific sweater… stupid medications :p ).
Still, I can now work on basic strength moves improving my grip, reach and so on and I simply could not have done so as things were 🙂 -
If you have space for both keep chrome for spins and get brass for tricks. Whatever you will learn on brass and do it well you will be able to perform on chrome as well. I feel brass is just a friendlier pole
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My old (like 6 year old) chromes grip well. The newer top loading seem to be slick no matter what I try. Some love the chrome and it works well for them. Right now I’m using brass only because I like the 40mm size, my favorite finish is Powder coated!
If you find you have grip issues this trick has worked on ALL finishes so you might want to check it out, any of you who don’t suffer from sweat. As Skramamme found just dry hands worked well, but if you tend to be cold or dry try this trick for all finishes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgvvc2uvcFw
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I have problems with chrome too and in fact just had the most infuriating “practice session” on my home chrome pole. I couldn’t do a lot of the stuff I wanted to do. The pole just wasn’t holding the heat. I find then what happens is I get hot, the pole stays cooler even with me climbing it and sliding down it, pole sit, spins, planks, etc and then you can literally see the condensation where my hot hands have been reacting to the cold pole. Not only is it maddening but sometimes it can be out right dangerous. I live in the UK and so naturally it’s cooler here and high humidity by default. I have the same problem in the studio at times, but to a lesser degree. On top of this I do sweat. I don’t feel I’m an extreme or heavy sweater but I sweat to some degree. I would like to try brass myself as I’ve never played on it before but my pole is not even 6 months old so you can understand why I don’t want to invest in a change right now. I have had plenty of good days too but enough bad days to make me grumpy! I’ll have to try some of the suggestions here.
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Saeth I feel your pain- my pole is only a week or so old (second hand) and I’ve realised that my body and chrome will never have a safe relationship. The Dry Hands works wonders for one or two grips then I have to wipe my hands and the pole again :\
Thankfully x-pole have a new model out, so they’re selling their old stock (pre May 2014 I think) at a lot less than new, so in July I’m just going to lay down a couple of hundred on a brass insert.
It sucks because it will make training at a studio hard if they have chrome but I can’t quit my meds, so I’m kinda stuck with being sweaty.I am also going to try the special deodorant that actually stops you sweating after a while and see if it helps.
Dry Hands absolutely makes a difference and I did some split grip lifts and so on yesterday, so that’s great but I wouldn’t try holding my body in any positions that require strong skin grip (ie most moves :p ).So brass it is.
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I don’t know what to say. In my case I just had the chrome for a few days and I just did one full practice (today will be my second) and so far I love how much I can grip with my legs but my hands are slippery! But I’m not sure yet because it may be I’m not used to the 45mm as I’ve been using a 38mm. I hope it’s just that and that my grip gets better!
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I have a chrome pole too and I’m having issues with it been very slippy. I’m quite a sweaty person naturally so think I’d be better suited to brass but I’ve only had my chrome pole 5 weeks. I’m just gonna have to soldier on with the chrome for now til I can save up to buy the brass. I’d never touched a pole before I brought mine so has no idea what I was buying.
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I’m changing my answer. Yesterday I had my second session with my new 45mm xpole and when it was TOTALLY warm the grip was perfect for both legs and hands (not for my feet though, they sweat way too much!). So I find it slippery only when it’s cold!
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Andrea
I also think that climate in your area helps the issue with chrome being grippier.
Chrome works in clubs very good. Especially when packed
I like cold chrome for spins especially when tired of tricks and want to switch the energy
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