did i break it?

[Runemist34]

Wow, what kind of pole do you have?
It sounds pretty scary to me that you are able to bend any part of your pole- your body weight, plus the centrifugal force of spinning, could likely equal the force of you kicking your pole down.
Sounds to me like some of the screw-in parts have stripped, perhaps from being screwed in too much- maybe not, though, as some things just sort of do that, as far as I can tell.
Now that it’s bent, and partly stripped, I don’t know of any way to fix it.
If you got one from one of the bigger manufacturers (X-pole, Lil Mynx, Platinum stages, etc) you may be able to inquire about getting a replacement part.

[Hias Feck]

omg so I finally unloosened it but I have a pole from ebay called professional dance pole from this seller xcceries lol but it’s like a standard at home pole that i usually see on youtube. The metal paint actually peeled back haha. I think next time I’ll just set it up looser than before but i don’t want it to move around too much. I paid like 80 something for mine. I’ve seen those ones without the top part before, they look perfect for my situation. I need to be able to take it down easily without forcing it on my ceiling. :/ hopefully it screws and looks nice again

[Hias Feck]

i actually think i really broke it because it’s moving a lot now 🙁

[Runemist34]

Honestly, I’m sorry to say that your pole doesn’t sound safe at all.
Pole dancers have to be very careful with the quality of pole that they dance on, because we are trusting our full weight and safety on them. Without the materials and serious strength in the pole, any kind of exercise upon the pole where it carries your weight, including a spin or climb, could be a serious risk.
Most poles do look very much the same- Lil mynx sells poles that are powder coated, and can be many colours, including black, red, and pink. My own is purple.
Many other poles are silver, bronze, brass, and are sometimes made in one full, single piece, and sometimes made in separate pieces that you link together.
But, despite these similarities, many poles exist that are of inferior build quality, as well as inferior materials. It can be extremely dangerous, as many poles masquerade, and even advertise that they are adequate for inverted moves and spins. The most notorious for this is the Peek a Boo pole, or the Carmen Electra pole made by the same company.

Most people will only purchase a pole from one of three companies: Lil Mynx, X Pole, or Platinum stages. Depending on your preferences about how your pole is made, and how it is put up in your home, you can choose from there. I, personally, enjoy Lil mynx poles, and many other people here prefer X pole. Otherwise, there is no actual standard for building of poles, and not often have I seen any other company create a safe pole.

I would seriously recommend looking into purchasing a new, safe pole. I realize it can be quite expensive, but your safety with this form of dance is very, very important. Injuries can really damage your progress, or perhaps even your permanent mobility.

[Hias Feck]

I’m honestly not allowed to have a pole because of my parents but I bought and set it up anyways lol. I’m thinking instead of buying a new one, I’ll take a few classes first. Because 200+ dollars is a lot to spend on a pole. I’ll really miss having it in my room though. The 80 buck one wasn’t that bad actually, I never fell on it. It just got stuck and I messed it up. It was just hard to take down.

[AllysonKendal]

I super love your enthusiasm for pole… but some of us pole dancers get reallllllly touchy about people using cheap poles.

I know it might sound or look elitist.

But here is the reasoning behind it…. if the pole breaks, or falls, and something bad happens the narrative ends up “girl paralyzed while pole dancing” and it makes us all look bad, and sends ripples through our community. We all strive to keep our sport safe and keep its reputation as good as possible. There are lots of blogs and articles written on the matter.

It’s not like “well I bought a knockoff dress” its a matter of safety. If you pole is sprayed to look like metal I’m pretty concerned about what its actually made of! Even cheaper/fake metal poles have pieces internally that are plastic, or the bearings may not be rated to support your weight.

I felt the same way as you do about spending big bucks on my first pole… so what I did was I educated myself on what a real Xpole looked like (there are so many fakes out there) and I took to craigslist. My first pole was an Xpole Sport 45mm Chrome pole… and I got it for $110, but occasionally I see them come up for less.

Again, there are plenty of fakes on CL… usually you can ask the right questions and tell from the pic. Be wary of someone selling them without actual pictures of the pole. If you see it set up in their house, or a pic of it in the bag on their floor thats a better sign then someone who just took the stock photo off Xpoles website. Look at the Dome, look at the rubber on the base, and look at the Xjoints. Those will give you hints to the authenticity.

I don’t see as many fake Lil Mynx poles, and those show up on CL all the time. Usually at a great rate.

Thats where I would look! Yup I just looked in my area and saw one Lil Mynx for $74 and one for $50!

[Colleen Larson]

Mine is an X Pole. It cost a lot, but my safety is worth it.

[LabCobra]

I’m so sorry you broke your pole but glad it happened this way rather than while you were on it. I agree with the feedback you got from the others that cheap poles unfortunately tend to be dangerous. However considering how much longer they last the high quality poles really are not that expensive in my opinion. Also at least for my X-Pole I can assure you that assembly and disassembly are remarkably quick, which would surely help you. I’ve heard similar things about some other brands but can’t vouch for those as I have no experience with them. Good luck on your pole journey and stay save on the way.

[Amelia72]

I personally preferred to invest in my own new pole than buy a used one. That way, I knew it wasn’t broken or anything,but that’s how paranoid you get when its about your own safety 🙂

[Hias Feck]

i asked the seller for a replacement part :/ I will invest on a high quality pole later when I can actually invert lol I’m not doing dangerous moves. For now it just has to be sturdy and not get stuck when I have to quickly take it down. I see all of your points and looking on cl is a smart idea too. Just as a beginner I don’t know if investing a whole lot is worth it, until I’m more skilled u know. It’s like beginners in makeup, they don’t start with expensive brands, to be smart they start with drugstore. I just know not to try to force it down like before, knowing that it can bend like that. It was stuck but it wasn’t bad, I could still get on it. It was just slanted to the side so I just wanted to fix it and messed it up. Every time I set it up it ends up slanting to a side. That’s the only issue. I was a little frustrated cause I actually learned a cool trick then messed up my pole. But the seller is being nice and I think they’re gonna send a replacement free hopefully. But ya I’ll definitely keep an eye on cl for second hand poles haha. The lil mynx isn’t bad at 170 . Maybe on black friday they’ll have some good deals for hq poles

[Veena]

Maybe look into a Lil Myxn pole they are very fast to put up and take down and they’re easy to use as well.

[jsheridan]

I actually strongly disagree with your makeup analogy. CVS makeup won’t kill or permanently disable you ( unless you have an allergy or eat it). A cheap pole can, even with basics. A better one is comparing to a beginner driver. Sure, you don’t want to put a new driver in a brand new Mercedes. By you DEFINITELY want them in a well made car with airbags, working seat belts, and good brakes. The pole you have is the equivalent of a car that brakes sometimes but will probably crumple in an accident. If that pole snaps, which they are well known for, while you are spinning or climbing or working on sits (all lower level, pre invert stuff) you can get seriously injured, break bones, suffer a concussion, or other freak injury. Obviously, it’s your call because it’s your life but 200 for a pole is way cheaper than any ER visit.

[LabCobra]

Personally I don’t think you necessarily need to be inverted to run the risk of injury. Even when you’re just doing some basic spin the pole falling over combined with your momentum could easily lead you to crash into walls or furniture. But since you seem to be fairly adamant about being able to avoid risk to yourself I’ll bring up some other things you should consider.
– The pole falling over is not only a risk to yourself but also your environment – how are you planning to explain broken furniture, in the worst case maybe even a broken window, to your parents?
– If money is tight you should consider that you’re actually losing money by investing in the cheap pole even though you’re already planning on getting a high quality pole in the long run. Getting the high quality pole is likely not going to get cheaper so the money you invest in the cheap pole actually is money you waste. If the manufacturer is truly willing to send you the spare part for free this point obviously is mute.
– You wrote that for now you just need the pole “to be sturdy and not get stuck” yet the cheap one apparently did get stuck and got damaged quite easily when you tried to take it down, i.e. is not sturdy. How is that not an issue even though it goes against what you yourself wrote you want/need? Can you really be sure that setting it up looser will avoid the issue?
– Tightening the pole less obviously increases the risk of it falling! Therefore by (possibly) eliminating one problem you might cause a new one.

I’m not dead set on stopping you from using that pole because I get that high quality poles are expensive and that it’s hard not to be able to do something you obviously have a passion for. Should you really decide to use the pole there are some things you can do to make it less dangerous.
– Take great care in putting it up and should you be able to leave it up for a longer time check if it’s still secure before using it.
– If the pole makes a weird sound (like something breaking or moving) stop using it and thoroughly examine the issue. Don’t allow yourself to think that it was “probably nothing”! Wasting time by checking one time too often is much better than having the pole crumbling beneath you.
– Be careful when doing spins. They are taught in beginner classes but the momentum you create really tests the pole! If it’s not too big a restriction spin only with reduced momentum or avoid spins completely.

And some points that apply no matter what pole you use:
– Try to move potentially dangerous objects (like furniture with sharp edges) as far away as possible.
– If you can use a crash mat. But be careful not to use anything that might slide away easily when you step or crash on it as this could be a risk in itself.
– Have someone available should something go wrong! I get that this is difficult since your parents apparently must not know but maybe you have a sibling you can confide in or a friend that might train with you or help you out. The idea of you secretly poling all alone on an insecure pole makes me uneasy. This is a very bad combination!

[Hias Feck]

Thank you for the tips and advice. I appreciate it. I’ll avoid spins and inverts until I can get a new one. I’ll save for black friday lol. I’m just trying to use everything I have. I’ll just use it for basic conditioning and like holds I guess. I c all of ur points. Some things you just can’t do right at the moment.