portableninja
Forum Replies Created
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The Xpole process sounds closer to the process of making white gold jewelry. There is no such thing as pure white gold – even the whitest gold has a yellowish tinge to it. So jewelers will often use white gold with some yellowness and then electroplate it with rhodium. Rhodium is silvery-white and produces a look not unlike platinum. But over time, the rhodium wears off and the yellowness of the gold underneath is exposed. This is what has happened to my wedding and engagement ring over time, and is probably why TG Xpoles begin to lose their gold color after heavy use. You can get white gold jewelry re-plated with rhodium at a jeweler if the discoloration is bothersome, they just put it in a liquid containing rhodium and run electrical current through it.
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Sounds like Titanium is just Xpole's trade name for the electroplating process. Titanium is very expensive – if the TG Xpole was really coated entirely in a thin layer of titanium alloy, it would be a lot more than $30 more expensive than chrome. Titanium is usually used in industrial applications for its strength and lightness, as well as its ability to handle extreme temperature demands and high stresses (medical devices, machinery, racecar and aircraft frames, etc… the SR-71 Blackbird was something like 90% titanium alloy.)
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Agreed. Dawn dish soap will take off any lingering manufacturing grease or oil. Just be sure to clean it off well with fresh water and dry your pole thoroughly.
Another thing is to make sure your pole is warm, and your body is warm. Chrome in particular is very slippery when it's cold. The studio poles may stay warmer from the other students taking turns using them, or they might have a thin residual coating of grip aid from people who have used them in the past.
One thing I have found is a lot of the sticking challenges are mental. When I am in a class environment, surrounded by friends, I can push myself a little harder to grip the pole and get a trick. Whereas at home, the pain or the slipping will cause me to give up sooner because I don't have anyone rooting for me. While your pole probably does need to be cleaned, it could just be that you need an audience to do your best. I sure do. 🙂
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For what it's worth, I just called Xpole to discuss my own technical issue with a pole, and the experience was great. It seems like it really depends on who answers the phone when you call.
I used to work customer service at my last job, and ended up in a management position where I was training and evaluating other reps. Unfortunately, not everyone is a pro from their very first day, even if they are trying very hard to do a good job. If someone is inexperienced or hasn't been adequately trained, mistakes can happen and incorrect information can be given out. Also, if there is an issue with a specific employee and it's brought to their manager's attention, it is much easier for the manager to retrain the rep or provide additional guidance on how to handle that issue, than it is to immediately fire that person and hire a brand new employee (and then have the inexperienced new-employee problem all over again).
It's very easy to judge a company on one negative experience. I have certainly been guilty of it myself. Now I work for a company that does thousands of online transactions per day, and invariably there are a few where something goes wrong. Trust me when I say that the reps do care about you and want you to be happy. It's good to remember that the reps you are talking to at any company are not only there to help you – they have many other customers to serve, and perhaps you are not the first person to complain about your issue. Perhaps they are collecting data on how many people have reported the same issue as you, and at what point in the product life cycle, to help their engineers solve the root cause.
There's also an expected failure rate with any sort of manufacturing process. Newegg.com is a great example of this concept. Even their best reviewed products have a few zero-star reviews, from people who got a computer part or a toaster that was dead on arrival. It doesn't stop me from buying a product if a few of them show up dead… it just means I'll want the problem handled appropriately if it does happen to me. And it sounds like most of the time, Xpole does.
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I really like 50mm poles for leg grip (I have one at home, and it's what I learned on). So much so, that I am better at leg based tricks (like gemini, CKR, thigh holds, etc) than anything that requires a good hand grip. I struggle with anything that depends on a hand grip.
I'm thinking of getting a second pole in 45mm to make those tricks easier for my hands, but keep the 50mm for working on leg tricks. I figure I can learn the trick on the "easier" size first and then try it on the other.
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I'm also not a new user, but here we go.
name: Lorraine
age: 27
location: NYC metro area, USA
stage name: don't really have one, any ideas?
lessons or self taught: took lessons for a year, then became a home poler.
spin or static: almost 100% static. would love to learn spinning but need to build strength first.
shoes or barefoot: usually I practice and dance barefoot, but heels are fun to play around in. I own a few pairs of Ellies
favorite pole move(s): butterfly, CKR, superman
day job: operations at a major dot com
best/sexiest feature: probably my boobs
how you got into pole dancing: took weekly lessons at a studio after finding them through a daily deal site. also considered becoming an exotic dancer just because, but it's hard to argue with a corporate job's benefits 🙂
how you found out about StudioVeena: typing pole related questions into Google, and then became a paid member after I moved away from my studio
if you were a pair of underwear you would be: boyshorts 99% of the time, but thong when I'm feeling sexy (it goes nicely with the heels!) -
I just did a few quick tricks on my pole (practicing some poses for a photo shoot tomorrow) and ended up scratching myself again. My pole isn't usable until I address this. Frustrating – I'm nervous to try any kind of home remedy until I talk to Xpole, and it seems like they're difficult to get in touch with.
It figures, the day before I do a pole photo shoot, and now I have a big ugly scratch on my knee pit. I'm not sure I can do anything with that knee without making an ouch face.
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I wish the pole manufacturers would send out "sample packs" of all the pole finishes and widths they sell. Even just a couple of inches of each would be enough to get an idea, and the shipping on it wouldn't have to be absurd. I'd gladly pay for it before dropping money on a pole, and I'm sure studios that sell poles would love to have them as well.
I've thought about going to Home Depot and pulling out various widths of pipe to get a feel for the different pole diameters in my hands. Can't do much about the finish, but at least it can help with the width.
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Agreed with chem, I used to get a lot of pain in my fingers on my 50mm, and it was because I was overgripping in spins. That is where your wrist and forearm curl around the pole, instead of being held in a neutral position. It was Veena's lessons that really pointed it out to me. As my hands got stronger, it was easier to avoid, but I still fall back into old habits when I try something new. If you find yourself with "pole burn" on your forearms, that is also a sign. Just try to keep a neutral wrist in everything you do – it will feel weird at first if you're used to overgripping.
You can certainly break the habit on your 50, and you can definitely still overgrip on a 45. But I think there is less instinct to do it if your fingers can fully wrap the pole. I have small hands and I've been thinking about getting a 45 for that reason.
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I bought my pole new in early 2012. I did have a slightly rotated X joint not very long after I got the pole. The manual says over and over again not to over-tighten it… so of course I didn't tighten the middle joint enough, and it rotated just past the point where I could get at it.
After taking the pole apart and holding the stuck joint in pliers, we were finally able to rotate the joint back enough to get at it with the allen wrench, and the pole's been fine ever since (I check it constantly). That was nearly a year ago. If there was any damage to the holes caused by my attempts to get at the twisted X-joint, it took a long time to show up.
The rotated X joint is a pretty widespread problem and everyone I know with an Xpole has dealt with it. I was really annoyed when it happened because I've tried to be so careful.
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chemgoddess, there is a website called YogaGlo that has online classes and instruction. It's similar to SV in that regard. I have not tried it, but I see ads for it occasionally. It seems made for the same type of busy person who can't or prefers not to attend classes.
I do recommend taking a few classes in person to start (maybe on a weekend, if there are no studios that fit around your work schedule) but yoga can easily be practiced at home once you have the basics down.
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I do vinyasa yoga a few times a week. I like it because it has certain elements of ashtanga (flowing into postures, energetic versus passive movement) but the sequences are not as rigid and the classes are less formally structured.
I have tried hot yoga before and I do not like it. I sweat a lot even when taking regular vinyasa classes, so I certainly don't need the help! And I often feel unsafe in certain postures when the mat gets slippery. I've found yoga to be really helpful as cross training for pole dance, and it helps me to focus on feeling good and doing good for my body, instead of obsessing about how I look or dance.
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I could never wear high heels (even low ones) before I started poling. It’s an amazing benefit to building ankle strength. I still love flip flops and sneakers, but I can finally look cute at weddings too!
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The buckle has broken on my Ellie shoes as well. The little pin that fastens the strap has become detached and it just “floats.” I noticed for both Pleaser and Ellie that there are different price levels of shoes – most of us are probably getting the $30-$40 shoes instead of the $200 shoes. There must be a pretty serious difference in quality between the levels.
If you’re handy with sewing, you may be able to fix it. I haven’t bothered to try fixing mine yet. I just walk carefully in them, and ordered another pair. Someone recently posted a video tutorial on how to convert broken ankle strap shoes into wrap shoes with a length of ribbon, maybe you can try that!
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Thank you everyone! I will be doing these from now on!