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Last edited by Joplin; 10-01-2008 at 04:31 PM.





You're on the right track here. Chrome is indeed a thin layer that is plated over the top of (usually) a plain steel pipe. The chrome layer is very dense and very hard, but it's also brittle ... and chunks can break off from impact, flexing, or other reasons.
Titanium is also applied to (usually) a plain steel pipe as a super-thin coating. Titanium bonds much more strongly to the underlying steel than chrome does, meaning that it will probably never flake off. Titanium coating is harder and denser than chrome. Titanium therefore has a lower friction coefficient than chrome, potentially making the grip more slippery.
Stainless steel is a nickel / chrome / steel alloy, which means that poles are made from stainless steel tubing. The friction coefficient of a stainless steel pole almost entirely depends on the surface finish the manufacturer provides - which means there's no sure way to tell how a particular stainless steel pole will 'feel' without trying it out for yourself.
And even though you don't want to hear it again, IMHO there's really no substitute for brass tubing for 'feel' ... and with a smaller steel tube placed inside the brass tube to increase rigidity you can do horizontal layout spins without causing the pole to bend significantly. And yes you can get 'portable' brass poles ... and for just a couple of examples.
Just to add my two cents... I have a steel pole and I wish I had a brass one. It's so slippery that I have to use gymnasts chalk and I get blisters on the tips of my fingers from it if I use it too much.
If you think school is hard, try being stupid.





^^^ Same here. I WISH I had brass. I'd probably play on it more.





Some of the pole divas on her have said that the slippery poles are best to practice on. I have a chrome PS superpole. It's great for spinning but my legs don't grip the pole like they do on brass so I don't try crazy tricks on it.
I don't strip anymore btw so I'm not practicing for any real purpose.
If I were practicing for work, I'd stick with the chrome to make sure I could rock on any pole the club had.





It's held up really well. I only climb and spin on it. The funkier/dirtier I allow it to get, the better the grip. Just make sure you're not wearing lotions/oils (of course!)
But talk to Alena Downs. She's knowledgable about this stuff.




^ Alena said use uses the PS multi-piece pole in all of her videos, its stainless steel. So, thats what bought. I has not arrived yet though.





^^ Oops, I have the same: stainless steel PS superpole. But I got it as 1 piece.
Just wanted to say great thread! You basically went through the exact same mental process as I did, Joplin...I want to get a non-sticky pole so that in theory any pole I work at a club will be as good if not better. I know the ones at my club are SS also. Thanks for posting this and thanks to everyone with info.





Joplin, I'm 99% certain that your club has a brass pole. It's just that when they get used a lot they lose some of that yellowness and look stainless. I'm going to get a removable brass.





Well I'm fairly certain because I asked when I worked there and when I used it (extensively hehe) it just felt like brass.





Again a stainless steel pole's slipperyness is a function of how the outside stainless steel was 'finished' ... a super high polish will be slippery, where a 'rougher' (non-mirror) finish can have so much friction as to start tearing your hands up. Chrome and titanium will ALWAYS be slippery, and brass will ALWAYS have a bit of grip since the metal itself is softer than the others.Seeing as slipperyness seems to go from the most, stainless steel->chrome->titanium->powder->brass


Actually, chrome or titanium are not "always" slippery. I've used plenty of stainless steel poles that are more slippery than the chrome.
Titanium grips more than chrome, though not quite as much as brass, it has the same characteristics being an absorbent metal, so it grips more than either stainless or chrome. It also has the advantage of not tarnishing (which decreases the grip of a brass pole) which a brass pole will tarnish in just minutes of use - try using a brass polish after a half hour of dancing and the cloth comes away from the blackened.
Also, only SOME chrome finished poles chip or flake. Xpole for example, has made incredible strides over the past year to change the bonding of the finish and they no longer chip or flake like other chrome poles are known to do. I've seen these chrome Xpoles abused and banged up without any flaking. I've even seen them used as "hammers" (I don't recommend this) and while I cringed, they never chipped or flaked.
In fact my first Xpole is almost two years old and has not flaked or chipped and out of the 5 that get used regularly at my studio, only one ever chipped and Vertical Leisure immediately replaced it.
Joplin, Brass poles make my hands smell funny, like a metallic odor, so if the one at your work does that, its brass. I don't believe any other material used to make poles smells like brass does. Has anyone else noticed this about brass?
I have a stainless steel removeable pole that I got from Plantinum Stages but it is way too slippery for me (a complete pole trick newbie with very little gymnastic type skills). I couldn't climb it for anything, then I went to work and climbed the brass pole easily on my 1st try. For me, I wish I had bought a brass pole, and I will get one eventually.
But for right now I just sprayed my slippery ss pole with hairspray and I also use tite grip. That helps but its still too challenging for me to feel successful enough to want to keep learning.
"I wear tight clothing, high heel shoes
It doesn't mean that I'm a prostitute" En Vogue




I have a polished stainless steel pole at home. It's pretty slippy but I like it because it helps build more strength. When I try new inverted tricks I just wear vinyl thigh high or knee high boots and that helps me to stick to the pole like glue. Good luck with your pole search!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.
-



Gillette shave gel works wonders for the slip on the PS.
no blisters, easily concealed!
Once you get a stainless...you can perform on any surface!
www.polejunkies.com
Come Find the Junkie Within!





Don't give up. The pole I have is extremely difficult and I felt like a total newbie when I tried it--of course it is even slipperier (is that a word, I just woke up, lol) than stainless steel! I kept at it and was soon doing my normal stuff, but it took a few days.
Actually I had to take the thing down as the owner of the house rolled back into town, so I am about to go through the same process all over again, lol--maybe it will be easier this time.
I'd say keep using the stuff on the pole that increases grip and keep at it...
Alena, you just spread the shave gel evenly on the pole? I think I might try that when I put it back up.
You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Free your mind, and your ass will follow.
George Clinton
______________________________________



LOL...Djoser...not on the pole!
On your body where you need it to adhere...hands, forearms, thighs, calves!
In enhances the ability to adhere to the pole during move poses...it is not all that great for the swings..but the trick there is to add a few drops of water to the pea sized amount to thin it slightly for application.
www.polejunkies.com
Come Find the Junkie Within!





That's funny--whoops! Thanks for clarifying.
You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Free your mind, and your ass will follow.
George Clinton
______________________________________
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