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You want to buy a pole but it’s so hard to know which one to choose because there’s so many different types of pole? Read this blog to find out which pole suits you best so you can make the best decision when purchasing.

There are a bunch of different types of pole out in the market, there’s so little information about them, and there are even fewer examples to see and be able to compare so we can make the best decision on which pole would be the best fit to buy, because it’ll depend on a lot of factors.

The best pole for you might not be the best pole for another person. It’ll vary depending on what height you have in the room you want to put it in, how much space you have, what type of ceiling you have, what type of floor you have, how the weather where you live in is, what’s the purpose of the pole (for the house, studio, playing, etc), if you want only a static or spinning pole or both, what diameter you want for your pole, the brand you prefer and which finish feels better on your skin.

I’ll talk a little about all these categories, the different brands that sells them, their prices and some tips so you can make an informed decision when buying a pole.

Different Types of Pole Brands

There are two main brands that sale poles, X-Pole and Lupit Pole. There are many other brands that sell poles but are not as legit as these two.

These two brands are the most known and used brands in the industry by different athletes, studios and competitions. I’ve tried both of these brands and believe X-Pole is much better but this is a personal opinion and might differ with yours. Lupit Pole is a very good brand but I just like X-Pole poles better both in grip and mounting systems. These two brands don’t offer the same products as X-Pole offers a much wider variety of pole finishes, diameters and mounting systems. You can also get low cost options of poles on the internet that will all do the job (Chinese versions that offer lots of options as well) but they will never be as good as an X-Pole.

You can manage perfectly with low cost options, I did perfectly with my first two poles which were low cost (half the price of these two brands) but then my second two poles are X-Pole and they’re really the best quality.

Different Types of Pole Modes

You have poles that only have a static mode and poles that have both static and spinning modes. The most common ones have both modes and you can change the mode by screwing a few screws at the bottom (except with the X-Lock system from X-Pole and Quick Lock from Lupit Pole which doesn’t require screws to be able to change modes, you only have to lift a piece at the bottom to change the mode). I believe it’s better to have both modes so you can be able to practice all the different things you can be able to do, as there are different tricks meant to do on static and spinning. This doesn’t mean you won’t do spinning tricks on static and viceversa but the idea of the static pole is to do more dynamic tricks, and the idea of the spinning pole is to do more flexibility tricks, but of course it’s cool to mix and match. I think it’s better to practice both modes even if one is harder for you or you don’t like it so much so you can work all areas and get better at everything, so I would recommend to get one of these types of pole. Now, if you’re just starting and feel scared of spinning poles and really don’t want to try them, you can get one that has only the static mode (Xpole Sport).

Spinning pole was my favourite mode for about 4 years because I sucked at static pole, but I was so determined to get better at static that now my favourite mode is static pole. I really love both modes though, they’re really different and amazing in their own way.

Different Types of Pole Setting Places

You can buy a pole to put at home or at a studio. You have three options:

1. You can put a screwed pole to the ceiling only or to the ceiling and floor: either at home or at a studio but only screwed to a solid material. This is the most secure option because you can ensure the pole will never move, but it comes with having to put wholes on the ceiling or floor or both. This option gives you the opportunity to use really high poles.
2. You can put a pressure mounted pole between the floor and the ceiling: also either at home or at a studio and pressured to a solid material. This is the best option if you can’t or don’t want to make wholes in the ceiling but its also a much unsafer option because even if you assemble everything properly, something might move after some use and it could come off. This has happened to me twice, thankfully nothing bad happened but its something we need to be aware of before executing certain tricks. This has also happened to a lot of people by the way so make sure you reinforce the pressure of the pole to the ceiling and floor once in a while to avoid future issues. This option also has a limit of height, as you’ll learn later, pressured poles don’t go higher that 3,60 mts.
3. You can get a stage pole: perfect to put anywhere, from inside the house to outside of it in the grass, in the sand at the beach or anywhere you want because it doesn’t require a ceiling, it uses a very heavy base to keep the pole in place and you can mount it anywhere because it adapts very well to different floors. Keep in mind though that the spinning mode won’t work perfectly if the floor where you mount the stage is not even. It’s a little unstable as the only thing keeping the pole up is the platform it’s in which is super heavy to avoid the movement and instability as much as possible. Even though its easy to mount and dismount its super heavy so you need to transport it by car. The pole in this platform is 3 mts. high and you can’t have a higher one as it’ll be too unstable and unsafe. The pole moves and swings a little when you do fast and strong movements, and the platform might also move a little but don’t worry because it’ll always hold and be safe, you just gotta get used to it’s own movement and everything will work perfectly. The X-Pole X-Stage with screws to change the mode of the pole is 771€ and the Lupit Pole stage with Quick Lock is €1,050.99 I have the X-Stage from X-Pole and have never had a problem, it’s really amazing, plus you can change the finish of the pole if you want and buy different finishes to try as many as you want on the same platform (starting at 132€). You can also put the LyraPole (aerial hoop on a pole) on the X-Pole X-Stage which is 198€.

I prefer a screwed (stationary not stage) pole, because its the safest one, of 4 mts. as this is the optimal height for me to do long drops and sequences. As I don’t have that height in my house at the moment and I’m not going to the studio, I prefer the pole stage even though it’s more unstable as I have 3 mts. to work with rather than the one inside the house that only has 2,50 mts. I use both though for different things as they have different finishes. The poles I like the least are pressured poles because in my opinion they’re supper unsafe (I have this one inside my house) and the system they have it’s not perfect so it doesn’t spin correctly and they easily deteriorate.

Different Types of Pole Finishes

There are different materials in which a pole can be manufactured. There’s brass, stainless steel, silicon (black and pink), powder coat (black, pink, white), chrome and titanium gold.

1. Chrome: most poles are chrome. Most studios own these. Some people say they have the best grip and like this finish the best but for me it’s quite the opposite. I think this is the worst finish, I feel no grip at all in these poles, for me they’re super slippery, and they give allergies to some people. Also, the coating can be damaged. You can clean this finish with alcohol.
2. Stainless Steel: second most common after chrome and also many studios use these. They’re a little more expensive than chrome. I believe it’s the best option when buying a pole, specially if it’s the first time you try it or buy one as they are really grippy and safe for people with sensitive skin. You can clean these very easily with alcohol, they last a very long time and they’re made of a very friendly finish to be able to execute all kinds of tricks.
3. Brass: much grippier than chrome and stainless steel and it avoids sliding a lot, it might even hurt to do drops or tricks that have lots of motion between them because of how grippy they are. These are much more expensive than chrome and stainless steel, and they might leave a metallic smell and color on your skin. You can’t clean it with alcohol as it’ll do nothing for it, so that’s really annoying. What I do is that I mix some organic soap/detergent with water and this really cleans very nicely, but I’m not sure if this is good to do long term so if you struggle with this issue and wanna try this it’ll definitely help but I don’t know if there’ll be any negative consequences. I really like this finish a lot as well, they’re perfect to feel a better grip and control in executing hard tricks.
4. Silicon: perfect to train with clothes because their material doesn’t require direct skin contact to be able to grip, they are extremely grippy so they’ll stop the motion from drops or tricks that have lots of motion between them and they can actually burn very bad on your skin if there’s direct contact while doing these kind of tricks. They are perfect for cold days or if you wanna get a really hard trick and could use some extra grip. I really like this finish as well but I find it much more limited than the other ones. The coating can also be damaged. Hard to clean.
5. Powder Coat: also very grippy and could also might even burn and hurt when doing drops or tricks that have lots of motion between them because of how grippy they are. They’re a very good option as well for people with sensitive skin. I like this kind of finish but it’s definitely not my favorite as I don’t get a lot of advantages from it. The coating can also be damaged. You can clean with alcohol.
6. Titanium Gold: as I’ve heard, are also grippier than chrome and stainless, but I don’t know if they are grippier than brass as this is the only finish I haven’t tried yet, so I’m not aware of the main difference between brass and titanium gold. I’ve also heard this coating gets damaged with time. If you know the answer please leave it below so we can all learn it. You can clean with alcohol.

X-Pole offers all these poles in all screwed, pressured and stage pole versions. Lupit Pole only offers chrome, brass, stainless steel and power coated finishes.

As I said my favourite is stainless steel but I really love trying all the different finishes (except Chrome) because theres different things you can do with each. Most of the poles are stainless steel so if you have one of this its easier for you when you train in other places because don’t have to adapt to a different finish. All lupit poles are 100% niquel free so that’s a really big plus fo them.

Weather for Different Types of Pole

The weather also affects the pole. If you live in a coastal, humid area, or a cold area where your pole will be subject to condensation or sea air or other non-metal friendly environments  consider a brass or a stainless pole. Brass is a more porous metal and handles sweat the best. In saying that, Stainless is one of the most popular poles in humid areas.

Different Types of Pole Diameters

Let’s talk about the different diameters you can find on pole. There’s 38mm (only X-Pole), 40 mm, 42 (only Lupit Pole), 45mm and 50mm. It even used to be 60 mm! 60mm and 50 mm are very thick pole versions, I learned on these and they are much harder to use, specially if you have small hands. Most poles today in studios, shops and competitions are 45 mm and they’re honestly the perfect diameter for all hands. They suit perfectly and are very comfortable to everyone. 42, 40 and 38 mm are a much thinner version and are very nice to use, specially if you have small hands. Having a thinner pole makes it easier to handle and train so they’re really good options as well. Most Lupit Poles are 42 or 45 mm and most X-Poles are 40 and 45 mm.

My favourite diameter is 40mm because I get a very nice grip but I prefer training with 45 because that makes me build a stronger grip and most poles have this diameter so its easier when you train in other places because you don’t have to adapt to a different diameter.

Different Types of Pole Heights

Poles also have different heights. Depending on where you’ll put the pole you’ll need a specific height to be able to mount it and make it fit. You’ll need to measure the distance between the floor and the ceiling to know which height you need.

At home you can’t put pressured poles that are above 3,35 mts., you won’t find something that’ll stabilize it properly with that height. So if at home or a studio you want to put higher poles, you need to screw them to the ceiling. X-Pole Pressured poles can be between 2,24 mts. and 3,60 mts. with extensions. The X-Pole X-Pert’s price (which is static and spinning with the screw system) starts at €320, and the X-Pole X-Pert Pro’s price (static and spinning with the X-Lock system) starts at 275€ . If you’re starting and only want a static pole it’ll be cheaper the X-Pole Sport which can be between 2,24 mts. and 3,37 mts. with extensions and it’s price starts at 122€. Lupit pressured poles are between 2,30 mts. and 3,35 mts. with extensions. Lupit Pole Classic G2 starts at 270€, and Lupit Pole Diamond G2 starts at 210€.

Extensions are not always required, you will need them depending on the height that you have at home. That’s why it’s very important to always measure the height from the floor to the ceiling before purchasing a pole. Start by measuring this and then read the details of the product you’re buying making sure it says it fits the exact heights you have, if it doesn’t reach your height, then you’ll need an extension. Extensions are sold by the same brands and are often calculated automatically once you select the pole’s height you want when buying at their website, the extension will always detail the height it allows your pole to get to.

X-Pole screwed poles to the ceiling can be between 2,63 mts. and 4,13 mts. starting around 300€, and if you want it with the X-Lock system it starts around 322€. Lupit screwed poles can be screwed to both ceiling and floor with heights between 3,20 mts. and 4,20 mts. starting at 350€, or only to the ceiling with heights between 3,20 mts. and 4,70 mts starting at 500€ and you can add the Quick Lock system.