New X-Poles Launched: X-Pole XPert and X-Pole Sport
13 Dec 2009
Andrew
9 Comments →
Vertical Leisure, the company behind the X-Pole, have announced their new range of poles.
The original X-Pole was quite revolutionary when it was launched, with its adjustable height, spinning and static modes and solid construction, and quickly became one of the most popular poles on the market.
But by Christmas it will be gone. Instead we have two new poles, the X-Pole XPert and the X-Pole Sport.
X-Pole XPert
The closest replacement for the old £180 X-Pole is the £200 XPert. If you own an X-Pole, you’ll know how difficult it is to separate the pole sections after the pole’s been up for a while. (And you’ll know how inadequate the standard release tools are too.) Vertical Leisure have replaced the screw threads entirely with something they call the X-Joint.
How the X-Joint works
The pole tubes now have a couple of grooves running vertically up their insides. The X-Joint slots inside the pole between two segments, using the grooves stop the pole sections from rotating, and the whole thing is held in place by tightening a couple of bolts with an Allen key.
If you’ve used an X-Pole then you may be drawing a quick breath right now. The X-Pole’s static / spinning adjuster also uses a couple of bolts to keep it in place, and that inevitably seems to loosen after a few minutes’ vigorous poling.
But it’s OK. When the pole’s up, the X-Joints don’t rely on the bolts to prevent the pole sections rotating, and pressure from floor and ceiling stops the pole from coming apart. So even if you don’t tighten the bolts at all, you’ll be perfectly safe when performing, though you could get a bit of a shock if the pole falls apart when you take it down again.
Vertical Leisure say the X-Joints make the pole more rigid than before, so you could potentially make an even longer pole. Previous X-Poles have been limited to 11' or 12' (3.3 to 3.6m) in length, but they’ve been testing a 13' (4.0m) pole that seems fine so far. If you’re fortunate enough to have such a high ceiling, you could be in luck!
No more ladders
The other big change is that the XPert is bottom loading, so there’s no need to get up a ladder to tighten your pole now – a big bonus if you take your pole down frequently. (Vertical Leisure also have a kit to change your existing X-Pole into a bottom loader, albeit for a not inconsiderable £90.)
This means that the height adjuster cover is now at the bottom of the pole. I know not a lot of moves use that area, but I wonder if it will get in the way more often than it did at the top.
The XPert has the same wide dome at the top as the old X-Pole. The base is a bit smaller, though it looks much the same otherwise.
X-Pole Sport
X-Pole Sport is Vertical Leisure’s entry level model, coming in at £150. It uses the same X-Joints and bottom loading adjuster as the XPert, but money has been saved by making it static only. The pole also comes with a smaller ceiling plate and (bizarrely) a larger floor plate.
Unlike all other X-Poles to date, the Sport isn’t smooth all the way from floor to ceiling. Instead it has a foam cover (apparently like silver pipe lagging) over the height adjuster.
Again, it could be a bit disconcerting to kick during a spin or pose, though Vertical Leisure now stocks a much larger range of pole extensions so you can minimize the height of the adjuster – and the foam covering – if it bothers you.
The X-Stage is also being given new X-Joints, but is otherwise unchanged.
The new poles go on sale on 16 December (including in our shop, if you’d like to support us). We can’t wait to try them out!
- For more information, visit Vertical Leisure or give them a call on +44 (0)1707 665933.
- Update: New X-Poles are now on sale in the USA too. Check out X-Pole US or Pole Dancing Shop for more.
- If you’d like to read Vertical Leisure’s sales copy, here’s the new X-Pole brochure (pdf).
Click on any of the pictures for a bigger copy.
9 comments
I would love to purchase the new x-pole xpert, but I live in the USA. Where do I go from here??
@ Salene
X-Poles are sold in the USA through Vertical Leisure’s US site, though that hasn’t been updated to reflect their new range as yet. The new X-Poles are (almost) all in stock in Europe now, but I’m afraid I don’t know if they’ve been shipped to the US yet.
I’ve emailed Stacey at Vertical Leisure to get pricing and delivery info for you. She’s due back at work on 4 Jan, so I should be able to give you some answers then.
If you want, you can also call X-Pole US on 1-888-976-5387 (or see here for more), though they may well be on holiday right now as well of course. :)
I’m afraid it’s not good news. I’ve heard back from X-Pole US and, while they don’t have an exact date when the XPERT will be available, it’s most likely to be February / March. Sorry.
Update: It’s now in stock in the US.
The chrome X-Pole XPERT will be $329.99 and the titanium gold pole will be $359.99, both plus $40 shipping.
I believe X-Pole US supply the USA and Canada. Everyone else can order one now through X-Pole UK (or via our shop if you’d like to support us).
:( Oh no! I was wondering the same thing because I wanted the x pole for christmas and was waiting for the new one to be released…I don’t know If I want to wait that long for it to be released here in the US though… :(
I’m going to order an XPert XPole on this website tomorrow I think. I heard it will arrive on the week of the 4th of jan (or 12 days, which means the week after) as there is a backlog of deliveries. I basically want my pole to arrive asap, so should I order from you guys, or from XPole??
Thanks for the update though, XPole’s website is a bit useless at the moment :(
@ Aud – We don’t stock the poles ourselves; when you buy from us, we pass your order on to Vertical Leisure. This happens within an hour or two of your order, so the delivery date for your pole will be the same via either route.
Obviously we’d prefer you to order via our site because Vertical Leisure give us a percentage of the purchase price (the amount you pay is the same either way). We can put this towards looking after the site, writing more posts here, etc. We can also help if you have any questions about your new pole (or anything else pole-related :) that Vertical Leisure haven’t answered for you.
Either way, I hope you enjoy your new pole when it arrives!
@ Sammie – Yeah, sorry. It’s possible that February / March means the beginning of February, though it could also mean the end of March. I’m going to try to get a firmer date ASAP.
Thanks Andrew,
Well if that’s the case, i’ll be ordering from you guys, as i’m really enjoying the blogs posted here. Also i’m impressed by the quick replies i’ve gotten both here and via email – and even during the Christmas period. (Now I just have to wait until my boyfriend gets home so i can use his credit card!) :)
Thanks, Aud. We appreciate it. (And we try our best. :)
X-Pole US now have the new XPERT and X-Pole SPORT in stock. Though you can save $40 on an XPERT at the moment if you get it from Pole Dancing Shop.
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