Getting a pole dancing pole for your home is one of the most exciting and exhilarating parts of a pole dancing workout. The last thing you need to deal with is dance poles with peeling chrome.
I accidentally bought a pole that had peeling chrome after a month of use and the peeling chrome cut my fingertips when I was dancing one it! Here is a video that shows you that pole:
Good Quality Chrome Pole Dancing Poles >>
When chrome peels (this effect is also called “blistering” chrome), it is always due to a manufacturing defect due to insufficient adhesion of the plating to the substrate.
You may also here chrome finishes called different things like “chrome plating” “chrome dipping” “chrome electroplating” or “chroming”. There is no difference in all these terms; they are all done through chrome electroplating.
The chrome finishes are always applied to dance poles by electroplating to preserve the steel underneath and make the dance poles pretty, smooth, and usable.
So you must be thinking, well if all the chrome is applied via electroplating then all chrome finishes on dance poles are the same right? WRONG!
There are two different general applications for chrome plating. There is “hard chrome plating” which is also called ‘engineering chrome plating’ or ‘functional chrome plating’ and “nickel-chrome plating” which is sometimes called ‘decorative chrome plating’.
Hard Chrome Plating is something you would find in hydraulics or mechanical parts. It’s not something us dancers would be very familiar with unless you are a vehicle mechanic.
Nickel-chrome plating or “decorative chrome plating” is what you find on dance poles for your home. It is a thin barrier over the steel in which dance poles are constructed that provides a brilliant, smooth finish. It is also used on wheels and car bumpers as well. Both X Poles and the Pro Quality Pole Dancing Poles are steel construction.
Just like anything, you can do a good job with good quality materials, or you can do a bad job with good quality materials. If the nickel-chrome plating is applied too thin or with bad adhesion, the peeling can result.
I’m sure you have seen at least one car driving down the road and it looked like the clear coat on their paint was peeling off. This is due to poor adhesion between the base paint color and the top clear coat. Chrome plating is the same concept, good adhesion is key for a quality chrome dance pole finish.
These days, many companies and manufacturers are under quite a bit of pressure from us consumers to produce quality products for cheaper prices. As consumers, we just want a good deal. And if we can get an expensive item for a good deal than even better ….. right?
The downslope is that a consumer’s stubbornness to pay for quality items puts an enormous amount of pressure on manufacturers to produce similar goods for cheaper prices. The main way to accomplish this is using lower quality materials that don’t last as long or to give you “less” of something in the making of the product. For example, they will give you fewer layers of nickel-chrome electroplating to lower the cost of the pole. Also, in order to save money in labor costs, the manufacturer will take less time ensuring proper preparation of the steel to ensure proper adhesion when the chrome is applied.
Think twice when you demand high quality for low cost. Perhaps there is truth in the “you get what you pay for” adage.
In order to avoid buying dance poles that have chrome that may peel, do some research to understand the care taken to construct the pole itself. Also, understand the quality of the company you are buying from.
As consumers, we hold the power to make a real difference in our world by choosing to buy good products. Purchasing good products (for perhaps a bit higher price) ensures that the care was taken to get quality. It also ensures that the people who sweat to construct your pole were paid better and perhaps under less pressure, again, resulting in better quality.
I know there are overpriced items on the market and I am not suggesting that everyone pay more for everything, you should watch out for the “overpriced” scam as well.
But what I am saying is to practice purchasing your goods consciously with the greater good in mind, while being aware of how your desire to get “everything as cheap as possible” can have a negative impact on you as a person and your environment.
Excellent article. Thanks!!
Thank You!
Good article!
Thank You <3