Tips for X-Pole Assembly
or reassembly, as it were
About a month ago, I reassembled my pole in my new apartment—the third place I’ve lived since buying my X-pole (X-pert version) at the end of 2020. I ended up having to scour the internet for help with this process and wanted to consolidate all the tips I needed and found here. I hope these can assist you in your home pole journey!
The X-lock
I boarded the struggle bus when I tried to put the A-pole and B-pole parts together with the X-lock. My first issue was using myriad wrong size hex keys (various ones out of my toolbox).
Spending the extra couple dollars to buy the X-pole’s own hex key is worth it.
Using the wrong size hex keys ended up scraping the sides of the holes on the outside of my pole. These holes became sharp, dinged metal, rather than smooth as they were before. In other words, the holes became painful to the touch and drew blood. The other reason I damaged the holes (and my hands) was because I was trying to use the hex keys without a tool attached to them.
Use a multiple head screwdriver, or a wrench, with the hex key for leverage.
To quote Pirates of the Caribbean, “the right leverage, and the proper application of strength,” can make assembling your X-pole much easier. I, eventually, figured out that I needed to slot the X-pole hex key into a screwdriver with changeable heads in order to turn it properly. I got a pretty bad cut on my thumb trying to turn the hex keys without a tool attached. I also felt like a weak moron. All I needed was a little assistance, and the turns became much easier. I could finally make progress in changing the width of the x-joint.
Try changing the width of the x-joint before inserting it into the pole parts.
I think this is actually in the X-pole instruction manual, but I just wanted to emphasize that it truly helps. Once I had leverage, I could see how the x-joint opened and closed. This visual made it easier to change the width once the x-joint was hidden inside the X-pole’s A-pole and B-pole parts.
The hex key for the x-joint isn’t the same size as the hex key for the bottom holes that lock the pole together.
I was able to use one of the hex keys in my toolbox for the smaller holes near the bottom of the pole, the ones closer to the x-lock. This smaller hex key wasn’t included when I bought the main hex key from X-pole. You will need two hex keys for pole assembly.
If your second x-joint isn’t fitting into the extension properly, flip it around.
This might seem obvious, but if you’re already managing a hex key dilemma, it may not actually be obvious. I was adding on one extension and the x-joint wasn’t slotting in properly. The solution was to reorient the x-joint in the opposite direction. One side of the x-joint is shorter than the other. Try lining up the holes in the x-joint the other way in the extension and the end of your B-pole part.
Use gaffer’s tape if the holes in your pole become sharp.
If you’ve already made the same mistake as me (welcome!), you might end up cutting your legs on the sharp holes in your X-pole. I tried silicone-based tape first, and it rolled right off the holes on my very first pass. Initially, I picked silicone tape (a cheap kind) because it doesn’t have adhesive; I didn’t want my pole to become sticky and further damaged. However, the silicone didn’t stand up to any aerial movements on the pole. I didn’t have the money to buy the expensive Aerial Essentials pole wrap, but I suspect that would work much better than the kind of silicone tape I bought.
Gaffer’s tape is very cheap and leaves minimal residue when you take it off of your pole. It took me just a few seconds with some rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth to take off the residue when I switched out the gaffer’s tape. I currently have the gaffer’s tape circling once around the pole, just over the holes, and this set up lasts for multiple sessions. It’s cheap enough that when it gets covered in pole grip (I use the Monkey Hands sticky kind), I can switch out the tape easily. In the future, I might try using a square of tape directly over the holes, to see if it lasts longer than fully encircling the pole with tape. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried a smaller piece of gaffer’s tape over pole holes that draw blood!
Final Steps
I used a step-stool (with three steps) to reach my short ceiling (less than 8 feet) and a StudBuddy stud finder to find the right place to mount my pole. The level in my toolbox did work to orient the pole correctly. I recommend getting a level with a magnet attached, so you can place it on your pole and not have to hold it there.
Do you have other tips or tricks about X-pole assembly to share? Please drop them in the comments.