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Cat-a-Pole

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 9:24 am
by dbwsportz
Who makes the Cat-a-Poles now? Do they manufacture or have someone else make them and put their label on? Anyone out there using them? What do they feel like? All opinions welcome. I have seem very few of them this last year.

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 1:18 pm
by Scott Go Pre
Go to http://www.portapit.com/. I have used one about a few weeks ago and the pole was good to me! They have a big bend but recoil slowly and powerfully.

CATAPOLE

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 1:33 pm
by Bruce Caldwell
IS manufactured by ESSX as of this past 6 months Faster delivery and a differrent looking product.

Recoil will be better in the new upcoming models.

Re: CATAPOLE

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 1:39 pm
by Scott Go Pre
ESSX wrote:IS manufactured by ESSX as of this past 6 months Faster delivery and a differrent looking product.

Recoil will be better in the new upcoming models.


Sweet. :D

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 8:28 am
by Russ
The school where I coach has an 11-125 Cata-Pole that two girls used last year. It is pretty soft, a bit heavy, and a great pole for beginners, just learning to bend the pole. They jumped 8-6 and 9-0 with it (placing 3rd and 6th in the LL Connecticut State Meet). It's become "the old-reliable pole" - a workhorse. I bought it during the 2003 season, and I'm really glad that I did. As I said, it has been great for our beginners.

NEW CATAPOLES

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 9:07 am
by Bruce Caldwell
The new Catapole line will be from 11' to 14'6" Safe reliable affordable lasting poles. NOT super light but great poles for those on a budget

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 9:24 am
by jhesch
Interestingly enough one of the older guys that vaults at UNM everyone now and then and is assistant coach at a nearby high school often vaults on an old yellow catapole, and ill tell you what, it feels surprisingly light in comparison with other same size fiberglass poles (its I believe a 14 165)....any ideas as to why?

Larger Mandrel

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 9:28 am
by Bruce Caldwell
Older yellow CATS were produced on larger mandrels and were very good poles. Since 1996 the new rating scale of today would measure that pole at a 170 test

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 3:46 pm
by ashcraftpv
i used to love jumping on our old yellow and black cats in HS. We had a good line of cats.

14 - 135 yellow
14 - 140 yellow
14 - 150 black
14 - 155 black
14 - 165 black
14 - 170 yellow
15 - 170 yellow
15'6" - 170 yellow
15'6" - 175 yellow

got my first outdoor 16' jump on the 15' 6" 175

great poles. I'd still jump them if i could find some

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 4:13 pm
by Barto
My old high school series

1986 model yellow cata-poles

15' 135
15' 140
15' 145
15' 150

I gripped 14'11 1/2" on the 15' 150 and bent every one of them to about 75 degrees for two years! God I loved those poles.

Barto

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 9:21 pm
by PVJunkie
Are you keeping the yellow glass or going with yellow tape?? I havent seen one in years that wasnt the yellow glass.

white tape with yellow logo

Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:16 am
by Bruce Caldwell
PVJunkie wrote:Are you keeping the yellow glass or going with yellow tape?? I havent seen one in years that wasnt the yellow glass.


The new economical Catapole will be natural glass with white tape. The tape has a bending "C" on it in yellow.

The reason we have decided this; as you know pigments in glass resins tend to be a filler. White is the worst as in a micro form it is jagged and can in time be abrasive towards the laminate of the pole. Yellow has very little titainium in it to lighten it but any at all concerns us. ("lighten"color not weight)

Black glass was considered as carbon is used for the black pigment, however a filler is a filler and cost more and we are trying to provide an affordable durable performing pole.