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Are there advantages or disadvantages to various butt plugs? Do the materials they are made of make a difference? In what way? What effect does the hardness of the material have? Is the primary difference just a matter of how durable they are or does it make a difference in a vaulter's jumps?

The PACER design is good but far too many differrent sizes.
They have the best Hardness to keep them from busting out The PORTaPIT ones with washers in them last the longest and will also be soft for the little poles.

ESSX wrote:The PACER design is good but far too many differrent sizes.
They have the best Hardness to keep them from busting out The PORTaPIT ones with washers in them last the longest and will also be soft for the little poles.

actually, i think recently they reduced the number of sizes of "pole tips"(i dont like the term "buttplug") that they make

PORTaPIT HAS THREE SIZES THAT FITS 97% OF THE POLES OUT THERE

Gill plugs are by far the best. Longest wear and tear, just the right amount of hardness for impact, relatively frictionless. Plus, despite having many sizes, they are more custom-fit and don't require a lot of taping or work to get them on the ends.

Spirit tips are ok, but I've found they blow out faster and are harder than Gill's.

Sorry Bruce, but all rubber plugs suck. Even the ones with washers in the bottom. The only redeeming qualities about them is the soft impact in the box and the 3 sizes fits all, but the washers bend over time and get jammed up inside the end of the pole, the poles blow out through the rubber in no time, and there's a ton of friction.

I am jumping on Pacer FX poles now. They seem to have harder material than some of the other pole makes use. I notice that sometimes when I drop my pole tip into the box during the plant that it seems to bounce. Would that be different with a softer material? Also, I don't like the term "butt plug" either. Is there another name that is commonly used?

Kinda on a different note I like the hard tips for actually vaulting in a box, but for anything on the ground I like the rubber tips for the extra friction.

I hate the click of hard tips and the friction of rubber although rubber gives a good feeling of constant contact...when those Washers shear off they are a pain to get out..

Skyin' Brian wrote:

ESSX wrote:The PACER design is good but far too many differrent sizes.
They have the best Hardness to keep them from busting out The PORTaPIT ones with washers in them last the longest and will also be soft for the little poles.

actually, i think recently they reduced the number of sizes of "pole tips"(i dont like the term "buttplug") that they make

I don't think they have... I go to the factory all the time and I haven't heard mention of it. I am sure Bryan or Jeff will email me if I am wrong.

The Gill (and Spirit) tips are made of a harder material, so it is hard to force a tip on a different sized mandrel. The ESSX (and Altius) tips are softer which gives you a lot more flexibility on which poles you can fit them on, but they bust through faster.

master wrote:Are there advantages or disadvantages to various butt plugs? Do the materials they are made of make a difference? In what way? What effect does the hardness of the material have? Is the primary difference just a matter of how durable they are or does it make a difference in a vaulter's jumps?

personally I like to handcarve my own pole tips out of old growth cedar trees...








seriously if you're that determined to jump higher go do some extra pole runs or something

zack wrote:
personally I like to handcarve my own pole tips out of old growth cedar trees...

Hahaha that made my day...night