Fishing swivels on poi...do we like them??

Flid I have a big bag of swivels I bought. I will never use them. I can mail a couple to you. It's not like your supporting fishing gear producers because I already bought them and I only need a few out of the bag. I will never buy anymore swivels in my life.

Hey feanor...cheers for the link.!!

Astar, are you saying that you bought more than you will ever need? or that you dont like them? if you dont like them whats the reason?

I live here on the coast so I just trot on down to the harbor to the **deep sea fishing tackle shop** and buy 1000 pound-test swivels...they are huge and very strong. I have had regular freshwater fishing type brass barrel swivels, like 75 lb test or so separate on my tennis ball poi...I don't trust those for fire now!!!

yeah, so my suggestion is find a deep sea fishing tackle place or look online...

I put them on both ends to cover both bases...

I like them but I have more then I would ever need.

I'm about to experiment with making my own poi, so what truly is btter- swivels or no swivels?
Thanks!!

Aster - go to www.ballchain.com - they have all sorts of ballchain - anodized, enamel coated - all sorts. Just remember that aluminum chain (anodized) is not of to the rigours of fire poi (and even the 13 gauge and smaller aluminum doesn't last long with practice poi). I think some of their ceramic coated is steel though.

Sorry to be slow on the uptake with your post.

Keep in mind you also need "type A" connectors and quicklinks (two of each for each chain).

update - I just checked my link, and it appears as if they have discontinued their enamel coatings for anything but 6 gauge, which is too small for poi - le bummer. They do have all sorts of metal finishes though.

BTW, they have ballcahin fishing swivels on that same site.

[ 13. May 2003, 01:04: Message edited by: vanize ]

I used to have sky blue ball chain.. which was lurvley.. but it's all burnt off now..

Feanor - If you are using ball chain then you don't need swivels as the ball chain will spin on itself.. but if you are using rope, cable or chain, I'd recommend at least one swivel on your poi.. I'd place mine at the top - close to the handles, but if you are planning on doing alot of short chain work ie wrapping the chains around your hands... I'd put them at the bottom.. happy making

Happy days..

my 500pound rated fishing swivels dont show any wear and have been on my poi for 2 hard years

they are the torpedo ones on this page;

http://www.billfishtacklesupply.com/Swivels/swivels.htm

I love em and they are phat too

Id recommend the top and bottom swivel design (for the same reasons as Cole) using appropriate weight quick links, not split rings (although mine only have swivels on the top and they work fine). Fishing split rings tend to be a bit sharp IMHO.

Josh

Thanks MisStix
When they are made i'll see how successful I was...

I love fishing swivels but I try and learn all my moves without them too because it helps me understand more about the movement of the poi which in turn helps me unlock the door to further poi proficiency

I actually made a chain completly out of swivels once. It did it for me! plus I looked really niffty.

Attaching fishing swivels to chain is a good idea.

replacing the chain with fishing traces, not so good..

it feels excellent cause theres no wind resistance and the weight ratio's brilliant, but if they wrap around a finger.......

man ball chain can suck my finger. that stuff lasts about one day when subjected to my inhuman amount of airwraps and tangles and tugging and bashing. it's welded link medium machine twist chain with swivels at the poi end or die for me.

errm,

Im being slightly heretical here but....

I dont use swivels, I dont think they are nessacery, it twists, it untwists, where the problem?

neither poi nor metior have swivels and it has never made the slightest bit of diffrence, centrafugal force keeps the chain/rope/sock untwisted and while a glancing blow may spin them up a few times, it just untwists.

Sorry guys, hadda be said.

Tom

motion is seconded...swivels are absolutly worthless. They are in fact "the weakest link" and have no real usefullness (other than making money for the swivle company)

it twists, it untwists, and cetrifugal force is the only real consideration. IMHO

interesting, i couldn't disagree more, so perhaps it is basically a matter of spinning style. my chains without swivels frustrate me so much that i'm using ballchain until i can afford more swivels and connectors. but then, i hit myself a lot intentionally(and oops-entially), wraps and recoils and raptors and such.

when I first started twirling using home made cord poi I found they twisted a lot, especially with butterfly moves, and started putting swivels on.

I now don't use them at all with my chain poi and sock poi and have no problems at all with twisting.

I think one reason why I don't have any problems is that I don't keep one move going constantly. Doing one move repeatedly (like a forward butterfly) will cause your poi to get twisted up. My style involves a lot of direction changes and turns, which unwind the poi befor they get very twisted.

For flags and comet poi, swivels are ABSOLUTLY esential. Even with swivels my flags can get twisted up if I sit there and do a slow butterfly for ten seconds. But for any other poi, I realy don't experience any difference. Maybe I am just not very observant though.

funny...

i guess the swivels that i suggested a while back, were found to be satisfactory, considering they are on nearly all the rigs sold in the home of poi shop now. ( are thoes the stainless steel wire thimbles found on the same fishing supply site also? )

just an observation...

[ 10. September 2003, 09:11: Message edited by: shoddygoods ]