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

I'm wondering about how neccesary fishing swivels are on poi? I've never had a set that had swivel action but am interested in knowing if this is the way to go and why....or if it even makes a difference....?

Fire
I have made them both ways with and without
I have found the ones with swivels have a longer cable life.

Swivels eh?

hhhhhmmm, considering my poi are home construced (got crazy wooden handels and such) they might be a little different that everyone elses... I'm still mixing and matching different connections to the handles... I used to have a pair of swivels on my poi, and I've broken them once already. But this is me, I have a unique way of breaking things with my style of fast, and hard spinning.

I've come to use Quick links instead of swivels... not too much difference really, has a bit different swing to it... But I think I still need to look into something else still

I just use quick links because they're bloody invincible, and they're cheap to if I ever do break them (when hell freezes over!)

I love fishing swivels.. have them on most of my poi cept my fire ones coz they are ball chain and you don't need them..

Just made my self a swanky new pair of sock poi -(well think denier tights).. I fed the top of the 'sock' thru a split ring and secured the ends with a cable tie - nice and tight.. then a fishing swivel attached to the split ring leading to double loop handles.

I find that my poi last longer and actually look better (well these ones anyway) coz they don't get all tangled and twisted on themselfs... Instead of using kwick links (whick I find difficult to undo coz of my stupid fingers..) I use the safety pin type swivel from the fishing shop.. It's got a swivel on side and a 'safety pin' kind of afair on the other side so you can undo them and replace glow sticks quickly - I wouldn't use them for fire or anythign heavier as I'm not too sure about the strenght..

Personally I just use ballchain, then the whole cable is one big swivel, it works really well.

Ballchain rules the firey realms above, below, and on all planets in the known universe!!!

I loved them on my cable poi but I hate cable poi for a few reasons. They give such a smooth swinging action. I don't have them on my chains because I have big metal rings for handles attached to the chain by quick links. I can't really think of any good method to use swivels on chains which I consider satisfactory.

I find they make the biggest diffrence when they are attached to your finger loops and to the bottom where you hook the poi on.

Edit:I think I will probably switch to ballchains when I find a place around here which sells heavy enough ballchain+the proper fittings for it. Although I like chains because the chain it's self is more visible when you spin. I wish someone would make neon yellow annodized ballchain or regular chain links. Would be pretty nifty

I will start out by saying i'm new to the group and totally new to poi ( i made my first set 2 days ago) but i have been toying with a staff for a while.

i really wanted to find good materials, that i felt confident in and that werent gonna break when i least suspected it. The swivels i found in the store were at most 60# test and i read somewhere that you should try to make sure everything in your rig is over 100#.To make a long story short i came up with these:

http://makeshiftindustries.com/IMAGE/swivel.jpg

these things are relatively small but they're MONSTERS! . the scan i incuded has the size as well as the pound rating. (the pic should be right about life size on a 1024x768 moniter)
i'm currently using the #1 size at 390# test (definatly not the weakest link in my set) and since their ball bearing swivels they run like a dream. if i hold them up and blow on them they'll even spin !
The big 800# jobs may be over kill for most things but might be just the ticket if someone was say planning to make say an 8" diameter meteor type object.....

dryden

Anyone know where I can find the above swivels (in shoddygoods' post) in Australia?

I have used fishing swivels (rated to 120lb) in the past, but I just dont trust them on my fire gear.

moral dilema:

I really want some swivels.

but:

I don't want to support companies who make a living out of the torture and murder of animals in the name of sport.

So i don't use em. Anyone know a non fishing source of swivells?

Good advice folks. I really like the idea of just using ball chain....I'm exploring it now (I've opened a new discussion about it).

Flid...good point....the ball chain may be your answer as well,as it creates it's owm swivel action.

oh, yeah duuuhh where did i get them... that might be useful.
here is my scan again to show the sizes.
http://makeshiftindustries.com/IMAGE/swivel.jpg
i'm using a set with the #1s and a set with the 8mm
here is the link to where i got them.
http://www.billfishtacklesupply.com/Swivels/swivels.htm
(which if i remember right did come from australia, but i live in midwest us and still only took like 5 days)
these might be of some interest as well:
http://www.billfishtacklesupply.com/Terminal/terminal.htm
really small wire thimbles for nice eyes on cable ends (reusable and in stainless)

you can also look for a place that sells sampo swivels
http://www.sampoinc.com/sa_sr_both.htm
these i'm also using
http://www.sampoinc.com/ro_sna_splitrings.htm

i too had reservations about using fishing swivels as the only ones i found localy were non ball bearing type and rated fairly low pound wise. these are all rated very high and i figure they will hold up well as they are for commercial fishing. i just built my first set with them so i cant say how they preform over the long haul. but when it comes down to it ball bearings have less friction so they run smoother which should also lengthen their life.

[ 07. May 2003, 18:46: Message edited by: shoddygoods ]

MisStix,
could you give me a bit more detail about how yuo made your poi? I have currently got a tennis ball with a bloody big ring in the end of it tied to a piece of bright yellow nylon string. very unattractive and not that comfortable. Yours sounds liek they could eb a lot better especially with the swivel. Do you have a swivel on both ends of just at the bottom?
erkie

wierd, just woke from a dead sleep with thoughts on where to get swivels if your apposed to getting them from a fishing supply shop...

a kite shop:
http://www.gombergkites.com/line.html#swiv

a quick search found those but a quick read says that they are still manufactured for fishing
so im not sure what to tell ya.....

Do people normally put the swivel on the fire end of the chain or the handle?

It would make more sense to put them close to the handles so that the whole length of the poi can pivot instead of just the poi part being able to move around. There will be much more flexibilty if you put them at the top.

Cheers!

swivels at the top zoltar, here's my formula:

handle - o ring - swivel - chain - d ring - eybolt (for cathedrals)

ade

i have swivels at both ends
just like the #1's shoddygoods is using.

both ends means you can shorten chains by wrapping around your hand and you still don't get them twisted.

if i chose one or the other i'd choose poi end i think.

I made mine with swivels and O rings on both ends, i think........i'll go and check

Incendium Fire circus (www.incendium.org) use fishing swivels on their fire poi, you can download their instructions for making poi & staffs at their website.