What type of poi do you use?/My socks are stretching out!

So as I have just ordered my first poi balls I have some questions. Is seems that most people in the instructional video's I have watched are using a fabric poi w/ the swirling chain handle here. It seems that it is much easier to do tricks with the ball swivel and the "d" rings. Is it?

Also when I am swinging my socks they seem to stretch out A LOT. Enough so I have to wrap them around my hands a few times to keep them a comfortable length. Is this normal?

Hmmmmmm I use LOTS of types of poi!

Single loop chains with mura wicks and fluffy covers (and fire a few times)
Double loop chains with LEDs
Foxy socks with handles
Foxy socks with LEDs
Atom poi with nylon cords
Chains & Fluffies!

Yeah that completes the list for now, so I have no experience with cone poi. As far as socks go, once they are broken in the stretching will stop so just give it a bit of time or a few hard sessions and they constant adjusting should cease. See how you feel after practicing with what you ordered and see where you want to go from there.

I'm partial to using actual chains with the appropriate poi head for the circumstance and my second favorite is socks. I'm considering those tailed ones in the future for a different feel. Hope the sock tip helps and also you can attach handles to your socks, it made starting a practice session much quicker and moves more precise

Yeah, the more I read the more I see people saying that the socks will stop stretching. I just don't know what to do w/ all the extra fabric that I have to wrap around my hands. How do you go about hooking your handles to your socks? What I was thinking was ordering some of the wooden ball handles or getting some small wooden balls from the hardware store and putting them in the small ends of the socks. What do you think?

You could just cut them down to the right length once the stretch is gone.

As for handles, I find a knot in the end is fine. Never weighted sock poi really. I did see a suggestion for a bit of plasticine in it so that it is a bit softer.

i use a mable secured with the tightest knot i can, then i wrap up once and its fine

I have the Foxxy sock poi, and I hate the stretchyness. I've had them for a couple months now and with regular use, they have not stopped stretching at all

I used to have the cone poi, but the tether is threadbare and is hanging on by about 3mm of cloth. But I loved them They're made of cotton and didn't stretch at all, but I had the ones without the swivel, super comfy. I highly recommend those.

As for me:
Cone Poi (deceased)
Foxxy Sock Poi
LED PVC Glow poi from HoP with Colecord ad double loop pro series handles (wish I had got single loop)
Cathedral Fire Poi with, Pro series chain, double loop and Fuzzy covers coming as we speak
Glowstrings from HoP that I rarely use

Also, I found tricks to be easy with the normal cloth handle.

My main poi these days are colecord with half a bike inner tube wrapped around the end (and double loop handles with swivels--just swivels, no other hardware). I love these things, but they hurt like hell if you mess up.

Other favorites have been the swivel-less cone poi, my fire chains (with big monkey fist wicks), Twirll's "Model T", and ultrapoi socks on LED ball/Colecord poi (I still have a soft spot for streamers).

But the bike tire ones and my fire poi are definitely my favorites.

Hmm, never thought of using bike tires, how'd you attach them to the colecord?

I tie a big chunky stopper knot at what will be the top of the head, and wrap the bike tire as tightly as possible the whole time, then just tape it off with electrical tape, decorate to taste. The bike tire will have enough friction, if the rubber is clean and tightly wound, to keep it from uncoiling when spun. You can also dab some super glue in strategic places.

(They're basically Willow2x's NevOnan poi minus the ball grip and with doubled cords. A search on YouTube for "Nevonan Poi" should find you his tutorial.)

Dog choke chain collars with handmade leather hand straps, a locking D-ring for either wicks or tennis balls that have two holes on one side, and two holes on the other side, and a loop of either waxed linen, or sinew that go through all four holes and tied together.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I use the small locking d-rings, because they are the perfect diameter to put through the hole on a chem-light. I like chem-lights for situations that fire just would not be a logistical possibility.

I have a few different types.

Speever socks, which I really like. They are durable, rigid and once have been worn in get lots of spin for orbitals and the likes. Also have weighted ends for throws and whips and that.

Fabric socks which were made by a friend, I think it's made out of curtain material or something, they are quite thick, good for tangles and isolations, again with weighted handles, really nice for throws and whips too, they are the ones I use most.

Nevisoul poi are good for practising planes, flow, isolations etc. Replaced the rough string with Colecord.

And some socks that I made... Out of socks. They are good but a bit too stretchy, were nice for learning isolations and some tangles, but I perfer more rigid and tougher materials.

My glow poi are

flowlights with colecord and weighted handles with swivels and flowlights in speever socks with once again, weighted handles.

For DIY weights I use flower in a plastic bag or cling film. I used to use rice which works fine, but flower is a lot softer and easier to hold as it moldes to your hand shape. I have been told flour is good for wibbles and that, but I suck at them.

Fire poi are dead. They were just cheapo ones from Oddballs. Looking at getting some cathederal or isis heads, which will be on oval link chains with once again... Ball handles

i mainly spin fire but i have a pair of Conexus heads that are on their last limb and a pair of old fire snakes
for practice i have a basic set of fabric poi with tails and a few pairs of homemade tennis ball poi that have been weighted
as for glow i had a pair of flow lights that someone stole other wise a pair of diy socks

how can you tell when a pair of ire poi are almost dead?

presumably when they wick degrades enough that it won't burn properly I imagine. Only my guess though, not an informed answer

Pretty much, mine just got used loads till the top layer of the kevlar had been worn thin and parts were flapping around. Could most likley be used, but clearly not safe with bits of flaming kevlar flying off every burn.

I make my own, actually. I use nylon rope tied with monkey fists (the knot) on the ends. But, they're not fire poi....I plan on actually ordering my set of fire poi. In the meantime, I just pray that I don't catch fire!

I have custom made ones from my friend, its is small metal pipe-filling wrapped in light but thick and durable shoestring, great wight perfect for stals and any high aerials like butterflys of wrist-wraps and such or even the figure-8 btb, I just made some sock poi and those are made with a half of bottle of shampoo in each wrapped in socks and and in socks, I know Im a poor basterd and Im in job corp but Im trying to make some fluffy poi for daytime practice, I need to take a break from metal poi, even though it is what I first learned. I just made some practice monkey fist and lets just say they hurt, but they are so cool.

I use beanies with tails on. and LED ones for showing off. haha