Mura Vs. Monkey Fist

Okay, here's the situation. I've been spinning fire for almost a year now and my little cathedrals (though in good condition) are getting to be unusable. Simply because they have tiny flames and a short burn time. I can barely get through a song before they go out. So now I'm looking for a bigger head that can hold more fuel. As far as looking through HOP I've come down to 2 styles, Mura and Monkey Fist. I so far like the Mura the best but the shape is so drastically different than anything I've used. Does this affect them much? I also like the monkey fist but hear they are very heavy and would like to keep them on the lighter side. I know they'll be heavier but I wanna stay on the lighter side of heavy if that makes sense.

So pros and cons of Mura's and Monkey fists?

The best answer would be to observe videos of rolled wicks vs fists. Despite their size, I've never seen a consistent burn from beginning to end on the tube-style wicks. Im not saying they don't exist, but I've never seen any tube wicks that outperform cathedrals or knots for being able to absorb fuel or put out the dazzling amounts of flame.

Monkeyfists can be heavier, that's true, but Im willing to bet you will be able to adjust well enough. The size of the flame, the consistency of the burn, the overall comet-like appearance just put the monkey fist in a much higher category.

There are other wicks out there that use alternative knots or cathedral-style wrapping. My last 2 sets have been Moonblaze because I like the enormous flame and lighter weight. My next set though will most likely be monkeyfists, though, because I want something I can attach to meteors, and I like the shape.

I like to use monkey fists without a solid core (using a central knot of the wick as the core). Without a solid core they can actually be lighter than wick styles that have more substantial hardware. They also have good fuel capacity--certainly more than most rolled wicks--and a really big flame. I've seen some decent rolled wicks, but IME the flames aren't nearly as impressive.

The cons for the monkey fist wicks I like are that you usually have to tie them yourself (at least, I'm only aware of one place that sells them, and at prices I'm unwilling to pay), which is a wicked bit of labor, and for 1/2 inch rope wick you need about 7.5 feet per head, which I think is more expensive than a lot of rolled wicks.

Good good GOOD Info! Okay so Squid talk to me more about Moonblaze heads! I've never heard of these and now I'm fascinated!!

sent you a pm, Flint. Gotta respect Malcolm's home here, ya know.

tbh big cathedral heads are generally pretty good in terms of cost, burn time and flame size(3m of 65mm will give you a really good head), I'm not really into monkey fists as the flames don't seem as bright and don't last very long, if your going for knotted poi isa are pretty much the best(good wieght/ flame/ burntime) but if your looking for something extreme have a look at osiris poi from feuershow.de (very heavy and only for advanced users but very impressive:) )

Good call squid,

if to choose between all that is here on HOP I would go with a monkey fist Hands down. They have most consistent burn times, and a much more dramatic visual effect(in my own personal opinion) then Mura or Cathedral heads.

Woot! Okay awesome info! Thanks all. I've cancelled Mura from my list so far. This is all very fascinating!

if your looking for more ideas, try hopping one thread down to the isis weave thread.

http://www.homeofpoi.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/858466/Isis_Poi_Spec.html#Post858466

Okay thanks! You guys ROCK!

Isis Poi might have added itself to the list....

i am thinking about getting the giant money fists aka gorilla fists i think they would be amazing and i like the added weight i use extremely heavy sock poi for the slower spins

Yeah but i like to spin really fast. The slow spins really arent my style

then again, I'd go back to a simple monkey fist. Sure, its got weight, but not near as much as the large braided ones like Fueurshow and Salza

yeah, my fire poi are braided and the weight is killer some times. if your looking for something lighter i would definitely think about a normal monkey fist. I'm fairly certain the ones on Home of Poi use a nut at the center so they should be a little lighter then the competition.

Hmm okay, leaning back towards monkey fist again. I think I'll leave the isis heads alone for now. The moonblaze still has me intrigued (Check ur box Squid!) but for now I'm thinking HOP monkey fists.