Forums > Technical Discussion > Cable or Chain, which is best?
Login/Join to ParticipateGOLD Member
Fool
2,020 posts
Location: Cornwall, UK
Fool
2,020 posts
Location: Cornwall, UK
Posted:
Hey hey spinning-folks,
I just wanted to pick yer collective brains to find out whether people prefer chains (of whatever type) on their fire-poi, or cables. I have monkey fist poi on cables ATM and find that the cables are starting to develop distinct bends that wont iron out.
Opinions?
Hey hey spinning-folks,
I just wanted to pick yer collective brains to find out whether people prefer chains (of whatever type) on their fire-poi, or cables. I have monkey fist poi on cables ATM and find that the cables are starting to develop distinct bends that wont iron out.
Opinions?
"I believe the cost of life is Death and we will all pay that in full. Everything else should be a gift. We paid the cover charge of life, we were born."
Bill Hicks, February 1988
SILVER Member
Are we there yet?
1,897 posts
Location: australia
Are we there yet?
1,897 posts
Location: australia
Posted:
chains all the way
chains all the way
BRONZE Member
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted:
High quality ballchain is the best of both worlds...In my opinion...
High quality ballchain is the best of both worlds...In my opinion...
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GOLD Member
Fool
2,020 posts
Location: Cornwall, UK
Fool
2,020 posts
Location: Cornwall, UK
Posted:
I find cables easy to wrap with, altho air wraps are much harder.
Looks like ball chains are next on me shopping list then. Thank you
I find cables easy to wrap with, altho air wraps are much harder.
Looks like ball chains are next on me shopping list then. Thank you
"I believe the cost of life is Death and we will all pay that in full. Everything else should be a gift. We paid the cover charge of life, we were born."
Bill Hicks, February 1988
GOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted:
The problem with ball chain is that it is theoretically possible for the chain to lock up with itself when it's in a tangle, so doing wraps with ball chain is slightly more dangerous than with cable.
However, I've never actually seen this happen and I do wraps all the time. Other than that, ball chain is strong, safe, flexible and doesn't kink. Remember, when it comes to poi, kinky is bad.
The problem with ball chain is that it is theoretically possible for the chain to lock up with itself when it's in a tangle, so doing wraps with ball chain is slightly more dangerous than with cable.
However, I've never actually seen this happen and I do wraps all the time. Other than that, ball chain is strong, safe, flexible and doesn't kink. Remember, when it comes to poi, kinky is bad.
-Mike
Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella
A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura
GOLD Member
addict
625 posts
Location: Aotearoa (NZ), New Zealand
addict
625 posts
Location: Aotearoa (NZ), New Zealand
Posted:
Nooo not ball chain or cable. Just plane old dog chain, the thinest u can find. Hyps are (so i hear) not so good for ball chain and it can also scrap your skin with wraps. Iv never used it myself but that is what i hear alot.
Good ol dog chain takes way longer to heat up (over cable) and cable always kink's. + Iv heard of afew peeps breaking their ball chain, and my dog chain has never failed, mind u it is welded and cromed :P
Nooo not ball chain or cable. Just plane old dog chain, the thinest u can find. Hyps are (so i hear) not so good for ball chain and it can also scrap your skin with wraps. Iv never used it myself but that is what i hear alot.
Good ol dog chain takes way longer to heat up (over cable) and cable always kink's. + Iv heard of afew peeps breaking their ball chain, and my dog chain has never failed, mind u it is welded and cromed
:P GOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom
Posted:
Don't bother with plated stuff tho, it's all for show not for go. Stainless steel ball chain woith a nice fat guage will be fine and hardly split at all. Always remember to check before you spin tho yeah!
l8rs
Don't bother with plated stuff tho, it's all for show not for go. Stainless steel ball chain woith a nice fat guage will be fine and hardly split at all. Always remember to check before you spin tho yeah!
l8rs
Let's relight this forum 
Miss Whippy
1,262 posts
Location: Cornwall & Oxford
1,262 posts
Location: Cornwall & Oxford
Posted:
I use dog chain, my cathedrals and my tube cores are on dog chains and have never let me down! I had ball chain but it broke and cable has never been an option as it kinks very easily.
Dog chain all the way!
I use dog chain, my cathedrals and my tube cores are on dog chains and have never let me down! I had ball chain but it broke and cable has never been an option as it kinks very easily.
Dog chain all the way!
Aim high and you'll know your limits, aim low and you'll never know how high you could have climbed.
GOLD Member
Fool
2,020 posts
Location: Cornwall, UK
Fool
2,020 posts
Location: Cornwall, UK
Posted:
Cable's marvellous for wraps tho. I love it. THe problem is, I'm trying to learn air wraps (call em what you will) and the cable just doesnt cut it. Normal chain is very tricky too. So maybe ball chain is the answer.
Cable's marvellous for wraps tho. I love it. THe problem is, I'm trying to learn air wraps (call em what you will) and the cable just doesnt cut it. Normal chain is very tricky too. So maybe ball chain is the answer.
"I believe the cost of life is Death and we will all pay that in full. Everything else should be a gift. We paid the cover charge of life, we were born."
Bill Hicks, February 1988
SILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
4,172 posts
Location: Hastings, United Kingdom
Carpal \'Tunnel
4,172 posts
Location: Hastings, United Kingdom
Posted:
the first poi i made were with cable - and it sucked. it kinked really easily. wraps have never been a concern for me cos ive never plucked up the courage to do them! (plus it'll get ma clothes dirty
) the new pair that i've made are with dog chain type stuff. I got it from B&Q for summink like £1.18 a meter. dead cheap but good stuff. It feels soooo much better and i can wrap it around my fingers for doing buzzsaw corkscrew ect
Aimz xx
the first poi i made were with cable - and it sucked. it kinked really easily. wraps have never been a concern for me cos ive never plucked up the courage to do them! (plus it'll get ma clothes dirty
) the new pair that i've made are with dog chain type stuff. I got it from B&Q for summink like £1.18 a meter. dead cheap but good stuff. It feels soooo much better and i can wrap it around my fingers for doing buzzsaw corkscrew ectAimz xx
GOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom
Posted:
Is it welded Aimz? We bought some from B & Q, give it really good pull test with my 14 stone body and yet we still managed a fire comet across a crowded feild at a certain reading festival. Learnt a big lesson that festie....ball chain from HoP ever since! If it's £1.18 a metre it probably isn't welded but it REALLY needs to be for fire
Is it welded Aimz? We bought some from B & Q, give it really good pull test with my 14 stone body and yet we still managed a fire comet across a crowded feild at a certain reading festival. Learnt a big lesson that festie....ball chain from HoP ever since! If it's £1.18 a metre it probably isn't welded but it REALLY needs to be for fire
Let's relight this forum
BRONZE Member
member
20 posts
Location: davis, CA, USA
member
20 posts
Location: davis, CA, USA
Posted:
I love my ballchains!
Compared to my ballchains, cable feels stiff and harder to control in some moves. This is evident when you do any sort of move in which your body creates a new center of rotation for your poi on the chain. For example under the leg moves in which the chains contact with leg creates a new center of rotation slightly down the chian. Also in armwrap turns where you do most of an armwrap, then turn your body to create a situation in which the arm holds the chain in a new center of rotation down the chain, and then releasing
seemingly suttle bends in cables (from folding, storing, etc) can lead to odd feelings when spinning slow
hope that all made sense...
I love my ballchains!
Compared to my ballchains, cable feels stiff and harder to control in some moves. This is evident when you do any sort of move in which your body creates a new center of rotation for your poi on the chain. For example under the leg moves in which the chains contact with leg creates a new center of rotation slightly down the chian. Also in armwrap turns where you do most of an armwrap, then turn your body to create a situation in which the arm holds the chain in a new center of rotation down the chain, and then releasing
seemingly suttle bends in cables (from folding, storing, etc) can lead to odd feelings when spinning slow
hope that all made sense...
GOLD Member
Fool
2,020 posts
Location: Cornwall, UK
Fool
2,020 posts
Location: Cornwall, UK
Posted:
er...yeah. *goes to practice*
er...yeah. *goes to practice*
"I believe the cost of life is Death and we will all pay that in full. Everything else should be a gift. We paid the cover charge of life, we were born."
Bill Hicks, February 1988
poo-bah
1,015 posts
Location: Austin TX USA
1,015 posts
Location: Austin TX USA
Posted:
I think you really need to know what you're doing to work with cable. It kinks very easily, and once kinked, is prone to tangle and hard to untangle. I don't think that kinked cable really affects the flight of poi much, but it does create a weak spot where individual wires will fray (which leads to cuts, weaker cable, tension in the Middle East, etc).
I think you really need to know what you're doing to work with cable. It kinks very easily, and once kinked, is prone to tangle and hard to untangle. I don't think that kinked cable really affects the flight of poi much, but it does create a weak spot where individual wires will fray (which leads to cuts, weaker cable, tension in the Middle East, etc).
Laugh while you can, monkey-boy
BRONZE Member
*.. If ya can't be Good, Be Good at it..*
147 posts
Location: In Melbourne at the moment, Australia
*.. If ya can't be Good, Be Good at it..*
147 posts
Location: In Melbourne at the moment, Australia
Posted:
I agree with Lighting here, ball chain is good, but i heard this story that the ball chain snapped while doing airwraps..... Don't get me wrong it's good!!!! dog chain as well is alright... thats what i use!
I agree with Lighting here, ball chain is good, but i heard this story that the ball chain snapped while doing airwraps..... Don't get me wrong it's good!!!! dog chain as well is alright... thats what i use!
watching the world go by!!!!
Trick ferret on the making hehe!!!!
Everybodyknows me as (TriX)
NYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA
Posted:
I 100% disagree. I do countless wraps all the time and ONLY use ballchain because it's LESS likely to catch and tie than cable or any other chain. Ballchain won't knot around a body part. Cable can.
I see no real advantage for the kind of spinning that I do to cable except maybe price. Plus, it's MUCH easier to shorten ballchain while spinning because you can hold a ball while doing buzzsaws and such.
Written by: L i g h t n i n g
The problem with ball chain is that it is theoretically possible for the chain to lock up with itself when it's in a tangle, so doing wraps with ball chain is slightly more dangerous than with cable.
I 100% disagree. I do countless wraps all the time and ONLY use ballchain because it's LESS likely to catch and tie than cable or any other chain. Ballchain won't knot around a body part. Cable can.
I see no real advantage for the kind of spinning that I do to cable except maybe price. Plus, it's MUCH easier to shorten ballchain while spinning because you can hold a ball while doing buzzsaws and such.
Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]
BRONZE Member
lurker
194 posts
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
lurker
194 posts
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Posted:
ball chain!
ball chain!
GOLD Member
Self-Flagellation Expert
3,414 posts
Location: Bogged at CG, Australia
Self-Flagellation Expert
3,414 posts
Location: Bogged at CG, Australia
Posted:
im sold on dog chain, the ones i got from HoP are great. they hurt a bit doing some wraps from the weight and speed of them, but i guess i will get used to that. Buzzsaws are fine to do, its a bit annoying on the hands, but you can select a definite link, and mark it with tape or something, so you always get the same length, on both sides. Oh, and sometimes they pinch a little. I just dont trust ball chain poi, it doesnt seem strong enough.
im sold on dog chain, the ones i got from HoP are great. they hurt a bit doing some wraps from the weight and speed of them, but i guess i will get used to that. Buzzsaws are fine to do, its a bit annoying on the hands, but you can select a definite link, and mark it with tape or something, so you always get the same length, on both sides. Oh, and sometimes they pinch a little. I just dont trust ball chain poi, it doesnt seem strong enough.
"beg beg grovel beg grovel"
"master"
--FSA
"There was an arse there, i couldn't help myself"
--Rougie
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