Forums > Technical Discussion > Good fire poi

Posted: 25th Feb 2014
the amount of debate over 1) type of poi head and 2) fuel to use has been covered endlessly and with no real final answer

the general consensus for fuel is paraffin, its very close to kerosene (some places interchange the name regularly) and you can find it at most gardening stores (its general use is something to do with barbecues im told) BUT there are a lot of fuel options, see this for detailed info:
https://www.homeofpoi.com/lessons_all/teach/Which-Fuel-should-I-use-for-my-fire-tools-1_2_1866
https://www.homeofpoi.com/lessons_all/teach/Know-your-fuel-MSDS-1_2_195
https://www.homeofpoi.com/lessons_all/teach/International-Fuel-Names-1_2_517

fire heads will depend on how long you want the poi to burn, how heavy you like your poi and how much youre willing to spend; i started with mura fire heads and then moved onto (medium) cathedral heads, though i really want a pair of monkey fist or turk knot heads and ive also used twista wicks. mura is good for starting but within a few burns i found they were too light for me. cathedrals are a bit heavier and due to holding more fuel they burn for longer and are what ive been using for professional shows for a while -ive also noticed a lot of other fire performers using these, but im not sure if thats from popularity or simply being more available to buy where i am. monkey fists have an even longer burn, a brighter flame and are slightly heavier than cathedrals, i havnt seen a lot of people use them but i enjoyed spinning them more than i enjoy cathedrals. turks are essentially monkey fists but with an extra layer around them that allows for contact poi (...might not be a great idea for your first set but they should last you a few years so it could save you money down the line). finally, twista poi i didnt like simply because they were too heavy -they offer a slight bigger flame and slightly shorter burn time to monkey fists and theyre weight can be used to your advantage.

tl;dr id recommend cathedrals as the weight is easiest to get used to and the poi themselves will last you for a long time without the need to upgrade to a better set for performing (...though if you see other sets such as snake heads 'need' and 'want' might get confused )

I dont want to be called 'the greatest' or 'one of the greats'; let other guys claim to be the best. I just want to be known as a clown, to me thats the height of my profession. It means you can do everything-sing, dance, and above all, make people laugh

Posted: 6th Jul 2014
Does anyone else use odorless mineral spirits besides me?