Forums > Social Chat > Fyrefly or firefly balls

Login/Join to Participate

AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
Has anyone used or purchased fire juggling balls? I'm thinking of purchasing them but at 100 bucks I'd like to hear from someone with experience with them...Thanks

sammiemember
56 posts
Location: UK


Posted:
...there's a jesters shop near when i live (i think they sell on the net) that sells 2 types of fire balls - ones with a cage and the others which are just solid balls with ordinary fat wick wrapped around the outside.. i guess the second type are a bit safer.ps..they come with gloves as well!! smile

AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
hey! I bought a set of firefly fire balls and was totally ripped off. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.I think the guy who made them just thought there was a gap in the market for these things and designed them on that basis - they are impossible to juggle. I the idea is that there is a wick suspended in the middle of a wire cage and that as you juggle the motion through the air prevents the wires heating up to a dangerous level...thats the theory. But you will find that after you've put the fuel on the wick ( a tricky, messy business involving a squeezy bottle)and then try to light them thatyou have wasted your money! Imagine it... you pick up the first ball and spend a few minutes lighting it(ever tried lighting a small paraffin soaked wick in the middle of a wire cage? it's not an easy trick!), then you move onto the next(another few mins) and then the third. So when they are all lit and you pick them up to juggle you will soon find that the third ball can be handled but wire of the first and second has been heated red hot while they were put down as you went through the hassle of lighting the others. It really can be deceptive and very painful because only the wire that was above the flame was heated and the rest feels cool... but that section that was heated will burn you the instant that it touches your hand. I guess the only solution to this is to have a pretty assistant at your side to take the lit balls off you and to throw and catch them herself so that one section of the wire doesn't get all the heat... does that sound practical to you? unless you are a performer who always practices with someone at your side then these balls really are useless. You could always juggle them with gloves on, but when i bought my set i was led to believe that they were to be juggled with bare hands...plus if you have to wear gloves then you may as well buy the other set on the market( the set with the fire proof sock like wick that surrounds a foil covered wooden ball) they look much more impressive than the firefly version with the tiny wick surrounded by a mass of wire. There is also a version of this product being produced with a kevlar sheath surrounding the wire, but this thickens the wire to a point that you can barely see the short lived flame. After this terrible experience with this badly designed product i could still have forgiven the maker if it wasn't for the fact that when I complained and had the shop keeper phone the maker he insisted that there was no problem with them and they could be juggled easily.....he went on to suggest that maybe my hands weren't calloused enough! Sorry mate but after much juggling my hands are pretty tough and i am no stranger to small burns and to gritting my teeth and bearing it! well i hope that answers the question as to whether the firefly fire balls are any good.Please learn from my own bad experience.

AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
Thanks for all the responces (juggleloser inparticular)The wire cage sounds like an extremely bad idea, when I read about the balls it noted that the outside of the cage was coated in kevlar. Another version that was suppost to improve on this idea was coated in silicon. Sounds like they might work, but still a bit of a shady proposition. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks

PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
Hi Night-Light,While I am not a big fan of the Dube company, they do sell a set of fire juggling balls that has worked very well for a duo of my friends who do the Dibble and Desmond juggling show at Ren Faires. Theirs are a metal caged ball, with thick heat tempered metal for the caged bars, set close enough that you can't get a finger easily caught between them. The wick is stretched between the two "poles" of the ball on the inside. They use regular Zippo fluid since the small squirt can fits through the cage quite well. The flame lasts through the 5 minute routine and usually needs to be smothered out with a towel. The biggest problem they have had was holding onto the balls for too long and getting a bit burned, though never anything major...and they have been using them for over a year now. I think that if you are looking into juggling fire then you are facing the risk of getting your hands burnt no matter what you use and that whether or not you get burned is more a testimony of your juggling abilities and not necessarily your chosen toy...as long as it is one that is safely constructed. Hope this helps.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
hey pele,what's your experience been with dube? i've only ever bought wicking from them, but have always had good experiences with their wicking products and their helpful staff? do their fire products suck?

PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
Hey Flavio,I have actually had dealings with Brian Dube, the god himself, and he was nothing less than rude when I asked a question about some of their products. Truly I think their wick is over priced, did you know you can buy the same wicking from craft stores that sell supplies on making your own oil lamps?At any rate, I know friends who have bought several Dube juggling and fire products and had to have them returned due to faultiness (torches, clubs, acrylic balls). They charge more than most companies and like I said my dealings with Brian have been less than thrilling, to which I was very offended as a paying customer. Ah well, we all have our moments.Glad you had better luck with them than I.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


The Cabirimember
20 posts
Location: Seattle, WA, USA


Posted:
Well, I should offer a counter-opinion here... we like Dube, we like their wicking, and they are a lot cheaper than some of the other wicking suppliers out there!When I email Brian Dube, he gets back to me fast, with a complete answer, and he's not been rude to us before.We use their fire clubs and LOVE them! Everyone in our troupe has a set. We also have three of their juggling knives, which are very cool looking and are weighted so that you can swing them like clubs if so desired...We also buy their plastic 'practice clubs' so we don't dent the hell out of our wooden fire clubs while rehearsing...Anyway, I have no issues with Dube. We like them and certainly do a lot of business with them in a given year!Charly

AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
hey pele,what kind of wick do these craft stores sell? is there some fancy specific name that the wicking is sold under, if calling around to find out prices etc? i've only ever seen the string in 4 inch sections :-(. but never anything like the 2 inch kevlar wicking, and the string in 4 inch legnths doesn't really suit much of anything... so any info you have on that would be very awesome!

PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
At Micheals it is simply called lamp wicking. It is about two inches wide and they sell it off of spools. I buy out the whole spool usually which costs about $30 but wraps up all my toys nicely, with extra left over. I don't know what is available for stores on your side of the country but Michaels and Joanne's is popular here.Hope it helps. Let me know how your search turns out.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
About fireballs - I own a pair and have used them in shows. I agree that the coated balls hide the flame and are not as good for the audience. The trick in using the non-coated balls is to sqish them into each other so they are close, light one, tilt the others until lit, pull them apart and juggle them. Not at all a big deal that with a tiny bit of practice can be done very quickly. They do need to be cleaned regularly to keep them looking good though. Fireballs are a decent trick in a show if you can't think of something more artistic that you would like to do instead.Regan

CAINED-AND-UNABLEmember
214 posts
Location: Manchester


Posted:
Hello peeps, As well as poi and a bit of staff i'm learning to 'contact' juggle. Do ya rekon that one of those fire juggling balls could work for some 'contact'?cheers, C+U

s-p-l-a-tmember
383 posts
Location: Brisbane, Qld, Australia


Posted:
my boyfriend used to use tennis balls. yes, standard everyday yellow/green tennis balls. but you could use them for a few minutes only before they start to get rather sticky. and warm.

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.- B.B.King


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
I'm trying to create a flaming hackey-sack for that contact juggling reason. Any ideas might be nice.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
Hey Pele,I know that someplace in the world produces Flaming Hackeys..I bought one once...but it didnt seem to be made very well (it fell apart and had to be replaced 3 times in about 6 goes)...If I knew how to weave one, I'd by up a stack of fire yarn and make one up but alas...I dont.So yeah - you can buy Flaming Hackeys...Josh


Similar Topics Server is too busy. Please try again later. No similar topics were found
      Show more..

HOP Newsletter

Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more...