Forums > Help! > I need advice on the various styles of poi and thier advantages and disadvantages

Posted: 15th Jun 2010
urm the "dog chains" are 2mm oval weld chain and theyre the strongest. you can use them on most if not all heads. i prefer double loops because i get more control but i havnt really tried single loops. erm if your on about fire head shapes im not too sure? i havnt tried fire at all

fire is alive. it lives and breathes. it consumes and destroys. but we control it and live with it, we are fire dancers

Posted: 15th Jun 2010
I prefer the oval link chain or "dog chain" as you called it. I think it's sturdier personally. I'm a fan of the double loop handles as well. As for the fire heads I'm with PB here. I have a pair of cathedrals that have yet to be lit up. I'm sure there is a post somewhere on here describing the differences of the heads. Just look it up in the search.
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EDITED_BY: CJdark (1276632228)
EDIT_REASON: Found a post that should help

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Posted: 15th Jun 2010
personally id avoid cathedrals because i dont think i could adapt to the odd aerodynamics im planning on ordering up some muras soon and then maybe on to monkey fists after

fire is alive. it lives and breathes. it consumes and destroys. but we control it and live with it, we are fire dancers

Posted: 15th Jun 2010
I'd avoid the double loop handles, I find single loop are easier to get in and out of plus you can customize your grip and make them more secure than double loop (more comfortable too).

I'm partial to the pro series chains as well, I have a set of ball chain I've used but wouldn't put anything as heavy as a fuel soaked monkey fist at the end of one. Also I don't really like having a chain that light either unless I have LEDs at the end of them.

I don't like cathedrals and have found muras to be too light, when I finally lit my monkey fists I was actually able to do tricks (finally with fire! muras were so light they felt like uncontrollable to me) with a reasonable size flame and swung with a natural feel. The down side to the fists is that they burn for nearly 10 minutes if you use lamp oil so it's good to have someone to hand them off to should you get tired or just have to prematurely put them out.

The above is based on my own experience spinning with all of the above items and what works for you may vary.

~Rock on!~

"As the pattern gets more intricate and subtle, being swept along is no longer enough"-Waking Life

(All you RLers this is epitome_of_lame *waves hello*)

Posted: 15th Jun 2010
In terms of handles i actually prefer the ball type handles. I have double loops on my led and single loop on my fire poi and ball handles on my socks. and i find that the stability of the poi when in plane is much easier to control (all my opinion). From a safety perspective easier to drop if ya get tangled or need to pull out of a move. Interms of chain the oval "dog type" chain i find personally the best as you are not worrying constanly if you have kinked and or weakened the chain.That and some moves like wraps and hyperloops are easier to pull of with that chain. In terms of heads I would go monkey fists as the weight gives you more feedback interms of where the poi are around your body and the comet effect is awesome (not to mention burn times are usually longer) I am sure you will enjoy your new purchase. Happy spinning

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would rather have a bottle-in-front-of-me than a frontal lobotomy

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Posted: 15th Jun 2010
preciate all the tips...i think im going to stick with my "dog chain" lol, go with monkey fist, something ive been wanting, and double loop b/c i have a single loop i could switch out. have you guys heard of moon blaze fire poi heads? my friend just told mje about them. they seem interesting atleast

Posted: 15th Jun 2010
Moonblaze poi heads are good, they hold more fuel during spin-off than cathedrals. I prefer Isis type heads. I'm saving up to make my own Isis since my experimental fire heads went kaputt Only got 1.5 burns out of them before one flew in half.

As for handles. I very much prefer ball handles. I've worked with all 3 types of handles and I would not be satisfied with permanently having anything else. I love one handed things and throws way too much. And I'm working on this extended butterfly type thingy where I switch which hand the poi is in at the top and bottom. I've seen in video only on the Pink Panther fire poi and it confused the hell out of me for the longest time. I would suggest at some point trying all the handles to find what you like the most and it will probably change multiple times as you learn new things.

Handles is all preference as far as I know depending on how you do certain moves, if you like spinning open handed, and how much you like throws. I myself love throws, so ball handles. I used to prefer double loop, then single loop crimped between my two middle fingers coming out of my palm, then crimped to my hand coming out like double loops.

And for fire heads, that a lot depends actually on not just weight preferences and burn size or time, but for me, also what is more pleasing to the eye. Like Isis for me pretty much meets all those haha. I actually have some Colecord by my desk stitched into an Isis because I love how it looks. My experimental one looked like an Ogg made of rope.

As for chain, whatever feels the best spinning, and also if you like orbitals, certain chain just doesn't work. Idk how dog chain works, I want to try it though. Would you happen to know how well dog chain works for orbitals?

The only luck is bad luck.

Shut up before I stall my poi up your ass