Forums > Help! > In Need of Contact Poi Advice

Posted: 25th Feb 2014
For a new spinner, I'd say 80mm is a decent weight and size to start off with. Imo 72 is way too small and light, and 90+ starts getting in the way of some things such that you need to get used to the size - hence not as nice for beginners. However, I feel that the more important thing with poi is length vs weight, including the weight of the tether as well. All three of those things together will determine in the end how your poi feel - I've seen different length/weight setups that have felt pretty similar. That's not taking into account the air resistance you get with different materials (eg. sock or flag poi), or handle weights (if you start using knob handles for tosses and stuff) and when you consider every possibility it's a little complex, but I think the main point I was trying to get before all the rambling happened is that I'd recommend starting with 80mm, and a lot of rope to be able to make length changes whenever you want, and just going nuts and trying out different lengths until you find one that suits you.

If you have the monies to spare (they're not thaaaat expensive) I'd suggest buying a few more - maybe a set of 90s and a set of 100s, and trying those out too. Really no way of knowing what setup will suit you until you try a lot of them. Of all the spinners I've met so far, gear tends to be determined by personal preference, the people you spin with and learn from, and the practicality of the prop variant for doing the things you want to be doing with them.

"If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error."