(This article got pretty dense, so click here if you're looking for a bullet point list of do's and don't's when buying poi)
Although this lockdown has upheaved our lives and changed how we go about our days; there's been an influx of people looking to use their time to pick up a new prop and develop a new skill.
Drex has been spearheading this charge in the poi world. He's putting out a daily comprehensive Quarantine Poi series. Starting from building a basic set of poi, learning early tricks and building up to more advanced theory, tricks and techniques.
If you have a loved one who has recently started learning poi, you may want to buy them a set. Professionally made poi make an awesome gift.
But when you go online to look at them - YIKES - there are so many options!
It’s almost mind boggling how many variables there are when choosing a poi set. It can be pretty confusing to veterans of the art and completely arcane to those of us on the outside.
In the interest of helping the gift buyers out there, I sat down with Dereck and Marie of LMF Props.
Based in Canada, their shop offers thousands of possible poi set-ups. They are experts at helping people find what they’re looking for.
When I sat down with them, I went into the conversation with the goal of figuring out: how do you buy someone a set of poi??
I approached the interview in two parts, What to look for if you’re buying someone their first set of poi, and how to buy for someone who’s a little more experienced.
So if I were buying a set of poi for a complete beginner what sort of things do I want to look for when shopping?
Marie: When it comes to buying a first set of poi, there’s really a few things you'll want to be looking for.
First off you’ll want something with adjustable length so the person you’re buying for can play with different lengths and figure out what feels good.
Another thing to consider is you should probably stick with the basic options offered by the maker. No need to break the bank on more specialized ropes or fancy add-ons until that person specializes in a specific style.
For example we sell sock poi that are great and you can adjust the length by changing where the knot is. They’re very easy to play around and experiment with but they’re not super expensive so if it turns out they don’t like poi you’re not out $100+ on a set.
When you’re buying for someone new it’s great to get something that’s soft so it doesn't hurt too much if you hit yourself. That will happen a lot, especially at the beginning.
via GIPHY Boop
We chose a softer/squishier ball for our sock poi design exactly for this reason. A last note if you are shopping for sock poi, make sure you choose a non-stretchy option.
Contact poi would be another good option and are really popular. if your person is interested in that style, but they’re not as easily adjustable.
[Editors Note: Contact poi are a style of Poi that utilize a stage ball on the end of a tether to allow the artists to perform on body rolls with their prop. Contact poi are also popular in Juggling styles due to the way they are weighted and the option to have stiffer tether materials.]
For the first set you wouldn’t want to go with the 100mm heads because that's a little heavy and big but the 90mm heads would be great.
You could even get the tethers a little longer than you'd think and opt for a MFP rope that can easily be cut and shortened if the length you got was too long. You can always go shorter but you can’t get longer. You'll also want to consider going longer if you know that person is interested in contact tricks
So if they were interested in pursuing contact poi you’d recommend something on the longer side? What is longer? Should I be doing fingertips to the elbow or what length am I looking for?
Dereck: When measuring contact poi you typically should measure (with your arm outstretched) from the center of your palm to your chest. So about an arms length, then add an extra inch to compensate for shrinkage.
Marie: From the center of the palm to chest is kind of your standard “tech size” but if you want to heavily explore contact some people prefer longer than that.
Dereck: Yeah in that case, you may want to add up to four inches.
Marie: For a beginner this is hard to judge since they may not know what styles they want to do. On the other hand, they don’t know what length they prefer yet so you're safe with the standard palm to chest measurement.
Do you guys suggest jumping in and buying a set of LED poi? Should I grab a $10 set from Ebay?
Marie: When it comes to buying a set of LED Poi you have to consider a good middle-ground between quality and your budget.
Sure you could grab a cheap set of LED poi from Ebay. The length is adjustable and they are inexpensive so they may seem like a great option but often the tethers tend to be really thin and the poi are really lightweight so they don’t balance or spin the way any other set would.
It may be really discouraging to learn on because of the craftsmanship. Your poi are going to spin REALLY fast and you won't be able to feel the weight of them. They also don't tend to be super durable and if it breaks it could be really disappointing for your giftee.
What would I be looking for?
Dereck: For LED Poi, I’d recommend anything Flowtoys.
Marie: Yeah Flowtoys are great for learning because they’re also soft! If you are practicing your planes and hit yourself in the face you’re not going to end up with bruises or broken noses!
Dereck: If you have the budget for it, PodPoi could be your first set of poi for sure. They’re super strong and they have an awesome factory lifetime warranty.
Marie: I actually think PodPoi were my first set of poi! They’re great. I still perform with them to this day!
They’re really solid and if you somehow break them you can always get them fixed cheaply through the warranty so you’re not at risk of losing your investment.
Flowtoys made the new Podpoi V2 capsules so you can download new upgrades directly into it, so you are basically set for life.
Plus when you’re learning the LED just makes it so much more fun! It’s really motivating to be able to see the lights when you practice.
How are PodPoi for adjustability?
Dereck: Podpoi are great for adjustability.
They used to come with swivels and finger loops but now it’s a knob and smithy rope so you can easily play with the length by moving where the knot is. It’s super customizable.
Another great thing about Podpoi is if you wanted to get into contact poi later, we and other shops make Pod Mods where we can put the capsules into a contact poi setup and then your Podpoi can kind of grow with you. (You can either send in your capsule lights to get them modified OR buy a fresh set of Pod Mods from the vendor.)
Marie: Oh also there are the new Orb Poi from Ultra Poi!
Dereck: Oh yeah the new Orb Poi would be good if you were looking to get into contact LED Poi.
Marie: For a beginner I feel like they are a good choice and little more budget friendly, though we haven’t used them so we can’t vouch for their long term durability.
I know a lot of people like them because you can get an LED set for not too much money. They’re not quite as bright as the pod poi but rechargeable as well and have quite a few modes. You can also get LED Handles.
Dereck: They also have a lifetime warranty. The ordering options are nice and simple there too. Basically your only options are with or without the LED handle so they’re really easy to buy.
via GIPHY Almost too easy...
Great so you’ve given me a lot to think about. Let's flip the script here. Let’s say I’m now shopping for an experienced poi spinner… how should I shop for them?
Dereck: So [Marie and I] talked about this and… don’t try to surprise them, ask them. Ask for what they want specifically because you won’t be able to just guess and get them something.
Marie: This is especially true for someone who has been spinning poi for a while and knows what what they want.
You can’t even assume that a similar set to what they’re currently using is what they’d want. They may have a set at home that is nothing like the next set they’ve been thinking about getting.
Some people like variety or options to compliment their different sets. There may be something they don’t like about their current set and they’re looking to try something else.
It’s like if they were a musician. If you tried to pick out an instrument for an experienced musician you likely wouldn’t be able to walk off the street and know what they want. Especially if you don’t play music.
So even if I had a photo of my person’s exact set of poi and brought it to you I could miss the mark?
Dereck: Exactly
Marie: If you are going to surprise them, maybe just surprise them about the colour. Ask them what they want and when you have all that go crazy with the colour.
If you are buying them a set the important things to know are:
- Kind of rope/tether
- Diameter of the rope/tether
- Overall length
- Diameter of the ball/head
- Handle they’ll want.
- If they want swivels or not
All of these factors make a difference and can be complicated, especially if you don’t spin poi yourself. It would be easiest if you have mutual friends that spin with them. A mutual friend might know what they are looking for. If you’re on your own it’s going to be very hard to guess.
Gotcha, so I should shelve my hopes for buying a surprise set for the advanced poi spinners in my life?
Marie: If you’re really close with that person and know that person has been putting things in their online cart and waiting for a good moment to buy it you could sneak in and buy it for them but otherwise it’s really hard to figure out the perfect sizing.
Dereck: I mean you can go for it but it’s more than a 50% chance that you’re not going to get the perfect set.
If you know they wanted to upgrade from pod poi to a pod mod, that could be a good option. They’ll probably go for something similar to their pod poi for leash length. You’re probably going to have a hard time getting the poi away from them long enough to get it made.
Marie: I think though actually, and don’t take this for cash, but if you knew they wanted to get a set of fire poi and you know their preferred practice set you could get a similar set of fire poi.
Most people want to spin fire with poi that are similar to their practice set. You can get them the same length and knob type. You can find a knot that is similar in shape and weight to their poi and that will result in a set that feels like what they spin. A vendor may even direct you to a smaller head size to compensate for fuel once it's soaked.
If you had a photo of your friend or loved one's practice set, show it to the vendor. They will be able to guide you to something suitable. They will also be able to guide you according to the size of the flames; makers know their stuff
Dereck: Yeah if you were buying someone a set of fire poi it would be easier to guess. It is a good option but make sure they know their fire safety and have experienced people to spin with.
Conclusion / TL;DR:
Dereck and Marie were awesome and threw a lot of great information at us during that interview. I’ve condensed some of the key points into a summary to reference.
Do:
- Ask the shop you’re looking at for help. These guys are pros and can help you out.
- Look for something easily adjustable
- Buy something affordable for a first set.
- Look for poi that are “non stretch”
- Aim for a 90MM diameter head when shopping for contact poi. Larger can be too heavy and smaller can be too light.
- If you’re shopping contact poi don’t be afraid to go an inch or two on the long side, you can always make the leash shorter but can’t make it longer!
- Check out Flowtoys or Orb Poi (From Ultra Poi) if shopping for LEDs.
- They have lifetime warranties.
- Soft enough to not hurt when you hit yourself.
- Are investments that can last your person through their entire journey.
- Are easily adjustable.
Don't:
- Break the bank. Buy something that is affordable to you, if you over invest and your person loses interest it could be discouraging.
- Buy something heavy. Heavy heads like 100mm can put a lot of strain on the shoulders and may cause injury if your person is new to the motion.
- Buy a fire set. Fire can be fun to spin but is a risky activity. Let them train up and get comfortable with their practice set before moving on to fire.
- Grab a cheap $10 LED set from Ebay. They can be hard to learn on and don’t spin the way most other sets do.
Do:
- Get them a set for a new style they’ve expressed interest in: ie. Juggling, or contact etc. they’ll be less likely to know what their preferences are in a new style.
- Find out what their preferences are:
- Tether Length and Diameter
- Tether Material
- Knob type Preference
- Head size
- If they want swivels
- Surprise them on colour and not specs.
- If they have pod poi and have been branching into contact, offer to upgrade their podpoi to a podmod so they can spin contact with their capsule lights!
- Consider getting them a fire set with similar hardware and length to their current set. (If they’ve expressed interest in spinning fire.) Most people tend to spin fire with sets that are similar to their practice set.
Don't:
- Try to surprise them without help. Most experienced spinners have an exact idea of their preferences.
- Assume they want a set that is the same as their current one. Many folk like to have variety in their props as they compliment different kinds of spinning.
The team at LMF Props also noted that if you buy your person their first set of fire poi, make sure they have received proper fire safety training. Flow Art Institute offers an online course that covers the basics of fire safety and ensures that they’ll go into it with some foundational knowledge.
Encourage them to look into a local flow community and have an experienced fire safety present for their burns. Spinning fire is a lot of fun but comes with risks and should only be practiced in a safe environment.
via GIPHY Please always spin with a safety. No one wants you to end up like this guy.
Images for article provided by LMF Props. Gifs from Gify.