Author: garth

Mamba Metals • Thumbell • Work It Out

Posted on by garth

I have to say I was super excited to see this design enter into the Knuckler Roller scene. Maker Ted Spence goes out of his way in the description on his Mamba Metals website of his Thumbell to give credit original creator of the Knuckle Roller by including this text: “The Thumbbell is an adaptation of the Aroundsquare Knucklebone (originally designed by Matt Hiebert).” Props for the props given there. That says a lot about a product when the maker can be humble enough to give that kind of attention to giving credit.

That being said, it is a fast moving market with the Knuckle Rollers right now. Ted’s original inspiration  was to offer a lightweight, all metal alternative to the existing Knucklebones from AroundSquare at the time. Ted decided to release the Thumbell in not 1 but 3 sizes…but did not beat AroundSquare to the market on offering different sizes. After talking to Ted for a little I got the feeling that he felt misunderstood by some members of the Knuckle Roller community even though he went out of his way to give proper credit where it was due. That being said I can attest to his character after talking to him on the phone. He is a genuine guy just making these because of his own personal interest and because he saw a way he could elaborate on an existing concept. The thing is just nice to look at….and to roll with. 

The product is great! IF you are on Facebook you can find a Mail Call video on our Spinreview page that captures my honest reaction when opening them. Really impressed right off the bat. The large size is the one I personally love the most, just because I find that is what I have been using the past few weeks. I enjoy the lines and speed of a larger Knuckle Roller. I have to say both the models with and without the cutouts are great. Now if you are really into pushing the envelope with tricks and such I would have to say going with the cut out models on the medium and large will really add some extra grip that might allow you pull off a trick that you would struggle to do with the non cut out model.

There are a few choices on finish you will need to make as well. All of the models offered at the moment are cast out of bronze in the lost-wax method (hence some pitting will occur as seen in the photos). You can get high polish with no patina, or a natural bronze or a dark patina. As his product description states: “Each Thumbbell is sealed with a thin polymer coating specifically formulated to protect the finish; however, as with all bronze alloys, the finishes will naturally change with use, time, and environmental conditions. Therefore patinas may wear away or new patinas may develop.” I personally like the Natural Bronze and the High Polish the best.

So how do they perform? As you can see in that Mail Call video I could not put them down. In fact I was using them extensively for a few days straight and came to love them all, every size and finish. The main thing that I noticed mainly in the Large size and slightly in the Medium size is that the cut out in the design that starts on the shaft and is tear drop shaped can have a slight hotspot to it. Nothing that a little sanding with some 150 grit paper didn’t take care of but enough for me to mention it to Ted in our conversation. He was grateful for the feedback and will likely address this in the mold for future batches. Do not let that discourage you, in fact some of you real EDC people might be into the fact that you could use it as a single channel cheese grater in a pickle. For reals….I would not let a small child play with a large one that has not had the hot spots sanded down, which is not a tough thing to do. After 5 mins mine is uber soft on those spots. I used the Large extensively and never suffered any injury, but you do notice the wear on your fingertips more than you would a fully smooth roller due to all the texture of the cutouts. Very similar to using a Banksia Pod roller, those have a ton of texture on them as well.

For a collector of Knuckle Rollers I would have to say these are a must check out item. Super cool and a great addition to a collection because they are as much a treat to look at as they are to use in my opinion. Throw on that killer Mamba Metals snake head logo and add a nice black felt pouch that comes with every Thumbell and you have yourself a winner here kids.

Head over to the Mamba Metals site and check these out…oh did I forget to mention that he also offers some very unique Beglari items too? Well maybe it is because I am way way way behind on the Beglari scene but I am trying to catch up .They tricky little devices those Beglari. 

Weight with cutouts

  • Small: 25 grams
  • Medium: 32 grams
  • Large: 42 grams

Weight without cutouts

  • Small: 28 grams
  • Medium: 36 grams
  • Large: 50 grams

Metalworn • Turbine IV • Original In Every Way

Posted on by garth

This is the fourth installment in the Turbine line from Johnny Doueihi at Metalworn and it is not one to be slept on. This spinner is not for those that like them small, it’s 68 mm by 45 mm and weighs around 145 grams. It’s solid. Made from Titanium and Zirconium in a style that on Metalworn can bring you.

The anodizing on these is remarkable. Each one is one of a kind essentially. No one is exactly the same due to the way that Johnny does hiw work. The main body is Zirconium and has some nice hand done detailing. If you look close on the pics there is texture lines that are put in there by hand. Really nice.  

That being said the Turbine is hefty…as most Turbines are. The design of the piece puts it into the category of Art in my opinion. There are few makers that can deliver such a raw element combined with crispy clean elements all in one properly balanced and performing masterpiece.

 

Now the Tritium slots….they are big ones. It can hold a total of 4 vials (3.. X 15mm) sized ones. That would make it nice and bright for sure. I have yet to see pics of one upgraded with Tritium vials but I am sure that it would be great especially due to the large size you can install.

Let me tell you one thing I know for sure…Metalworn buttons are the BOMB! Look at the detail. There are holes with varying diameters and depths, and then look at the texture on the flat surfaces. These are just sweet. In fact I feel like the buttons are ⅓-½  of the reason to buy one of these or any Metalworn spinner for that matter. Amazing detail in th buttons. Have you seen the Beacon buttons lately? Oh man! Next level texture and detailing.

 

Metalworn is unique in everything that they do. THey have been doing Zirconium for awhile, well before the recent Zirconium craze that the scene is seeing. They do things with Zirc that not many bother doing and it is simply wonderful to hold these Turbine Iv’s in your hand. They also spin like a dream….all that weight…and the shape gives it a killer feel in hand and good spin times to boot, I am getting around….  This is the first R188 bearing spinner offered from Metalworn and I am sure it will not be the last.

Fidgety Uk • Spinet Pro • The Full Package

Posted on by garth

 

The Spinet Pro is an all around solid performer especially for the price, well worth it. The Stainless Steel model is just $68, $75 for the Copper and the Gold plated is $82….yes I said Gold plated. The Gold model is coated Stainless Steel.

For those that are interested in doing tricks with a metal tri-spinner this is a great model to start with. This thing has ZERO hot spots. It is completely smooth and rounded everywhere. You won’t get clipped by any hot edges when working on your ariel grabs. The weight we got on the SS model is 73 grams, Copper 79 grams and the Gold coated SS weighed in at 73 grams also. Keep in mind these are done is a UBER high polish. If you want to keep it that polished it will take some commitment from the owner.

I also like this spinner for straight up in hand spinning. It has a nice feel. I like that they use a bearing retention system so that bearing removal is super easy. The bearing that come in the spinner work great. They are not the quietest bearings on the market but they work very well, I personally like them when they make a little sound, the ultra smooth no sound ones are too smooth for me sometimes.  I get about 2 min on an in hand spin with the bearings right out of the box, should increase once they get broken in.

The buttons are really nice. Not super heavy, and have a great shape. There is a nice ridge on the outer lip and a perfect amount of concavity to them for all purposes. I personally have a lot of spinners that I do not use the stock buttons with, these are not in that category because these are really perfect to me shape wise….exactly what I like. One button has the logo and one is plain. The buttons work well for tricks I think because they are seated well above the spinner body and the body is so sleek in shape.

If you are buying as a gift this comes very well packaged and with a logo carrying bag. What more can you ask for? As I said in the intro, good spinner for the money all the way around. I think it’s cool to be able to get a gold plated version, and to not have it break the bank.

You can purchase these direct from Fidgety UK or from www.coolestshop.com

 

Aroundsquare Knucklebone Ti and Derlin XL Steady Rollin All Day Long

Posted on by garth

I recently purchased and reviewed the Stainless Steel Knucklebone on here back in late November….since then I have been hooked on Knuckle Rollers like crack. In fact this product inspired me to start making my own out of wood that I now sell under the nam Fidgetstyx, but we are here to talk about my new scores from AroundSquare by mastermind Matthew Hiebert and co.

From the moment I got the SS Knucklebone I was hooked, but I longed for something a little lighter. I finally scored me a Ti Knucklebone which comes in at a much lighter weight of 45 grams. Not only is it lighter it is media blasted or something because it has a great subtle texture to it so I feel that there is a little more grip when trying to push the envelope on new moves. Side by side this is the one I would have to take if I was to only choose one….but they both have great qualities to them so i think I might have to keep both. 😛 The other thing that I like about the Ti is the patch that it comes with is a nice blue/grey colorway. You can see it in the mail call photo shown below..

Next up is the Derlin Knucklebone in size XL. I already knew I was going to LOVE the XL size as I have been making some of my own rollers in that size too and found I really like them for learning new tricks and for a totally different feel and routine. What I was not sure about was the Derlin itself…how would I like it…and I have to say…it’s pretty freaking cool. It is not slippery like I was worried it might me like…there is a nice subtle texture to the Derlin as well, I think due to the micro lines formed from the CNC process? Matt correct me if I am wrong and I will update the post. The Delrin comes with a nice black drawstring bag that has the Aroundsquare logo embroidered on it. The Derlin XL shown here weighs 15 grams. It is a perfect size and weight for beginners and experts alike.

On a general note regarding size, I highly recommend trying out a larger size even if you are a beginner because I have found that some tricks are much easier to learn on a larger roller then adapted down to a smaller one…which did not occur to me originally I thought it might be the opposite. Again…this may vary from person to person but sharing my personal observations.

The last but not least thing I got in this most recent Aroundsquare mail call was my very first Beglari, you can see them in the mail call pic you already passed in this article….I will post on that later after I have had a few days to remember how to tie a proper knot. WEBELOS training don’t fail me now!!!

For those of you interested in following the product from Aroundsquare I highly suggest you follow the Aroundsquare  Facebook page…and follow the FB group Finger Skill Toys too while you are at it. There are sure to be a lot of amazing things coming from them in 2018.