What Diabolo Should I Get?

[YOdudeJF03]

So I started using a diabolo a couple of weeks ago and I really like it and I'm getting decent at it considering what I'm working with. I was chosen to be the star for the Chinese New Year celebration in January since I can yoyo so why not chinese yoyo. Right now I'm using a no name brand diabolo that my school bought, it's plastic with rubber edges and it came with horrible string. I would like to buy a better diabolo. I like the Higgins Brothers Lava Tek and the Mister Babache Medium Harlequin and the Duncan Phoenix looks pretty cool to. What would be a good diabolo to get that's under $25? And I would like to get some new sticks and was thinking about getting the Zeekio Deluxe Fiberglass sticks. Any thoughts?

[mikenak1]

The best sticks that I've ever tried (I've tried tons of pairs in my experience) are the sundia carbon fiber. I've owned one pair for about 2 years and they hold up marvelously and are extremely light weight. if you prefer heavier sticks then i would highly recommend the henry's 41cm carbon fiber sticks. The taibolos are very good as well due to the rim weight for long spin times. My personal favorites are the sundia shining series, with fixed axles. It is a great diabolo that spins great and maneuvers through tricks very nicely.

[YOdudeJF03]

How does the material they are made of effect play, soft rubber vs a harder plastic?

[stupendous]

The material a diabolo is made of doesn't really effect how it plays.  The harder plastic ones (sundia, spinabolo) can get scrapped up easier when they hit the ground, but they play great.  The rubbery ones (circus, finesse, phoenix) bounce more, and I like them for 2 diabolo play.

As for sticks.  Don't get fiberglass sticks.  Get carbon fiber from sundia or henry's.  Fiberglass break easier, and the carbon fiber sticks are more expensive but will last longer.

-Stu

[Will G]

Don't get a Duncan phoenix...just don't.

[stupendous]

Don't get a Duncan phoenix...just don't.

Just out of curiosity, why do you say that? 

-Stu

[Will G]

Masses of vibe and wobble, shoddy axle system. The axle switching idea doesn't work in the first place. If you play em as bearings, they have a habit of locking up and turning fixed, and I've discovered, even as fixed axles, then can sometimes slip into bearings. With the way they are designed, when fully tightened, the cups move about, making them wobble a lot more than I like. Not to mention the spacers are really badly made, on all for of mine the metal part has separated and the plastics has cracked.

[stupendous]

Yup.  That all sounds about right.  My biggest problem with the Phoenix is the bearing locking up.  I like it as a fixed axle diabolo, and the sticks aren't bad for beginners. 

-Stu

[thomaswit]

I've heard alot of people who have said the same thing about the Phoenox. Personally i use the Spinabolo, I have use this one for nearly 10 years and i've only had to replace it once when i dropped it on the concrete like an idiot and it cracked. But it was about 8 years old at the time. Just my three cents.

[ShadrCom3t]

Because it's related:
I was thinking of getting a Sundia Fly Long Bearing Diabolo. I went to a juggling convention yesterday and I tried it out. I don't have a diabolo of my own but I learned lots of the basics already. I also do 4a, if that means anything.

How do aluminum sticks compare to carbon fiber?

[stupendous]

The Sundia Fly Long Bearing Diabolo rocks!!

Comparing aluminum sticks to carbon fiber sicks is like comparing yo-yo string.  Both work great, but most diabolo players have a preference.  I like carbon for 1D and aluminum for 2D.

-Stu