PX3 or Henry's for 5 clubs and 3 club tricks?
emubird
years, and clubs for at least two years. My current clubs are falling
apart, so I’m planning on buying some new ones.
I’m planning to use my clubs primarily for 3 club tricks and learning 5
clubs, and possibly some passing with my sister. Mostly I juggle outdoors
over grass and cement, so I don’t really want to pay extra for decorations
that will just fall apart.)
At the moment I’m debating between buying some sort of PX3 or Henry’s
Delphins. But I’m leaning towards getting the PX3 PM or possibly the PX3
Pirouette.
I have a few questions about both PX3s and Henrys:
1. Is it possible to buy 5 clubs now, and then a year or more later decide
to buy one more? Or will there be a noticeable difference in weight etc.?
2. Are either of these better for learning 5 clubs? Are both kinds of
clubs fine for passing?
Some questions more specific to PX3s:
3. I believe the PX3 Pirouettes have wrapped handles. I don’t really
understand the term “wrapped handles”. Are the handles wrapped in tape?
Are they supposed to be easier on the hands?
4. Are the PX3 PM (Pirouette Molded) clubs multi piece clubs? I’m pretty
sure that they are, but it’s nice to clarify.
It seems that the only differences between the Pirouette and PM PX3s are
price, handles, and weight. I’d prefer to get the PMs, since they’re a bit
cheaper. I think that the PMs are 8.2 oz. and the Pirouettes are 7.9 oz.
Are they pretty similar? I’m a little torn between a lighter club that
might be easier on the hands, and a heavier one that might not be tossed
around in the wind as much.
Sorry if some of these questions have already been answered elsewhere.
And I realize that a lot of club selection is just personal preference,
but if anyone is able to clear up some of my confusion I’d be very
thankful!
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PinkNigel
>
> which clubs shall I get?
>
Well if you're not going to go with a proper club (Renegades) [1], then
it's the Henry's all the time.
Simple reason - when you come to pass with someone else at a
convention/club, your Henrys will
pretty much(/exactly) match whatever they have, which isn't always going
to be the case with the [2]
PX3s.
PX3s seem, from what I've seen, to be a bit of an acquired taste, so
unless you've already spent some
time juggling them you might find their weird floppy flimsy banana [3]
feel somewhat odd. And they're
certainly not as indestructible as they (used to?) claim - just ask David
Haslam (mind you, completely
trashed as his original set are he still throws and catches them alongside
his newer ones).
As to some of your other questions - unless a club says it's a 1-piece
(Beard Flare, Play Prima, Dubé
airflite/Klassic American seem to be the currently available selection of
such beasts, but I may be
missing some) then it will be a composite. Don't let that bother you at
all, there are very few people
using one-piece clubs for juggling rather than swinging, and there are
reasons for that.
Yes, a wrapped handle means a tape-wrapped bit you hold on to. As far as I
can tell with PX3s, that's
basically cosmetic since the handle is a single moulded piece anyway -
other club manufacturers
construct their handles differently, so the tape wrap is functional [4].
Decorations get trashed easiest at the fattest part of the body, so if
you're concerned about that, go
with a plain club or a European-style decoration rather than circus
stripes.
Oh, also in Henry's favour - after-sales care is probably the best I've
seen in the juggling world
(indeed, probably anywhere).
The above, is, of course, all opinion [5]. What you really need to do is
spend some time juggling the
different clubs you're considering before you purchase, then buy the ones
you like.
N.
[1] ;o) (except not really)
[2] Avoiding the temptation to prefix this with some snide comment about
how PX3s are weird bendy
odd things.
[3] Damn! Fail...
[4] OK, I'll concede that a Renegade club without handle wrap is
unpleasant to juggle.
[5] Except the parts that aren't, like where the decorations get trashed
and Renegades are better... [1]
Emman
wrapped around the dowel (see henry's pirouette or renegades). The other
kind is a solid piece of plastic over the dowel (See henry's delphin).
What you're talking about is usually referred to as taped handles.
As for the px3/delphins debate... Delphin's can't possibly disapoint you
while px3's might (they feel like a toy to me, but hey they're still a
decent club).
Emman
PinkNigel
Ah, see, I was getting it confused with buying real clubs. If you don't
specify "taped" when you order
your Renegades then the handle is bare. It's been so long since I had to
buy any new clubs (since my
Renegades are so incredibly durable) that I mistook "taped" for "wrapped".
Thank you for the
clarification.
And the bit I forgot from the OP - if you later buy a standard production
club of the same type to go
with your existing ones then yes, the weight will match (unless the design
has had a complete overhaul
such as Beard's change of plastic type however many years ago that was).
Hapiel
> 1. Is it possible to buy 5 clubs now, and then a year or more later decide
> to buy one more? Or will there be a noticeable difference in weight etc.?
>
Of course it is!
PX3's are made of plastic, so there is nothing that can go wrong.
Henry's (my best friend, although I go with the pirouette) have a wooden
stem, but they all get weighed individually, and then get a plastic ring
around them which compensates the weight difference..
I believe that those 3 grams are not such an important difference, but
Henry's will correct it onto the single gram.
Little Paul
> 1. Is it possible to buy 5 clubs now, and then a year or more later decide
> to buy one more? Or will there be a noticeable difference in weight etc.?
If you buy another club later, the only difference will be that it's in
better condition.
Personally, I buy clubs in sets of 7 even though my personal best with
5 clubs is about 8 catches (I really should start practicing that again)
Why? Becuase I consider 7 clubs to be a minimum passing set, and it's
good to have spares around incase you sheer a knob off or something.
> 2. Are either of these better for learning 5 clubs? Are both kinds of
> clubs fine for passing?
I know people who have learnt 5 clubs with anything from flare one piece
clubs to renegade fatheads and everything inbetween. Either club you
mention will be fine for learning 5.
For passing, if you buy 7 it doesn't matter what you buy as for up to
7 club passing you'll have a matched set.
To be honest, I think the "matched set" thing is over rated for passing.
As long as you're not mixing two types of clubs that are massively different
(eg renegade 95s and new-fish) it really doesn't make a blind bit of
difference.
If you're passing more than 7 clubs in a two person pattern you're probably
going to be going to be passing with someone who is a good enough passer
that they're not going to bitch about mixing clus (or will have enough
clubs that it's OK)
> Some questions more specific to PX3s:
>
> 3. I believe the PX3 Pirouettes have wrapped handles. I don't really
> understand the term "wrapped handles" Are the handles wrapped in tape?
> Are they supposed to be easier on the hands?
I can't find any pictures to illustrate the point, but in generall there
are 3 main types of handle on clubs:
- Moulded: The handle is a tube of flexible plastic. Some PX3 clubs have
these, as do Henrys delfins and Beard beach clubs.
- Wrapped: The handle is a sheet of plastic wrapped around the club in
a spiral pattern. This is by far the most common type of handle.
- Taped: This is largely peculiar to renegade clubs, but is a wrapped
handle which has been covered in electrical tape.
There are a few variations on the wrapped style including wrapped clubs
with taped seams, but they're all pretty similar.
In terms of "softness" the wrapped handles are usually softest, followed
by the taped handles, with the moulded handles being the firmest. There
are exceptions to this though.
What's best for you? The best way to find out is to try some clubs out
and see what feels comfortable to you.
Do remember though, soft handles don't make for comfortable catches.
Good catching technique makes for comfortable catches. If you're hurting
yourself when catching, it's not the club which is at fault.
> 4. Are the PX3 PM (Pirouette Molded) clubs multi piece clubs? I'm pretty
> sure that they are, but it's nice to clarify.
They're a multipiece club, with the "moulded" handle described above.
> It seems that the only differences between the Pirouette and PM PX3s are
> price, handles, and weight. I'd prefer to get the PMs, since they're a bit
> cheaper.
That would be because the moulded handles are cheaper and easier to
manufacture.
> I think that the PMs are 8.2 oz. and the Pirouettes are 7.9 oz.
> Are they pretty similar? I'm a little torn between a lighter club that
> might be easier on the hands, and a heavier one that might not be tossed
> around in the wind as much.
To be honest, if you don't already know what the difference would feel
like, it's not going to make a blind bit of difference.
As you say, club choice is all about personal preference, and at this price
point all the clubs available are perfectly good clubs. Some clubs will
suit some jugglers more than others, but the only way to tell which clubs
will suit you is to get on and try some out.
I really don't like PX3s for example, I much prefer a club like an Albatross
(indeed I get a lot further with 5 clubs using Albatross than I do using
Delfins) I really like their weight and spin characteristics.
The best approach is to get along to a festival or juggling club and
borrow a variety of props, work out which ones feel comfortable to you
and then buy a set of them.
If you can't do the try before you buy thing, just buy the ones which
you think look pretty.
Hope that helps :-)
-Paul
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http://paulseward.com