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General

Should I get poi or a staff?
This is an entirely personal decision. It’s a good idea to try other people’s equipment and see what you prefer. If you have no one whose equipment you can try, then try twirling a broom handle (as a substitute staff) or socks with a tennis ball in the end of each (as substitute poi). See which you like the feel of best.

How long will my equipment last?
That depends entirely on how much you use it and how well you look after it. The less you use it and the better you look after it the longer it will last. As a guide, the average set of poi or staff should last the average twirler around 1 year before they need re-wicking. At this point it’s only the wick you need the replace as all the other components will last much longer.

How do I look after my fire equipment?

• - Always extinguish your equipment before it burns out on its own to prevent the wick from burning (as opposed to just the fuel in the wick burning).
• - Do not leave equipment to smoulder as this damages the wick.
• - Do not hit or drag your equipment along the ground or rough surfaces as this tears at the wick fibres.
• - Put a cover over your fire heads when practising moves, as this will protect them from fraying when they are dropped.
• - Do not sore staffs and eating/breathing sticks in tubes/canisters in hot places, where heat can build up in the tube, as this can cause the handles to degrade.
• - Store equipment in a dry place as this will stop your wicks absorbing moisture (wet wicks won’t light or quickly go out).
• - Do not use staffs as support when doing flips or airborne tricks as your body weight will over time bend your staff, especially when the staff has been heated by fire.
• - Do not leave fire equipment sitting out in the sun for extended periods as ultraviolet light (in sunlight, for example) causes discoloration and some degradation of the fibres in KEVLAR ®.
• - The chemicals used to create coloured flames will rapidly degrade your wicks. - Do not leave your fire equipment unattended at parties as this is where most fire equipment gets “lost”.

What is KEVLAR ®?
KEVLAR ® was introduced by DuPont in the 1970s. It was the first organic fibre with sufficient tensile strength and modulus to be used in advanced composites. The chemical composition of KEVLAR ® is poly para-phenyleneterephthalamide, and it is more properly known as a para-aramid. The aramid ring gives KEVLAR ® thermal stability, while the para structure gives it high strength and modulus.

KEVLAR ® is strong enough to stop bullets and knives - often described as being "five times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis". It's excellent at withstanding high temperatures and decomposes only at about 450°C or 850°F.

The KEVLAR ® used on our fire equipment is blended with glass fibre. This gives it extra strength and helps with fire fuel absorbency.

For more information on KEVLAR ® you can visit the DuPont website http://www2.dupont.com/Kevlar/en_US/index.html

What fuel should I use?
The safest, readily available, fuel for fire props is kerosene as it’s the least explosive. However, no fuel is “safe” and all fuels are toxic.

Kerosene (“Kero”), also known as Paraffin, if it’s 100% pure, is not particularly toxic. However, very few brands of kerosene are 100% pure, with no additives. These are sold as aviation kerosene and are not available to the general public. All other brands and types of kerosene contain a variety of extremely toxic ingredients, mainly benzene and shellite (naphtha). These additives are absorbed through the skin and mucous membrane, and accumulate in the liver and kidneys. If kerosene is splashed into the eyes, the eyelids should be held open and the eye flushed for fifteen minutes, and if swallowed, do not induce vomiting. In either case, seek medical attention immediately.

Lamp Oil, scented and unscented, is kerosene without the bad smell. It produces less smoke and looks cleaner, however, contrary to popular belief; the additives that make it more aesthetically pleasing also make it more poisonous.

Coleman Fuel and Lighter Fluid, such as Zippo, consists of shellite (naphtha) with various additives. Shellite is much more volatile than kerosene – this means that it’s more likely to explode or get out of control. You can’t dip extinguished but still smoldering fire equipment into shellite because it will instantly set the contents of your fuel container on fire. You must completely extinguish all smoldering and wait at least 30 seconds before re-fueling. This fuel does not need a wick to burn, whereas, Kerosene does.

Gasoline (Petrol), Paint Thinner and other highly volatile fuels are extremely explosive and extremely toxic. It’s strongly advised that you DO NOT use these fuels. When it’s hot and humid, gasoline fumes will not readily disperse and may be ignited as much as half an hour after the fuel has been sealed and stored. The fumes from Coleman fuel and lighter fluid will explode almost as readily, but not with the same force. In comparison, Kerosene and lamp oil are fairly hard to blow up.

Grain alcohol is not immediately poisonous and beverages with an alcohol content of 60% (120 proof) or higher are volatile enough to be used with fire equipment. However, they produce a poor flame.

Methylated Spirits (“Metho”) are another highly volatile fuel like paint thinner; however, in the fire spinning world, it is used in combination with chemical compounds to create “coloured” flames. Methylated Spirits produce a weaker flame than Kerosene and combining it with chemical compounds results in a very toxic fuel that rapidly deteriorates the condition of your wicking.

Poi

What’s the difference between the poi heads (rolled, cathedral, monkey, snake)?
There are 4 main differences between poi head types; shape, weight, burn time and flame size.

The shape affects the poi visually, as well as how the flame is distributed. A long head like the snakes has a very long flame as opposed to the other head types. Some say the shape of the head also affects the aerodynamics of the poi as they move through the air. This effect is minimal but to some twirlers it’s enough to sway their choice of poi head. Monkey fists are the most aerodynamic and attractive poi heads when it comes to shape.

The weight of a poi head depends on the amount of wick and the type of core used. The more wick and the bigger the core, the heavier the poi. Cathedral poi and snake poi have the most wick as they have no core, all the other poi heads have a timber core. Monkey fist poi have the largest core but also have 2.5m of rope wick on each poi head. This makes monkey fist poi the heaviest poi in the “standard” poi size range at 322g per set of 65mm (2.5”) heads. They’re followed by 50mm (2”) cathedral poi at 300g, 100mm (4”) rolled head poi and snake poi at 290g, 65mm (2.5”) rolled head poi at 222g and the lightest are the 50mm (2”) rolled head poi at 208g per set.

The burn time of a set of poi depends mostly on the amount of wick used on the poi heads. The more wick there is, the more fuel can be absorbed and hence the longer the poi will burn. All the rolled head poi burn for approximately the same amount of time because even though there is twice as much wick on a 100mm poi as 50mm poi, there is also twice as much surface area to burn off the fuel. So you get a flame twice the size but the same burn time. Monkey fist poi and cathedral head poi burn longer than rolled head poi as they have a lot of wick in a compact head. The burn time between the two isn’t long, with both burning for approximately 4.5 minutes. Rolled head poi burn for approximately 3.5 minutes. Snakes: 25mm (1”) have a lot of wick but also have a lot of surface area to burn off fuel, hence, they burn for approximately 2 minutes. NOTE: Burn times are approximate only and stated here for comparison reasons only. Burn time depends on other factors also, such as ambient temperature, fuel type, condition of wick and speed of spinning.

The flame size depends on both the fuel used and shape of the poi head. Assuming you are using a fuel that gives a good flame (such as lamp oil), the biggest flames will be created by snake poi due to the surface area of the wick. Rolled head poi with 100mm (4”) heads will produce the next largest flame and so on. Generally the bigger the poi head the bigger the flame. Also, multiple head poi will produce large amounts of flame.

Why are all Fyregear poi made 76cm (30”) long?
We make all our poi at a standard length of 76cm (30”) as this length should suit anyone under 180cm (6 foot tall) (this covers most people). This is because you can then shorten the poi yourself to exactly the length you need. You can do this by either moving one of the lower links up to the split ring, or by cutting the chain with bolt cutters to the length you need.

If you are taller than 180cm or like your poi particularly long, please contact us and we will make a longer set of poi for you at no extra cost.

How long should my poi be?
Poi length is an entirely personal preference but if you are getting your first set of poi then this is a good rule of thumb to go by - hold your set of poi so that they hang from your fingers by the finger loops, hold the poi with your arm hanging straight down and the poi hanging by your side. The poi should hang such that they are just off the ground – they should not be dragging on the ground. This is a good length to start with. Over time you might like to play with the poi length to see if you prefer them longer or shorter than this.

Staff

What staff length should I get?
Staff length is entirely a personal preference but if you are getting your first staff and have no idea what may work for you then here is the rule of thumb we recommend - stand upright and hold a staff by your side, the stuff should come up to or be just under your armpit. There are several such rules of thumb when selecting a staff but this is the one we go by. Over time, as you play around with other people’s staffs, you may find that a longer or shorter staff feels better for you.

Health and Safety

Is fire twirling dangerous?
The short answer is, yes. Everyone that twirls with fire gets burnt at some stage. Additionally, the fumes given off by the burning of hydrocarbons (which most fire fuels are) are toxic.