Trouble Grinding with my Henry's Circus

[Amaterasu]

I have a Henry's Circus, and overall it is pretty good, but I have found that it is nearly impossible for me to grind for any more than a second with it. With my friend's Sundia Fly diabolo, on my second try and from there on I can grind with virtually no effort, simply tossing it and allowing it to grind, and it can grind for a very, very long time. My handsticks are just plain wooden ones that came with it when I ordered it from Higgins Brothers, but I used the same handsticks with the Sundia Fly. Yes, I know the Sundia Fly has a very wide axle and that the Henry's Circus' is very small, but still, I did some research before buying and it seemed that Henry's Circus was the best overall, yet I can't even grind with it. Anyone know a solution?

[barnesy]

Stock Henrys axles are pretty useless for grinds on wood.  They grind better on non wood sticks, but the best answer is to get a replacement axle set (that might mean just putting PTFE hubs in instead of the aluminium ones).  You can find info about those by looking at the sticky thread at the top of the gear section.  Maybe this post would be better placed there, but I'll just leave it here for the moment.

[Duncan]

*deletes whole 2000 word helpful essay because Barnesy is too fast *

What he said. Giant hub sets or even JC's hub sets will improve your Circus diabolo by leaps and bounds. Leo's Equipment Guide in the Gear section is your best read.

[Amaterasu]

I am relatively new to diaboloing and do not know much about gear. I have taken a look at the gear section but some help would be nice. What axle(s) would you recommend that I buy, and if you have any could you please post a link to where I can buy them? Thanks very much. Also, you are right, I think this should be moved to gear. Thanks a ton.

[Marko]

Those JC's kits can be found by sending a message in here to JC.
Or just from his webpage, http://www.diabolonet.de

I strongly recommend the Ultra Leight Kit. If you can't do grinds with
that it's not about your gear. No seriously you can hold the grind actually
too long with that kit. You'd be amazed if i showed you... But then again,
it's also about technique.

But still, i would perhaps give more practice on grinds & everything before buying
everything thats on the market.

[barnesy]

Where you buy from may depend on where you are (support your local juggling shop!), but this page: http://www.firetoys.co.uk/juggling/Tuning_kits_and_extended_axles.html is handy to explain various options (JC's sets are another).  The cheapest option is the top one - that uses most of the parts you already have.  The other options replace everything apart from the cups, but also open up more potential for changing weight/width/etc.  And I really would recommend a shift away from wooden sticks.  But I couldn't easily recommend what you would like - there are so many options and individual preferences.  Best to have a play with the options if you can get to a shop, or even better, to a convention.

Dave

[Xev]

Couldn't help noticing this thread as I am planning to get a circus. Are the ultra leicht kits and allround kits essentially the same thing?

[Amaterasu]

Due to its close location (1 hour away from me, so also cheap shipping), I am choosing to buy one of the kits from here...
http://www.jugglingstore.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=459

First of all...
Should I just order it online or take the time to go to Santa Barbara so I can personally see the stuff and talk to someone there?

And second...
Which one do you guys think is the best and which should I get?

Right now it seems just from feedback, reviews etc. that the Ultra Light kit is the best choice. Has anybody used any/some/all of these? If so, your thoughts? All replies are greatly appreciated.

Thanks. 

[Sean]

Couldn't help noticing this thread as I am planning to get a circus. Are the ultra leicht kits and allround kits essentially the same thing?

If you mean the ones by JC vs. the all round by Henrys, no they are not. JC makes 2 varieties, a regular width and wide version. Both have a smooth concave shape to the hubs that fits flush with the axle. The all round is not a smooth concave shape (look carefully) and there will be a gap between the plastic and the axle in the middle (not that there's a problem with this).

There will be people out there that favour each of these. The big questions are: Do you want something wide or regular width? Do you want a much lighter diabolo or slightly lighter diabolo? There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Wide = better for grinds, less chance of rubbing string on cups, but a different feel, less stable at low speeds, and harder to correct using some techniques
Weight seems to be a highly personal choice, and it's amazing how fast you adapt to whatever you are using. You should know from what you have now whether you want something much lighter or if you like the weight.

Amaterasu: if at all possible go and try out the different hubs. Don't know how much more you'll get by talking at the shop, but if you can try the hubs it should become obvious what you like.

If you really can't decide, just get the standard plastic regular width hubs. That's what the majority of people use (I'd guess!) and it's the cheapest.

[Xev]

Thanks Sean, I think I'll go for the ultra leicht because right now I have a Beach and the weight seems good to me. a Circus with an ultra leicht kit is only a few grams heavier than that. Actually, it's 2 grams less than that. Anyway, thanks, you guys rock, and this forum is really helpful.