Favourite Diabolo Poll 2009

[Sean]

For the last 3 years we have been running a poll on people's favourite diabolos. As new diabolos get introduced each year, it will be interesting to be able to track how preferences change over time.

Vote for your favourite diabolo, and if you wish, add a short message about why you prefer that diabolo.

You have 1 vote and won't be able to see the running total until you vote; however, you will be able to change your vote up until this poll closes on December 31st 2009.

[Pete]

Finesse with a normal axle cos they're just better than all the others. :p

P.S. The voting options don't account for the different versions of the finesse, G1, G2, G3. Possibly not worth changing, but thought i'd mention it, some people might have a preference.

[monkiatzu]

this is best suited for those who have tried a variety of diabolo brands, im yet to try taibolos so ill leave my vote with suns

[Jonny_]

i'll vote later when i get some taibolos

[luabduch]

Circus!! perfect weight...

but I want to play more with finesses...

[Janey]

i play the transparent suns^^ they are my favorite ones^^

[Crackers]

I'll have to go with all around circus although I've been playing a lot with my finesses recently. Anyways when I practise I just keep all my diabs on the floor and pick the first one that comes, but each time I need to carry some diabs I'll most likely go with the circus's since they're the more versatile.
The only thing I don't like about them really, is that they are by far the uggliest diabs I own 

[looby]

Had there been an option for a wide axle fly in fixed mode, it had my vote but the original sun will have to make do.  The only difference I've ever noticed is sprinkler suns lasting longer with fixed flys but that's being picky.  Both top quality props.

[Sean]

The voting options don't account for the different versions of the finesse, G1, G2, G3

We discussed this years ago when the G2 came out. The same goes for the Taibolo. Basically we decided that since the newest version was inherently "better" there was no need to distinguish. Further, people who vote for the older generations are most likely to have never had the opportunity to try the newer generations. And further again, the differences between the diabolo brands is far greater than any generational change.

Had there been an option for a wide axle fly in fixed mode, it had my vote but the original sun will have to make do.

That's exactly what "Sundia Fly (Wide axle)" means - fixed and bearing. You'll notice I didn't distinguish between bearing/fixed for any of the diabolos. I wanted this to be a poll about diabolo shape and performance, not a poll about bearing/non-bearing. I'll add that to the poll options to clarify.

[pranay]

Finnesse for ever!!!
It's just the best allround diabolo ever made and the best looking of course.
Vote for Finnesse!You'll not regret this desicion...believe me

[Dennis]

Finnesse for ever!!!
It's just the best allround diabolo ever made and the best looking of course.
Vote for Finnesse!

nothing more to say, I totally agree with pranay!
none of the other diabolos has such sexy colours and curves!


btw...it's quite difficult to choose for me:
YoHoS, my Allround Circi and my Taibolos are very nice as well......
but Crackers is right, circi are kinda ugly.......

[flep]

I've tried several diabolos, unmodded circi, circi with jc's hubs, flys, suns,
However, my favourite is unmodded finesse, because there's not a lot of technology into it, but it works fine and is indestructible

[Will G]

please could you add regular sun with plastic washers

[Sean]

Please could you be happy with the 19 choices that are already there? Sun with plastic and metal washers can go in the same category for now. Notice that I didn't split up the Circuses with different washers either. Nor the Taibolos or Diabigs both of which I prefer with lighter washers. Further, the poll has already started, I can't go changing categories now.

[Will G]

Ok,sorry.

[Thoùm_]

I see you work a lot on this forum, and thank you for that, but for me, a circus with an aluminium axis and a circus with teflon cups and washers are totally different.

I didn't vote for this reason... 

[Marijn]

Sundia Suns with plastic washers are the way to go for me.

For me it's a little like this: Finesse < Taibolo < Fixed Fly < Circus (teflon hubs) < Suns (plastic washers)

EDIT: added Taibolo's. Smooth, but too light for me, I prefer diabolo's that weigh around 275 grams

[Sean]

I see you work a lot on this forum, and thank you for that, but for me, a circus with an aluminium axis and a circus with teflon cups and washers are totally different.

I didn't vote for this reason... 

Look, there's a reason for that too. Here I'll dig up the original post I made explaining this in 2005:

Yes, because the G2s are obviously an improvement over the G1. I can't see any valid or educated reason why someone who has tried both G1s and G2s would prefer G1s over G2s and hence it is redundant to include and would not provide any useful information.

We're not asking for what diabolo do you use but what diabolo do you think is the best overall. If you only like G2s, that's great, it's the finesse of the present and future and your vote counts. If someone likes G1s that person will like G2s even more and their vote would remain with finesse.

This is similar reasoning to why I chose not to include the original circus metal hubs as a separate category vs. the improved teflon hubs.

i.e. I didn't include a separate category for the metal hubs because anybody who has tried both the metal and teflon hubs would prefer the teflon hubs. So, there's no need to include a separate category. We'd only be finding out who hasn't bothered to upgrade to teflon hubs or who hasn't had the opportunity to try both. Can we just get on with voting and discussing?

--

For me it's a little like this: Finesse < Fixed Fly < Circus (teflon hubs) < Suns (plastic washers)

Regular weight sundia suns are the one diabolo I don't have to try on a regular basis, but I'm curious why you prefer them that much over the flys. From what I remember they feel fairly similar on the string.

[Marijn]

Flys feel a bit ''bumpy'' and ''sticky'' on the string to me. Sometimes a bit like the diabolo decides what is going on instead of myself. Hard to explain, I just feel like I can't reallt tame Flys, I never really feel in control, always have the feeling something unintented and annoying is about to happen when I play with 'em.

Suns feel smooth and very decent (in a good, reliable way). When I play with them I feel more convident to try more complicated and/or experimental stuff because they respond so smooth and natural to my movements.

Circi are very decent and reliable, but lack a bit of smoothness (in my opinion).

[Sean]

Interesting. I'd compare the light suns to the flys similarly, although I've never been sure that it's not just the older versus newer style axles. I do find my flys more stable though and long spinning than the light suns. A natural product of the rotational mass I presume. I also find them a bit grippy or bumpy at times. Maybe it's the stiffer material. Maybe it's the fear of one of the sharp bricks wrapping up and hitting you in the face.

Damnit, you're making me want the one diabolo I don't have in my collection. Still, I find any of the wider axled diabolos much harder to reliably throw start 3. It seems to me like a narrower axled opaque light Sun (with slightly more durable cup material) might be the perfect diabolo for me... but not many people have used the narrow axle Fly, and are narrow axles for the Sun even manufactured?

My preferences have gone: Some ancient MB thing because it was all I knew -> Circus -> Finesse wide axle -> Circus -> Finesse normal axle -> Circus -> Fly -> Circus -> Taibolo -> Light Sun -> and now I have no idea what my favourite would be, although I brought my Circuses with me travelling for a couple weeks if that says anything. edit - and by the end I hated them - I'm back to Suns.

They are a bit wobblier, less precise, and uglier, but they sure are great all around diabolos. I like them with the plastic (ultralight) washers though - I find them too heavy and less stable with the metal washers. The oldest (that's still around), least sexy, and with no generational improvements diabolo is still around for a good reason. It seems like if you watch the diabolo use patterns of many long time diaboloists, they all end up back at Circuses if you wait long enough.

I've said it before and I'll call it again: in 50 years we're all going to have moved back to Circuses.

Edit - and I'm back to Suns already. I'm sorry I ever left you fellas!