NSD Powerball > Reviews > Powerball. Great for your wrists.

Author's product rating:   

Durability	Excellent
Comfort	Good
Value for money	Excellent

Advantages:	A good workout for the forearms, and addictive too .
Disadvantages:	Sometimes tricky to get started .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:

The powerball is a handheld gyroscope (essentially a spinning weight). After setting the gyroscope in motion using a length of cord, the rate of spin of the gyroscope can be increased by rotating your wrist faster and in ever-decreasing circles. Very soon you will begin to feel feedback from the powerball and more and more effort will be required to spin the ball faster.

WHO SHOULD BUY THIS PRODUCT?

The powerball is meant to be (and is - see later) a great workout for your wrist, forearms, biceps and helps strengthen grip. As such, it is designed for those who play a lot of raquet sports (tennis, badminton, squash...) as well as golfers, rock climbers and so on. Furthermore, it is also meant to help those with RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) to their hands and arms. Indeed, my first introduction to the powerball was through a friend who was a competition rock-climber with scar tissue on his finger ligaments and was using the powerball to rehabilitate himself. I soon had my own as I play a lot of racquet sports.

HOW DOES IT WORK, AND DOES IT WORK?

There are a few variants on the powerball (see POWERBALL MODELS), but in its most basic form you get a small, neatly presented box which contains the handheld powerball, and two lengths of cord with a small plastic tip at each end, as well as a set of instructions on how to start and spin-up the powerball. To start the powerball spinning, you insert one of the plastic tips of the cord into a small hole located on the rotating ball (often yellow) within the powerball itself. You then wrap the cord around by spinning the ball with your thumb. Once you wrapped the cord around, a quick tug on the cord will set the ball spinning.

As soon as the ball is spinning, the powerball should be held with the moving parts held away from the palm of the hand (SAFETY: the rotor can reach over 15,000 revolutions per minute, and may cause burns if you hold it the wrong way - though in 3 years this has never happened to me). To begin with, fairly slow, longish circles with your wrist (about 1 circle a second) are needed to keep the powerball spinning. If you hear a knocking noise then the chances are you are trying to 'spin' the powerball too fast, slow your movements down. I found that this is the most difficult part of using the powerball. Despite having used one for over 3 years, I still sometimes need 2 or 3 goes to get the powerball up to speed. Furthermore, on one occasion I have seen the plastic tip on the starter cord break, which makes starting it more difficult. Fortunately both ends of the cord have a plastic tip, and a spare cord is included anyway. I, as yet, have not needed to re-order any parts for my powerball.

Once the powerball is up and running, you can increase the spin rate of the gyroscope by smoothly rotating your wrist faster and in ever-smaller circles. As the speed builds up, the gyroscope starts to put pressure back on your hand and arm, working your muscles in those regions. At the highest spin rates, the manufacturers quote that 40lbs of pressure are exerted on your wrist and arm. Certainly, if you push yourself to the limit, the force exerted on your forearm is quite intense and I do always feel that I have had a good workout in that area!

One thing I certainly recommend is to purchase one of the powerball models that include an electronic rpm counter. This device has an electronic display and sits on the top of the powerball and has a variety of functions. These include;

Highest RPM - This records the highest number of revolutions per minute you achieved on a 'run'. If you happen to beat your top score, then it automatically saves this.

Real time RPM - This shows the number of RPM you are currently achieving.

Total accumulated revolutions - This counts the total number of revolutions during any 'run'

Strength Index - This counts how many revolutions you manage over either a 30, 60 or 90 second run.

The elctronic counter automatically powers off a little time after the rotor has stopped. My first powerball did not come with the counter, and I found it very difficult to see how well I was doing. Although you can buy the counter separately and add it later, it is worthwhile just investing in a model with one inbuilt in the first place. I also found that some of the functions such as the Real time RPM were a little bit useless. The counter is located on the side of the powerball that you have clasped in your hand - so to look at the counter means to stop spinning it and move it out of your hand, by which time the number of RPMs has decreased!
Given that there really isn't anywhere else on the powerball to locate the counter, the manufacturers couldn't really help this.

POWERBALL MODELS: (Prices as of 07/01/2007)

Powerball 250 Hz Regular (RRP ~£16.99): Comes in various colours, but does not include an RPM counter.

Powerball 250 Hz Pro (RRP ~£24.99): As above, but includes an RPM counter.

Powerball 250 Hz Pro S (RRP ~£24.99): Just the same as the Pro model, but with a set of holes drilled in it to make it sound nicer!

Powerball Neon Pro (RRP ~£26.99): This is the same as the Pro model, but with Neon lights that flash as the powerball spins up.

Powerball Neon Regular (RRP ~£19.99): Has the Neon lights, but NOT the RPM counter.

Powerball Signature Series (RRP ~£29.99): Limited edition white/sapphire powerball, with rpm counter and LED lights. It also has a mini DVD which shows (briefly) different types of exercises, world record attempts, etc. Also includes a wrist strap, which is not entirely neccessary.

Powerball Techno (RRP ~£26.99): I've never used one, but apparently the score is not read out on an electronic counter, but scrolls across the rotor. It might circumvent the short comings of the electronic display I mentioned...

Powerball 350 Hz Pro - Metal (RRP ~£69.99): Presumably the big daddy of powerballs!

I've found that there are a few reputable powerball traders on ebay who will often undercut the RRP price by 5 to 10 pounds (depending on model). As always, usual sense when buying from ebay should be applied.

PRODUCT QUALITY:

Given the high rotation rates generated, the powerball seems amazingly robust and the rotor motion remains smooth. In order to maintain the performance, it's advised not to let go of the powerball whilst it is spinning, or drop it. I haven't had any problems, and I suspect I never will.

TIPS:

Apart from the DVD included with the Powerball Signature Series, there are no instructions (on the other powerball models I have used at least) on different types of exercises. If you want to strengthen your fingers and wrist, instead of holding the powerball in the palm of your hand, grip the rubber grips with the tips of your fingers. Upper forearm, grip the powerball as usual, hold it slightly in front of you and rotate it clockwise. Lower forearm, as for the upper forearm but rotate anti-clockwise. Pectorals, hold the powerball below your waist.

CONCLUSION:

Despite it sometimes being a little tricky to start, and requiring a little bit of patience and practice if you are new to it, the powerball is a unique way to build strength in your forearms in particular. I've always found this muscle group difficult to exercise, but the powerball is superb for this purpose. It is also quite addictive, I've even seen it cracked out at a few parties (I have some fun friends). I definately recommend this product, but would advise that you make sure you get a model which includes an electronic rpm counter. That way you can keep track of your top scores and you get a much better sense of progress and achievement.