NSD Powerball > Reviews > Powerball - Powerful Fun

Author's product rating:   

Durability	Excellent
Comfort	Good
Value for money	Excellent

Advantages:	Addictive, strengths wrist, excellent returns policy
Disadvantages:	Some find it tricky to master, you'll never put it down !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I first saw one of these 4 or 5 years ago and once I mastered the technique did not put it down until my friend insisted he had it back. At the time I said I'd buy one but never got round to it. A few weeks ago the same happened again, used a friends and could not put it down. This time though instead of just talking about it I actually bought one! I decided to get a slightly more unusual one, a powerball signature series, it cost me £22 from Amazon and have been very pleased with it.

For those of you who don't know the powerball is basically just a gyroscope, which by moving your hand in the correct manner will speed up exerting a force on your wrist, this force increases the faster you spin it. When spinning at it's highest RPMs (15k+ rpm) it can exert a force of about 20kg on your hand and arm. Due to this relatively large force it can be used for muscle toning and strength building, or if used at lower speeds for rehabilitation after injury.

The powerball can be started using the supplied string (2 or 3 are supplied depending on model in case you loose one) by pulling sharply on it to get it spinning. The speed then can be increased by moving your hand in a small, slow circular motion, gradually increasing speed of rotation and getting smaller and smaller circles. Although this is a tricky action at first with 10 minutes or so practice most people can keep it spinning at around 7000+ rpm. Once you've mastered starting it with the string a nice trick to learn is the thumb flick start so you don't have to set up the string each time, this is basically achieved with one flick along the ball with your thumb and then quickly synchronising your wrist with the motion of the ball to stop it stopping.

Most powerboats have a digital counter on the top with can display real-time rpm, number of revolutions completed, peak rpm and can record number of revolutions over a set time of 30, 60 or 90 seconds. This counter makes it a much more interesting toy/exercise tool as it enables you to keep track of your progress and it features on all of the "pro" range powerboats.

Once spinning the powerball can be used in many different ways. The obvious one is to see what the highest rpm you can get is. When getting the higher scores (12k+ rpm) you'll find your hand only moving a minute amount, but the force in your forearm will be huge! Although good fun I'm not sure this is the most beneficial way to use it as an exercise device as you will frequently only be able to keep the maximum speeds up for a short period of time. It is recommended for muscle building that you keep the rpm above 9000 rpm for longer periods of time, I use the total revolutions function to set targets, for example 10000 revolutions alternating hand for as many change overs as possible. This really hurts and is a good way to build strength.

The 30, 60, 90second mode is very good for competing against friends as takes into account both starting skill and strength at the same time. I find it the most effective way to train with the powerball as it focuses you on putting maximum effort in to beat your opponent!

There are many different positions highlighted on the powerball website which supposedly work on different muscle groups, from your forearm right up to your deltoids and pectorals. Although I think the powerball is a very effective tool for building forearm and wrist strength I am still not convinced it can work the whole of the arm.

The powerball range starts from around £10 for a regular ball, but in my opinion it is worth spending a bit more (about £16) to get one with a digital counter. They then go up to about £60 for the 350Hz metal one, which is heavier than the standard plastic ones so should be an even better work out. I got the £22 powerball signature, this is manufactured to slightly tighter tolerances so in theory is a bit smoother, it also comes with a wrist strap, DVD and an extra spare string! Whether it's worth the extra is your own opinion, but I like the clear LEDs on the rotor as it stands out more than the regular ones.

The returns part of the company is excellent. After a couple of days my counter stopped working, I emailed them and it was answered with 2 hours, and like their website claims they offered a replacement part, no questions asked if I returned the faulty counter. However just before I returned it, it started working again, and has since then hasn't failed once so I never returned it, so cant comment on how efficient they are once returned, I feel they would have honoured their agreement though.

All in all this is an excellent product. They are well made, backed by a lifetime guarantee and all people find them totally addictive. In my opinion a gadget that all people should have whether for muscle toning, relaxation or simply for fun.