Powerballs
Powerballs are quite popular at work and apparently we've got one of the UK's top record holders! I've recently joined in the fun by ordering my own Neon Powerball.
Basically, Powerballs are powerful gyroscopes which once started you accelerate using just your wrist. The interesting part is that the faster it spins the more force it exerts on your arm.
Supposedly, Powerballs can be used at low speeds to reduce the risk of RSI and I can see my powerball help to strengthen my forearm for tennis. To be honest though, most guys (including myself) are purely interested in hitting the highest speeds possible. Personally, I've only managed 10,700 RPM. As a point of reference the world record is 16,553 RPM!
I see nobody has replied to this yet, so I'll add my comment. I bought one of these (from firebox.com) a few years back; it must be in a drawer/box somewhere at my parents' place. I think I remember getting somewhere in the 12-13k range but I'm sure the battery must have died by now.
Posted by: Mark | Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 07:15 AM
I think they have a life-time guarantee so you might be able to get a new battery.
12-13k? I need to get practising!
Posted by: Darren | Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Sorry to add to this old thread but I was shopping today in a household store here called d2 (I'm not sure if it's a chain store or just in Nagano) and I saw a powerball for sale and thought of your website post. Although it was obviously a copy, with the name 'power wrist', it was only 1080 yen (about 5 pounds with the current terrible exchange rate) so much cheaper than the official Power Balls. I snapped a photo on my phone.
Posted by: Mark | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 04:33 PM