Fidget Spinners

Recently, you might have seen the little triangular things people spin. What are these things? Read more to find out.




These little things, known as spinners, EDC spinners, fidget toys, or fidget spinners, are small things. There really is no better way to describe them. These little devices (I'm going to refer to them as spinners) are small metal or plastic triangles or bars. They have a ball bearing in the center with some sort of weight in the arms. The weight can be anything from more bearings to just solid metal arms.

There are really two different types of spinners; two arm and three arm, and they are made of either metal or plastic. Here is a little list of what they are all like:

Two arm: these spinners have two arms coming off the central bearing and form a generally rectangular shape. They are often the worst at spinning because the two arms provide significantly less gyroscopic force. This means that the arms have to be much shorter and have a much larger mass than other spinners.

Three arm: these spinners have three arms coming off of them forming a triangle shape. These are usually the best option because they provide the best spinning time in relation to the size. They are the most common and have many different variations.

Plastic: this type of material is the cheapest and lightest, making it perfect for entry level spinners. Since spinners made from plastic are extremely light, they need some sort of weight in the ends of the arms. This weight is often more bearings, but it can be nuts, metal balls, or anything else with a significant mass.

Metal: this material is often seen as the standard material for quality spinners. The metal can be brass, copper, steel, bronze, or many other metals. The weight of the metal makes them perfect for thin, high quality spinners. They don't require any extra mass added to them to make them spin better, thus having fewer parts that could break.

There is a wide variety of materials and configurations for these fidget toys. But what are they for? Tune in next week to find out.