The bowtie spinner
If you’ve been paying attention to DIY/hacker/maker media for the last few months, you’ve certainly come across “fidget spinners.” These devices feature a bearing in the middle, and some sort of fixture that can be spun around for your entertainment. Personally, I don’t see the appeal, but then again I haven’t tried and/or made one, so perhaps I should reserve judgement.
Gearsngizmos fidget devices
Given their simplicity and popularity, Tindarians make and sell quite a few of these devices, including the Gearsngizmos store, which has several models in different bearing configurations. Other Tindie spinner listings include:
- A three-lobed spinner with a fully ceramic bearing. This one resembles a ninja star, or shuriken, which admittedly, seems quite interesting.
- The Swirl spinner features a rather organic design, sort of the opposite of the previous spinner. It’s out of stock as of this writing, so it’s apparently quite popular. Note this is the same person that came up with the very successful $5 spinner on Kickstarter.
- The Turbine wooden spinner looks quite interesting, and, again, is out of stock as of this writing. Perhaps it’s time to list your own spinner design!
- The Revo Bowtie spinner, as you might suspect, looks like a bowtie. This device is actually in stock, so if you need a spinner right now, be sure to check it out!
Though there are some (admittedly) pretty interesting designs here, perhaps what you’re really interested in how fast you can get one of these going. If so, check out Kevin Darrah’s spinner tachometer in the video below. As seen at 1:50, it’s able to pick up a spinner rotating at nearly 1600 RPM by hand, and using an air compressor, they’re able to spin it up well over 6000 RPM. Perhaps, it’s time to give one of these devices a try!
