Review by Mr. R. Betts:

I am completely new to the who Powerball scene and I don’t play any of the sports listed or any musical instruments.

Purely by chance I stumbled upon this item on Amazon as it was getting 4-5 stars, so after reading a few of the reviews and finding out what all the fuss was about I was intrigued and I had to give it a try.

At this stage I must point out that like a lot of the male population I am a slave when it comes to impulse buying and gadgets and I’ve been the unfortunate owner of some poor gadgets and toys as well as some good ones.

The Powerball is defiantly one of my better buys. As I said at the start, I’m not a sporty person (Snooker and the odd game of football is about as far as I stretch) but I fancied a bit more exercise and increasing my arms strength. Don’t get me wrong, this item isn’t going to give you a CV workout, or get you breaking a sweat but the force it generates will certainly increase your arm muscles & strength and certainly took me by surprise how much power it does generate and I’ve only got it up for 8,000 RPM (just half of its potential!).

It takes a while to get used to starting it up and I’ve still not mastered doing it without the string, but after a couple of attempts you get used to the `rhythm’ of it and now I have no trouble at all starting it up and keeping it going for as long as I want. Be patient at this point, it can get frustrating when you can’t get the thing started!

The main thing that sells this to me, is I can’t put it down, I know its cliché, but it really does make it a fun way to exercise your arms and its addictive. I can sit there watching the football on the TV and using this at the same time and it doesn’t feel too strenuous.

The only tiny tiny thing I can grumble about is the noise it makes, it not horrendously loud, but its just enough to put me off bringing it to work with me, which is a shame because I’d be using it all day.

So, hopefully that gives you a good idea of what the fuss is all about from a newb perspective, read the reviews and if you think its something you want to give a try, go and get one!

Review by D. Goodson:

I bought a Power Ball due to me suffering with acute pain in my elbow after sitting at a desk at work for long hours. It arrived three days earlier than the estimated delivery date, which is obviously a great credit to Amazon. The parcel arrived in a huge Amazon box that could have fit about 10 Power Balls in it!

However, that aside, I unpacked it and immediately wanted to test it out. After about 5 unsuccessful attempts to get the thing started, I finally managed to bring it to life. I was immediately hooked! You can instantly feel the power that is generated and it isn’t long before your muscles feel like they are working hard. I know I said I bought it for rehabilitation but I’ve got a competitive side and wanted to know how fast I could get it. After 15 minutes I managed speeds of over 6000 rpm, but later that evening I managed to get a top speed of 10,702 rpm, I thought my arm was about to explode!

So, although I cannot yet comment on the rehabilitation side of this product, I can say that it is an incredible piece of kit that will have you hooked from the moment you take it out of the box!

Buy one! You will NOT be disappointed.

Review by J. Fletcher:

These are behemoths in the powerball arena, and I must stress, do not use these unless you are fairly competent with the regular powerballs (12,000 rpm average). The first thing that will strike you after the really cool mirror finish is the price. Yes, there is no getting around it, they are expensive, but it reflects the build quality of the product. At slow speeds these are quite therapeutic, and actually allow you to feel the motion better than the standard plastic ones, but if you take it out of the safe zone (5000 rpm) then it becomes quite different.

Rule number one, NEVER touch the rotor past 7000 rpm, if you do, you’ll only do it once, once burnt twice shy. If you have even slightly clammy hands you’ll be in a lot of pain if you touch the rotor (this is from personal experience) since the rotor will pull your finger or palm into the very tight gap between the rotor and the shell, causing a very nasty bruise and possibly a burn.

Now, I’m sorry if that has put some people off, but like other exercise equipment, you must be aware of the dangers. These metal balls are not toys and most certainly not for children. If you’re competent with the regular powerball, but seemed to have hit that annoying 12,500-rpm limit, then this will most certainly help. You can’t use these like normal powerballs since the inertia from them is almost double, 12,000 rpm on a normal equates to about 9,000 rpm on these. You will quite literally need to use your entire body to use these effectively. Your wrist takes second place when it comes to strain, as it’s more about your arm and shoulder. I’ve been using my metal for about 4 months and can just about reach 11,900 rpm, and it feels like I’m trying to shake a 10kg cocktail shaker with one hand. Suffice it to say that my arms aren’t small anymore.

As previously mentioned, they come with a cool looking 2 part clear acrylic case with magnetic locks to hold it in place and comes with quite a selection of spare parts (so you’d expect with the price). It comes with the obligatory 2 starter strings, which are not exactly useful because of the weight of the rotor, but if you’re a regular powerballer then you’ll be using the old thumb flick start. It also comes with 4 spare washers (these are thinner than the standard powerball washers and as a result wear out faster), a spare polycarbonate support sleeve (I’ve had to replace mine already) and finally, a spare blue support ring (this locks the sleeve to the rotor and wears away instead of the metal shell). It also comes with a wrist strap in case you drop it, but it’s not entirely practical because you’ll be switching hands frequently.

The metal powerballs are about 10-20% larger (height/diameter) than the regular powerballs making them harder for people with small hands to use.

I would not recommend these as your first purchase, even if you have strong arms, start with the regulars first, get used to the motion, but once you’ve gotten your technique up to scratch, then go for it, they give one hell of a workout.

Review by Mr. James D. G. Miles:

This is a solid metal version of the standard powerball – a gyroscope you spin with your hand to strengthen grip and build up arm muscles.

It puts a greater pressure on your arm and wrist, which is great if you’re getting good at the standard ones. Certainly, after using this I did find the standard plastic powerballs to be much easier and lighter to use. This powerball is heavier and generally has a more substantial feel to it. It also starts much more easily, perhaps because of the smoothness of action and balancing they have put into it.

The special case it comes in is funky, with magnetic fastenings. They also include some parts to fix the powerball if you should need to (I haven’t yet).

My only criticism is that it’s not got the fun factor of the powerball techno or the other ones with flashing LEDs – it’s much more for the serious powerball enthusiast (as reflected by the price tag).

It’s definitely the next step up in proper, athletic use of powerballs though and I try to use mine at least once on each arm per day to keep that grip and arm strength exercised!

Review by A. Galea:

case keeps powerball very safe it only a bit too snug! Can be a bit difficult to fit the ball in the first couple of times….then again you do not want the ball to rattle around! Great price!

Review by stephen Luff:

This is a well made product but I found it an extremely tight fit. Only by wrapping the string inside the ball was I able to get it in with the string inside.

It offers great protection though.

I found the black tends to make the ball unnoticeable. Not a good thing if one was hoping to use it regularly. I’m a person that needs to see things out in the open to remember to do it.

A brighter colour would be very effective.

Review by Tom B:

I have had a powerball for about 3 weeks and can get around 10.5k, so i’m not a complete noob.

I got my Foot Trainer delivered yesterday despite the other bad reviews- i though “It can’t be that bad”.

Its basically unusable. It took me hours to get to the point where i could keep it spinning for more than a couple of seconds. Starting isnt a problem if you really go for it in your hand and give yourself time to get it into the cradle before it stops. Its incredibly awkward to keep it going and potentially dangerous for your Powerball- the strap worked its way off my foot and my ball was sent flying into the wall. Not impressed.

I tried running it in my hand in the cradle for a while, and as soon as you get above 7 or 8k, the lid flys off, so its not even strong enough for normal use.

Review by Mr. N. J. Houchin:

Some reviewers have said that the device is unusable, this is untrue, it does work BUT is incredibly awkward to get going and to keep going.

I’ve had a decent amount of time trying to use it now and have found it to be a VERY frustrating product to use. Mine is now broken due to it being so difficult to attach the 2 parts securely in place while the gyroscope in in motion, mine separated in use and smashed into a wall breaking it.

Review by R. Martin:

I was intrigued by an Amazon email, had a look around on the web and decided to give it a try. Fortunatly I went straight for the Powerball Signature series with the led readout on the top. (The flashing light also gave it some appeal!)

Such a simple workout and already my Squash backhand is improving. With the readout on the top you are always trying to better yourself. (It also is great fun in competition with a competative son).

Particularly with racket sports this is a fun way of strenghtening your grip, through your wrists, and up to your shoulder.

Todate I’ve ordered 5 more for other people who are now enjoying the workout, and competition, of this amazing…toy!

Review by SP James:

Truly useful and beneficial. I’ve got a knackered shoulder, carpal tunnel/RSI due to years of guitars and drumming. I’m not going to make any wild claims, but I genuinely feel it’s helped; whether it’s down to this thing or not, my wrist is definitely less painful and more flexible. Certainly not done any harm.

Also a great ‘pub toy’! The 1-star reviews aren’t deserved. I’ve bought 5 now for presents (believe it or not), and all recipients have been intrigued to the point of annoyance. The hills are alive with the sound of whirring. Mind you, when you’re winding up for a speed attempt, it does look like you’re going for a personal ‘one-armed power session’.

More than happy with product and service. Great fun!