If you have children, they most likely have a Fidget Spinner already. Hotly tipped to beat the Yoyo and the Pog in popularity, Fidget Spinners are set to take the world by storm. But I bet you have no idea what they are…
Fidget spinners are small palm sized gadgets made of metal, ceramic or sometimes even wood, with two or three prongs. They also have a circular bearing in the middle – the place where you hold the device with your finger and thumb. Then you give it a spin, and you watch – it’s as simple as that.
Is that it?! you may be asking. Yes that’s it. Whilst it’s oddly refreshing to see a gadget that doesn’t involved screens, apps or filters, we can’t help but wonder what young people love so much about these toys. As a self obsessed tech geek, I love all things that buzz and flash so naturally I’m curious.
So what did I do?
I purchased a fidget spinner just to see what all the hype is about. Here are my findings:
- They’re cheap as chips – As I’m located in the UK I picked one up the Fidget Spinner UK – you can pick up one for less than £10 here – http://www.fidgetspinneruk.com/ Looking at the other retailers online, you can probably spend up to £100 on a fidget spinner if you wanted one tailor made out of bulletproof titatinium, but a new wave of £10 fidget spinners have recently hit the market and are gaining in popularity. If you ask me, the cheaper ones perform just as well – but perhaps are slightly less cool-looking.
- They are incredibly addictive – After watching a few Youtube videos I became convinced that these toys were boring and overrated, but after a few spins, I realised why they’re becoming so popular – they’re extremely mesmerising. My fidget spinner kept on spinning for over 5 minutes. And I watched, second after second, minute after minute. After I felt oddly refreshed and focussed. No wonder they’re tipped as a top product for mindfulness practices and stress release – it does take your mind of the day-to-day hustle and bustle of life.
- They can look cool – After my first ‘beginner spinner’ I began searching for a bigger fix to take my new strange hobby to the next level. I found that these fidget toys come in all shapes and sizes and look pretty amazing. From light up spinners to 3 pronged aluminium alloy spinners, there’s plenty of choice out there and makes the toys all the more mesmerising to look at.
- There isn’t much else to them – no cool technology, just a simple gadget that is refreshingly fun to use from time to time and easy to carry around in your pocket and call upon in times of stress or boredom.
So whether you’re looking for a tool to transmute your nervous energy, or you just want to jump on the Fidget Spinner bandwagon, my advice is: Don’t knock it till you try it. Spend a little bit of cash on beginner spinner and see what the fuss is about. You may find it helps your concentration issues or you may find that they just look cool. Whatever your motive – its worth a spin.