Poi, also known as Fire Poi, Fire Chains and Bolas, are essentially a pair of weighted ropes that can be swung around the body using various tricks, and often in time to music. Poi, the Maori word for ball, was originally used in warrior training and dances among the New Zealand Maoris. Poi are popular not only at circuses and fairs, but also at doofs, raves and other techno events. This guide will provide a very brief overview of the types of poi commonly available, in order to better understand what is available on eBay.

Tennis Ball Poi

This simple poi simply involves threading a piece of string or rope through a tennis ball and knotting it in place. This is a light poi conducive to learning as beginners will not get hurt when they hit themselves.

Any other suitable weight can be used instead of tennis balls, including the ever-popular glow sticks and rubber balls.

Sock Poi

Sock poi are one of the simplest poi available, yet can be open to lots of variation. In its most basic form, it consists of a pair of over-the-knee socks stuffed with a tennis ball in each toe (sometimes the foot is cut off and the heel sewn together to avoid the unsightly bump). The opening is knotted and used as a grip. These poi are very light and are therefore harmless to beginners who keep hitting themselves. Many also find the stretchiness of the material very forgiving while learning new tricks.

One can adjust the weight by using different soft objects, such as hacky-sacks, bags of rice or sand, and one can upgrade the socks to other stretchy material such as Lycra. Some people insert flashing or glowing balls into fishnet stockings or shear stockings. The shape of the sock can also be altered, which gives rise to banana poi, delta poi and many others, named after their shapes. In essence though, all of these fall under the sock category.

Parrot Tails / Kiwido

Parrots take the basic Tennis Ball poi to another level by adding one or more streamers of any length. These streamers usually get in the way when beginners are learning tricks, and they can get tangled, but for experienced spinners, the effects are beautiful and graceful. Not all poi moves are possible with parrots.

Flag Poi

These poi consist of a light material in triangular, square or rectangular shape, where two adjacent sides of the material have been weighted. They are spun relatively slowly and require better precision than most other poi, and are therefore not for the beginner.

Meteors

Meteors consist of a single length of rope weighted on each end with a knot, tennis ball, or other appropriate weight. They originated as a Chinese martial weapon and are therefore not strictly considered poi, but the techniques and tricks are quite similar, though much more challenging with meteors.

Fire Poi

The grandaddy of poi! These poi, take the basic structure of the Tennis Ball poi, but upgrades the parts to handle the heat. A handle is attached to one end, which can simply be a metal ring, a single- or a double- finger loop. The string is replaced with chain or cable, and optionally includes swivels (resist tangling and lateral forces) and quicklinks (assist in swapping out parts). The business end consists of a fire wick that will absorb a fuel and burn (much like an oil lamp). The favoured material for the wick is Kevlar/Aramid mix (see Kevlar Used as Torch Wick) that can be re-used over a hundred times before requiring a replacement. Cheaper one-time materials include 100% cotton and denim.