Dragonstaff Buyers Guide

By Jed Fowler, Mickey Khoury, Emily Esper

About this document

Which dragonstaff to buy? The short answer is there are many options and there is no “best” dragonstaff. Hopefully this guide can help you choose what is best for you!

See below for a Company list, FAQ, then a more detailed description of what each shop sells.

List of companies that sell Dragonstaffs, grouped by region and in Alphabetical Order:

Australia/NZ

FlowForm - limited sales (Oct 2020): https://www.facebook.com/flowform.australia/

Home of Poi - on hiatus (Oct 2020): https://www.homeofpoi.com/

LEDScalibur: https://ledscalibur.com/

Polymorph Props: https://www.facebook.com/polymorphprops

Razed in Flames: https://razedinflames.com/

Threeworlds: https://www.threeworlds.com.au/

Europe

Flowbonacci: https://www.flowbonacci.com/

Gora: http://www.gora.hu/

Ignis Pixel: https://ignispixel.com/

Inspinity Design: https://inspinity.de/en/

Juggling Calling: https://www.jugglingcalling.com/

SpinningJesus: https://www.etsy.com/pl/shop/spinningjesus

Z-Pixel: https://www.z-pixel.com/

North America

Dark Monk: www.dark-monk.com

FlowToys: https://flowtoys.com/

Flow Forge Creations: https://flowforgecreations.ca/

Flow on Fire: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/FlowOnFire

Ninja Pyrate: https://ninjapyrate.com/

Paw Print Props: https://pawprintprops.com/

Shape Shift Props: https://www.etsy.com/shop/shapeshiftprops/

Trick Concepts: https://www.trickconcepts.com/

Wizard of Flow: https://wizardofflow.com/

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Also try searching for various companies and makers on etsy! https://www.etsy.com/

*We recommend that you purchase locally, so start with the shops closest to you!*

*This section can be updated if you contact dragonstaff facebook group admins with your company details.*

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FAQ

There are many companies to choose from. It can be overwhelming! See this guide to help you make your decision.

What Height should my Staff be?

For beginners, the staff should be the distance from the floor to between collarbone and chin. Shorter/longer than this will restrict what tricks you can do. Dragonstaffs for spinning with partners are usually near head height. This is a recommendation only - your preferences may differ.

Aluminium or Carbon Fibre?

The two most common pole types are carbon fibre and aluminium.

● Carbon fibre is possibly the best material currently available (if manufactured properly and treated accordingly), but also the most expensive. It should have protection from fire. It has a small amount of give to reduce impact pain.

● Aluminium(Al) is very common as it's light, strong and easily available. There are different grades of Al and this makes a large difference to the lifespan of the staff. Prop manufacturers should sell higher grade Al (it should be listed on their site) or be able to tell you what grade it is, or you'll be back soon with a bent staff. Generally speaking, 7075 Aluminium is the best grade available for staff tubing, but it is not commonly available. 6061 and other “6” series are more readily available and still perform ok.

Fire, Daytime/Practice or Glow ends?

Heavier heads tend to be easier for beginners because the weight offers tactile feedback that beginners can feel, while lighter enables more freedom of movement and longer play times from less physical exertion.

● Fire heads - usually kevlar wick (avoid anything white in colour from SE Asia)

○ Pros: FIRE!

○ Cons: They will degenerate much faster when dropped often - such as when learning

new tricks. Covers can be used to reduce soot/prolong life.

● Daytime/practice ends are designed to be used any time. A softer material is recommended for beginners, as this is the part that usually smacks you in the face. If you don’t think you need fire any time soon and you’re just getting into dragonstaff, go for daytime heads!

○ Pros: They take abuse better than fire or glow heads, so will last much longer than fire or glow. They also usually come in pretty colours/decorations.

○ Cons: No fire, no glow.

● Glow heads are usually LED based and made to look pretty at night time.

○ Pros: Daytime or night time, they look great (especially night!). Useful to see your props at night (and not to hit anyone!). Some props make pictures as you spin.

○ Cons: Electronics tend to break after some time when inside fast spinning dragonstaff heads. Choose your company wisely.

What type of fire ends?

The heads are usually kevlar wick (avoid anything white in colour - asbestos wicked props have been sold in SE Asia), though some European companies do use ceramic wick. The less exposed metal the better (the metal is the part that transfers heat to your skin and burns). There are two main types of spokes: Stiff or Flexible.

● Stiff spokes feel more responsive when spinning a dragonstaff. However, they also hurt more when hitting you in the face. Stiff spokes can be thick or thin. Thick spokes tend to be more durable than the thin kind, but at the cost of being a little heavier. If a stiff spoke bends, it’s much harder to repair it than a flexible spoke.

● The main reason for flexible spokes is to reduce impact force. Whether it’s your face or the floor, the shock absorbing qualities of flexible spokes will extend the life of both your staff and your health.

What grip should I choose?

This question is difficult. For a dragonstaff a thicker grip is generally better, as many Dragonstaffs are quite heavy and can squish your skin and cause discomfort. Dragonstaff is prone to pulling arm hairs out and causing a rash - this can be mitigated by removing arm hair (clippers/shavers/fire - get creative!).

Many companies have their own proprietary grips - too many to list here. Luckily, they are all quite good nowadays due to the grip wars of 2018-19. Common grip types are below:

● Silicone: (an elastomer) Comes as a tube and slides onto the staff.

○ Pros: Very tacky, stays tacky through its entire life, semi transparent-designs can be seen underneath. Easy to clean.

○ Cons: Slippery when wet (sweat), tears on contact with sharp objects, heavier than other grips, sometimes can pull hair due to its tackiness, usually thin so heavy staffs can squish skin and be unpleasant to use.

● EPDM: A type of soft, squishy rubber.

○ Pros: Tacky, becomes more tacky as it gets older, differing thicknesses available, squishy - softer and more surface area on contact with skin(depending on thickness).

○ Cons: Needs to be replaced with extensive use. Tears on contact with sharp objects, leaves black residue on skin (easily washable).

● Yoga Mat Style: (often sold as branded grip by various companies).

○ Pros: Tacky, becomes slightly more tacky as it gets older, differing thicknesses available, thicker (2-3mm) grip is great for dragonstaff, some shops sell with adhesive already attached.

○ Cons: Needs to be replaced with extensive use, depending on thickness. Some shops don’t sell with adhesive backing.

● Racquet Grip (or sports/tennis grip) – Common grip type, but quality is inconsistent.

○ Pros: Easy to find, low-medium tackiness, usually durable, lots of choice.

○ Cons: Tackiness usually declines quickly with age, needs to be replaced often.

All grip types tend to slip when wet, some more so than others. Hopefully the above information allows the reader to make up their mind for themselves, as this is all down to user preference.

• Over-Grip: This style of grip is offered by some manufacturers as a roll to apply over an existing grip. This is a relatively new grip style, and will be updated as more information becomes available in the future.

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Full company list, with basic information and pictures

Sorted by region.

Australia/NZ

FlowForm

Home of the Viper hub, and the first to make 3 spoke dragons commercially available.

https://www.facebook.com/flowform.australia/

- Fire/LED Dragons

- 3D Printed Practice heads

- Offers carbon fibre or aluminium poles

- Silicone grip

*Currently only selling 3d printed practice and LED dragons due to being stranded overseas.*

Home of Poi

Large company that produces budget friendly dragonstaffs

https://www.homeofpoi.com/

- Temporarily closed to retail customers

LEDScalibur

LED props made in Australia - staff products are durable, dragons are performance only (not for droppy spinners)

https://ledscalibur.com/

- LE'Dragon #3 - bolt on pixel heads to attach to your existing dragon

Polymorph Props

3D printed Dragonstaffs

https://www.facebook.com/polymorphprops

- 3D Printed Dragonstaff heads of various designs

Razed in Flames

Home of the Spiral Dragon. Sells daytime/practice, fire, LED, and DIY parts

https://razedinflames.com/

- Original practice spiral heads

- Practice modular dragon claws

- Various parts from other manufacturers

- Carbon fibre or aluminium poles

- EPDM or silicone grip

Threeworlds

Full length, collapsible & modular tube setups. LED, Fire, daytime/practice.

https://www.threeworlds.com.au/

- Fusion collapsible dragonstaff

- V3 universal dragonstaff hubs designed to change from 3 to 4 spokes on the same hub

- F3 lightweight hubs designed to fit Fusion poles

- Carbon fibre and aluminium options

- Silicone or EPDM available

Europe

Flowbonacci

Daytime/Practice dragonstaffs.

https://www.flowbonacci.com/

- Flowbinacci Original day dragon heads

- Tri-Ying round day dragon heads

- Uses Goat Grip and carbon fibre tubes

Gora

Hungarian based fire arts company, and inventor of the Dragonstaff. Produces collapsible and solid frame dragonstaffs and lightweight hubs.

http://www.gora.hu/

- Solid build and collapsible Fire Dragons

- Superlight Hubs

- Available in carbon fibre and aluminium.

Ignis Pixel

Digital dragonstaff heads with high resolution

https://ignispixel.com/

- Use detachable LEDs as poi or dragonstaff spokes

- Dragonstaff heads that can be programmed to display pictures and synchronise to music

- Aluminium poles

- “Sticky” Nora Grip

Inspinity Design

Based in Germany, Carbon fibre dragons with self designed dragon systems and wicks

https://inspinity.de/en/

- Day use or Fire spokes - interchangeable on the same hub

- Unique hub system

- Carbon Fibre Poles

- “Padded, rubbery” Grip

Juggling Calling

Based in France, they sell fire and practice dragons

https://www.jugglingcalling.com/

- Fire dragons using Gora hubs

- Practice heads by Flowbonacci

- Aluminium poles

- Goat and EPDM Grip

SpinningJesus

Based in Poland, supplier of various 3D printed practice/daytime heads

https://www.etsy.com/pl/shop/spinningjesus

- 3D Printed Dragonstaff Heads

- Many printed designs to choose from, as well as custom prints

- Aluminium Poles

- Silicone Grip

Z-Pixel

Based in Ukraine, supplier of LED Pixel Dragonstaffs

https://www.z-pixel.com/

- 24 LEDs with round heads and 3x spokes

- 36 LEDs with 4x spokes

- Heads can be used as finger spinners

- heads can be used with Gora, Flowbonacci, Viper(FlowForm) and V3(Threeworlds) hubs

- Aluminium Poles (collapsible)

- “soft seal” overgrip with racquet undergrip

North America

Dark Monk

Various fire dragonstaff sizes and designs. Also LED spoke option

https://dark-monk.com/

- Various 3, 4 and 6 spoke fire dragonstaff designs (some are modular)

- Modular LED spokes for use with flowtoys capsule lights

- Aluminium or carbon fiber poles

- Nimus, Om or Classic Grip

Flowtoys

USA’s largest LED flow arts equipment manufacturer

https://flowtoys.com/

- Dragon Disk LED Heads CNC-cut from polyethylene. Capsule lights

- Carbon fiber poles

- Silicone grip

Flow Forge Creations

Produces 3D printed dragonstaff heads for day/practice

https://flowforgecreations.ca/

- 3D printed dragonstaff heads for 22mm poles

Flow on Fire

3D printed, modular practice and LED

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/FlowOnFire

- 3D printed daytime/practice spokes

- Resellers of Shapeshift Props

- 3D printed LED spokes designed to fit flowtoys capsule or ultralights

- 3D Printed Practice spokes

- Modular hub, spokes interchangeable between LED and practice

- Carbon fibre poles

- Gecko, Wizard, Silicone grip

Ninja Pyrate

Fire and LED staffs in a modular solid welded system.

https://ninjapyrate.com/

- 3 or 4 spoke fire heads

- 3 spoke LED that use flowlights/caps

- Modular dragonstaff fire/LED head system that only works with ninja pyrate staves

- Reseller of Paw Print heads

- Silicone or rubber grip

- Aluminum or carbon fiber poles

Paw Print Props

3D printed dragon heads for day/practice or LED.

https://pawprintprops.com/

- 3D Printed Practice heads. 3 or 4 spokes

- 3D Printed LED Dragon heads that house Flowtoys Caps. 3 or 4 spokes

- Reseller of Gora fire heads, spokes and hubs

- Carbon fiber poles

- Gravity or Alpha grip available

Shape Shift Props

3D Printed Practice and LED dragon heads

https://www.etsy.com/shop/shapeshiftprops/

- 3D printed LED spokes designed to fit flowtoys capsule or ultralights

- 3D Printed Practice spokes

- Modular hub, spokes interchangeable between

- LED and practice

- Carbon fibre poles

- Wizard or silicone grip available

Trick Concepts

Fire and LED dragons on a budget.

https://www.trickconcepts.com/

- Trick Concepts modular system works only with Trick Concept staves

- 4 spoke fire modular hubs

- 4 spoke LED hubs with Ultralight LEDs

- Aluminium staves.

- TC branded staff grip

Wizard of Flow

Fire and DIY parts.

https://wizardofflow.com/

- Staves designed to work with Gora hub system

- Various woven fire head options

- Flowbonacci and Gora reseller

- Collapsible or Solid staffs

- Carbon fibre poles

- Wizard or Goat Grip available

Please contact the dragonstaff facebook group admins with your company's information if your company is not featured in this document, or if you are featured and would like different text displayed.