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Today’s tools and skill toys
(sopuli.xyz)
cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/10829586
TactileTurn side click pen, Leatherman PS Style, Urban Carvers dice bead, Aroundsquare mkultra, aroundsquare zircuti Sigma begleri
Sure! I appreciate you asking
So I’m a very texture based person (diagnosed adhd / generalised anxiety disorder and I suspect a little on the spectrum, but never formally diagnosed) and the three other things besides the leatherman and pen are heavily based around that
The dice (or die, I didn’t actually check before hand) is a nice weight and I like the feeling of rolling it between my thumb and index finger, and the two beads on each side are a phenomenal feeling bead to roll similarly. I like the contrast between the smooth SS beads and the sharper edges of the dice. Plus there’s something comforting in knowing I always have at least one die on me at all times (even though I keep a set of 6 mini dice on me in my pouch)
The bracelet looking thing, which is in fact a bracelet as well, is an mkultra from aroundsquare. Similarly as before, the texture and feeling of the beads is fantastic, with the added bonus of being able to wrap around my thumb a few times. That combined with them being good for bead counting / breath work, it’s very calming for me. It can also be used as a fidget / skill toy: see this video for a good intro
The beads on the paracord is a skill toy called begleri, and it’s just that: a skill toy. Video here. It’s a hobby, it’s something to constantly work at improving on and learn new tricks, it’s a way to keep busy, it’s a good way to pass the time instead of looking at my phone - there’s a lot of reasons why I refuse to go anywhere without a set with me. The begleri community is so wholesome and supportive too, which just makes it better
Hopefully I explained this well enough!
Is the dice bead also a sort of begleri or just tactile? Also can you recommend begleri communities? I tried to learn awhile ago and not much traction on my own. Not much on YouTube from what I saw.
The dice bead is just tactile. It could be used as a begleri if I had another one and set them up as one, but it would probably be too heavy - at least for my play preference
On Lemmy, sadly there's not too many yet. I'm personally working on getting !idlehands@sopuli.xyz (general skill toy and fidget community) and !begleri@sopuli.xyz going, and there's also !begleri@lemm.ee
I mainly participate on Instagram, since that seems to have the most contributors begleri community wise. I can link awesome people to follow, if you're on instagram
There's a few Discord servers that are active too, a begleri one and an Aroundaquare one. I can get you links later on if you like
In terms of resources for learning:
I got my first set in 2018, and stopped for a bit because I wasn't really getting anywhere with it. For me what made a difference when I picked it back up again in 2021 was trying different physical combinations: bead shapes and weights, cord diameters, joiner lengths, etc. as well as finding a few clips online and downloading it to my phone so I could put it in slow motion and try to replicate it. It's also a lot easier to learn if you're just sat on a bed or carpeted floor or something similar. With dropping it, you're just right there it's a lot less frustrating when you don't have to crouch down every two seconds to try again and it's a lot easier to adjust the timing and whatnot when the attempts are closer together - I think I learnt at least half of the tricks I know being sat outside on the grass during a nice day. I would also recommend just having a set with you and doing rebounds when you have a chance, because getting a feel for how the momentum is carried will really help with getting the timing for other tricks
Hopefully some of this is helpful!
Thanks for the detailed reply! I’m familiar with Musclebones and Aroundsquare, but the others I’ll have to dig into. I made my own set awhile back with some hex nuts, I wanted to level it up with some nicer beads but didn’t find anything locally. I’ll probably wind up ordering some kind of bead online. I have trouble consciensing buying something that seems like it could be made so easily haha. I’ll check out those communities too. Thanks again!
Yeah a lot of people love their homemade ones, and I've made a few myself, but at least for me the beads specifically designed for begleri are worlds better. I feel like it's easier to make a really nice set when you already know what your bead shape, size, and weight preference is - if that makes sense
Do you have any recommended vendors that won’t break the bank? (Looking at you, Aroundsquare)
Aha yeah I know AO2 can be a little pricy, though they do have some great ones in the cheaper range: the Mini Hydras in SS/Delrin being one of them, which are $20. Great starter set, but it's also impossible to outgrow them, pros. use them still. The weight (18g) is basically the goldilocks weight for most people, the bead shape is excellent
You probably could get a pair from amazon or ebay for like $15 that would serve you well, but I've found those to be either way too light or way too heavy and the beads just kinda feel... shitty, and they might even be unbalanced because quality control is nonexistent.
I don't mean to sound like an aroundsquare shill, I just do genuinely love their products and the owner, Matt, is one of the coolest guys ever
Neat! Ok! A different kind of EDC. That video on the begleri, I kept waiting for him to smack his face with it, since that's exactly what I would end up doing hahaha! He didn't though, which was good.
Ahaha that definitely is something that’s part of the learning process
I can already feel the RSI from that bead spinning video!
(RSI sucks, look after your hands)
I’ve actually found it to be quite good for building dexterity - but duly noted!