We manufacture our fire poi using only high-quality materials – because not all types of metal and wicks are suitable for a long-lived, enjoyable poi experience. We have summarized the key material facts for you here:

• Certain types of metal heat up very quickly in contact with fire, so they can cause dangerous burns even if the skin contact is short
• Other types of metal get brittle very fast when they are regularly heated up and cooled down, as this is the case with fire poi
• Others will emit toxic gases if they get too hot.
• The fire wick should be made of high-quality aramid fiber, otherwise it will burn away quickly and you will have to buy new poi. You can recognize good fire wick by its color: the whiter the wick, the cheaper and the more short-lived the poi; the yellower the wick, the better the quality and durability. Aramid fibers have a high strength and breaking strain and are extremely heat and fire resistant.

Manufacturing of fire poi

Metals that should *not* be used for manufacturing fire poi in the burning area include cast iron, mild steel, nickel-plated steel, burnished steel, zinc, copper, and brass.

Cast iron may be very cheap, but it gets brittle extremely fast when in regular contact with fire; mild steel (most of the hardware store components are made of this), even though more resistant, will also get brittle with time. This is especially problematic for key rings, as these can stretch open quickly. Steel coatings, for example nickel, evaporate with time and can irritate the mucosa.

Pure zinc or brass can also lead to irritating fumes when heated up regularly; zinc and copper heat up quickly and will cause particularly ugly burns when you touch your skin.

Of course, none of these materials are used in our fire poi in the area of the poi heads (which means at the bottom, where it burns) – we use only aluminium (with sufficient thickness) for the tubes and stainless steel for structural components such as the chain and the lower key rings. The chromium and nickel content of stainless steel makes it resistant to corrosion and breaking, even at higher temperatures; Stainless steel also heats up more slowly than other metals in a flame, and usually causes less severe burns on contact with skin than the above-mentioned materials. Stainless steel is more expensive than other metals, but it is more suitable for fire juggling, and therefore we use it.

Likewise, we use aramid fiber wick to make our toys long lasting for you.