New Boomerang Review: Stéphane Marguerite

--by phnxhawk--

Due to technical difficulties encountered when taking the Ayr for a test drive, I will be postponing my complete review until next weekend at the earliest.  (You'll see what I mean.)  In the meantime, without further ado, here's the Marguerite!

Boomerang: Stéphane Marguerite
Manufacturer / Brand: LMI Fox

Overview

From Rangs

The Stéphane Marguerite is a great little boomerang produced by LMI Fox and designed by its Canadian French namesake.  It is advertised to have a range of about 40 yards (35-40 meters) and a weight of about 2 ounces (55 grams).  This model is made from a composite material of polypropylene plastic and carbon fiber.  Manny's Marguerite (pictured above) comes with a simple, quiet paint scheme of red and yellow shapes and featuring the model name emblazoned on the trailing arm.

In terms of physical size, it is on the same order as the Ayr and Kickass, two Adam Carroll boomerangs we acquired recently.  Compared to those, the Marguerite has a shallower elbow and wings of slightly larger chord.  As Manny pointed out in his post for the Kickass, the boomerang was smaller than we expected.  We knew the length advertised by the manufacturer and The Boomerang Man, from whom Manny purchased his Marguerite.  However, it wasn't until we set it down next to our other boomerangs that we noticed how "small" those three were relative to the rest of our collection.  The ever popular notion that "size is not all that matters" comes to mind, of course.  So, how much flight does the Marguerite have in it?


The Flight




As you can probably tell from the video, Manny's Marguerite can be difficult to see, even on a clear day.  It's thin and small compared to our host of plywood 'rangs.  In addition, with the boomerang spinning, the colors on the painted side don't stand out particularly well, even when the painted side is in clear view (say, as it starts turning back to the thrower).  It is certainly advisable to keep one's eyes on the Marguerite from start to finish.  I suppose one might call the Marguerite a stealth boomerang, its shaping and size ensuring that it presents a low profile to me--that is, until it closes for the kill.

At any rate, the Marguerite has a great flight.  We marked the Marguerite near our 32-yard marker; theboomerangman.com reports a range of 35 yards.  I would say it has a fairly elliptical flight path.  Out of the box, Manny's tends to be a high flyer.  I found that it likes a "soft" to "medium" toss with lots of spin and a little layover (say, 10-15 degrees).  In fact, it reminds me a lot of my Rainier in how I throw it.  There is a small notch in the lead arm.  I suppose it is intended to aid the thrower in imparting extra spin to the 'rang when using a pencil or pistol grip.  I myself never made use of this feature, as I felt the pinch grip was more comfortable for this size of boomerang.  (With larger, thicker and heavier boomerangs, on the other hand, I sometimes switch to a pencil or full grip--the Marguerite's big brother, Spinback 55, for example.)

For best results, I would guess that the Marguerite also likes a "breeze" or "light wind"; at the time we usually throw, the wind tends to be blowing somewhere around 5 mph.  In the video linked above, my throws led to a high flight with the Marguerite dropping into my hands fairly quickly from high and to the left.  It was in this descending phase that the Marguerite returns to being easy to track, and its light weight facilitated soft and fairly painless catches.  All this considered, I would say the Marguerite would make for a great warm-up boomerang or a fun, easy sports 'rang.
  
In Summary

Marguerite is small compared to our host of wooden boomerangs and is comparable in size to the Adam Carroll rangs we have purchased recently.  It likes a relatively soft or medium throw in a light wind.  Manny's Marguerite flies high and drops into the hands at the end for a soft and easy catch.  I would liken it to my Rainier.  With its easy throw and soft catch, it would probably make for a good warm-up 'rang or a fun sports 'rang.  The only downside we have found is that it can be difficult to see whenever the boomerang presents a more edge-on profile.  Otherwise, it's an awesome addition to our collection.

Links

Interested in picking up your own Marguerite?  Check these links out:

LMI Fox Stéphane Marguerite Product Page
The Boomerang Man's Product Page