by Manny Olivares
Boomerang: Tiger
Manufacturer/Brand: Roger Perry/Spinback Boomerangs
Overview & Physical Characteristics:
The story of my Tiger begins one Sunday morning during a throwing session. An inconsolable me stands idly by, seething with jealousy at Gerard throwing his Phoenix boomerang effortlessly while I struggle with my collection. (The previous sentence is slightly exaggerated for effect.) I need to point out that this was many months ago, back when I was still trying to find my groove. Even today I have those days when I struggle to get anything to return, but I digress.
I was looking online for a boomerang that was easy to throw and had a cool name. A boomerang that could become my “ole trusty” like the Phoenix and Rainier boomerangs were for Gerard. I came across the Tiger and it seemed like a great fit. It was advertised to have a 40 yard range and had the length that I liked. It was also touted as a beginner boomerang which would enable me to master it more quickly.
The Tiger arrived and the first thing I noticed was the incredibly flashy paint scheme. The tips of the arms are a bright red and the top is a cool cerulean blue with just a hint of gold at the top of the elbow. You can see the Tiger below.
 |
| From Manny's Boomerangs |
The Tiger is a long arm, short arm boom, but that aspect is very well disguised. It’s not as apparent as the long arm, short arm of many MTA boomerangs out there.
After the flashy paint the second thing you notice is the weight and feel of the Tiger in your hand. Compared to the rest of the boomerangs in my kit, the Tiger feels incredibly light and airy, which is not necessarily a good thing in my opinion. The wood feels as if it is a completely different kind than the ones used in my Colorado Boomerangs. It is much less dense and doesn’t feel as solid as I would like it to. If you press down on the wood with your fingers while gripping it you can feel that the wood is very soft and yields a bit since it isn’t very dense. I personally prefer the denser woods but someone else might not mind the difference.
It is also important to point out that this boomerang is also very thick, most likely because of the less dense wood.
Throw and Flight:
The Tiger does require a bit of wind to make it all the way back to you if you want an easy throw. Otherwise you have to give it pretty good force and a lot of spin. Considering it is a beginner boomerang I was expecting a super easy throw like the one my Yanaki requires. The first day I threw my Tiger I had a lot of trouble getting it to come back. It was only until the wind picked up a bit that I got the pretty flight and full return.
I usually give the Tiger about 20 degrees of layover and throw it about 70 degrees to the right of the wind. While 20 degrees isn’t too much I find that it’s a little bit more than some of my other boomerangs, but it makes it easier to throw with a return. I also throw it very close to parallel to the ground, usually no more than about 5 degrees to the ground.
I find my Tiger to have a very beautiful flight. I tend to prefer the low flying booms and this one has a medium low flight, never going too far into the sky. The flashy paint scheme also helps it look even better in flight. It does a pretty round circle and has pretty good accuracy. This boomerang has just a bit of hover, not staying up too long on the return trip. You can check out the flight below for yourself. Notice how the brighter paint scheme makes it easier to see it in flight.
Summary:
All in all I can’t say that I consider my Tiger one of my “go-to” rangs. However I definitely like it due to its awesome paint scheme and low round flight. The main factor that deters me from throwing it more often is the kind of wood it is made of. As soon as I switch from my other boomerangs to this one, it just feels a bit off. Even my boomerang throwing buddies can agree that it feels very different. However with a bit of wind I can find myself throwing my Tiger over and over and definitely enjoy using it. The Tiger could quickly become one of my faves if it were carved out of something a little denser I think, which might make throwing it a bit more easier and fun.
Thanks for reading!
Links:
Tiger caught your eye?
You can purchase the Tiger from Roger Perry’s site here:
“Spinback Boomerangs and Didgeridoos”
Browsing through Roger Perry's site I am also interested in the Aussie Hook which is made of phenolic and might be a better alternative to the Tiger. If I make the purchase in the future I'll be sure to give some feedback here.
Boomerangs: Frequent Flyers to the Perfect Tune
0 comments:
Post a Comment