Welcome to Boomtown!

aLAcrity Boomerangs is a group of boomerang enthusiasts from Los Angeles. At the moment, it is comprised of three people: Manny (a.k.a. v12aero), phnxhawk and Charles (a.k.a. hey_kuya).

Manny and I (phnxhawk) started this blog to share our interest in boomerangs--throwing and tuning, making our own rangs, as well as unraveling the science behind them. As we continue our journey into the world of boomerangs, we hope to make new friends and to expand our horizons. In this blog, we will post such things as videos from our regular throwing sessions, musings and lessons learned from throwing, and thoughts on making our own rangs.

Manny and I started throwing boomerangs since Spring 2009. It has been a long road as we developed a semblance of technique for throwing 'rangs. Nevertheless, after many a bruised hand or windy day, our fascination with these returning throwing sticks remains undimmed. We most certainly have more to learn about boomerangs, but we'll keep at it as long as we continue to have many happy returns.

--phnxhawk--

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Give Me Some Spin...Spinback That Is!

Spinback 55 - A Boomerang Review

- Manny Olivares -

Boomerang:  Spinback 55 Graphite

Manufacturer:  Tomahawk

The Spinback 55 is a very unique boomerang that I’ve had for a good while now.  Previously I had not felt comfortable enough with the S55 to post a review, but now I feel more proficient.  However, even now the S55 is one of those rangs that I sometimes have difficulty using.  It seems to have a mind of its own sometimes and refuses to be completely tamed, even by a hand as masterful as mine (haha).  If you are intrigued by the S55 thus far, feel free to read on ahead to see if this is the rang for you.

Overview & Physical Characteristics

The S55 is a rather large boomerang as can be seen in the picture below.


From Manny's Rangs

I bought this rang off Mr. Rich Harrison's site (www.theboomerangman.com) and it is a very sturdy, heavy rang.  The first thing you'll notice is the way it looks obviously.  It very clearly says "Graphite" on the trailing arm and you won't soon forget it.  The rang is made out of a very dense polypropylene infused with some graphite and it has the weight to back that up.  I expected the rang to be extremely rigid and unyielding to tuning but I was very surprised to find that it has a considerable amount of flex.  The flex and "give" is also very apparent once you throw it.

The paint scheme on my S55 is a blue bar along the edge of the dingle arm.  The rest of the rang is a sort of faded black color.  Despite the lack of other "flair" it's a very impressive rang to hold and to look at in person.

Throw and Flight

"Kmphooosh!!" That is what phnxhawk is quoted as saying when asked what the S55 sounds like when thrown.  "As if it's tearing the air...a howl."

I'm always impressed by how awesome it sounds when I release it for the throw.  It also tends to make a very distinct metallic twang sound as the Spinback flexes on its flight outward.

This boomerang requires moderate to heavy winds in order the ease the throw.  On  a calm day you'll have to give this bad boom plenty of layover, about 30-35 degrees and as much power as you can muster.  The ideal conditions of course are those windy days when all your other boomerangs are failing.  This is when the S55 is in its element.  Not much layover is required, 10-15 degrees, and a medium strength throw released fairly level is all that's needed to get it to come back.  Too high or low a throw and you'll have a much harder time getting it close enough to catch.

I've always had difficulty with this boomerang due to the fact that conditions change very often at the beach.  We might start out to a calm windless morning and 1.5 hours later the winds have picked up and my other rangs aren't cutting it anymore.  The difference is night and day, from throwing S55 when the winds are nonexistent and having no luck getting it to return, to throwing it when the air is howling away.  This dramatic change in conditions throws me off and it's very easy to overthrow this rang in harder winds.   I've made the mistake many times of launching it too hard and hurting my hand on a catch that I perhaps should not have attempted.  Believe me, this rang hurts when it's coming back at full speed.  A smarter man would let it fly past perhaps haha.

S55 flies relatively low to medium height in a wide circular path with a range of approximately 55 meters as indicated by its name.  I've always been impressed with the hover it has.  Many a time I have seen it fly very low on the return trip and it just keeps chugging away and even passes me if I don't choose to stop it.

Note to the wise: This is definitely a boomerang that I would recommend wearing gloves to catch, though not required if you're really really awesome at slapping it between your two open palms.

Here's a video of me throwing the S55.



Summary


The Spinback 55 is one of my favorite rangs due to its great distance and the majestic flight I get out of it.  I can confidently recommend the S55 if you're an advanced thrower willing to rise to the challenge and take the time to figure out the perfect throw.  There is nothing better than seeing that gorgeous flight end in a picture perfect catch in your own two hands.

Happy Throwing!



Fancy your own Spinback 55?

It is available online at:

The Boomerang Man

and

LMI & Fox



Next time on aLAcrity......


Stay tuned for upcoming video of our new friend Gabe.  He has a very interesting way of throwing left-handed boomerangs...


Boomerangs: Frequent Flyers to the Perfect Tune

6 comments:

  1. Nice video. I'm looking for a boomerang for windy conditions Right-handed and 12 in or bigger. Would you recommend the S55? The S55 is from the 80s., are there newer similar models? Thanks, Richie - Caribbean

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  2. Another fantastic review...keep them coming guys as i have a very similar batch of booms and its always nice to see what other think.

    regards

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  3. @Richie

    As Manny hinted, we could easily go on and on about the boomerangs we use.

    My picks from my collection for boomerangs for windy days and with a tip-tip span of at least 12 in.:
    --Sussex Hook, Pax or G12 (Volker Behrens)
    --Marathon Mini, Pax or G12 (Volker Behrens)
    --Spinback 55 (LMI Fox)
    --Delicate Arch, reg. or SE (Colorado)
    --Kilimanjaro (Colorado)
    --Super Adirondack (Colorado)

    If you're willing to relax the size requirement slightly, I would also suggest:
    --Suzuki G12 (Volker Behrens)
    --Windeater 1 or 3, pax or G12 (Volker Behrens)
    --Condor (Colorado)
    --Ayr (Adam Carroll)

    At the moment, I can't think of any other big omega boomerangs (that are also currently in production) like the S55. Given my affinity for that planform, I think I would have added it to my wishlist if I had seen one. (The Delicate Arch is probably the closest boomerang I have to the S55.)

    While I do like the S55, I still find it to be one of the most challenging of my boomerangs to throw. It also tends to flex very easily, so the solution to my woes is not always to throw harder (which seems to only cause more flexing upon release). It is a monster to throw and catch, which makes it wonderful when you're on a roll...and demoralizing when you're not.

    So, I would have to say my top pick is either the Marathon Mini or Sussex Hook. I have found those to be made of stiffer material, and I more rapidly acclimated to throwing them. Of course, the price on those might be difficult to swallow (for the G12 versions, anyway). The Delicate Arch and Kilimanjaro are fun to throw, as well, but are harder to track down.

    If you'd like more details on the above, you can send us an e-mail: alacrity.boomerangs@gmail.com

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  4. @Tonka

    Glad to hear you're enjoying our blog! Thank you for the kind words.

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  5. @Richie

    Thank you for reading the blog! I can definitely think of some recommendations that fit your three criteria. It seems that the most limiting of the three requirements is the 12 inch (30.48 cm) span you desire.

    I would definitely recommend the S55 (14 inch span) if you are an intermediate to advanced thrower. It can be difficult to throw at first but if there is wind you should get the hang of it in no time. At the moment I can't think of a rang that exceeds the 12 in span requirement that is similar to the S55 and newer. I wouldn't let the age of the S55 deter you though, the material it is made of is extremely sturdy and durable so it should be great even now. Design wise I wouldn't say the S55 has a disadvantage as compared to today's rangs. If you want something lighter in weight then the new materials do have the edge though (paxolin and G12).

    I can definitely suggest Volker Behrens' rangs for windy to really windy conditions. Our friend Larry (there is a post about him in our blog) loves these rangs and goes out to the beach on windy afternoons and has a blast.

    I don't know if you are familiar with paxolin and G12 materials but if you aren't, I have some descriptions you might want to read:

    Paxolin- or phenolioc resin- is the material Herb Smith first introduced to boomeranging as far back as 1986. Specific weight and density seemed superior to plywood at the time, toughness being an extra benefit. Pax is material of choice for winds and for longer range boopmeranngs. It is not too expensive, easy to flex-tune. Downside is that it tends to get brittle in low temperatures- so when you throw or tune a pax boomerang in Winter be very careful!

    G 12 epoxy laminate is an epoxy composite based on fiber glass. It is appr. 30% heavier than paxolin, a lot more expensive, hard on tools. The upside being that is is virtually unbreakable, hard to beat in wind- and never to pass in long distance. Being thinner at the same size they cut through wind better, spin much better (so your throw gets a lot easier), go further (due to less lift)- BUT: they generally need more wind for a complete return.

    I borrowed these descriptions from: http://www.euro-rang.com/acatalog/Paxolin_Bomerangs.html

    For the most part the heavier the rang the more resistant to wind it is but it also requires a more powerful throw of course, so you want a good balance between the two.


    Those that work well are:

    Sussex Hook (paxolin or g12, weighted or unweighted) by Volker Behrens

    Marathon Mini (paxolin or g12, weighted or unweighted) by Volker Behrens


    Keep in mind that the above two rangs require moderate to advanced throwing skill in order to throw them effectively (as with the S55).


    Those are the only two that I've personally thrown that are longer that 12 inches. Unfortunately that requirement rules out a lot of other great rangs that handle wind well. Windeater 1 (Paxolin version) is approximately 12 inches too but I've had a lot of trouble throwing it and I'm not enamored by its flight like I am with the above two recommendations. As such, I wouldn't personally recommend that one.


    It seems that the list of qualifying rangs is small indeed haha, (Sussex Hook, Marathon Mini, S55) the major factor being that most of the rangs that handle wind well tend to be smaller than 12 inches, but not by much.

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  6. @Richie
    (CONTINUED)
    There are plenty of boomerangs that are approximately 11 inches that I'll mention here in case you are interested in those (I pulled out the old ruler to verify the spans haha):


    Diabolino by Georgi Dimantchev (10.75 inches) (pretty easy to throw)

    Suzuki (G12) by Volker Behrens (11 inches)

    Windeater 3 (Paxolin or G12) by Volker Behrens (about 11 inches) (one of the best all around boomerangs, handles wind very well and pretty easy to throw)

    Geronimo Hook (10.5 inches) by Volker Behrens

    Ayr (phenolic, comes with an external weight) by Adam Carroll (about 10.75 inches)

    Kick Ass (phenolic, comes with an external weight) by Adam Carroll (about 11 inches)


    Phew, this has been a really long message. I apologize for the length but I wanted to be thorough.

    To close up, if you are budget minded the most affordable rang that would fit all your criteria is the Spinback 55 from The Boomerangs Man's website (http://www.boomerangman.com/product/spinback-s-55-boomerang/) at only 25 dollars plus shipping.

    All the other rangs should be available on Flight-Toys (http://flight-toys.com/boomerang/sport2.htm) but they are more expensive as well.

    If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask. I'll make sure that next time I am much more succinct.

    Additionally, I believe Gerard (phnxhawk) will send you some recommendations of his own in a separate reply.

    Happy Throwing!

    -Manny

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