I'm in the market for something different but, to no surprise of anyone, am getting overwhelmed by how blatantly consumerist fidget toys have become.
About a year ago, I picked up a cheap magnetic clicky slider fidget and though I wasn't a big fan of the actual toy, I did fall I love with concept. I ended up getting a few more from Etsy that are 3D printed and one is micarta, but those are amazing. Big tactile clicks, loud as fuck, and just a good thing to carry for anxiety and social stuff. My main one can be quiet if need be so that helps.
But...
I'm in the process of purchase therapy because depression, and instead of buying another game I won't ever play, I thought I'd treat myself to something that helps with keeping my hands busy.
So I am mostly looking for opinions and feedback on stuff that is out there. I have a spinner, several fidget cubes, putty, and some of the other normal ones. Right now I am looking at possibly a haptic coin, one of those 3D printed gyro things, the Lautie knockoff ratchet ring(though it's even outside my price range even for it being a clone) and I keep coming back to FidgetsByAmelie on Etsy but it's partially due to the cute colors they use and using bio plastics.
So yeah, I guess that's it. TIA!
Things I think I like:
- rubber clicky buttons on fidget cube.
- clicky scroll ball
- clicky spinning wheel
- switch
- magnetic click/loud feedback
- knife flipping to some degree
- hair/beard rubbing(but that is built in)
- metal "shink" noise from that OWL knockoff slider
- probably any of the infinity style fidgets? Like cube or gear stuff
My advice for you is to list what textures/tactile feedback gives you sensory joy.
Maybe is the poverty lyfe/anticonsumerist in me but often I find the best sensory tools aren't even designed as sensory tools; there's a bottle cap in my hand right now that is better than 90% of the sensory tools that I've come across. Once you have your list of things that give you sensory joy it becomes so much easier to identify what sensory tools are going to be the best ones for you.
After all, sensory needs are very much a matter of individual preference and what works for me won't necessarily work for you. It's also worth keeping in mind that reviews of sensory tools suffer from what I suspect is a massive survivorship bias; most people who find them to be meh or okay but not great are just going to attribute their experience to their personal preference and they're unlikely to give a 3-star review while the people who tend review them are going to give rave reviews because it's perfect for them. So you'll often find that every sensory tool has these glowing recommendations but that's often a reflection of them being a good fit for that individual rather than it being a reflection of its universal appeal or it's suitability for your needs.
(You might also consider what else you want in a sensory tool such as it being stealth, being wearable, fitting into your pocket, having a lanyard attached to it etc.)
With all that being said, I've always wanted one of these [CW: R*ddit]
I appreciate this reply a lot.
I think that part of why I even made the post was because most youtube reviews are form edc channels or like influencers and I just want a personal experience instead? I'm still navigating what I do and don't like but I can add a list. Let me do that real quick lol
Sounds like you'd probably enjoy the following fidget tools. Note that these are probably knockoffs of "premium" fidget tools but they aren't the cheap and nasty ones that you'd find in a dollar store:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrij3Q2
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNziALY
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrePGVy
https://a.aliexpress.com/_ms0Wupy
Note that I haven't shopped around for the best possible price so if you see something that takes your fancy it might be worth looking around on AliExpress as well as Temu and Amazon etc. to see what their prices are like.
The triangle one caught my eye immediately. Gonna shop around and see what I can come up with on Ali. Maybe get a few from Ali, and a few from Etsy, then wait at the door like a puppy for 3 weeks lol.
The other fidget tools that I've had my eye on are called Stimagz and they look like they'd scratch that "clicky" itch for you.
They're definitely premium priced and I've seen them go in hard on the viral marketing angle which makes me a bit skeptical but it might be something worth considering.
The viral bit reminds me of yesterday when I was looking at the PopPucks from Popsocket. I searched for videos and there were a ton from TikTok infuencers and it felt like a big flashing red light was going off.
I like the sort of quasi-infinite building aspect of it. Similar to infinity cubes. May be a bit out of my price range though.