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 preferred stim seems odd amongst people with Autism and ADHD, but I love smooth things. Those nylon size tags facing each other on the side of your shirt or pants, I love rubbing the smoothness together. The ultimate version of this is well worn silk, like my pillow cases. Great stim that makes very little noise and can easily be kept in your pocket
Another one I recommend that's more popular with the nerd circles is mechanical keyboard test boards. Little boards with a bunch of different mechanical key types that you can switch out for your preferred mix of quiet, clicky, and bumpy. They're usually about $20, and can sometimes double as a macro setup for your computer.
I like buying stims that also have a function outside of being stims. It makes me feel less guilty about retail therapy. It also doubles by letting me stim in front of neurotypicals without ever being bothered for it.
I don't think fabric rubbing is at all weird! I know Taggies exist for early childhood sensory but I've always gravitated towards the corduroy style tags and not so much the silk ones. But also my SO called me out a few weeks ago for only wearing tagless t-shirts so there is that. I think the fabric might work for me if it came with few other functions? There is a magnet slider by Prits that has a worry stone groove in it that I feel might do the same thing. I almost got it over the micarta.
For keyboards, one of my hobbies is actually mechanical keyboards. I have 2 hot-swap boards both with tactiles. I have a few soldered with low pro tactiles. And I recently built a low profile clicky board. I love the snap of clickies but not so much the sound(when around other people since it can bug them) so I gravitated towards big tactile bumps. When typing fast it can feel amazing. I might make a keychain out of a leftover clicky though. 🤔
I feel this. My main right now is a magnetic slider and it ends up coming out in social interactions a lot. I get a bit self conscious about it at times. My last job interview didn't go well and I feel like part of it was that. I think that is part of why I wanted to make this post is maybe glean some from the stealth/sleeper fidgets. There was a magnetic pen I saw the other day that comes apart and you can sort of stack the pieces or build things.
Do you have any recs for fidgets with another function?
All of these depend on what's acceptable to carry around given your social circumstances
Pens are the classic. Cheap, easy to find, and very easy to stim with. I used mechanical pencils as a kid because I loved stimming on the smooth pencil lead and the octagonal outer cases. Sharpies and writing utensils as a whole are all great options for discrete multipurpose stims.
Fanny packs, purses, and backpacks are also great options for discrete and multipurpose stims. Zippers and buttons to close and open, and hold/hide other stims (activating the clicks through the fabric).
Swiss Army Knives and other multi tools are top tier stims. The go to stim for neurodivergent white men who have no idea they're neurodivergent. They have lots of clicks and slides you can do, with multiple things on it that aren't sharp or dangerous. This is one where if you do it, I strongly recommend buying one that's bright red and looks like the Swiss Army knife. This has nothing to do with quality or brand, it's just that Swiss Army knives don't have the same reputation that a normal pocket knife does, so you can carry it more places with less issue. Obviously don't pull it out somewhere it's going to be a problem, but if you work in manual labor then it's probably fine to have out.
Yoooo me too! I find the tags very soothing. I used to need a specific pillowcase when I was a child to do the same with in order to sleep.