So I picked up a $10 boomerang for the Grandkids on a whim. I had one as a kid but never got much out of it. Having 3.5 acres now so some room to play with one I thought they might get 10 bucks worth of fun with it.

Boy was I wrong... a couple of the boys love it! Best 10 bucks I have spent in a while and they actually have had some fair luck at making it return.

The one I got was cheap laminated wood and looks pretty crudely made and shaped and has now been damaged somewhat by collisions with trees and etc.

Anyway, thinking I might pick up another one I searched Amazon and holy cow, dozens of variations. Two, three, four bladed, triangle and etc etc.

If any of you have any personal experience or recommendations for a good beginner / kids model I'd like to hear it. Was looking to spend up to 50 bucks maybe on one.

Thanks!

Advice? Yes- eye protection.

And a helmet too.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Advice? Yes- eye protection.

Roger that! The instructions say "Once thrown, don't take your eye off the boomerang"

I was thinking maybe a bike helmet as well!

Don't sharpen em!

Do not buy the Acme brand, just ask Wile E Coyote.

I remember playing with these when I was younger. They were pretty fun and safe and worked well.

Aerobie Orbiter Boomerang

Ahhh, boomerangs.

Mate what a lot of fun!

On Amazon, check out the range from Colorado Boomerangs. Those Blue Speed racers or the Glacier are good for young 'uns to learn on.

Look for the classic wood boomerang; paxolin or carbon fiber next choices. I've not tried any other materials.

Most boomerangs are for right handers. Left handed boomerangs can be had. Just be sure to check the orientation.

When looking at designs, the ones that do come back have an aircraft wing design look - thick on the leading edges and thinning out to a trailing edge taper. If you don't see that taper, well it's likely not a returning boomerang. The cheap boomerangs from China, generally do not return.

Boomerangs have different designs, depending on purpose. Some were heavy, didn't return, but designed to break the legs of the running game, like 'roos or emus. Returning ones were good at swirling through flocks ...

If the description should say " ... genuine Australia aboriginal item ... ", well I'd be wary of that fact.

Laughing now, remembering an Aussie 60's hit song 'My Boomerang Won't Come Back" by Charlie Drake ...

And keep practicing ...

quote:

Originally posted by cmparrish:
I remember playing with these when I was younger. They were pretty fun and safe and worked well.

Aerobie Orbiter Boomerang

I have the circular version of this. You can toss one of those a looooong way. Pretty sturdy as well.

Those Aerobie ones are good.

I remember having a thing called a "Yo-ho" back in the 1960s, that was a three blade "boomerang" (more like a propeller).

It was blue, styrene and they also were yellow and red.

Thing was terrific flying and I found that if I held it about 60 degrees and threw it like I was trying to stick in in the ground about 15-20 feet in front of me, it would roll to 0 degrees, then go along about a foot off the ground out nearly 50-75 yards, then climb and make a counterclockwise circle in about a 100 yard path and return to near where I was standing. Within about 20 feet.

I lost two of them on roofs in the projects I lived in. Three story buildings, so no getting them back. The last one I had for quite a while until I stepped on it by accident.

But it was one of the coolest toys I ever had.

what do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?



a stick

I had a boomerang when I was a kid.

I got tired of playing with it and tried to throw it away.

Check out this guy's website. He came and talked to my kid's Cubscout den and I was impressed. We bought several of his indoor units and they work as advertised.

http://www.broadbentboomerangs.com/

Be careful. It may come back to haunt you.

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Advice? Yes- eye protection.

Roger that! The instructions say "Once thrown, don't take your eye off the boomerang"

I was thinking maybe a bike helmet as well!

Or, maybe a hockey helmet. One with an attached eye shield.

A helmet? Careful you don't make these kids look like dweebs in front of their friends.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
And a helmet too.

That was going to be my suggestion.

flashguy

http://www.karatemartstore.com/headgear.html

every summer we got the boomers out, for about two hours,
by that time each of us had three very close calls and we had a long full life ahead of us.

for six years none of us had given any kind of thought to what was on the roof of the jr. high school, where we played softball, football and threw stuff , in general.

then one day glen tossed the boomerang up on the roof.

well in 25 minutes, the 6 of us figured out a way to get up on the roof.

Bill got up there and tossed down three soft balls , two baseballs, a frisbee, the rang , four golf balls, a super ball, a full can of beer, a rubber utility ( kick) ball.

This guy lives in my hometown and used to have classes through the parks and rec department every summer where kids built their own boomerang. I went to it several summers in a row growing up. You'll be hard-pressed to find a nicer guy or someone that knows more about boomerangs.

http://www.leadingedgeboomerangs.com/index.html