The craze for fidget spinners shows no sign of abating. It’s even spawned a series of sub-phenomena, like fidget spinner tricks or fidget spinners made with gears and cogs. But the most popular variation comes down to the use of material.
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Metal fidget spinners are the preferred choice for finger twitchin’ connoisseurs. Through a combination of weight, aesthetics and tactility, the metal fidget spinner is head and shoulders above its plastic brethren.
To explore this category further, we’ve tested a small group of metal fidget spinners. Several of are CNC milled, most are 3D printed, and others are we-don’t-know-what. Which are the best metal fidget spinners of the bunch?
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Goldtime Tri-Spinner
The Goldtime Tri-Spinner is a beautifully engineered fidget toy. It’s made from CNC milled aluminum with an open frame containing 9 stainless steel ball bearings. This best metal fidget spinner is absolutely tiny, with a miniscule bearing at its heart which spins for at least 2 minutes. The only drawback is that the Goldtime Tri-Spinner is not silent; the ball bearings have a tendency to rattle.
Knurled Tri-Spinner EDC Fidget Widget
We went and did something crazy. We sent one of the most popular hand spinner designs — the Knurled Tri-Spinner EDC Fidget Widget — to a professional 3D printing service and had it fabricated in steel. One issue was that the holes turned out too small for a standard bearing (something to do with the nickel plating), so we designed and 3D printed a plastic sleeve to house a smaller R188 bearing. The result is spectacular.
Who made it? 3D Central
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BESSTY Hand Spinner
The BESTTY is a hand spinner with a compact and robust design, and the bearing at the center spins long enough to satisfy even the most deranged fidget fanatic. We like this one a lot — the brass patina lends it some class — but BESSTY is a bit on the heavy side. Your fingers may take a bruising after prolonged use!
Fidget Tri Spinner
Here’s another of our experiments in metal 3D printing, this time with another popular design — the Fidget Tri Spinner. This version was made in unpolished steel. Again, we had to deploy a sleeve of our own design to insert a smaller bearing. A word to the wise; those pointy edges can be a little stabby when you have a strong spin underway…
Who made it? Daniël Drobinski
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Rotibox
The Rotibox is a hand spinner made from durable metal and a high speed ceramic bearing for smooth spin times. It also features an aggressive Spartan helmet motif on each of the spokes. This is one of the biggest and heaviest spinners we tested; it’s not as portable or as discreet as the others — and with that design, it doesn’t want to be. One huge advantage, however, is that the Rotibox is completely silent.
Spinning Fidget Toy
Spin Ring goes Bling Bling. We sent the Spinning Fidget Toy design to a professional 3D printing service, and had it fabricated in polished steel with gold tint. The holes were too small for a standard bearing, but we designed and printed a plastic sleeve to house a smaller R188 bearing. It looks awesome.
Who made it? Pants Seller
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REVOLUTION Titanium Alloy
This best metal fidget spinner is made from titanium alloy, with raised bubbles on the end of each spoke. Plus, it has an oily patina to catch the light when spinning. It’s small and silent, but perhaps a little too heavy for an everyday carry item.
Laser Sintered Alumide
This Sayha Finger Spinner was fabricated in laser-sintered alumide by an online 3D printing bureau. The material is effectively a blend of nylon and aluminum powder, and it has the physical properties of being incredibly strong yet light. That makes it perfect for building a custom, durable fidget toy in any design that tickles your fancy.
Who made it? Diogo Sergio
Don’t have access to a 3D printer? Use ALL3DP’s Best Price 3D Printing Service and have one professionally 3D printed.
Outdoo Hand Spinner High Speed
This prefab model is a compact two prong spinner, made from CNC-milled brass. It’s weighted at two ends by integrated metal chunks, whilst a tiny R188 bearing at the center does the spinning.
Hompie Tri-Spinner
This best metal fidget spinner has an oily sheen that catches the light when spinning. It also has engraved fidget spinner symbols on each spoke, in case you need reminding as to what it is you’re playing with.
Dual Wave Spinner
We took the Dual Wave Spinner and made a metal fidget spinner on a desktop 3D printer using a special filament, CopperFill by ColorFabb. It’s a special blend of PLA and fine copper powder, resulting in metallic objects that you can also buff and polish to a shine. A word to the wise, however; filaments containing metal powder are highly abrasive, and will quickly shred the nozzle of your hot end. Try sourcing a hardened nozzle before going down this road.
Who made it? Matthew Morrow
Waitiee Hand Spinner
This best metal fidget spinner has a distinctive cog design in gold-tinted aluminum, with glossy accents on each spoke. Funnily enough, despite being made from metal, this spinner doesn’t feel too heavy or clunky in the hand. And it’s super silent, too. A premium model for premium fidgeteers.
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