The Best Programmable Poi: 2019 Buyers Guide & Review

[@DrexFactor]

Download the one sheet I made up for this review at drexfactor.com/content/download_2019_programmable_poi_buyers_guide

[@patrickcurry2635]

I subscribed but didn't get sent the one sheet. Been a few hours and nothing in the spam. I got the subscription confirm email tho.

[@DrexFactor]

@@patrickcurry2635 So weird! I've forwarded you another copy while I figure out what happened. Mailchimp says it sent but that it has not been opened yet.

[@cosma4025]

@@patrickcurry2635 same here. Can i get one sent to me as well?

[@tolgancz]

Drex that's awesome! I think a lot of people have been waiting for a review like this! Great and interesting stuff! I would love to see more of these tech reviews that look on a different aspect and especially from a person like you - a real user who has a fresh mind and see things rawer! If you are asking for opinions on the things to test - it could be interesting to test more the light outcome. For example resolution test - resolution is not = great image output :). For example, some smaller LEDs that don't have true colors like on the LED screens can create a better density, also putting them closer would make the light output more blending between the pixels and not that nice. So this "resolution battle" could be misleading. It would be nice to have for example the same picture uploaded and make a photo with totally the same settings on a camera (not overexposed) with each thing. That way will be sean the real light outcome - the thing that is interesting about this pois. Also, the brightness will be seen in this test :).

[@DrexFactor]

Thanks and agreed! Originally I was going to test brightness but quickly realized there wasn’t much point to that. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to tell the difference in resolution for each pair until I sat down to edit but there were absolutely differences in the color response that I noticed right away. Thanks for the feedback! I’ll see if I can integrate it into the next round.

[@user-ps1qj5mo2s]

Hey Drex, As a prop maker and user of pixel pois, I have to say the resolution isn't always a factor, sometimes you need longer LED length for bigger image and not denser pixels if the stage was far and big. But the denser poi (if shorter enough) can possibly do tech trick, while longers are harder to do so.

[@johnnydub237]

My dude that was awesome. I had never heard of these things until recently when I was watching a mix by the DJ named Elif and she had someone using them. With your video here, I will now get one for myself!! I am very excited to try these things out god damn.

[@1235miranda]

When will you do a 2020 version of this? One set of programmable poi are not on here, mood hoops “FuturePoi design HD”

[@Make.Rainbows]

I started with the kind of poi you can get for $20. I lost those, and lost interest in poi for a bit. Then about 3 years ago I upgraded to the emazing lights epoi. I ruined the first pair because I guess you are not supposed to use them in a pool. I then got the emazing lights epoi with the accelerometer, which got confiscated at the Shpongle concert at Red Rocks last year. I finally got serious and got the flowtoys podpoi 2.0. OMG game changer!!!!! I started spinning more and taking long exposure photos for amazing light painting. I told myself that if I keep practicing regularly, and get good enough to be able to confidently perform for realisies, that I will treat myself to a more advanced persistence of vision programmable poi. My boyfriend is a DJ; he is an official musician for tech conferences, and my long term goal is to be able to perform with him when he plays at conferences. Thanks for this great review!

[@legaseasportfishing5372]

I only have the ignis (32tech) and Pyroterra (V4mini) but can say without a doubt that the Pyroterras are phenomenal. Ive used these a TON and finally only had a small issue with the top portion of LEDs going out on one but that was bc of rain. That being said, the repair process was smooth as can be and only needed to be sent to NY and didnt need to go back overseas whereas the ignis set went out on me the 2nd week I had them and repair process is much more involved. In an effort to stay as objective as possible I can say that it seems ignis has come a VERY long way since the 32 techs with the release of the 80HD and look a whole lot better, however, I've only seen them once so I dont have any other experience. The Pyroterra Visual Poi are, in my humble opinion, hands down the best bang for your buck and look phenomenal. Best part about them is how well they're backed up from their manufacturer and how pleasant of an experience it was getting my one fixed after an issue that was user caused. I feel like I've got a unique vantage point having gone through a repair with both companies. I will say that ignis has offered me the 80HD and only charged the difference from what I've already spent so I'm at least looking forward to using the more visually appealing set from them vs. the pair I originally purchased. Its also woth noting that I got the 32tech set from ignis bc the price was about half the cost of the Pyroterra V4 mini but if I were given the chance to do it all over again I'd get the set from Pyroterra/Light Toys from the beginning. Drex, thanks for taking the time to put this together and as always it's such a well put together review and video.

[@legaseasportfishing5372]

Oh, one other bonus to the Pyroterras is that about 4 or 5 of the guys in my crew have them now and it's very easy to share a programmed show with each other. Let me just say that it's always a HUGE hit when folks see almost half a dozen ppl spinning with each poi perfectly in sync...needless to say that the wow factor is definitely handled with them :)

[@thewayward1155]

Thanks for sharing this. Been contemplating getting poi for myself. Probably not on the programmable poi level but on a regular light version.

[@timothylowry8918]

Great video Drex. I bought a set of PyroTerra 4th gen classic size a year and a half ago and I really love them it looks like I chose correctly. I've never had a battery failure and as you stated programming couldn't be much easier. The website is easy to navigate and there are literally thousands of images that you can download for free. The only feature that I wish they had would be Bluetooth capability for syncing up music for performances as it is you can do so but you have to create a marker and manually start a program it can be done without too much difficulty but Bluetooth capability would be better.

[@muhammadzulkarnain9875]

I’m about to send it on the Pyroterra Maxi

[@krystenhagedorn2522]

Awesome review!! I really like the difference in the battery test- running the rainbow pattern instead of all white is still consistent but a touch more realistic. :) As my cell phone grows older, I notice the battery wears out quicker. I'm wondering if you think the same thing might be the case for batteries in visual poi?

[@DrexFactor]

Hard to say. I don’t think I’ve used them that frequently (you’re usually charging a phone on a daily basis-I’ve charged these poi perhaps a fee dozen times in the last 2 years) but it’s certainly possible! They do feel as though they have the same lifespan as when I got them.

[@spincc]

This was very helpful. Thank you!

[@patrickcurry2635]

Great video! Love the one sheet. I was hoping you would do a video like this.

[@seanbrockett2036]

Thank you for all the information really appreciated 👍

[@Soulpunisher69]

Great content, thank you

[@mccrawdaddy1991]

I enjoyed looking at the innards of his nose and brain more than I watched the poi how interesting this could be also categorized as a medical video

[@karlaperez1099]

Thank you so much!! I needed this

[@C_nack]

I noticed on an old video you had of the Ignis pixel poi that you changed the tether. I wanted to know what tether was used?

[@DashMalone]

Thanks so much for the information here. Can you comment on the camera you use to film POV effects and the frame rate and shutter speed if possible? You got some lovely footage there.

[@sandradance4405]

Is anything changed in 2024? I am looking into buying a pair for myself..

[@matthewgillam-lewis6831]

Thank you so much for this review! This was awesome!! I used to tool around with poi years ago and saw someone spinning poi sticks at a club late last year. I am now inspired to get back into the spin! Does anyone have any suggestions on trainer poi balls and sticks to practice with? I don’t want to buy an expensive pair of poi sticks, and break them by practicing with them. Thanks again, so much for this awesome review! I am def going for the Pyrotera Visual Poi V4 minis.

[@sathyar5911]

Hi, great video... I’m new to poi. Any recommendations to buy a starter kit and practice? Eventually I would like to master and buy one of them in this video. Thanks, any suggestions really appreciated :)

[@seanjavu]

Thank you!

[@mulmento]

Have you had any experience with the moodhoops Futurepoi designer HD?

[@DrexFactor]

Not as of yet! Those and the Hyperion poi were the two sets that I couldn’t acquire in time for this review. Maybe a follow up?

[@mulmento]

@@DrexFactor Haha maybe. If you still haven't messed with them come FLAME I'll be there and can let you use mine for comparisons sake 👍🏼

[@legaseasportfishing5372]

@@mulmento do you have the new ones from Moodhoops? I've got their original set of future poi but havent had a chance to play with their programmable ones yet. I saw someone with them who didnt know how to actually program his own content but at least saw how they came from moodhoops and thought the white case impacted their appearance in comparison with the other manuf. who use clear poly tubes. Would love to hear how you like yours as well as seeing how the new ones progress from Flowtoys after their beta release:)

[@mulmento]

@@legaseasportfishing5372 yep, got it in their black Friday sale. I haven't had extensive time to spin with them or do any programming yet, but so far they handle great. Only problem is that they don't communicate with each other and can get out of sync pretty easy. The remote is cool, but like with the shuffle sometimes only one responds and then it's hard to get them back in sync. This makes having someone use the remote while spinning not too reliable an option

[@legaseasportfishing5372]

@@mulmento I had the same problem with my future poi "remote" version and I ended up contacting mood hoops about it because not only did I get them out of sync but theres also a color shift feature as well and I got them royally discombobulated, lol. Nevertheless, moodhoops gave me a quick fix to the issue after a quick chat with them and I would only assume the programmable ones have a similar type of easy solution. Either way, hope you enjoy em!!

[@jamesmay3446]

Hey Drex, Thank you for doing such a thorough review of pixel toys and tools, I guess because this hobby is so niche, its actually really hard to find comparisons like this. If you have the time and bother with comments and such, I had a question for you. I saw the review on the neopoi that you did and how you mentioned how difficult the program was to use. If I'm correct though you also mentioned that you can just drop files straight onto the poi if you have the name formatted correctly. If you skipped the program all together, and just did that, would you still consider the software aspects of these poi difficult to use?

[@DrexFactor]

Yes for a couple reasons. The first is that even if you drop image files onto the poi directly there's a very specific set of naming conditions for the files such that you almost certainly will have to alter file names before an image will work and the poi firmware won't process anything taller than 40 pixels--so even if you're just dropping images onto the poi it's quite a bit of work to make sure they'll display at all. Second, I'm coming at it from the perspective of someone who gigs with their poi for a living. In which case I'd want control over how long each image would display (ie I'm programming them to run with a given song). Any which way you slice it, they're difficult to program, I'm afraid.

[@jamesmay3446]

@@DrexFactor That does sound like a lot of finnicky programming nonsense to deal with, have they mentioned anything to you about hiring a new programmer or fixing this in any way?

[@siddharthabrancagomez9485]

Does anyone know where I can download the software for the 40 LEDS poi that they sell on Alixpress?

[@MadTomOfBedlam]

Are there any options that are worthwhile below $300? Or is that just a ridiculous pipe dream?

[@Holzwurm98]

Thank you so much Drex for this!! I had an eye on the ignis pixel 80 HD Tech... but the Battery life seems to be a lot less than for example the vision poi v4 minni... couldn´t find anything about the actually battery size to compare them, do you know anything about it why there is such a massive difference? Thanks for that :)

[@IgnisPixel]

Drex has our 80 HD poi in 2018 with battery capacity 900 mAh. Since that we moved to another batteries with capacity 2600 mAh so current average working time is 3 times longer than before.

[@TechnoL33T]

No deduction for lack of Linux compatibility?

[@burgundymorgan1113]

Drex, thanks so much! Just wondering, do you know if Flow Toys offer a similar product that is on par with NeoPoi?

[@DrexFactor]

As of this writing, Flowtoys does not offer a programmable poi model. Their Vision Poi are super dope, but not programmable in the same fashion.

[@burgundymorgan1113]

@@DrexFactor Thanks for the quick response! Follow up question... Have you ever attached flow toys capsule handle to the NeoPoi 32? Or is that too much light that will detract from the pixel experience. (If you know....) And by the way, THANK YOU for your great videos! I was able to turn the Terrible into the Terrific during this pandemic thanks to your tutorials!

[@DrexFactor]

@@burgundymorgan1113 I'm actually not a great person to answer this question because I dislike capsule handles in general. I find the form factor to be big and clunky and they're a poor fit for my particular style of spinning. I have been hearing that Flowtoys has a smaller form factor handle in the works and I'm excited for that. When that gets released, it is highly likely I'll try out out with some programmable sets.

[@burgundymorgan1113]

@@DrexFactor Copy that! Thanks for the info.

[@DarrellHughes82]

The technology incorporated into these designer poi's I so fucking over priced. As an electronic engineer I am going to make a hack of a cheap device I know of.... Make your own programmable poi for under 50.00. the art community is best served when money is kept out of the equation

[@jeffreyberger3048]

I own a pair of ignis 32 lite pixel poi and am greatly disappointed. The teathers are horrible and the resolution is sub par. In addition the programming software is not user friendly and most images look horrible once loaded up. The worst part is after maybe 2 hours of use they stopped working. ( when on would turn off while spinning) I sent them back to be repaired and got them back 3 months later. I used them for 2 min and had the same issue. I sent them back again and still have not received them back. The people working their take forever and are extremely rude

[@martastahanova9565]

👍👍

[@hootiemike3091]

Is it just me or are these really fucking expensive?....seriously wtf. I have been looking into this type of poi recently and this video will help focus that search so thanks for that bro.