How To Make A Fidget Spinner Quieter (And Faster)


A fidget spinner is a portable, small hand-held device that has gained much popularity over the recent years, among kids and adults alike.

They were originally used as a therapy in the treatment of autism. These fidget spinners are known to relieve stress and anxiety, so they are widely used by both children and adults to improve concentration and to combat stress and anxiety in the classrooms or workplaces

If you need one that you can spin at your workplace or classroom, you should be looking for a quiet and fast one. So the question arises, ‘how do I make a fidget spinner quieter and faster?’ 

There are many options for fidget spinners available today, made of different kinds of materials like brass, metal, stainless steel and plastic fidget spinners. 

If you are looking for a quiet fidget spinner, it is advisable to go for a spinner with stainless steel or hybrid bearings. Fidget spinners with ceramic bearings make louder noise.

You can check out this stainless steel fidget spinner

Spinner Bearings: What Makes The Least noise

There are so many questions regarding the type of spinner bearings, from what size is good to which material to choose from. Many people may not realize the importance of bearings on fidget spinners. But the kind of bearings you choose for your spinner makes a lot of difference. 

Spinner bearings are usually built using four kinds of materials – Stainless steel, all-ceramic bearings, hybrid ceramic – made of ceramic and steel combination and silicon nitride bearings.

The decision to choose the bearing material depends on what you want in your fidget spinner. 

When it comes to the size of spinner bearings, the golden rule that applies is that the smaller the bearing, the longer you will be able to spin the fidget. The smallest bearings that are popular right now are called R188s bearings, which is about 12.7 mm in diameter.

These stainless steel bearings have reduced contact with the bearing races, which means reduced friction that result in longer spinning.   

There is another bearing size called the 608s bearings, which are 22mm in diameter.

These bearings are larger and more expensive than the R188s bearings. 608s bearings can be built with either an all-ceramic or hybrid material. This material allows for a much smoother spin.

Bearing Design

If you are concerned about the timing and speed of your fidget spinner, it is better to go for bearings without lube or shields as they will slow the speed of the spinner. Shields help to remove dirt from the bearings.

Materials

If you opt for SIN4 ceramic bearings, your fidget spinner will be able to spin the longest possible time. And if you choose the stainless steel bearings, it will give you the shortest spin time.

Other than the bearing material, the design and weight distribution of the spinner also depend on how long the fidget spinner will spin.

Making Your Fidget Spinner Faster

You can make your fidget spinner faster by making the spin bearings as clean as possible. To clean the spin bearings, do not lubricate them. 

The first step is to remove the bearing cap.

The second step is to clean the spin bearing thoroughly, using some common solvents like acetone or brake cleaners.

Some bearings already come with lubrication, but you will need to remove all the lubricants. Mix some solvent in a small dish and dip your spin bearings into it. When you have done that, spin the mixture so that the solvent can get the dirt out from the bearings. Repeat this process several times to get the best results.

If you have a plastic spinner, avoid using other solvents to clean the bearing as it can melt the plastic. It is recommended to use only isopropyl alcohol to clean your bearing.

You will be required to remove the bearing from the plastic body to be able to clean it. 

The last step is to dry out the spin bearing.

After you have cleaned the bearing using some solvent, you need to dry out the bearing completely by blowing compressed air on it.

This step is very important especially if you have used soapy water on non-ceramic bearings. Even a little bit of water left can leave your bearings with rust. If you have used solvents, the compressed air will quickly dry the bearings.

It is not recommended to use paper towels to dry the bearings as it may leave lint on the bearing. 

And finally, fix the cover back on your spin bearing and you are ready to roll the spin. 

Quietest Fidget Spinners- What To Buy?

As mentioned above, fidget spinners are used to reduce our anxiety and stress levels. There are numerous kinds of fidget spinners available in the markets today, that fits every budget and choice. But if you are looking for one that you can use it at work or school, it is better to look for the quiet spinners.

Let us look at the features that you would need when looking for a quiet fidget toy.

Fidget toys made of soft material may not produce much sound as compared to other materials. In fact, noisy fidget toys can only increase the anxiety levels instead of controlling them.

For children with anxiety-related problems in school, this set of metal fidget toys with ceramic bearings are great to toy with. 

My Favorite Fidget Spinner

high tech fidget spinner
Here’s a silent fidget spinner that won’t distract others when you spin the toy.  


I love the FREELOVE 9 Series fidget spinner (click to find it on Amazon), it is a pure, copper brass fidget spinner with a silent stainless steel bearing that makes it great for classrooms or workplaces.

Spinner bearings that are made of metal and plastic usually make more noise after prolonged use. The low-quality fidget spinners with metal or plastic bearings become loose and then accumulate dirt after some periods of spin. 

Metal fidget spinners are usually expensive. They are long-lasting, durable and spin much faster. If you are looking for the cool and silent spinner, this brass fidget spinner fits the bill perfectly. It is one of the coolest spin toys that we have seen around.

We must not underestimate the power of this small device that has captured the minds of kids and adults alike around the world. The fidget spinner changes the neural patterns while replacing your awful habits with a neutral one. This tool can help you increase your productivity level. Often when there is some kind of misalignment between our mental and physical state, we delay our works. Though our brain is willing to focus on the work, our body refuses to work as it is too energized. The fidget spinner acts as a neutralizer here. When you spin the fidget toy, the body is deceived to release its energy in a harmless way and makes it possible for you to focus on your work at hand. 

Fidget spinner was first created by Catherine Hettinger, a chemical engineer. During one of her visits to her sister in Israel, she often heard about small boys throwing stones at uniformed personnel and public. It was during this time that she thought of a toy that would distract these little children and release their aggression to bring their focus on something good. Catherine’s initial idea was to create soft rocks that the kids could play with. But she dropped this idea and imagined the fidget spinner instead. In Catherine’s own words, “It started as a way of promoting peace, and then I went on to find something that was very calming.” Catherine Hettinger toyed with the idea of a fidget spinner during the eighties until the first fidget spinner was rolled out in 1993. Unfortunately, Hettinger is no longer credited with the invention of the fidget spinner as she was unable to renew her patent license in 2005 and she lost her patent.

Fidget spinners gained popularity in the year 2017 onwards. The popularity soared in the classrooms, playgrounds, and workplaces too. Teachers complained about fidget toys causing distraction in the classrooms. As a result, fidget spinners were banned in many schools in the US.  

Conclusion

The fidget spinner is not just a play tool. If you have difficulty concentrating, cannot deal with stress or anxiety-related problems, you can try spinning a fidget spinner to help you bring your mind to focus on your work.

At least, this is how the fidget spinner is marketed around the world as a stress buster, to fight anxiety and so on. It is for the user to decide whether these claims are true or not. Even if the claims are untrue, fidget toys still make a great spinning tool to play with. 

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