Torque is Cheap

Ever since I have been old enough to recall, one of my favourite toys has been a spinning top. Such a simple thing gave so much pleasure. An early memory is of a large red and yellow tin spinning top that needed to have a handle pushed down to accelerate the spin, then it would happily hum along for about a minute, the slots in the top making a strange sound as the air moved over small reeds inside.

The fascination never left me and one Xmas I got a Gyroscope in my stocking. A blue Merit one, which I still have (third to last photo) activated by a string. I had played with tops before, the tin one and a wooden one with a whip, but the Gyroscope took it to a whole different level altogether.

Firing it up, I was amazed at the force generated by the toy and my difficulty in moving it out of position. Balancing it in its rocket stand or on a piece of string was mesmerising.

A few years later I got another slimmer and larger gyro, which was just as much fun, but between times, I came across a tiny plastic top in a cracker. This little top, just like the red one above, was transparent green and shaped like a wheel space station! I was hooked and treasured this little toy for ages, until it eventually got lost somewhere. I've since found a red version, but i'd love a green one again.

The other important aspect, apart from the shape was the spinning time, the balance on the top was so well designed, it could spin for almost a minute on one twist.

Every Xmas I eagerly watch the crackers getting pulled for tops, none arrived this year, although Woodsy very kindly gave me three from a japanese toy lot he found. 

The latest summer fad was the 'fidget spinner', or the clover shaped toy kids could spin on their fingers to aid concentration ( supposedly ), a recent development from this, probably influenced by the film 'Inception', is the so-called 'precision spinning top'. These little tops are made of turned metal and the high end luxury versions have a gemstone time for almost frictionless spinning. They are advertised as being able to spin for in excess of five mins, so when I saw one on Ebay for a couple of pound, I dived in.

The seller was in China, but with free postage, it was well worth the wait. It is about 2 cm diameter with a small knurled handle, which when twisted beteen thumb and forefinger spins with perfect balance for several minutes. After a few tries, I timed it at just over five minutes, none stop!

Naturally, this is ideal for photography, as it sits absolutely still as I shoot, as opposed to the other photos, where the tops needed to be secured with Blu-Tack!

This slightly larger top is a Turbo Top, which is air powered by blowing with a tube into the top stem, which turns the internal turbine blades, making the top spin!

The original blue Merit Gyroscope, battered bow after fifty years of playtime and missing the central, equatorial ring.

The slightly larger and thinner Gyro, younger slightly, but still as able as ever.

The 21st century version, now powered by rip cord rather than string!