In the past few years, hybrid juggling balls have become extremely popular. The basic hybrid juggling ball is one that has a hard or soft outer shell, and is filled with liquids or solids that give the ball a unique feel.
Some of these balls are filled with solids such as sand, salt, or other materials. Others are filled with liquids. The filling is only enough to partially fill the balls so that when the balls are thrown up in the air, the filling disperses and stabilizes it in the air. This can also contribute the to nice feeling that you get when you catch these balls as all the dispersed material condenses once again.
Different Types of Hybrid Juggling Balls
JFB Russian Balls
Russian balls are not new but they have increased in popularity in the last few years and are considered hybrid juggling balls. These balls have a hard outer shell and are partially filled with a solid material. The two types of materials commonly used to fill Russian balls are sand or salt. The JFB Russian Balls that I make myself are filled with salt.
Dube Russian Ball
Another type of Russian ball that I recommend are the Dube Russian Balls. They are 2.7 inches and weight 100 grams. They are partially filled with a fine sand and have a soft vinyl outer shell.
Play Juggling Sil-X Ball
Sil-X Balls, made by Play Juggling in Italy, are extremely popular. The outer shell is a soft rubbery material. The inside is partially filed with liquid silicone. Don’t worry, this silicone is non-toxic. It’s the same type used in the food production industry.
The really nice thing about the silicone filling is that it rolls inside the ball perfectly. It behaves like no other filling possibly could by making it perfectly stable in the air. Additionally, this filling makes them good for body rolling and body catches.
Sil-x Balls come in 3 sizes. SIL-X 67 mm 110 gr, SIL-X 78 mm 150 gr, SIL-X 100 mm 300 gr. I personally own the smallest size in white. When I first juggled these, they seemed a bit light for their size. After juggling them for a while though, I got used to them and I love them now. I checked their weight on my digital scale. They all came in at a perfect 110 grams. This just shows you Play’s commitment to quality.
Play Juggling MMX Ball
MMX Balls come in two different types and they are also hybrid juggling balls. There are MMX and MMX Plus. They are made by Play Juggling in Italy. MMX come in two sizes; 62 mm, 110 gr and 70 mm 150 gr. MMX plus come in only one size; 67 mm, 135 gr.
The size is the main difference between the Plus and the regular. Both balls are soft like a beanbag but durable and round shaped like a stage ball. Both are filled with millet seed and have a invisible plug. They both come in all the same colors. The feel of these balls is similar to how a latex baloon feels. These balls are UV reactive.
DX Chroma Plus Ball
DX Chroma Plus Balls, made by Beard Juggling in the UK, are similar to the Play MMX Balls. The filling is the same as many other hybrid juggling balls. The main difference is how the outer shell feels. DX are made from a rubbery material and MMX have a softer feeling like a latex baloon. DX Chroma Plus come in two sizes; 62 mm, 108 gr and 68 mm, 143 gr. They come in UV reactive colors.
Dube DBX Ball
Dube DBX Balls are similar to other types of hybrid juggling balls. These ones are filled with plastic pellets in a soft vinyl shell. They are 2.7 inches and weigh 135 grams.
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