Prop Works

Silicone juggling balls first came out on the market in about 1970 and shortly became the rage as THE top juggling ball for juggling in the air and bounce juggling. But what made them so special, and why have they continued to be such a highly sought after juggling prop, despite their high price? Here's a few factors..........

One factor, is that these handmade, high end props, are somewhat ageless. While other juggling props tend to discolor with age, sag, and crumble, silicone balls hold up well to the test of time. Ordinary white Lacrosse balls will yellow with age and eventually deteriorate. Silicone will stay bright white for the life of the ball.

Another factor, is that they can be made in a rainbow of very bright flourescent colors that also hold up well over time. Ordinary manufactured rubber balls are pretty bland in comparison. On stage or outside on a sunny day, these balls almost glow from their brilliant colors.

Silicone is an inert material and does not deteriorate over time. Other rubber balls are typically subject to drying out, cracking and other visible signs of age over time. With a little care, silicones typically hold up amazingly well, changing little if any, even with much use.

Silicone juggling balls can hold up well under heat, cold, sunlight, and change in atmospheric conditions (dryness or high humidity). They also are very resistant to soiling. Nothing much of anything sticks to silicone. While they will get dirty through use, they typically clean very easily with a little soap and water. Ordinary rubber juggling balls tend to soil fairly easily and can not really be cleaned too well, and so over time will not look so good for performing. Silicone juggling balls tend to stay looking good year after year. Yes, they can chip or get gouged as any rubber item can, but you just use common sense when juggling them and keep them away from sharp objects. Usually the purchase price is enough incentive to help one treat them with reasonable care!

Silicones do not have a sprue or fill mark. "What is that?", you may ask. Most ordinary rubber balls have some type of small round fill mark on one part of the ball. This is where the rubber material, that the ball is made of, is poured into the ball mold. The ball manufacturer trims this fill area, but it is usually left a little bumpy or uneven. The disadvantage to that is when doing any type of bounce juggling or bouncing tricks, the fill or sprue mark can cause the ball to bounce erratically. The absence of a fill or sprue mark on silicone juggling balls causes them to bounce true. You consistently have much more control over how the ball bounces (pun intended! ).

Silicone juggling balls are also known for very small seams or seams that essentially disappear through use. The large seams on many ordinary rubber balls can cause the same problems as a sprue or fill mark, or worse. The ball will not bounce true, but be erratic, as it hits the seam while bouncing. Silicone juggling balls typically do not have this problem.

"Why are silicone balls so expensive?!?" The raw materials are quite expensive for one. They are also VERY labor intensive to make. Because of that, you can only make a few at a time. They are essentially a hand made item. It's a slow process that does not lend itself well to mass production.

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"Why Prop Works silicones?" In a word or two, "Quality and Service!"  We care! It's as simple as that. The customer comes first. It may be kind of an old world philosophy, but we still think it is a good one! We are very determined to treat each and every customer the way we would want to be treated ourselves. We are also very confident that we manufacture some of the finest silicone balls available. Our product developer is also a juggler, and is very much in touch with what jugglers want in a high end juggling ball.

Find out for yourself why Prop Works silicones continue to increase in popularity in the U.S. and Internationally. Japan has become one of our biggest distributors, ordering hundreds of silicones balls from our Southern California location, in all the rainbow of colors as well as a huge amount of our brilliant white silicones. We are continuing to grow at a very nice rate, as jugglers all over the world come to recognize the quality of our products and our friendly customer service.