Fidget Spinnrz for Back to School

Today we’re looking at 4 new Fidget “Spinnrz” by ReTrak. If you’re not familiar with fidget spinners, where have you been? Just kidding! Honestly though, these things have seemingly come out of nowhere over the last few months to become one of the hottest toys ever! If you’re curious as to why that is, today we’re going to find out. Keep reading for all the details on the health benefits of fidgeting (both mental and physical), what that could mean for the student(s) in your home, and just what exactly these kooky little toys are!

What are Fidget Spinnrz?

Fidget Spinnrz (or Fidget spinners) are fun little distraction toys that actually do just the opposite of distracting their users. In fact, studies have shown that fidgeting (whether with a spinner or some other item) can improve focus and concentration in people with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), or any other condition in which individuals have difficulty focusing or paying attention to their teachers, bosses, professors, pastors, or anyone else with information to dispense. If one’s focus is so scattered (perhaps due to an overabundance of nervous energy) that he or she cannot concentrate on what a teacher (etc.) is saying, a device such as this can really help that person to focus. Some people like to click a pen (which is not advised as it’s generally annoying to other people), and others find something else to fidget with, which could also be a distraction to classmates or colleagues. The beauty of the fidget spinner is that it allows people to fidget with something that is generally not noisy (although this may be on a case by case basis) and that allows users to spend their excess energy in a focused, visual way that leaves their ears free for the listening. In other words, in students with any of the aforementioned ailments, grades often improve when the student is allowed to fidget. While this may seem somewhat counterintuitive, it apparently does work, and more and more teachers are now allowing fidget spinners and other fidget toys into their classrooms. If there’s even a chance that such a device could help your energetic little student to perform better in school, is that a chance you can afford not to take?

Testing Fidget Spinnrz that are available at Best Buy

Testing these Fidget Spinnrz was fast and fun! The first spinner I tried was one of the more interesting options as it has a light-up LED feature. It’s called the ReTrak Spinnrz LED Fidget Spinner – In Silver, and its light-up feature has 3 different flashing speed settings. This spinner really puts on a great little light show for you when you use it in a dark room. Unfortunately, it also forfeits a bit of spinning time in favour of the light-up feature (the best I could get out of it was about 25 seconds when giving it a good initial spin). This is because the LED lights don’t add much weight to the spinner’s wings (the other spinners in this review have extra bearings in the wings that provide additional weight). With more weight comes a longer spinning time, but I think it’s worth the trade-off for the really cool light-up feature!

The next spinner I tried was the ReTrak Spinnrz Fidget Spinner – In Black, which turned out to be the best of the bunch in terms of total spinning time. I was easily able to achieve close to 2 full minutes without really giving it my hardest strike, so I’m pretty confident it could reach the full 3 minutes (as advertised) with just a little extra boost (as people often accomplish using compressed air). I can’t say that this spinner is the best looking one of the bunch, but it certainly gets the job done!

The third spinner I tested was the ReTrak Spinnrz Fidget Spinner – In Blue, which may be the sharpest looking one of the set with its metallic, almost chrome finish. This spinner was also quite effective in terms of spinning time, falling just short of the black spinner’s performance by only a few seconds. This is another spinner that I suspect could reach the full advertised 3 minutes of spinning time given a decent start.

Last but not least we have the ReTrak Spinnrz Fidget Spinner – In Camo. If the blue spinner isn’t the best looking one in the set, then this one surely is, and its spinning time is also impressive, falling somewhere between that of the black and the blue units. For me, this makes the camp spinner the most balanced of the 4, meaning it’s got the best combination of good looks and solid spinning performance. Honestly, each of these Fidget Spinnrz is of good build quality and performs as expected. I would consider any of them to be a very good value. 

And speaking of good value, you may be surprised to learn that some people even consider these fidget toys to have certain physical health benefits. This is because they can help to reduce our stress levels, which goes a long way towards shoring up our overall physical health. For example, with high stress comes a greater production in the body of the stress hormone cortisol. Excess cortisol can lead to weight gain and all of its associated health problems, so fidgeting could potentially save lives. I’m not exactly sure how scientific this argument is, but it certainly does sound good!

Note: The light-up spinner was the noisiest one of the bunch, but I wouldn’t exactly call it loud.

Examining the Video Evidence

Please take a few minutes to watch my brief video review of all 4 ReTrak Fidget Spinnrz. You’ll get a closer look at each of the 4 spinnrz, and you’ll see how amazing the light-up one looks when spinning it in the dark:

Final Thoughts

Fidget Spinnrz / spinners are not only fun to fiddle with and easy to tote around with you everywhere you go, but they also have potential mental (and physical) health benefits that make them a must have (or at least must try) item for anyone who likes (or needs) to fidget. I’ve had my own fidget spinner for several weeks now, and although I don’t use it all the time, I do still enjoy giving it a good spin every now and again. There’s just something very soothing about it. Moreover, if I were still in university, I think I’d give it a try in a class (provided the professor was accommodating). Although a lifelong fidgeter myself, I never really had trouble focusing in university, yet I’m quite sure I could have benefited greatly from one of these devices back when I was in elementary and high school. Back then I was less studious and always more keen to be outside than sitting in a classroom. In any case, if there’s even a chance that one of these spinners could work for your child, I think it’s a chance worth taking. Who knows what may come of it? I also believe that many adults may benefit from having something to fidget with. It might just get you through that next boring work meeting. But don’t tell the boss I said so!

Until next time, have an excellent day and get to spinning!