Beginners often start with practice poi, usually made of soft material such as cloth or beanbags to get the feel for spinning without having the pain of impact!

Performers usually have more flamboyant poi than beginners, most are brightly coloured, heavier and can have tails to enhance the visual side of their act.

These poi are spun in the dark to great effect and utilise either LEDs, UV sensitive materials or glowing chemical compounds for the light. These are very common to see at festivals worldwide.

Adapted from a Chinese martial art weapon, Meteors are constructed in a similar fashion to regular poi, but is joined in the middle with chain/rope allowing a crossover of poi/martial art skills.

Fire poi originated in Hawaii in the 1940's and rapidly became a tourist attraction. They are constructed from chains with fire-proof kevlar wicks. The fuels can vary from kerosene to parraffin. The fire wicks are generally one of four varieties. Cylindrical Wrap, Cathedral Stack, Monkey Fist knot or Kevlar Braid. Performers find that they prefer different wicks for their style. There are plenty of variations of fire poi such as those with multiple wicks, long wicks called 'snakes' and sculpted or hollow wicks to produce different types of flame.