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Please note that all prices below are in USD. Aroundsquare is based in Vancouver, Canada, and items ship worldwide. Standard shipping time is around two weeks to Canada and the United States, but can take longer (depending mostly on US Customs clearance). Normal shipping times to other countries are around three weeks. Please, and very kindly, understand that if you enter a wrong or incomplete address, the item you're purchasing probably won't get to you. Remember your apartment number, and correct zip code/ postal code!
For wholesale inquiries or other questions, please contact Aroundsquare. We encourage you to shop local, so please visit our growing list of retail partners to find one in your area, and if they aren't carrying the specific products you're interested in, ask them! Please feel welcome to leave a comment on our blog, review our products on amazon or email us: info@aroundsquare.com
Hydra (Titanium) Oil Slick Begleri
Hydra (Titanium) Oil Slick Begleri
This is a set of titanium Hydra Begleri, which includes four "oil slick" PVD coated beads. The colour is essentially black, but with a multicolour sheen that presents greenish or reddish in different lighting or from different angles. More info on PVD coatings below.
Aroundsquare's Hydra Begleri are a fun yet highly capable modern adaptation of the traditional Greek multi-bead begleri. All of the Hydra sets have multiple interchangeable beads, allowing for interesting colour combinations, and some customization of weight.
The titanium version comes with four beads, precision-machined from grade 5 titanium, weighing in at around 7g per bead, for a total of around 28g per set. The beads themselves are 16mm in diameter and 8mm thick, making for a 16x16mm stack at either end. While this dimension sounds small compared to the 19/20mm Titans, and the 22mm Wukongs, the more angular shape of the Hydras makes them feel and play larger than their measurement would suggest.
The Hydras are extremely playable, and despite their cylindrical shape, are surprisingly adept - particularly in the four bead configuration. The shape of the beads make them particularly well-suited for two handed tricks and transfers. They are less solid and somewhat quieter than heavier single-bead designs, and the multiple beads add a nice "fiddle factor" to each set. The slight rounding of all edges on the beads adds the overall feel.
The titanium Hydras come with several extra strings, a fist full of stickers, a canvas carry bag, an info card, and a slick little gift box.
About the PVD coating: Titanium can be anodized like aluminum, but the range of colours is limited, and the anodized finish is similar in durability to that of anodized aluminum. Physical vapour deposition (PVD) coating is a process that creates a much more robust colouring. In addition, because titanium is much harder than aluminum, scratches and nicks are less likely to show up. In general, the PVD coatings "age" more gracefully than anodized aluminum.
Aroundsquare works to identify and use the best available materials and processes, but all colours are prone to wear after extended use and drops. Players literally beat these beads against each other for hours each day. The colourings are not painted on, and do not "chip", but they are very thin, and will show scratches and nicks over time, especially if dropped on rough surfaces like concrete.
Colours may not be exactly as shown, and look different in different lighting. There may be slight blemishes, and some are lighter or darker than others.. We've manually pulled out any significant flaws in our quality control process, but we haven't concerned ourselves with minor discolourations, because once they are out of the box you're going to be hammering them and dropping them. Right?