Category: Daily Living
Hellow,
what do people think would be the best cane tip to use and why? I keep going through cane tips like crazy. I got a jumbo roller tip last August which is the longest lasting one I've ever had, but I got it stuck under something that wasn't meant to be against the outside wall of the house anyway and then couldn't get it out. I think the jumbo roller tips the ones that kind of look like disk shapes last longer than the normal roller tips though.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Harmony, its a matter of personal preference. Because they are larger, I'd think the jumbo tips would last longer. I personally prefer the regular pencil type pushon tip. It works for me. If you want to know why, I'll be glad to tell you, but it would drag this off topic a bit, and I don't want to do that.
Lou
That's true.
I'd say try a bunch until you find the one that you feel comfortable using. This is one of those things where one size or shape certainly does not fit all. *smiles*
Totally agree, Joanne.
Lol, it's funny, I read about all the cane tips a year ago or so. I had no idea there were so many options. The marshmallow tip grabbed me, until I saw it. I eneded up buying a large roller ball tip, that looks far more like a marshmallow than the so called marshmallow tip. *LOL*
One thing I tend to notice is that users with lighter tips have less trouble moving the cane and keeping good form while traveling, especially over long distances.
Some of these tips are giant, and you begin to notice when moving the cane from side to side or lifting it up off the ground.
Metal and ceramic tips are great for this. I transitioned from a rolling to a ceramic tip last year, and I couldn't be happier. Audio feedback is excelent, the tip is very, very light, it's not quite as noisy as a metal tip (if this matters,) and they do not seem to wear down as much as other tips.
Really though, the difference in weight between a ceramic or metal tip and a giant rolling ball is very detectable.
Like everything else, just something to consider.
Brice
Brice, I don't think I've heard of a ceramic tip. Where did you get that from? I use the flat metal tips, like the NFB canes have. I agree with pretty much everything Brice said above, so I won't repeat it all. I've tried the bigger tips, such as rolling and marshmallow, but found they made my cane too heavy, messed up my technique, and didn't give me very good audio/tactile feedback. But, as others have said, this is totally a matter of personal preference.
I would agree by saying just keep on trying different styles of tips until you find the one that works the best for you. I don't use my cane much anymore since I have my dog but when i did I prefered the pencil tip. I found this much easier and lighter for traveling
I bought the ceramic tip from ambutech after a friend's recommendation. I haven't seen this type anywhere else [except in other countries -- I'm pretty sure the kellerman cane in the Netherlands uses them]. A couple blind O&M professionals I've spoken to use them, but they don't seem widely recognized by most people. It seemed expensive at $10 or so for the stand-alone tip, but I haven't replaced it since last fall. Considering how ambutech's other tips seem to wear down quickly and I went through roller tips with heavy usage every few months, I'm very happy at the moment.
Another thing to consider with a tip is the cane itself -- If you're using a heavier cane (like an ambutech or folding cane), the tip is going to just make the entire thing that much more clunky. I do generally support ambutech for a couple of reasons, but they have their own drawbacks.
But I'm starting to sound like a broken record, so I'll give it a rest. If you have the money, the time, or the ability to meet people who use different canes and cane tips, that's the best thing to do. The topic really seems kind of insignificant, until you 1) use the cane everyday, and 2) do a lot of walking with it and realize your needs aren't being met.
Brice
I haven't used a ceramic tip, but as I'm now using an Ambutech cane, I'll have to try that. I agree with what Brice and some of the other said. The heavier the cane tip, the more the mass increases at that end of the cane, making it somewhat harder to handle.
Lou
I did try the pencil tip and that pair one ... I can't remember what it's actually called, but I've always got on better with the roller tips I think. In answer to one of the other posts, I use my cane quite a bit every day, seeing as I'm walking round college and other places as well. Like the idea of trying out several different ones though.
I'm not a big cane user and I'm curious about something...
For those of you that are heavy cane users, do you have more than one cane with different tips? For example, depending on where you are going, one tip may be more suitable than another.
No. I do have a spare cane, in case something happens to the one I use every day, but they are both the same kind of cane with the same kind of tip.
I have a spare cane for emergencies and for nicer occasions, i.e. it's in better shape since I rarely use it.
I've only got one cane, but am thinking of getting another one as a spare, but it'll probably be the same kind of cane.
Heh...I've got two canes, but one is old and probably should be gotten rid of. You see, I get a new cane when the old one is -starting to die but is still functional; I figure if the new one breaks outright, I've got the old one till I can replace the one that bit the dust.
Regarding tips though, I personally prefer a mid-sized tip, but the roller ball is sweet on the wrist because you can drag without any sort of worry. I can't remember the name of the tip I've got on mine right now, it's the one up from a pencil. I used to uce a pencil but found I often got it stuck in little cracks in sidewalks and things.
I have no issue whatsoever with the weight of a cane over long distances; maybe it's because I'm male, maybe it's because I'm just used to travel, but I'd never even thought of tip weight as an impediment before.
I typically use a marshmallow tip, but also have a roller ball from time to time, especially when my wrist is hurting. I hate pencil grips due to cracks, but I kind of feel (okay I've been told) they look a little more "elegant" I guess than a big roller ball or marshmallow, so when dressed up and knowing that I will be guided, maybe for a party or something, I'll use one.
My mobility instructor forced me to use one of the large roller balls, and i hated the thing with a passion. I'd go for a mid range size given a choice but will use about anything to a point
My fingers goes numb after using a cane for long. I don't know if the weight matters so much or not. I have to switch hands and keep going until my fingers are unnumbed. I I walk better with my left hand but I get less details useing it. I usally use my right hand. I don't really go to a load of places but the few I do, I really just carry my cane strait up and down and use it that away, I will use it corectly if I am in a place that I am not 100% familuar with. I use the cane by just holding it strait up and down with it dangleing from my frunt door, to the street, across the street dow the side walk and across the steet again, then down more side walk. The college is only a few doors down from my apartment and I can get there in less than five minutes by walking. Every waers else I use transportation.
What good is the cane if its just dangling straight down? Just because you know the root, doesn't mean that someone won't change it. I've been on routes I'd known for years, and one day someone parked more than one car in a driveway, if I hadn't had my cane, I would have smacked into the car. If your not going to use the cane, why even have one?
As for your fingers going numb, unless you has some nervous disorder or something like that, try changing your grip. Maybe get a golf grip, or something that absorbs the vibrations better.
I've tried many cane tips, including the tennis ball-sized one. It's far too heavy and expensivbe. I think, after about 3 months, the tip split on its seam, making it useless. I've settled on the graphite folding cane with either the roler or the pencil-type with rounded end.
Wouldn't a ceramic tip break easier? I've never seen one, but it sounds like it wouldn't be all that safe.
I use a roller ball tip, because I always use constant contact, and they really don't get stuck in cracks or anything. I could see how the cane would be too heavy if you would use one of those and do 2-point touch though, but that was never my style, I think it draws way too much attention but that's just my opinion.
I ran across this neat sight that had canes for sell, there are some that you can adjust the size! I thought it was neat. Like really neat. I could have a cane my perfered length adn for those days I might need a few more inches, wah lah, I to a trick and make it bigger! hahhahaahaaa.
I agree with post twenty-one.
I used one of those tennis ball sized ones, they specifically said on the website I baught it from, "Not for two point touch". I personally can't stand using or hearing two point touch, how could you stand tapping your cane twice a second like that? That would drive me nuts.
I never had a problem with the roller ball, it never got stuck in cracks, never broke, and goes over dirt, gravel, grass, all kinds of surfaces, really easily. Plus, the heaviness made feeling drop offs of any sorts very easy.
I love marshmallow tips! However All of my canes as of now have a pencil tip.
It all depends yes on your preference, and how much or fast you travel. I used a jombo tip for a while, but it ended up getting a lot of stuff like dust balls stuck in it from school, so now i use a tip that is kinda oval or egg shaped like a big ball or something. it just depends what you like and need.
I have noticed that I don't get as much feedback with a jumbo tip. I like the roaling marshmellow tips alot better. I tend to be able to feel the diffrance between sidewalk and brick alot better and things of that nature. my husband uses the jumbo tips and it drives me batty when I walk out of the dore with the wrong cain. heheh.
I use a rolling marshmallow on a Graphite folding cane. I think it's made by Ambutech. Ihave CPso I need somethingthat's stable and sturdy and yet easy to use. andfor me,it's this cane.