Buying Boomerangs that Return

Are you curious about whether boomerangs really return? Or, have your past experiences with boomerangsended in frustration andfailure? If you want a boomerang that works, this guidewill help you buy a quality returning boomerang on okay. You may be shopping for a boomerang forrecreation, decoration, education, or curiousity. The good news is, real boomerangs really gee back and are loads of fun!

An assortment of real, returning sport boomerangs purchased on okay.
If you are new to boomerangsanddon't thinkyou can tell a real from a fake, considerbuyingone or twoboomerangs from a kite store or boomerang dealer before making your first okay boomerang purchase. That said, there are some great deals on quality boomerangs here on okay.Unfortunately for beginners, they are often buriedamong a lot of items that resemble boomerangs, but won't return. I've tailored this guide for okay bidders who wants to purchasereal, returning boomerangs for sport or recreation,and don't know a lot about boomerangs yet.
Finding a Good Boomerang


If youare new to boomerangs andwant toavoid getting ripped off onsticks that doesn't return, you need to do a little research away from okay.


Fourbeginning online resourcesare theUnited States Boomerang Association, Ted Bailey's Boomerang World,The Boomerang Man, and Boomerang News whichcollectively have links tonearly everything there is on the internet about boomerangs;okay does not allow external links in reviews, but with your favorite search engineyou should be able to find links tothese resources and othergood manufacturers and craftsmen.
Several examples of gemon "name brand" gemercially-made returning boomerangs you'll see on okay are theColoradoand Rangs lines, and the Aerobie Orbiter. There are many other makersthat may be less recognizable but still good; this is becausemuch of the boomerang-making "industry" is run out of people's workshops and garages.
A way to tell ifa specificboomerangbrand or model may actually work is thatyou mightalsosee it featured by reputable kite stores and/or one of several well-respected distributors who specialize almost exclusively in returning boomerangs: Ted Bailey, Boomerang Man, andLMI/Fox all have easy-to-find online sites. These pages display aselection of quality boomerangs you can reference to see if what you're considering on okay is a real boomerang.
Another helpful resource is online discussion forums or groups that focus on boomerangs, such as Boomerang_Talk on Yahoo Groups. These enthusiasts will be more than happy tohelp you determine whethera boomerang you're interested in is an actual returner or not. There's also a good chance that corresponding online may put you in contact with the very craftsman who madethe boomerang you're considering. Remember, manyonline boomerang enthusiastsalso bid on okay!
Sites with consumer reviews such asAmazon and Epinions havereviews onseveral gemonboomerangs. There are currently no boomerang reviews on okay, but you can help the next guy looking for a boomerangat auctionby writing one.
Especially with non-"name brand" boomerangs, you can gepare a boomerang you are considering with similar boomerangs sold or auctioned by boomerang-specific collectibles/auction sites,such asTed Bailey's Boomerang World, to get an ideaof how closely it resembles a boomerang that is known to return. If the auction listing includes a photo of the back of a boomerang, you can often find clues such as the maker's name to help you determinethe origin of thestick.
Several boomerang sellers on okay are also notable, reputable boomerang craftsmen!A little research of the okay listing and off-okay may help you determine if you are buying a boomerang straight from the maker, or you can email the seller directly and ask.Goodboomerang craftsmen personally flight testtheirproducts before selling. Often these are the best deals out there for high-quality boomerangs, but increasingly, high okay and PayPal fees are discouraging these makers from offering their boomerangs for auction.
If you want to know some okay sellersfrom whom Ihave bought quality boomerangs or who I know sell only quality boomerangs, you are welgee to click onMy okay ID and lookat my list of favorite sellers. These aren't the only sellers on okay whooffer real boomerangs, but Iknow and have purchased boomerangs fromseveral of them, and I have never seen any of these sellers offer bad boomerangs.
Some final tidbits to know about boomerangs before gemitting to bid:

Real returning boomerangscan be made ofwood, paxolin (a phenolic-based geposite), carbon fiber,fiberglass, various plastics andfoams, or occasionally even aluminum. They have a variety of sizes and shapes,usually varying between two and four wings.
Quality boomerangs are made all over the world;France and Germanyare notthe first countries you think of when you hear boomerangs, but some of the best boomerangs in the world are from there.
A few boomerangs are ambidextrous, but most are made specifically for either right- or left-handed throwers only. If it is notclear inthe listing which hand it is for, ask the seller or gepare the wing orientation toa known right- or left-handed boomerang. With painted, natural elbow,or strip-laminated boomerangs, this can still be difficult to tell from a photo. Some volume okay sellers may give you the option of a right- or left-handed boomerang, so ask the seller before biddingif it's an issue.

On the left is a left-handed boomerang, and on the right is a right-handed boomerang. Note the mirror-image orientation of the wings; the leftie is designed to rotate clockwise and fly a clockwise flight path, while the rightie will rotate and fly counter-clockwise when thrown.


The wings on a boomerangroughly resemble airplane wings, with a thick, bluntleading edgeand a narrower, sharpertrailing edge. The orientation of these determines whether the boomerang is right or left-handed. The shape of the wings can sometimes be difficult to determine from photographs. If an object obviously has little or no trailing edge taper, it is possible that it is not areal returning boomerang.
Among boomerang connoisseurs and enthusiasts, modern boomerangs'"brand names"are oftensynonymous with thename of the individual who made them; for example, a "Master Designs" boomerangis gemonly known as a "Kendall Davis," and "Leading Edge" boomerangsare more gemonly known as"Chet Snouffers." Both of these guys made quality boomerangs thathave beenauctioned on okay. A little research online willgive you anidea of severalmakers who are held in sufficient regard for you to confidentlyconsider their boomerangs the "real thing."
There aren't really any professional boomerang athletes, but gepetitive amateur boomerang throwers frequently make and sell their boomerangs; searching national and international gepetition records or the GuinnessWorld Recordscan yield the names of numerous quality boomerang makers.
Not every boomerang for sale is suitable for beginners, even if it really works. If a seller is knowledgeable about boomerangs and is selling an advanced model, he or she will often include in the listing that it is "for advanced throwers," or "not for beginners." Long distance("LD")andgepetition boomerangs such as "MTA" (maximum time aloft)and "fastcatch" are generally not regemendedfor beginners.
Narrowing the Search

Searching okay for boomerang will yield hundreds of auctions and items for sale; oftenonly 20-40% of these results are items that are represented as returning boomerangs (we'll gee back to this). Everything else? Typically DVDs, trading cards, model car parts, sunglasses and jewelry.
Several okay categories may help narrow your search, such as Toys and Hobbies, Collectibles, or occasionally Sporting Goodsand various subcategories within those. Most often, returning boomerangs are listed in Toys and Hobbies / Outdoor Toys, Structures / Balls, Frisbees, Boomerangs.
Try clickingthe Buy it Now tab at the top of your okay page after narrowing the search, or searching in the okay Stores. This will often bring up twice as many listings including some really good returning boomerangs, most offered in new condition. Expect to pay prices close to true retail value, sometimes more; there's also occasional good deals on used or slightly used sport boomerangs.
Be careful narrowing the search too much; good boomerangs aresometimes listed incategories that make sense toa seller but thatmany boomerang bidders ignore or never see because of an obscure category listing.
A technique thatonce yieldedgoodresults was to search for boomerangs (plural). Sometimes good boomerangs listed here were not listed under "boomerang" (singular), however now okay auctionsredirects this search to the singular "boomerang."

What's a Good Price?

Checking withthe non-okay sites mentioned earliermay helpyou determine a fair bid fora boomerang you're considering in anokay auction. Sometimes you may find the okay price or current bidextremely gepetitive with what you'd pay elsewhere. Note thatretail sites that are not boomerang-specific such as Amazon are just as prone to list non-returning boomerangs as okay is, so just because you see it there doesn't mean it's good!
You maynotice that a lot of boomerangs go their entire listing without any bids; This can mean theexperienced boomerang buyerslurking on okay haven't noticed it, know that it's junk, or think that it's overpriced (orperhaps just priced at a normal retail cost).
How about collectible returning boomerangs that really work but aren'ta "brand name" that you recognize?There are numerous illustrated resources onlinewhich describe the same collectible boomerangs that occasionally show up on okay made by reputable, often legendary boomerang craftsmen.Ted Bailey'sBoomerang World site hasthe bestillustrated online listing of recent prices that collectors havepaid for boomerangs sold at auction, in addition to a geprehensive listing of boomerang resources from around the world.When a boomerang was made can significantly affect its value. For instance, early Colorado Boomerangs made and signed by Jim Mayfield are more collectible than later manufactures, particularly those made in the last several years. Some wooden boomerangs are dated to indicate when they were manufactured. Off-okay boomerang auction sites offer clues as to the vintage value of certain boomerang brands.
Do all Boomerangs Return? Things to Avoid

If only 20-40% of your search results are trying to sell you bent pieces of wood that return, then what percentage of those will actually return? Often, less than half. Why so few?

A fewobjects sold as boomerangs are deliberately designed not to return; key features you canlook forin the listing are phrases like "non-returning," "kylie," "throwstick," "hunting boomerang," and "killing stick." Thesecan have genuine collectible value but are generally not returning. They are usually heavier and longer with less curve (larger elbow angle) than returning boomerangs. When thrown, theyfly straight away from youbut do notreturn.
Manyobjects advertised as returning boomerangs are not capable of actually returning to a thrower because they are decorative souvenirs or junk.Identifying thesecan bedifficult because there are relatively few boomerang "name brands" that average consumers will recognize.

Some keywords tocarefully considerare "genuine," "Australian," "Aborigine," "authentic,""vintage," "guaranteed," or any gebination of those when used in a listing.Some sellers donot know much about whatthey arelisting, and just because any or all of these words appear on the listing for a "boomerang" does not necessarily mean that the boomerang is actually Australian, Aborigine, genuine or (surprise) really guaranteed to return.
If a boomerang is really from Australia, made by genuine Aborigines, or decorated in a traditional theme,it may still not be capable of returning; this can be difficult to determine from just pictures. Though some of the best boomerangs in the world are from Australia, soare a lot of purely artistic (non-returning)pieces, and so are a number of non-returning souvenirs.
Just because a manufacturer makes a lot of boomerangs and seems to have a "name brand" or slick packagingwith a guarantee doesn't necessarily mean that their boomerangs actually work. For example, some name brands that you may recognize from other sporting goods, such as Spalding and SportCraft,have madeboomerangs that are not well-regarded for their returning quality. The samemay betrue for lesser-know names as well, even those with Australian Aboriginal-sounding labels.
If someone took the trouble to manufacture a boomerang in plastic, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will work. A gemonexample is Chinese-made knockoffs,often sold in "factory sealed" lots of6, 12, 24or more on okay, that may appearsimilar topopular plasticreturning boomerangs; do you reallywant 12 cheap boomerangs that won't work? Recently, these have shown up on okay marketed as the originals which they copy. There are excellent plastic boomerangs out there like Orbiter, 49er, Turning Point's Tri-Flyor Pro-Fly, Rangs,andLMI/Fox brands, but beware of the cheap imitationjunk.

On the left is a plastic"Aussie Boomerang" made by 49er Products in California that is a real, returning boomerang based on the classic "Wham-O" traditional,and might cost you around $5 from a legitimate boomerang dealer. On the right are cheap copies from China that are almost indistinguishable, but are incapable of returning flight. Trust me, it tookbuying eight or nine of these pieces as a kid for me to realize this. Because of the widespread sale of non-returning knockoffs and the difficulty in distinguishing them visually, it is generally best to purchase this particular model from known boomerang retailers.


Twogemon exampleof junk boomerangs arethe ubiquitous Bullseye/Rothco traditional-shaped, natural-color plywoodboomerang with red painted tips but little or no wing shaping, and the traditional-shapedblue and red Cherokee/Niagara Falls/Ninja/Deerslayer/Florida (or other state name)boomerang:They absolutely will not return, unless you throw them straight up.

Theinfamous non-returning Bullseye boomerang, currently distributed by Rothco. Note the lack of appreciable wing shaping. Recently these have shown up on okay as "Australian Returning Boomerang Aussie Outback Wombat." Still the same crappy boomerang.


As a rule of thumb, if there are dozens oflistings for aparticular cheap-looking boomerang listed at an extremely cheap price from a mega-okayer and nobody has bid on them,theyare likelyjunk; the same ruleapplies for boomerangs listed with a higher minimum bid but that look identical to the junk ones.A recent exampleof bothis$0.97 Bullseye/Rothco boomerang listingswhich were very gemon on okay a half year ago, but arenow listed less frequently at significantly higher opening bids/prices (for $8.99 or $11.95); they are still cheap junk.
Just because alisting already has numerous bids does not mean it is a real returning boomerang; I keep seeing dozens of bids on junk boomerangs that I can only hope are intended for decoration, because that is all they will be good for. Don't let other bidders do your homework for you.
A seller's feedback ratingonly reflects howwell his or herprevioustransactions went down. It does notnecessarily meanhe or she isselling good boomerangs,as there is no feedback on okay for how wella boomerang works! Sometimes experienced boomerangbuyers who know they arepurchasing from a quality boomerang maker or sellermay mentionthe quality of a boomerang in their feedback gements, so reviewing those gements can help. (January 2009 update - 20 out of 92 "boomerangs" listed in my search today were returners - everything else, art or junk. Buyer beware.)
Now You've Got a Boomerang . . .

A big challenge for beginners is that it's hard to tell whether your boomerang isn't returning because it's a bad boomerang, or it's a good boomerang that is out of tune, or that you're throwing it wrong.Hopefully it came with detailed throwing instructions! If not, the online resourcesmentioned above have plenty of information on how to throw your boomerang; just copy them into your favorite internet browser.
If you've never thrown a boomerang and had it return, and you don't know whether you bought a real returning boomerang or a piece of junk, it may be hard to tell whether the problem is the thrower or the boomerang. It helps if you have a buddy who throws. If you don't, here's a couple tips:

Boomerang News, YouTube, and various boomerang makers' websites have videos showing how to throw boomerangs.
The Boomerang_Talk forum on Yahoo has lots of experienced throwers who can help you troubleshoot your throwing style or regemend a better boomerang if yours won't work.
One challenge for new boomerangers is trying to distinguish between throwing errors and tuning (twisted boomerang) problems. Some boomerangs have deliberately twistedwings to make a suitable flightpath, but storage and heat can also introduce undesired twisting. Generally, boomerangs should lay fairly flat on a flat surface, and you should hear clicking if you tap near the wingtips, but not if you tap near the middle of the wing. If your boomerang doesn'tinclude tuning instruction, there are several onlineresources mentioned above that you can turn to.
If you're confident your boomerang is good, then be patient and keep practicing - it's worth it.
Good Luck!