more questions

[pyro-is-art]

a few have recomended paper over plastic shells....thank you....my next question is what is the differance and advantage good or bad with using canister shells...thanks

[Chris H]

Cylindrical shells are far superior to ball shells. Totally unbiased facts :D

Cylinders and ball shells are different in a few key ways. Probably the biggest thing is to not expect fully symmetrical breaks out of cylinders. If you love overbroken chinese crap, they may not be for you. I think that they allow for a wider variety of effects. The ball shell guys like to steal our effects, but it's never quite the same. They also seem to me to be more OTC in starting out. Except for the stars and such, you probably have everything you need to construct them at home. Then there is also the ability to be stacked and have different breaks preform together as part of the whole effect. Peanut shells just kind of go off at the same time without any synergy. Then of course there is the bottom shot. That should be enough reason to know ball shells are not where it's at.

I don't know if you'd consider it an advantage, but they're not really designed or intended to be used with rolled stars. There is probably a bit more labor into making the shell, but typically they are ready faster (or at least can be). I like them because they're more challenging, more opportunity for creativity, and they're a nice break from stuff I see at the commercial shows.

[pyromaniac]

The main disadvantage of canister shells is the amount of time it takes to make them!

[Palermitano2]

The main disadvantage of canister shells is the amount of time it takes to make them!

Just buy Excals they are cheep enough.......jk

[Chris H]

It probably depends on how one builds shells, but I find I can make a cylindrical shell probably a little faster than a ball shell. I'm just thinking about say a 4" shell or so as an example. Large canisters take only a small amount of time more to create than a smaller shell. The same is not true with ball shells. I also find pasting quite tedious, so I probably don't go at as focused as I could. Maybe some day I'll put a TV in my shop.