Abshire, Hania, Bear - Comparison/Review

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CRKDMike
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Abshire, Hania, Bear - Comparison/Review

Post by CRKDMike » 27 Jun 2013 08:11

I thought I would post this "review" and comparison, since I couldn't seem to find a comparison like this on modified.in. Maybe I didn't look hard enough.

Shmanyways....I recently purchased three bags.

-1 BearBag (3 stitch)(from FreedomFootbags.com)
-1 Abshire Fearless 55 (from FreedomFootbags.com)
-1 HaniaBag (from Hania herself)

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When I received the (Brian) BearBag I was really excited. This footbag was in stock at FreedomFootbags.com, and it was not custom made for me by Brian. This bag comes HIGHLY recommended by Jim Penske, and his review on the FreedomFootbags.com YouTube channel is very positive.

The 32-panel BearBag is about 1.75 inches in diameter, which seems to me as being an average size pro footbag these days. This footbag is extremely "gushy" right out of the box. It is the softest, most stallable bag of the three bags that I am comparing, and I believe that is because of the hybrid of materials that are used. The shiny material is very pliable, and reminds me of the rubber that a balloon is made of, just not as stretchy. While the other material feels a little bit tougher, and I believe it is facile.
To give you an idea of how this bag reacts to hitting a surface, I threw it up in the air, and then let it hit the back of my hand. I absorbed the impact minimally, so that you can see how it looks when it contacts a surface.

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While this bag is VERY easy to catch, I found it slightly inconsistent to set. Which makes sense because it does not keep a round shape at all, so it is a little bit like playing with a fat soft pancake. This is good if you are a beginner, and you are looking for a bag that will stall even if your form isn't great, because it will allow you to practice your tricks without having to worry so much about the catching, which can be frustrating when learning freestyle footbag.

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The construction of this bag is top notch! VERY consistent stitches and the panels are all symmetrical. It is clear that Brian is very experienced at stitching, as this bag is basically a work of art. Needless to say, there is no leaking of the filler, and you cannot see the thread that he used to stitch this bag, which means that all the stitching is tight, and clean.

Overall, although I'm sure that anyone (from beginner to Vasek ;) ) can shred this bag pretty hard, I believe that it would be better suited to someone who is a beginner, or amatuer, and is looking for a high quality footbag that needs no breaking in, and stalls on command. That being said, I don't believe that it will have an extremely long useful life. However, since I only just bought this bag, I cannot speak to it's longevity.


I received the Abshire Fearless 55 at the same time as the BearBag, and I was equally as excited to get it. This model was in stock at FreedomFootbags.com, and is therefore NOT a custom creation for me by Richard Abshire. This bag is a celebrity, and is a hall of famer among the pros from what I understand. Again, this bag comes highly recommended by Jim Penske, although I got the feeling that Jim Penske was simply promoting all of the bags that FreedomFootbags.com sells, instead of giving objective reviews.

The Abshire Fearless 55 falls under the "mini" category in terms of size, as this 32-panel bag comes in at 1.5 inches in diameter. This model is made of facile (not amaretta). After a little bit of massaging (as per Richard Abshire's recommendation), this bag was ready to shred with. I know that Abshire bags are typically known to require a lot of break-in before they are at their "best", and this one is no different. However, this bag was not unplayable by any means. In fact, although it doesn't quite "splat" upon catching, it still stalls like a champion because of the weight, and choice of filler. The filler feels to be a larger type of steel shot. I believe that bags like this will have a longer useful life than softer, "gushier" bags, for obvious reasons. here is a pic of the same splatter test on the back of my hand.

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This bag is a well rounded (literally) footbag in terms of performance. It is probably about 25% broken in at this point (after massaging with my hands, kicking, and shredding), and it is extremely consistent to catch, and set. It keeps it round shape at all times, and shows no sign of "wobble" while spinning in the air. Since this bag is so small, I would say that it might not be the best choice for beginners. Although it does stall easily, and it is easy to set and dex, I get the feeling of "uh oh, where did it go" sometimes when I shred with it. It tends to leave my sight, even when I am making an effort to keep my eyes on it at all times. This is the main issue I have with this footbag. However, if you are an experienced freestyler, then you likely won't have this "phantom" effect of the bag disappearing. You can see from this picture how even when this bag is pinched on one panel, it doesn't flop much at all;

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The construction of this bag has it's ups and downs (no pun intended). While you cannot see the thread, and the gather is significant (which I prefer), some of the panel shapes are warped/different. This is only an aesthetic characteristic, and personally it gives me a small reminder that the bag is made by a human, and is a unique creation. I actually like bags that have a little bit of character, it gives me a primal feeling of satisfaction of using something that is not perfect (like me). Note the green panel, and the yellow panels;Image
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Overall this footbag is of excellent quality, and it plays like no other. As awesome as it is, I would say that it lends itself more to an amateur, or pro freestyler because of it's small size. This bag is the firmer of the three bags I am comparing, and it's strengths are setting and dexing consistency. It is a top-of-the-line footbag, that will have a long life with consistent performance.


Lastly, but definitely not least, is the 32-panel HaniaBag. I bought this bag directly from Hania, which was a pleasent experience in itself. She has great customer service, and replies to e-mails quite efficiently. This bag was designed by her, and was NOT a custom creation for me. It is approximately 1 7/8 inches (almost 1 and 15/16 inches) in diameter, so it is marginally larger than the other two footbags I am comparing. In all aspects, this bag seems to be the happy medium between the Fearless 55, and the BearBag. It was "shredable" out of the box, but still kept it's round shape.

The HaniaBag is quite soft, although nowhere near as "gushy" as the BearBag. It is also the roundest footbag I have seen in a while, similar to the Fearless 55 Abshire, just not quite as firm. This footbag actually allowed me to shred better than I have before I used it. It is THE MOST consistent bag I have used to date, in that stalling it and setting it is un-explainably simple (that's right, I just created a word). What I mean is that this bag does what you intend for it to do! Here is the stall pic;
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The construction of this bag is......precise, and ummm flawless? It is perfectly round, and symmetrical. The thread that was used to stitch this bag cannot be seen, and all panels are the same size and respective shape. The bag has a durable feel, but melts in your hand at the same time. If you cannot already tell, this was my favourite footbag of the three. However, the only thing I would change about it, is the colour scheme. When I purchased this bag from Hania, I was indecisive about picking colours, so I left it up to her, and she did an incredible job picking colours that work well together, and are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. However, When I take it out I cannot help but feel as though it looks slightly "feminine." Which is not a deal breaker, just a slight tremor in the otherwise smooth experience of owning this footbag.

Overall, I feel as though this footbag will lend itself to everyone! It is extremely consistent, well made, aesthetically pleasing, easy to stall, predictable to set, easy to see and dex, and pleasurable to shred with. It is a top-of-the-line footbag, and talking about it makes me want to shred, so I suppose it is actually inspiring also!

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All three of these bags have their strengths, and are similar in their price point, which make them all winners to me.

Hopefully someone can benefit from this comparison, and I hope I shred some light on these fine footbags. Thanks for reading!

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