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Awesome Balls

Recirculating Gravity Well

Recirculating Gravity Well

A gravity well is a cone-shaped device that pulls marbles or other small balls into its center like a vortex. JBV Creative built a version of a gravity well connected to an elevator, so as spheres drop through its middle, they head back up to the top and start their journey all over again. It’s incredibly satisfying once he drops thousands of steel balls into it.

Golfing from a Ski Jump

Golfing from a Ski Jump

The How Ridiculous guys returned to the Utah Olympic Park to see what else they could roll down the snow-free ski jump. After an attempt to score some basketball hoops and a bottom-of-the-hill round of dodgeball, they played a little mini golf – first with individual putts, then with a cascade of 2000 balls.

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Rolling Soccer Balls Down a Ski Jump

Rolling Soccer Balls Down a Ski Jump

The guys from How Ridiculous are always looking for new ways to entertain us with stupid stunts. This time, their antics aren’t quite as destructive as sticking stuff into a giant blender. Instead, they headed to a ski jump at the Utah Olympic Park and turned it into an impromptu soccer field with a goal at the bottom. How many balls can one goalie keep out?

Boomerang Ball Drone

Boomerang Ball Drone

This spherical plaything flies and hovers when you toss it. If you throw it just right, it’ll also come back to you like a boomerang. It uses a pair of counter-rotating fan blades to work its magic, and they’re contained inside of a cage to protect them from damage. The one in Roo’s Reviews’ video is no longer available, but there are many other versions on Amazon.

Pool Ball Races

Pool Ball Races

There are lots of different kinds of races, from cars to dirt bikes to hovercrafts. In this short video, a full rack of pool balls race their way up an elevator and through a twisty downhill course. Which ball will take the checkered flag? Place your bets now! Find more footage of the track in action on supper J’s TikTok channel.

How Plastic Balls Are Made

How Plastic Balls Are Made

We’re always fascinated by the ways different products get manufactured. In this video from Process X, we take a tour of a factory in Japan that cranks out plastic balls for kids to play with. While the start of the video makes it look like they’re making cake mix, we can assure you that PVC isn’t edible.

The Un-Hittable Ball

The Un-Hittable Ball

Hitting a flying baseball or wiffle ball takes practice, but you can do it with time. With a game against a team of professional wiffle ball players on the line, Mark Rober engineered a cheat to give him a chance. He started by studying the physics that enable curveballs and created mechanical balls that change trajectory as they approach the batter.

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How Cricket Balls Are Made

How Cricket Balls Are Made

The game of cricket is played with a leather-covered cork ball. Dukes Cricket has been making the balls since the 18th century. British Cricket Balls’ Managing Director walks us through the company’s process of hand-stitching every ball they make around layers of compressed cork, then smoothing and polishing them to a shine.

A Ball That Can Bounce Higher Than It Was Dropped from

A Ball That Can Bounce Higher Than It Was Dropped from

Common sense tells us that if you drop a rubber ball, it will never bounce higher than you dropped it from unless you add energy by throwing it. But at first glance, the ball that The Action Lab shows in this clip defies the laws of physics. Of course, it doesn’t really, but it’s a neat trick.

Making a Resin 8-Ball from Scratch

Making a Resin 8-Ball from Scratch

We’ve seen what’s inside of a typical pool ball, and also a cool version made from stainless steel. Now, BensWorx is here to show us how to make a cast resin 8-ball from scratch. He started with a cup full of black resin, which he cured and then turned on a lathe. The trickiest part was creating the numeric insert.

Ball Rolling Uphill Illusion

Ball Rolling Uphill Illusion

At first glance, it looks like the ball in this video from StruckDuck is defying gravity and rolling up a slide. The trick involves a specially-distorted 3D print and a camera placed in exactly the right spot to pull off the illusion. You can buy the STL template file for the slide on Etsy.

How Rubber Balls Are Made

How Rubber Balls Are Made

Ever wonder how they make basketballs or other bouncy rubber balls? It’s not as simple as just blowing up a rubber balloon. Science Channel’s How It’s Made visited a ball factory to walk us through the fascinating process, which includes making an inflatable bladder, then wrapping it in nylon thread and a segmented rubber skin.

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Making an Omni-Sphere Vehicle

Making an Omni-Sphere Vehicle

Engineer James Bruton is fascinated with omni-directional wheels. For this video, he set out to make a vehicle that rolls on three split-hemisphere balls which can move in any direction. He’s since added a seat to it, resulting in what is basically the world’s most powerful office chair.

Dropping 100,000 Bouncy Balls

Dropping 100,000 Bouncy Balls

Not long ago, the guys from How Ridiculous dropped 100,000 ping pong balls from the rafters at an empty arena. Now they’ve rigged up a similar stunt, but the balls are far more bouncy this time, resulting in a longer-lasting impact after they hit the ground. But first, enjoy some fun with balloons, basketballs, and golf balls.

Crate and Barrel x Shinola Leather Football

Crate and Barrel x Shinola Leather Football
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Equally at home on the neighborhood gridiron or on a trophy shelf, the Shinola Leather Football has all the timeless good looks of Shinola Detroit’s first furnishings and accessories collection for Crate and Barrel. It’s all in the vintage details, from the rich brown leather to the contrasting raw leather lacings. An instant heirloom.

Making a Wooden Basketball

Making a Wooden Basketball

Normally, basketballs are made from rubber. But DIYer Cammie’s Garage works in wood, so he decided to see if he could make one by turning layers of maple into a sphere instead. It didn’t take the stain perfectly, but it’s still pretty cool. He previously made a sweet wooden football.

Photo-Iridescent Basketballs

Photo-Iridescent Basketballs

Stephon Marbury’s Starbury brand makes these unique basketballs, which are extremely light reflective. They display cool patterns when viewed by the naked eye, but when photographed or recorded with a flash or directional lighting, they glow brilliantly in your images. Available for a limited time from Touch of Modern.

Smiley Face Basketball

Smiley Face Basketball
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This basketball is sure to bring a smile to every player’s face, driving down the court for a dunk, or grabbing a rebound off the backboard. This Urban Outfitters‘ exclusive design from Chinatown Market features the iconic 1960s Smiley face emblazoned on a yellow B-ball. It’s also available in a 3M reflective version for night games.

Wilson X Connected Football

Wilson X Connected Football

Wilson’s high tech football has a tiny built-in sensor which works with a mobile app via Bluetooth to track throw distance, velocity, spiral efficiency, spin rate, catches and drops. A variety of games and challenges help improve your skills on field.

Kickball Ice Cream Maker

Kickball Ice Cream Maker
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It’s just like every other ice cream maker on the market, except you need to kick it for 20 minutes to stir and freeze the ingredients inside. If it weren’t for the plastic bits on the end, we’d try ice cream dodgeball too.

Leather Head Suede Football

Leather Head Suede Football
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A beautifully handcrafted football with the rough suede side out. It’s a little smaller than a pro football for easier throwing – and yes, it’s meant to be thrown, not just put on a shelf. Expect it to patina over time.

AryaBall

AryaBall

Think of the AryaBall like one of those Russian stacking dolls – but for sports. This clever toy manages to pack a football, a flying disc, and kid’s baseball/golf ball inside a soccer ball. For a little extra, you can have a combo bat/mini golf club.

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