Last week, a sample set of Extendable Arm Rods arrived in the mail just in time for me to take them with me to Great Lakes Puppeteers Potlatch in Indiana. This was great timing, because if there was ever a time that I would want a set of arm rods like these, it would be when I’m traveling!
But, the question in my mind was whether these armrods would function as well as a normal, non-extendable arm rod. I did bring my other arm rods with me, but I grabbed my extendable ones every chance that I had. I even used them during a live performance I gave on Saturday night during the event’s Potpourri. Overall, I felt as though they worked just as well as my traditional arm rods. I didn’t notice any additional bend when I used them to manipulate my puppet’s arm, and liked how they clipped onto the arms a little tighter than normal ones. I did have one arm rod slip off my puppet’s arm during my performance, but this sometimes happens with my traditional arm rods as well.
I will continue to experiment with these arm rods, but I think that there are ways in which to take advantage of their extending function. One could, for example, leave one shorter than the other to allow for better control over the arms during a puppet performance.
The only negative note that I have to share is that the rubber covering on one of my armrods keeps falling off, and in fact it was loose when they arrived in the mail. I popped it on easily, but it fell off again while I was using it in my hotel room, so its something I’ll need to keep track of until I figure out how to stick it on more permanently.
The set of extendable arm rods can be purchased from the Pubbet’s website for $12.95. At this point, I would recommend them although I’ll still be watching them to see how well they hold up to repeated use.
