You guys can be so confusing sometimes thats all I have to add lol!

All wheels are made by humans, and therefor DO have room for error. I was just saying that I think there is an error made here. Not that no one else could possibly make an error.

No. I'm saying THIS wheel is dangerous. I have a stealth. It has been in all of my gliders cages at some point. It's lasted a long time and I think it's a great wheel. I would never dissuade someone from buying a Stealth. THIS wheel however, I do not feel it is safe. It happens to be made by AtticWorx as well, SO, it's kinda guilt by association, you could say, but no, I love my Stealth.

Because I have not seen the Whirl wheel, Amanda, would you be more descriptive as to how/what you feel is dangerous about the one you have?

Absolutely. I'll take pics real quick, since it takes 4+ hours to get those videos uploaded.

Thank you for clarifying that Amanda.

Can I ask you as to why you feel this wheel isn't safe?

Kris, I know YOU werent saying stealth wheels were/are dangerous. I was actually quoting and confused by Amandas comments...

Amanda, thank you for the response. You cleared it up. So you think the Whirl Wheel is unsafe? Have you taken that privately to Anita and Charlie before bringing it here and voicing your concerns with them? I do know from working closely with them over the years that ANYTIME ANYONE brings a concern to their attention they WILL AND DO look into it and make the changes IF any are needed.

What are the reasons YOU feel the whirl wheel to be a danger? I personally dont have one so that is why I ask.

Nope, I actually am now in a PM. But, I didn't intend to bring any of this up at all. I have the wheel to make a comparison video (like I did with the stealth/wodent/cc a while back) and then it was going to be sent on it's way. Someone asked, so I spoke up. I just feel like people should spend the extra couple bucks and get the safe one.

and ..there have been stealths that have blown up, broken, whatever.. just like the couple of cruisers ..it happens!

Here are the pictures: http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x276/flyingmarsupial/wheel/?action=view&current=c62291c2.pbw

Guys, I'm just acting as the press here. Someone came out with a new wheel, I'm giving a review. I do not know Anita. I have never met her. I have nothing against her.

No one asked my opinion on the wheel before it came out, so I'm just giving it now that it IS out. I'm not trying to be mean.

I have 9 stealths and one CC (half bounce). I havent tried the whirl or TGI wheel but probally will within the next year. The bounce wheel I use in the playroom and most of my gliders love it, infact usually 2 or 3 play in /on it at a time. My older gliders have trouble getting it going.

When I was setting up my new cage for the blind glider I am getting, I chose the stealth wheel. My reasons were one: it is the smoothest running wheel I have and I wanted that, and secondly Anita and Charlie made alterations to it specially for Stevie to make it easier for him to use.

Both wheels seem very safe to me.

Ok, everyone please chill. I need some time and I have a few things to say. But I really don't want this to cause more division in this community. So please just give me a few minutes. Ya'll know that I don't type fast and I can't spell worth a darn.

Thank you again for the clarification. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions that is for sure.

The one thing people need to keep in mind though is the Whirl Wheel is an ECONOMY wheel for those who want a good safe wheel but can not afford the Stealth Wheel. So are there going to be some differences? Of course there are. But I personally could NEVER imagine AtticWorx putting wheel out there at ANY time that is not safe.

No one thinks you are being mean or mad at them Amanda! No worries... We are a community after all and should be able to tell even our best friends.. that we feel their new whatever is not so great and safety is a factor!

What alterations? I have a blind girl who LOVES her Stealth! I'd be curious about alterations that could make her wheel safer!

I think there are multiple different things going on in this thread.

* An opinion was asked about the Whirl Wheel. Many people gave opinions.

* Comparisons were offered about all the various wheels.

* Suggestions were made about different owners' personal choices.

* Assumptions were made that preferring one wheel over another means that you are "Dissing" wheels that you don't prefer.

I stated previously - I have a glider who lost the end of his tail due to a freak accident in a stealth. Do I consider the Stealth "unsafe" because of it? No - he still has the Stealth in his cage, in fact. But - it does confirm to me that ANY wheel CAN BE dangerous!

All wheels can potentially be harmful! Face it - our gliders can be quite reckless in them! They run as fast as they can, and fling themselves about like there's no gravity. They also CHEW on their wheels, and who knows what harm they can get into by that.

My personal opinion is that everyone needs to take a deep breath - as usual! (what!!?? Emotions running high on a sugar glider forum! Shocking!!) Someone saying "I like this wheel better" should not be taken to be an insult against another wheel or another person! If I said "Lynsie is the BEST breeder", I am NOT SAYING, by words, or implication, that I don't like ANY other breeder, or that I dislike a certain breeder. I'm not even saying I love everything Lynsie DOES as a breeder! I'm sharing my OPINION, and I may make a statement that sounds like a blanket FACT, but it is still my opinion! Not everything has to be about the politics of who likes whom or dislikes someone else!

The lids used on the Stealths can be bought for $1.25 at
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23221&catid=686&clickid=searchresults

They don't have that tab on them and would be safer to use.

Alden, I can't remember who I was talking to about their blind glider but they said it was discussed with them making the "lip" on the outer ring wider (cutting out a smaller hole) so that the glider can kinda use it as a "guide" (like a hand rail sort of). It doesn't enclose the front of the wheel like a wodent wheel is but it gives them more to "feel" their way with? Does that make sense?

I had 9 wodents and 2 stealths once upon a time, and probably would have switched to all stealths if the CC wheel wouldnt have came out. I bought a couple of those to start out with and my babies absolutely LOVED the different kind of work out that the CC provides compared to the stealth. I noticed a decline in how little the stealths were getting used compared to the CC wheels, so I went ahead and switched out all my cages to the CC wheel.

I still have 1 stealth left and use that one for a back up wheel. I still have 4 wodents left but those will be donated or given away at some point. One of my stealth wheels fell apart at a gathering this summer, but it was getting up there in age and had served its purpose well. (roll free little stealth).

I bought 2 small TGI wheels at a gathering when stupid me forgot to pack their travel wheels and my babies had a blast on them that weekend and they are another option of a great, safe wheel and I will probably get a few more to have on hand. (you can NEVER have to many extra's laying around)


My whole point to all of this is that to each there own. The wodent is a safe wheel as long as the cross bar is covered. The stealth wheel is a great wheel also, but then again so is the CC wheel and the TGI wheel. And they are all different. It just depends on what you want for "your" gliders.

Personally I havent seen the Whirl Wheel in person so I cannot comment on that one, but I dont think for a second that Anita or Charlie would ever intentionally put out an unsafe wheel.

My Whirl wheel doesn't have the lip/tab thing. It is just like the Stealth rim.

Also, the way you squeezed the wheel Amanda, all my wheels do that. In fact, I'm glad it does because my travel cage door it too small and I can squeeze it through!

I agree Alden...

For so many years the stealths were the safest option available, if fact I still refer people to the stealth based on what it is they are looking for. I really don't think it is the stealth that is question here.

Great pains have been put into the cruiser, to make it not only look and act different from the other wheels, but to also ensure safety. The cruiser brings something different to the wheel options available.

Many times I have been asked as to why I feel the cruiser would be better than the stealth, or vise versa, My answer is the same as it always has been, it isn't, nor is the stealth better than the cruiser, they are 2 totally different wheels, that offer 2 totally different type of fun and exercise for the gliders,

I was told that the wheels are a vicious market, but I don't see it that way, I know many people that have both stealths and cruisers in their cage, the various wheel makers CAN co-exist in the same community, and it doesn't have to be about which is better, but what wheel options are safe, each wheel caters to a different need or want. Just as our various pouch makers co-exist, we have Karin with her products, and queenduck with hers, they both have great products, that address different needs. I personally have lots of Karins products as well as alicias.. just as some people have both, the stealths and the cruisers.

Just as one person had an issue with my wheels (without letting me know or giving me a chance to address them), it seems that some have had issues with the whirl wheel, without addressing it with anita. does that make the product bad or unsafe? who knows, what it does mean, just as the one person had issues with the cruiser, it means that person wasn't happy , felt it was unsafe, and they will tell others. There is no difference here with those that have and have seen the whirl wheel.

Personally I think that if we, anita or I could have come up with a cheaper version of our wheel without compromising quality, and safety, We would have been done a long time ago. The TGI wheel came out, on the lower cost end of the scale, they have devoted their time, their energy, to do that and stay within their set l;imit as to what they wanted to charge.

As peggy had said, there is a lot of time, and money that goes into the stealths and the cruisers, we wouldn't have raised the prices if we didn't have to.

I don't feel that bashing and trashing another wheel to promote my own is a good business practice, nor would be making any adjustments to make my wheel like another's.

I learned very early on, that the plastic track could not hold up to the weight of the larger widths, so I switched to the pvc coated wire, and with that extra weight I learned that the single bearing assembly would not over time hold up, so the cruiser has the dual bearing assembly that is separate from the wheel, so it can be replaced if need be without replacing the wheel.

Multiple wheel creators can co-exist and should.It is important for the members of this board and others to know there are differences between the wheels, all of them, they all stand alone, but should stand on their own.

Anita, are only some made like this? Was it a fluke? I don't want to use this one in the video if it was a fluke and you've changed the design. PLEASE let me know. I want everything I say to be balanced and fair about this wheel.

The CC wheel doesn't and my old stealth must be made of something different, because this is landware cloth, not the normal stuff.

Not safer,,, I said easier to use =)

They slowed the wheel down for me, he would probally be fine with it fast, I'm not just yet..I am paranoid. They also told me I can change it back to normal speed and yes the lip is higher so it should kinda be like a bumper for him so he knows where he is in relation to the edge.

Tammy is your whirl wheel orange? and no I cant squeeze my stealth like that either!

Janie -

Sorry - OT - but ... you will clutch your heart frequently with a blind glider! My girl is FEARLESS and she scares me all the time! She LAUNCHES herself into space without a clue about where she's going, or what she's going to land on! It is terrifying, but I've gotten used to it. She is also the FIRST to check out new toys. She actually seriously acts like a child at Christmas, rushing from toy to toy. The others kind of hang back a bit and investigate new toys more slowly. I've learned a great deal from Adia!

OT:
Thats reassuring to know, I need to work upto where you are at. I know how my kids play rough in the wheels so it does scare me, I considered not giving him and his brother one because of my fears. I am grateful Anita and Charlie talked with me and came up with a compromise where I can let them have a wheel and not go crazy..immediately lol

I hope your post can come true Bourbon.. I really do... I think there is room in the community for all 3.. like you said they are all different! I will be very sad if one starts copying the other though or contiune to lower their standards just to compete! That is what I find sad.

Ok, I finally got my thinking straight and I want to address some of the concerns that people have expressed here.





Most of the above was addressed early in this post if anyone had bothered to read it.

The only thing that I can add is in the little slide show, Amanda crushed the wheel. Well all wheels will crush when an adult human puts pressure on them. But the funny thing is I’ve never seen any animal do that.

I am surprised that no one has contacted me. Not one person! Am I such a bear? In the past when there were safety concerns, we have investigated. At times we have even pulled thing off the market until we could research and choose what correction needed to be made if any.

If any of you have a problem with anything that you ordered from AtticWorx, let us know. It is a lot easier to send out a pm or an email that would be to post movies and play silly games. And when we respond to a post, try to read if even if you are having that “gotcha" moment.

Did you replace the orange with a tab for safety concerns?

Anita, I think you need to read your PM's and stop being defensive.

P.S. I'm aware that it's an economy wheel. I was listing the differences. Sorry I thought the screw was different. It's different on the cruiser. I was mixed up. Human error. It happens.

No, I didn't see it as a problem and not one person has complained. I just didn't think it was a very popular color.

Amanda, I think you need to read your PM's as there is an explaination there.