GBC: Lego balls vs Chinese beads

[dr_spock]

My eBay order of 14mm beads arrived in the mail from China today. Big thanks to EyesOnly for providing the eBay link. They costed about $5 USD. Since I have a few Lego balls, I thought I do a comparison.

Here is a picture of the recent Lego balls from Friends sets and the Chinese bead on the right.

As you can see the bead is shinier and smoother than the Lego balls. Also the bead has a bigger hole that goes all the way through for the strings. The hole in the Lego balls do not go all the way through, therefore, you can't make a necklace or bracelet out of them without drilling.

With the bigger hole there is probably less mass. I weighed 8 Lego balls and 8 beads.

8 Lego balls = 12 grams

8 beads = 11 grams

The slight weight difference didn't seem to cause a problem with my ball accelerator module since I am not flinging the beads that far. GBCs that shoot long distance may need some testing and adjustments.

There is also a size difference with the beads. They don't have the exact size consistence as Lego when measured with a caliper.

Lego ball = 14.07 mm

beads = 13.5 to 13.7 mm

In general, they seem to work well with my 4 GBC modules. One issue I found with the bigger hole is it can create a flat spot that the beads can't roll over if it doesn't have enough momentum. Some of my GBCs uses incline with gravity to feed and the beads some times get stuck until another bead knock it loose or I manually free them.

Summary.

At 5 cents USD each, they are a bargain compared to Lego balls. They are lighter than Lego balls and the bigger hole can cause the balls to get stuck on the path. So more 'babysitting' of the GBC module may be required. Overall, I think they are great for doing public display of GBCs where balls tend to get lost throughout the day.

[Yiharua]

I can only post one thing:

On the left, the beads you get with the same money of 16 GBC balls.

The disadvantages are minor. You have to keep in mind that if the beads are stucked another bead will pass and move it.

I prefer beads, although I have GBC balls and use them as well.

If you are starting with GBCs and dont want to expend a lot in balls, buy beads.

;)

[EyesOnly]

So 200 beads for the same cost as 16 Lego balls. That is some difference.

[CisFran]

Just make it sure you use brand new beads and not used ones.

You'll never know how it was used in the first place

[Doc_Brown]

Thanks dr_spock for the excellent summary.

Convinced me to get some and try out. :)

May I have the link if you have it on hand. :D

[EyesOnly]

Here you go. Slight problem however. The page says that the listing has ended and that the item can't be ordered but several alternatives are suggested. Purple, Pink and green. Maybe more exist but these was the suggestions i got that was 14 mm.

Edit again

Looks like i shouldn't use old link when i link for when i pressed on view original listing i found a page where the orange ones can still be ordered. Try it i hope it works.

Edited September 12, 2013 by EyesOnly

[Doc_Brown]

Thanks for that, but both links seem to be expired.

I messaged the shop asking for availability.

Cheers.

[EyesOnly]

Well why not try it in friends colors. Hope you get some,erhm beads.

[vinch-clem]

Hello

I've just found a new source for those beads

I first found these :

http://fr.8seasons.com/acrylic-spacer-beads-round-at-random-color-14mm-dia50pcs-p-25717.html

Then I ask the site for orange only

They tell me the minimum command is 2.5Kg

I paid 30€ including shipping costs,

and I received 1650 beads...

The diameter is 13.5mm, not 14mm...

[Mogwai]

That´s nice ...

and work with GBC-Module ?

[Pehr]

Has anyone ever tested Quercetti Marbles in a gbc? They're suppose to be 14mm and are sold in packs of 100.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Pehr

[Theo van Vroenhoven]

I bought a few packages of these

at http://www.knikkerba...-dlg-p-148.html

They are a little smaller than official LEGO balls (14 vs 14,2 mm) and a little lighter as well (1,4 vs 1,6 gram).

The good part is that they are a lot cheaper: I paid 6 euro for 100 balls!

I tested them in my replica of 'Lift Triggered by a Stuck Ball' and they perform quite well!

Conclusion: these balls (marbles) can safely be used as cheap alternatives for the expensive LEGO balls.

Some GBC's (like Spiral Lift) may need some small adjustments caused by the balls being just a little smaller...

Edited March 11, 2016 by Theo van Vroenhoven

[drexore]

After spending a couple of hours fixing all the timing issues again I could test the Ball Factory with the Quercetti Marbles (100 pcs).

At first balls were dropping from the top of the spiral lift straight down to the ground instead of onto the slide, but making sure the top angle connector #1 is absolutely horizontal fixes the issue.

I am very happy with the results :)

[nychase]

Unless I am mistaken aren't the quercetti's plastic? I would think that if they were glass they would be heavier than the lego ABS.

Also, they appear to be basically impossible to find in the US.

[drexore]

Unless I am mistaken aren't the quercetti's plastic? I would think that if they were glass they would be heavier than the lego ABS.

Also, they appear to be basically impossible to find in the US.

These are indeed made from plastic (it is just that the product is named Marbles).

[Pehr]

Can you measure diameter and weigh a few?

[nychase]

Can you measure diameter and weigh a few?

Already answered above.

They are a little smaller than official LEGO balls (14 vs 14,2 mm) and a little lighter as well (1,4 vs 1,6 gram).

The good part is that they are a lot cheaper: I paid 6 euro for 100 balls

My question is, are they uniformally round and all 14mm exactly? Part of the problem with buying glass marbles is that 14mm can be anywhere from 13-14.5 which is far outside of GBC tolerances.

Edited March 12, 2016 by nychase

[drexore]

Already answered above.

My question is, are they uniformally round and all 14mm exactly? Part of the problem with buying glass marbles is that 14mm can be anywhere from 13-14.5 which is far outside of GBC tolerances.

I have measured a total of 10 of these marbles.

The diameter ranged from 13.8 to 14.1 mm (average 13,88 mm).

The weight ranged from 1.38 to 1,45 gram (average 1,4 gram).

I have tried several other alternative balls (14mm beads mostly) and these were the first I got to work perfectly with the Ball Factory.

[nychase]

Google translate isn't doing the best job with the site link provided. Can anyone tell me if the company that is linked above ships internationally? I figure I need 1000 of them.

[drexore]

Google translate isn't doing the best job with the site link provided. Can anyone tell me if the company that is linked above ships internationally? I figure I need 1000 of them.

They ship by default to the Netherlands and Belgium, but are also offering some options for Germany, France and the UK. They also state for further options contact their customer service, maybe that is your best option to find out if they are willing to ship to your location.

​You can contact them using the form on this page http://www.knikkerbaanxl.nl/contact

Good luck

Edited March 12, 2016 by drexore

[llars]

Google translate isn't doing the best job with the site link provided. Can anyone tell me if the company that is linked above ships internationally? I figure I need 1000 of them.

if you havent bought any yet, you can get them from amazon.it and they ship to the States. Took about a week and a half, they shipped out of GB to Calif My regular amazon login worked and i used google translate to get me through checkout.

http://www.amazon.it/Quercetti-2530-Marbles-Refill-Ricambio/dp/B00TWFXCEA

[DaFokka]

The dutch web shop internet toys currently has 14mm Quercetti marbles on sale for €4,95 for a pack of 100:

https://www.internet-toys.com/141827-quercetti-aanvuldoos-knikkers-diameter-14-mm-100-delig/

[BrianGT]

I had issues with the 14mm beads.  They were too small for working with the Akiyuki ball factory.

I picked up some 9/16" Inch Delrin Plastic Ball Bearings, which are a little bigger than 14mm, and closer to the lego balls.  The 14mm beads would jam in my Ball Factory, while the 9/16" bearing would not, and had much better tolerances.  I picked them up from https://www.bcprecision.com/ for $11 shipped for 100.

I first tried Rigid HDPE Polyethylene Ball 9/16" Diameter as well from McMaster Carr, and they worked as well.  They were $13.31 shipped for 25.  I went with the Delrin ones as they were cheaper with similar specifications.

 

[nychase]

 

1 hour ago, BrianGT said:

I had issues with the 14mm beads.  They were too small for working with the Akiyuki ball factory.

I picked up some 9/16" Inch Delrin Plastic Ball Bearings, which are a little bigger than 14mm, and closer to the lego balls.  The 14mm beads would jam in my Ball Factory, while the 9/16" bearing would not, and had much better tolerances.  I picked them up from https://www.bcprecision.com/ for $11 shipped for 100.

I first tried Rigid HDPE Polyethylene Ball 9/16" Diameter as well from McMaster Carr, and they worked as well.  They were $13.31 shipped for 25.  I went with the Delrin ones as they were cheaper with similar specifications.

 

Thats some great advice.  I did end up buying the marbles which I mentioned in another thread (I think the main akiyuki thread).  Good to know about the Delrin Plastic Balls too...looks like a perfect alternative.