Whirly Ball is a gravity-defying LED ball that flies up to 15 feet high. Does it work? Read my Whirly Ball review.
About Whirly Ball
As of this September 2022, Whirly Ball’s availability is limited. The official website now forwards to a page on Inventel’s website that doesn’t even appear to sell it. In fact, it is listed as a “Former Product” on Inventel’s menu of products.
There are, however, numerous knockoffs to be found online with similar consumer ratings. This model, for example, holds an Amazon’s Choice label with well over 10,000 reviews.
Although I am not reviewing Rocket Copters here, I did test them alongside Whirly Ball and you can find them at this Amazon link for about $19. You can still find Rocket Copters in stores such as Walmart, CVS, and Dick’s.
The official website for Whirly Ball was buywhirlyball.com, which was first registered in July 2016. Below is a screen capture of the official website from October 2016. As of 2022, that site now forwards to Inventel, the manufacturer of Whirly Ball.
Claims & Features
- Flies up to 15 feet
- No assembly required
- Ages 8+
- Gyroscope adds stability
- Propeller blades stop on contact
- Rechargeable via included USB cable
Cost
You can still find Whirly Ball in some stores for about $10-$15. A popular knockoff on Amazon currently sells for about $16.
Whirly Ball Review
One glance at Whirly Ball in action, and you know that kids will gravitate toward this type of toy. Resembling a mini disco ball with helicopter propellers, Whirly Ball is an electric flying toy with a built-in gyroscope.
To operate Whirly Ball, you simply flip the switch and watch it go. It reacts to movement such as a hand or foot underneath it, which will make it rise upward. This is achieved with an infrared sensor that steers the ball away from objects below.
Once in action, Whirly Ball will rise and fall, and rise again. Kids will have fun placing their hands, feet, or even heads below it and watching it float away.
If Whirly Ball slams into a wall or ceiling, it will automatically shut off and blink slowly. I found that it was able to survive those collisions quite well, without damaging paint or any indoor surfaces.
The fact that Whirly Ball is charged via USB rather than using batteries is a huge plus. You shouldn’t expect a charge to last long, as it expends a significant amount of energy keeping itself afloat. Plan on about 8-10 minutes of continuous use before you’ll need to recharge it, which takes about 15-20 minutes.
You may find Whirly Ball to be louder than expected, as those sounds aren’t really depicted in the television advertising. Kids, however, are pretty forgiving in that department, especially considering it is a toy that flashes and floats.
I’m not a fan of mandatory double offers, so you may want to look for it in stores in order to get the best deal, and to avoid shipping costs.
Overall, Whirly Ball is destined to be a popular toy that will bring kids hours of enjoyment. This could be a hot item around the holidays.
When I brought Whirly Ball home, it fascinated my teenage kids – and myself.
It’s actually pretty fun.
Video Review
Check out the full video review below.
Your Whirly Ball Reviews
If you’ve used Whirly Ball, let us know what you think by leaving a comment below and a star rating above.
Updated September 2022
yes just purchased the Whirly Ball today. it was great. lots of fun and very entertaining for the whole 15 minutes we owned it. played with it once.. charged it… played with it a second time and the thing just kept going higher and higher… we tried to follow it but it wouldn’t stop. like seriously 1000 feet in the sky until you couldn’t see it anymore!!! I am contacting customer service and can report the outcome. but honestly it was a great toy. i would recommend it. We… um.. adults… 33 and 44 (kids at heart) were laughing, getting… Read more »
Hi there. That’s interesting. I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to do that! Mine has never gone more than about 15 feet in the air without coming back down. Sounds like make a sensor was damaged or defective. Would be interested to see what the company says in response.
yeah. not surprised. I’m getting the run around. The store tells me to contact customer service costumer service tells me to go to the store lol. i left a pretty funny message similar to my earlier post here.. with an added p.s. my inner child is crying…and I got a lame response back but that’s ok… better than being ignored i guess.. now to play which one is gonna cough up the money or toy. Dear Valued Customer, we thank you for your business, we will be more than happy to help you please contact the store that you have… Read more »
I bought the whirly ball and Ian very disappointed in it . altho I liked the fact that it did what it said it would do I do not like the fact that it hit my wall , fell apart and broke in the first 30 min.s that I had it .I watched videos of it before I tried it and not one showed it falling apart and breaking but it showed it hitting walls floors etc… IAM not happy with it all it can not hold up.
Bought one for our granddaughter for Christmas, and she loved it. Well, for about 10 minutes. Then, the on-off switch fell off onto the floor, and now it’s a non-whirly paperweight. She’s not nearly as excited about it.