Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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What cane tips do you like or dislike? (self.Blind)
submitted by Indigoal
My wife just started using the Omni -Sense cane tip. She says that it works much better on most hard surfaces than other cane tips she has tried, but it is a bit louder because of the rollers.
JKmelda 6 points 1y ago
I’ve only tried 2 different cane tips. A rolling marshmallow and a high mileage rolling ball tip, both from Ambutech. I prefer the rolling ball because it doesn’t get stuck on things like sidewalk cracks anywhere near as often as the marshmallow does. I really wish I could try the Omni sense because one reason I use a cane is for proprioceptive feedback because my body doesn’t always know where it is and where the ground is. The one issue is that I’m very sound sensitive and based on the videos I’ve watched where people have demonstrated the Omni sense I don’t think I’d be able to cope with the noise.
Question. Does the sound from the Omni sense make it easier or harder to listen to subtle echoes and sound changes like when you walk past a driveway between 2 houses?
Question. Does the sound from the Omni sense make it easier or harder to listen to subtle echoes and sound changes like when you walk past a driveway between 2 houses?
slotherwordly 5 points 1y ago
I, too, need assistance with proprioception and the Omni wheel absolutely gives me feedback much better than any other tip I've tried. I also have sound sensitivities (to loud noises), but other than it is a bit louder than tapping (depending on surfaces) I adapted to it nicely because the feedback I get from the Omni wheel is much more in depth. So for me, it's not a question of ease more it sounds .... different with more feedback than I got from other tips. It not so loud that it drowns out other sounds, at least for me. It took practice getting used to the tip and the processing the feedback. and honestly I'm so used to it now my brain automatically processes the rolling noise of the tip as background info that can be ignored for the most part. But that is me and my wonky brain's experience. I hope you get a chance to test it out. It was a game changer for me. I can do so much more with the Omni sense tip than I could any others I tried. The multidirectional aspect of the wheels is insane in ease of use.
DHamlinMusic 5 points 1y ago
I really like the high mileage rolling ball on my Ambitech.
Vicorin 3 points 1y ago
Metal or ceramic is a must. I use my ears so much, I appreciate the sharper auditory feedback
slotherwordly 3 points 1y ago
I love my Omni sense wheel. Your wife is correct; it's rather loud, but I kinda like it bc it lets my spouse (and others) know where I am. I tried both constant contact and the two point taps. I prefer the feedback from the constant contact that the Omni sense gives me over other constant contact tips I've tried. The other tips didn't hold up to the wear and tear as much as the Omni sense has. I went through two roller ball tips in a year before I found out about the Omni sense tip. This tip has lasted easily twice as long as my other tips I used and is still going strong. The only surface I have not tried it on is snow/ice conditions. I live in a semitropical climate and can only attest to it's ability to weather rain and slick streets quite nicely. It gets a little slippery on wet fallen tree leaves, but other than that has allowed me far greater freedoms and feedbacks than other tips.
Indigoal [OP] 3 points 1y ago
We will be getting snow and icy condition for 4-5 months of the year, so it will be interesting to see how well it does then
slotherwordly 2 points 1y ago
I would be very interested in hearing how it works for y'all in the snow and ice. I will be moving into that kind of climate and had done some research into the large flat disc tip for all terrain/snow/ice as an alternative for the Omni wheel if it didn't work well when I finally encountered those conditions.
Indigoal [OP] 2 points 1y ago
My guess is that the snow will clog up the side-to-side rollers and not function as well.
slotherwordly 2 points 1y ago
That'd be my guess as well. Sometimes smaller wet leaves will get rolled into the tip. They come out easily enough I've found but it does happen. The tip is heavier than the other tips as well. In deeper snow I don't see it being very, uh, useful. That's why I liked the idea of the all terrain flat disc for when I move to snow country. It was a shallow but wide disc to skim over any snowbanks and such. Not very useful where I currently live, but could be better for the snowy months than the Omni wheel.
Coloratura1987 2 points 1y ago
I love, love the ceramic cane tips from AmbuTech. It's the perfect combination between tactile feedback and durability.
I came from the straight NFB canes with the chrome tips. While AmbuTech does sell those, I find that scratching, scraping sound to be kinda grating, so the ceramic tip is much better and easier to listen to—even if you use two-point touch.
I came from the straight NFB canes with the chrome tips. While AmbuTech does sell those, I find that scratching, scraping sound to be kinda grating, so the ceramic tip is much better and easier to listen to—even if you use two-point touch.
rwbeardjr 1 points 1y ago
I also like the ceramic tip. It gives the most feedback and it moves very nicely across almost any surface.
JMMSpartan91 2 points 1y ago
I like omni sense but it pops off all the time.
I need to find a way to keep it on.
I need to find a way to keep it on.
SoapyRiley 1 points 1y ago
Ceramic tip for paved surfaces, high mileage rollerball for when I’m going to encounter missing sidewalks or grass/dirt and Rover wheel when I’m going to encounter lots of tree roots like when hiking.
SunStar5477 1 points 1y ago
I use the ceramic tip
Fredchasing475 1 points 1y ago
You folks that like Omnisense: did it take time to get used to the weight? I find even a regular ambutech rolling ball (which is about 30% lighter than the Omnisense – 67 g versus 100 g) takes a lot of force to move at the end of a 5 foot cane and my wrist/arm gets tired after about half a mile.
thisisjoshtseng 1 points 1y ago
Most of my canes have had rolling marshmallow tips. I started out with a pencil tip cane that drove me nuts after I took it out twice and it kept getting caught in surfaces and stabbing me in the stomach. Think most cane users who have tried pencil tips can relate.
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I briefly tried a ball tip before and didn't like it. I like to stand my cane upright and use my hand to fidget with it while standing around, on the train, etc, and that's not really possible with a ball tip.
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I find marshmallows work well for me and how I use them with the right hand technique, but am interested in trying the Omni sense some day.
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I briefly tried a ball tip before and didn't like it. I like to stand my cane upright and use my hand to fidget with it while standing around, on the train, etc, and that's not really possible with a ball tip.
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I find marshmallows work well for me and how I use them with the right hand technique, but am interested in trying the Omni sense some day.
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
The lightest is the nfb type cane tips so I like those.
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