Thursday 4 August 2016

OSM Toy Review



A few weeks back I've been sent an OSM Toy by ChewiGem (here is their website: http://shop.educadora.nl/index.php ) and I would write a review about it in return. I'm always happy to do things like this, as it gives me an opportunity to try something new that might benefit me, and I can tell others about my experiences as well.

First of all, let me explain what an OSM Toy is. An OSM Toy consists of a few discs that can be interlinked, and then twisted around. You can add as many discs as you like (or as you have bought).
It looks like this:



Here is a link to a video on Youtube where you can see how the toy is being interlinked and twisted (I do not own this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGqM7w01Tvk

The OSM Toy can be used as a stress reliever and to stim (self stimulatory behaviour) with it. It can be very nice to use if you fidget with your hands a lot, like I do.

When I first held the toy in my hands, I honestly wasn't that impressed. I was excited to try it, but thought I would forget about it soon, and it would end up gathering dust somewhere in a corner. But then I tried it. I starting twisting it, while watching the tv, trying to relax from all the sensory input of the day. Before I knew it about an hour passed and my sister remarked that I must like the OSM Toy, as I was still twisting it in my hands. I barely even noticed until she said that! I was surprised. It did, in fact, subconsciously help me concentrate on the television.

I never review something just for myself. I want to know how others respond to it too. So I gave the OSM Toy to my sister for her to fidget with. She doesn't regularly fidget with her hands, like I do, but she does have a lot of restless energy that needs to get out in some way. So I wondered if the OSM Toy would help her relax.
Sure enough... About another hour later I remarked that my sister must like the OSM Toy too, as she was also still twisting it. She said it did in fact helped her relax and that the twisting is strangely addicting.

Soon my parents and brother saw the toy too and, without me asking them, they immediately wanted to try it and they liked it. It's a very simple toy, but the twisting is, like my sister said, very addicting and very relaxing.

There's actually very little negative to say about this toy. It does what it has to do and it does it well. If I did have to say something negative, I'd say that mine arrived with a tiny piece of one of the parts that interlink broken. You can see it in the picture below this paragraph. The bottom left black disc, where it interlinks with the white disc. But even though it's broken, it still interlinks and even properly twists. I have to say I'm pretty amazed by that. The price is fine for one OSM Toy, but if you want more to make the circle bigger, the price adds up quickly. But even one OSM Toy works great, and if it really helps you a lot and you really want more, it is totally worth it.


I still pick up the OSM Toy every now and then. I alternate between my stress ball and the OSM Toy. When I feel the need to squeeze in something, I'll get my stress ball. When I feel more of a need to fidget around with my hands, I'll get the OSM Toy.