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AESTHETICS
OF A BROOM
Types of
Brooms
The three standard types of brooms include: Wooden, Metal, and Plastic.
Each have their own merits. For example, wooden brooms can withstand a
good beating, but they pay for that strength with more weight. Weight
isn't exactly a bad thing though. It gives the broom momentum and
stability. Metal brooms, especially aluminum brooms, usually have hollow
shafts, drastically reducing the weight of the broom. Being hollow, they
break much easier. Also, the wind easily blows it off course and it can't
always handle collisions with obstacles. We learned this the hard way.
Chris's metal broom first started to dent, then it bent, then it was
folded in half. Being completely useless, I was able to easily snap it in
half. Altogether, that broom lasted about 3 days, if that. Plastic brooms
are slightly better than metal, but you should beware of cracks, which are
potentially dangerous. These too are also hollow.
Choosing A
Broom
When choosing a broom, look only for the standard "kitchen"
broom or "angled" broom. Brooms with long and wide heads are not good for throwing.
The classic broom is the wooden broom. Strong and heavy, this broom is the
standard of the pro's. Metal brooms exist too. In fact, they are
more common than wooden brooms. Unfortunately, they are not as good as a
decent wooden one. Plastic brooms. To be honest, I've never used one
before. I can't really tell you much about them, except that they work
more like metal brooms than wooden ones, though they seem to be sturdier. As with all brooms: Sharp
ends are dangerous. Use common sense in where you throw them.
Broom Upkeep
It is important to spend at least a little time on maintenance for your
broom. Wooden brooms especially have a tendency for repairable damage.
What I've found to be particularly useful is common duct tape. It can be
wrapped around the shaft to cover splinters and it can be used to fasten a
loose broom head. Be sure when doing that, that the broom head is on
straight, or else the broom's flight could be disrupted. Also, if the end
of your wooden broom starts to crack, be especially careful around other
people. A sharp end is very dangerous.
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