Phlat Ball Review

Reviewed by Deborah Banasko

As a family we love any sort of garden game, and the Phlat Ball really intrigued me as a hybrid of catch and frisbee. As the packaging states, you “throw a disc and catch a ball”, as this unique toy transforms from a disc to a flexible ball mid-air.  My daughter is aged 9 and my boys are 6 and almost 3, so I feel that we are equipped to give this product a good testing.

The Phlat ball arrived in cardboard packaging and was easy to open. I was surprised that the material feels slightly squidgy and rubbery; it is made of a soft plastic and very flexible. As a disc it measures 9 inches in diameter, reducing to 6 inches as a ball. It is waterproof, lightweight and comes in various colours but we received the red design with a black edged white-band around the centre. This was a hit instantly as it screamed “Spider-man vibes” to my boys! We actually refer to it as the Spiderman ball now.

The basic idea is that you flatten the ball into a disc by firmly pressing the top and bottom, then throw and watch it “pop” and transform into a flexible ball to be caught again. Flattening the ball is very simple and doesn’t require much effort as it is really malleable. My 3 year old could manage easily.

As detailed on the packaging, it does take a little time for the ball to “warm up” and return to the full ball shape but this sorts itself after a bit of play.  I wouldn’t say that it is a true ball shape, more of a slightly flattened sphere, but I think for this kind of toy you need to look beyond the details and just appreciate it as unique and something a bit different to play with in the garden.

There are ridges to assist with grip, and when catching it as a sphere there are 6 separated segments which makes it a little easier to grab and throw.  Whilst we all found this really fun to play, it didn’t really live up to its tag line; it rarely transforms shape mid-air, and more often it maintained the disc shape for a couple of throws before becoming a ball on impact with the ground or the person catching it. Now this may be due to my children being young and their throwing and catching range being short, it’s difficult to say. However on a positive note the kids didn’t care when it transformed, if anything it became a game of “don’t make it pop open” and we all squealed when it did. They loved it so that’s all that matters really.

If you already have a ball and a frisbee don’t disregard this as just a gimmick as you will still get plenty of play from this toy as it’s just something else to bring out to keep the kids (and teens) happy. As a disc it is chunkier than a frisbee and easier for younger children to catch.

The age recommendation is 6 plus and I would guess that this is partly due to you not knowing which shape you may be about to catch, and it is perhaps quite large for very small hands to handle and throw with ease. That said, my 3 year old loved playing catch over a short distance with it. He did trap his fingers within the spacings a few times but it didn’t cause him any discomfort and he wriggled them out again without panic, so the material is very soft. However as the disc often “pops” on impact, my toddler did catch it as it transformed into a ball and he got a little bump to the nose which startled and upset him. A perfect example of why this toy is aimed at older children!
All things considered I would say that this is most suitable from age 5 or 6 upwards, and I must stress the “upwards” part as I can imagine teens playing this in the garden, park or beach.

I would happily pay £5 for a traditional ball of this size, so £10 for something with that little bit extra it is a fair price point. There are different versions of Phlat ball and therefore various prices.  A huge bonus is that you can possibly store the ball in its’ flattened form in a rucksack for a day out or even a medium sized handbag… I say possibly as there is the risk of it popping into a ball!  This garden toy a great twist on catch and my kids love it; I can really see it becoming a favourite in the garden this summer.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £10

This product can be purchased from Amazon here.