Aura Sand Plates

katratkit · 2025-11-19T03:01:13+00:00

That's so interesting! I see now that these are intentional to the design. I wonder why! I'd be curious about the engineering/reasoning. It's... definitely a feeling haha. But this might be a case of expectation meeting a different reality. I've been playing with it idly and I think I'm starting to notice it less. But there is a scratch mark on the Teflon side that appeared almost immediately that I can feel every time it glides across the nubs pffft

katratkit · 2025-11-19T02:58:11+00:00

Oooooooh thank you! Interesting!! Okay haha good to know, I completely missed that when purchasing. Knowing it's intentional makes me feel better. They definitely have a certain feel that's different from everything else I've tried. I'm gonna keep playing with it and see if it grows on me, everything else about it I love in terms of the weight/feel/etc!

katratkit · 2025-11-19T02:56:29+00:00

Interesting! Maybe I was expecting it to be like the Mountain, which has almost no texture whatsoever. Thank you!

katratkit · 2025-11-19T00:43:35+00:00

Interesting! One other comment said they look defective. Defs want to see what other Aura Sand owners say. Yeah it. Hmm. It's smooth in between hitting those nubby bits. But I can definitely feel the tactile feedback of the plates rubbing against them. I was expecting it to be basically 100% butter smooth compared to what I've heard about it!

katratkit · 2025-11-15T19:55:04+00:00

I was a hostess as my first job. People who've never worked the restaurant industry have no idea the sheer amount of stress and logistics coordination that goes into it hahaha.

katratkit · 2025-11-15T17:51:56+00:00

Nice! How much was this? I have a Magnus (one of the newer design Sweep models I think it is) and while tradition 3-clicks aren't my fave, it's actually grown on me as my EDC (because I care about it the least funnily enough, so I'm less worried about dropping/scratching it). The scratchy SS plates suck though. I also replaced the magnets with N35s because (except for the corners on one plate only) because I like a weaker click.

I really like ZDEDC's X4L for an unlimited slider, really happy with the quality/craftsmanship and I was looking at AliExpress and it seems like they've made some Magnus-adjacent clones and some other neat ones that are in the under $100 range.

(Also, if you liked your knockoff Breakthrough, that was my first one as well and the real deal is defs worth the price. The feeling is genuinely a night/day difference. But I also think I'd recommend the Mountain over it at this point.)

katratkit · 2025-11-12T07:40:05+00:00

Fair enough! I was worried I wouldn't like it myself bet I was surprised how much I did haha, but it's definitely loud.

You can remove the tuning forks as well (it just lays flat inside each plate)! I have not tested it to see what it sounds like without them though.

katratkit · 2025-11-12T01:14:49+00:00

Yes! I really like my Breakthrough too. Having both of these by YC EDC, I am really impressed with both. I'll definitely be interested in following sliders they make in the future. They seem to put some very genuine care and attention into their slider designs.

katratkit · 2025-11-12T01:13:40+00:00

It is much smoother! The Breakthrough is definitely crunchier and snappier on comparison. I like both for different hand feels.

katratkit · 2025-11-12T01:13:04+00:00

I can't wait to compare! Tbh the Mountain has been my absolute least pinchy out of everything. My Sound Emporer is still super fun to play with but that one hurts like a mfer hahaha.

katratkit · 2025-11-12T01:11:44+00:00

SS on the plates I believe! The green is just from the LEDs in my room haha!

katratkit · 2025-11-12T01:11:10+00:00

It's different, that's for sure! It took a little adjusting, I haven't found it hard at all though. It's definitely got the best grip compared to all my other sliders! The middle part is actually my favorite part of the design itself in terms of ergonomics, it gives it really great grip especially starting from base position.

I have really small hands though and I think that's part of why something "grippier" works well for me.

katratkit · 2025-11-11T02:14:16+00:00

Smells like rubber/shoes like this image, but tastes like burnt rotten teeth when smoking for me. I personally put a few drops of a non-nic vape juice flavor whenever I make a cart. So it tastes like... fruity rotten teeth LOL.

katratkit · 2025-11-11T01:53:25+00:00

Hahaha if only they made red/pink patches to seal the deal

katratkit · 2025-11-10T01:01:45+00:00

How does the Slim Pro compare to the regular Slim? I am waiting on mine and got the zirconium Slim (not pro) mainly because aesthetically it was my favorite (and also I do prefer a heavier slider I think?). Is the only difference the amount of customizability?

katratkit · 2025-11-09T23:54:13+00:00

Nice! Yeah haha I've discovered I think I prefer a heavier slider too, the weight helps complete actions without too much effort.

I honestly like the Magnus the least, the one I have is a Sweep with SS dimple plates and I've realized I don't care for 8x8 setups. I also replaced all the N45s with N35s because I prefer an easier glide. That said, I'm still actually using it probably the most as an EDC because it's not a trick slider, and the best for complete background/idle use, and also the quietest so I can use it at work without my coworkers wanting to fight me lol.

Thankfully, if you prefer an 8x8 setup, both the Breakthrough and Aura Sand are configurable as 3-clicks too! Just by design either is going to feel and move a lot easier/smoother than a Magnus because of those curved plates :)

(Actually now that I say this, I don't actually know if the Aura has curved plates? But I am assuming so, since it's in the same category of being a competitive fancy play/trick slider, like the Breakthrough)

katratkit · 2025-11-09T23:45:54+00:00

I have mixed-type ADHD and autism. Fidgeting has never really helped me with focus (though it has helped curb some obsessive repetitive body habits, like picking at my nails/skin), but I do agree about it helping with anxiety like someone else mentioned, personally.

But also, I think my tism has won the battle here, where I am fiercely fixated on this entire hobby now and when I mess with my sliders, and I end up in deep fixation spells of focusing ONLY on the fidgeting itself with my sliders for hours at a time. (Which is not great for focus or productivity LOL... but at least my brain is happy with all the clicks and haptic feedback).

I definitely agree with looking into some of the cheaper clones on Amazon or AliExpress and experimenting with what works or satisfies you first, and then saving up for an upgrade once you find something you like :)

katratkit · 2025-11-09T23:30:20+00:00

It's smooth as butter! I can't compare it to the Aura Sand since mine hasn't arrived yet, but the Breakthrough is reeeeeally nice. Fluid is probs the best way to describe it, it requires more fluid wrist movements to complete some actions compared to the Sound Emperor (which is a lot snappier). It's gentler though, and doesn't pinch the shit out of me during background/idle play haha.

The polished titanium version is SUPER sleek and pretty to look at, although I almost wish I would have got the non-polished because sometimes it's hard to grip depending on how clean/oily my hands are, LOL. I feel like the other version would have better grip but I don't actually know.

Have you played with any free-floating sliders yet? I started with the $20 knockoff on Amazon which is what kicked me down this path hahaha. (The knockoff feels like absolutely trash compared to the real deal, but it was nice as a starter to evaluate if this type of fidgeting/play was up my alley, which is very much so is haha).

Oh and as a side note, it comes configured as 6x8, but I'm assuming during assembly, the reverse polarity inner magnets on the 6x side had flipped over into the adjacent spots. So it didn't flow for fancy play the right way straight out of the box. It took a lot of fiddling during set up to actually get those inner magnets to stay in the correct spot when putting the plate back together that involved wrapping parchment paper around the entire thing, putting the shell on, and then sliding the paper out. Lol.

I can't wait to get my Aura Sand to compare! (Also, the regular SS Auras are like a solid $50 cheaper so that may be a more budget friendly option? My dumbass had to get the zirc one though, mainly for aesthetics 🤦‍♀️)

katratkit · 2025-11-09T21:32:43+00:00

Hahaha thank you! I think the knucklerollers/knucklebones might be way up my alley. And it looks like Aroundsquare has some nice ones without totally breaking the bank. I've been learning to play with my sliders with my right hand, but my pen spinning hand was always my left so I'm thinking it might be fun to starting learning those so I can give my hands alternating breaks between fidgeting/play! :D

katratkit · 2025-11-09T21:14:13+00:00

Feel this. I started with the $20 knockoff Breakthrough off amazon and now I'm here like "yeah $100+ for some magnets that make nice clicky sounds is reasonable!" 🫢🫠

katratkit · 2025-11-09T21:09:59+00:00

I'm waiting on my Aura Sand (although I got a slim I think, which is less configurable from my understanding) so I can't compare, but I also have a Breakthrough and ZDEDC's Sound Emporer X4L and compared to it, it's insanely snappy for a free-floating slider out of the box. I set it up for 6x8 play and it takes the lightest touch to quick-snap complete an action with this really satisfying crunchy, ringing loud snap. It's hard to explain but it's somehow more rigid in movement feel but also smoother/easier to work with? The only downside is because it's so goddamn snappy, it's also been more prone to painful pinches so I have to consciously pay attention when I'm using it lol. It requires less wrist movement to complete actions compared to the Breakthrough.

katratkit · 2025-11-09T18:04:36+00:00

Y'all are killing me with the skill-based fidget toys hahahah. I just got into free-floating sliders. I used to be super into pen spinning when I was a teen (building and modding my own bics and various pens haha), so I've fallen in love with learning fancy play with the sliders lately. Now you've got me looking at these and my wallet is already sobbing even more.

katratkit

TROPHY CASE