Custom vs. Standard Stress Balls

Promo Expert

Published: May 11th, 2020

Choosing which stress ball to give away can be, well, stressful. We have a ton of options to choose from (really, there are thousands of them on our website). With so many great options available, how can you possibly choose?

If the only thing you're sure about is that you want to put your logo on a stress ball, it can still be a mountain of a task to decide what kind of stress reliever, in addition to figuring out the color, imprint design, and more.

But don't worry! Most stress balls are affordable, and offer a range of versatile designs to choose from.

Which Stress Ball Should I Buy?

The decisions don't stop there...did you know you can also design a one-of-a-kind custom stress ball? You sure can! Take a look at the photo to the left to see a few examples of custom stress balls we've made (Bubba is actually a custom one too, but he also just wanted to be in the photo).

Now you might be wondering...what goes into a custom stress ball? How much more will it cost? Take a deep breath. We're here for you. We'll take a look at both standard and custom-shaped stress balls, giving you information on both so you can decide which is best for your company.

Take Stock in Our Stock Shaped Stress Balls

First, we begin with the standard stress balls that you'll find on our website. If you look at our stress ball category, you'll come up with nearly 1,900 different squishy relievers. You can get anything from our famous Round Stress Reliever to the not-so-well-known Buttocks Stress Ball. Essentially, you can be as generic or as specific as you like.

So even within our basic selection of stress balls, it's not surprising if you start feeling overwhelmed. We like to compare our selection like a restaurant menu. When you go to a restaurant, sometimes it's difficult to choose what you want to order. Instead of ordering something you've eaten before, it can pay to experiment and try something new!

You'll also notice some stress balls on our website look almost identical to each other. Many of the factories we work with make very similar stress relievers. Despite this repetition, we offer multiple vendor options to help keep costs down and offer you the best price.

With that said, let's take a look at a few pros and cons of ordering a standard stress ball:

Pros

The production time is shorter. Compared to a custom stress ball, getting a stock-shaped stress ball with your logo on it can take significantly less time (more on this later). Some standard stress balls can begin production within a day of you confirming the order for us.

Overall cost per item is less. This one is pretty obvious. Stock stress balls already have their molds created, and hundreds have probably been made. That reduces the cost per stress ball compared to a custom stress ball that has never been made.

Lots of different options. Like I said above, there are almost 2,000 different stress balls just waiting for your logo. So, if you don't have the budget to create a custom one, you're sure to find one that will work well for your company and advertise your business effectively.

Faster ordering process. When placing a custom order, you'll receive a manageable amount of item and imprint color options to choose from, making it easy to find the best product for your business. You don't have to waste your precious time browsing through the unlimited choices you might get with standard stress relievers.

Cons

It's already been done. Your company logo will make it unique, but chances are another company has handed out that Football Stress Reliever at local high school football games. However, it doesn't mean you can't still do that, or that it won't have a positive impact on your brand. Just remember that when choosing a stress ball, another company has likely already picked it out before.

It's not specific to your brand. We know, we said in the "pro" section that we have a lot of options. However, even with the thousands of stress balls available, it's possible you want a unqiue design that is strictly geared toward "your brand." That can only happen with a custom stress ball.

There are some limits when it comes to your design. The word "standard" is key here. These stress balls already have their design, color, and imprint location set. You might be able to pick out a different color depending on the type of reliever you choose, but generally the more unique the shape, the fewer options you have when it comes to choosing a color and imprint location. So overall you lose some customization.

Get Personal with Custom Shaped Stress Balls

If ordering our standard stress balls is like picking something off a restaurant menu, then designing a custom stress ball could be compared to creating the menu itself. There are still some rules you need to abide by, but by and large, you get to tell the chefs what they're making.

Designing your own custom stress ball can be a daunting task, but we're always here to help. To start, we need a picture or a drawing of what you are looking to get. It can be a very detailed drawing or a cell phone picture. Either way, we'll take it from there and create just what you want.

It definitely requires planning ahead, but if you have an annual event you know you'll have to prepare for or simply want to offer your customers something different in the coming months, a custom stress ball is great option.

Alright, let's take a look at some more pros and cons:

Pros

No one has it. Again, a pretty obvious positive. Your custom stress ball means just that; it's custom to your company. No other business will be able to hand out that exact stress ball. So if you're looking to completely stand out, a custom design is the way to go.

It perfectly matches your brand. Similar to the comment above, a custom stress ball is purely your brand. Unlike that Hamburger Stress Ball, which simply relates to your restaurant, you're designing a product that will display your brand's direct vision. So the mascot you've had on your website for years can come to "life" in stress ball form. Just ask our mascot, Bubba; he loves it.

You have more control. You send us the shape you want, and we make the stress ball. But it doesn't just end there. You have control over the shape, color, and imprint design. You'll even get an email with an image of the 3D wax sculpture, and we can tweak it however you'd like. In short, this is your stress ball from start to finish.

Cons

There's a longer production time. It can take anywhere from 12 to 18 weeks to get your custom stress balls, compared to a few weeks for standard stress balls. The times vary depending on overseas holidays and production times. Our factories also have to create your specific mold for the stress balls, so that adds to the wait time. Again, planning is the key.

The cost is higher. Creating a brand new mold also adds to the cost. Some standard stress balls can cost less than a dollar a piece, but custom ones are usually a few dollars, which adds to the final cost - especially when you consider our final con.

You need a high minimum quantity order. There is a minimum quantity of 1,000 units. This is because it can take a lot of resources to make your custom mold and the dye blocks that will be used to add color. Production facilities are very precise when making your custom stress ball, so the cost is defrayed on a per unit basis.

Back in the day, the minimum quantity for custom stress balls was 5,000, but due to greater efficiency in the production process, it was lowered to 1,000. So who knows, maybe in the future that minimum could decrease again! But for now, it stands at 1,000.

When it comes to stress balls, we really know what's best. In fact, the Round Stress Reliever is consistently in our Top 10 Monthly List of Products! Bottom line, a stress ball (standard or custom) is a great way to get your brand name out in the open. After all, our own Bubba is a custom stress ball and the mascot of Quality Logo Products. If you ever have questions regarding what stress ball is right for you, call us! You can reach us on the phone 866-312-5646, email (info@qualitylogoproducts.com), or via live chat.