Turning Board Reviews
The Frank Frog Pirouetter is by far my favorite turning board. It's made of wood (beautiful Canadian Maple), rather than plastic, so it's very durable. It doesn't scratch wood floors and the top has a nice non-slip surface so you can feel confident while practicing your pirouettes. You can use the board length-wise (so stand with your foot parallel to the board), on flat, or you can put the board perpendicular to your foot and releve'. I would recommend first using it on flat while you get used to it, and then try it on releve'. It comes in a nice, sturdy storage box, with your choice of colors; pink or black.
REEHUT's Turning Board is a little bit less expensive. It certainly does the trick, but it's plastic, so it has a lower weight limit of 176 lbs., which of course, for most young dancers is fine, but teenage boys or adults may exceed it's limit. Probably it's best feature is the choices of colors; pink, blue or purple. It does the job, helps with your turns, and is a little less expensive than the Frank Frog Pirouetter.
La Esmeralda is probably my least favorite, of these three, only because of looks. It doesn't have the presentation of Frank Frog's Pirouetter, or even REEHUT's turning board. However, the shape of it is a bit more conducive to learning to pirouette on releve', which is the point, right? (pun intended). My students didn't feel quite as confident at first with this turning disc, but it grew on them and they began to like it and felt it was more similar to turning without it than the other turning boards. A little bonus with this turning disc, there are color choices as well as the option for a carrying case. A little warning though, at first it's quite easy to be over-confident and send yourself flying off the disc!
There are a lot of turning boards out there. For the most part, you'll get what you pay for' whether you are paying a little bit more to keep it from scratching your floors or exceeding a weight limit, or your looking for something a little less expensive. I prefer the nice maple turning board for it's looks and it's durability.