Personally, I LOVE my pull buoy. I use it often with and without paddles to help me concentrate on my stroke (different aspects of it). Also, I think it helps me build some upper body strength having to pull myself through the water without the aid of my kicking legs. They're not that expensive, and I actually bought a kids one that was almost half the price of an adult sized one, and it works just fine. Just my 2 cents.