I was given the opportunity to purchase a limited run “Team Edition” Liopleurodon. Now it is not an official Team ILYY yo-yo, but it was given primarily to team members. I only know of three that have gone to people outside of the team.

When ILYY came up with the new Candodize finish, it was for a couple of reasons. First off they wanted a change. Frank and Dom had grown tired of the Candy Blast finish and wanted something new.  It also came down to personal preference. Keep in mind that all ILYY products are made by players, for players. Dom has started leaning towards a non-blasted finish, and the new finish was born from that preference. Finally they wanted a finish that was kinder to strings.

Here are my thoughts on the new finish.

Looks:
It looks fantastic; I love how shiny it is. This new finish just seems to catch the light better than any other yo-yo I have seen. I did not think anyone would be able to top the finish on a Candy Blasted ILYY product. Leave it to the original team to one up themselves.

Feel:
I feels so smooth to the touch. I can see how it is going to be kind to strings. I own a Saint Eel, Noctu, and Josy-Ann. All three of them cause the string to fuzz up a little bit after 30 minutes of solid play. I threw the TE Lio of a solid hour the first day I got it and the string still looks pretty close to new.

Play:
It is a pretty decent grinding surface. Not as grindable as the Candy Blast surface, but close. It will sometimes catch and shoot up my arm during a grind. Apart from the grinding aspect, it is a phenomenal surface. It does not impede thumb grinds. Finger grinds are also quite easy to pull off with the occasional catching issue. I would say that it is a half step down from the original Candy Blast surface when it comes to grinding; that is quite a feat for a non-blasted yo-yo.

All in al I love the new surface. It still catches the light like the candy blast surface while looking and feeling completely different.