Brett

Introduction

Square Wheels is a new yo-yo company based out of Kansas City, MO working in conjunction with Blake Freeman. Blake is no stranger to the yo-yo scene; he is one of the founders of the Kansas City YoYo Club and the organizer of the Kansas State YoYo Contest. I first contacted Blake, who has become sort of the “face” of the company, after seeing the first run with their absolutely insane finishes. While it is true that books and yo-yos are the same in the sense that you never judge a book by its cover or a yo-yo by its ano job, I had to see one in person. Looking at the photos you can see why. The Royale, the freshman effort from Square Wheels, seems to have it all on paper; good looks and people who know a thing or two about yo-yos. Now it is time to see if the Royale can carve out a place amongst the yo-yo nobility.

Specs

• Diameter: 54mm
• Width: 43mm
• Gap at bearing: 4.4mm
• Weight: 66 Grams
• Bearing: C-Size TerrapinX
• Response: Black RTV Silicone

Construction

The Royale comes shipped unassembled in a standard USPS shipping box. It is fit snuggly in a custom cut black foam insert that ensures it will arrive in pristine condition. While it is not the flashiest box, there is something about putting the yo-yo together for the first time that is quite satisfying; it was something I always appreciated about H-Spin’s packaging. Once assembled, and with a fresh Toxic String installed, I began to inspect the yo-yo. The profile is dominated by the absolutely huge rounded rims that attach to a pair of near 45-degree inner walls. The walls transition to a moderately high walled inner gap leading straight to the bearing. The profile allows the yo-yo to rest comfortably in the hand with your middle finger laying snuggly between the rims. The outer edge of the rims could use a slightly rounder edge. As is, if the yo-yo returns at an angle it can hit hard and cause a little pain in the palm. The cup of the yo-yo shows off a wide-open cup area, the floor is completely flat but the sidewalls follow the curves of the reverse side catch zone. There is absolutely no IGR carved into the underside of the rim. At the center of the cup is a small but very sharp spike that should be sufficient for matador play, more on that later. The finish of the Royale is soda blasted making a velvety soft feel. The coloring on the Royale line is just plain nuts, to put it mildly. While the solid colors and splashes are old hat Square Wheels’ “chipped” finish is something I have never seen before. It looks just as the name states, like someone has chipped the paint off of it exposing a secondary color underneath. The effect is eye catching to say the least. Being a freshman effort means there are bound to be a few rough spots but over all I could only find one, the rim edge. Overall this is a well thought out design with some killer aesthetics.

Weight

The Royale has a stable and floaty feel on the string. This is not a speed demon type yo-yo. I found it to be more of a chilled out throw that was very comfortable moving at a medium pace. Perfect for those times when you want to just relax and move from trick to trick. The rims give a good amount of spin so you will have plenty of time to get your flow on. While it feels most comfortable during those relaxing type sessions if you need it to go faster it most definitely will accommodate, but at its heart the Royale plays like it was made for those that just want play and not worry about the world around them.

Response and Bearing

The response in the Royale is black RTV silicone, which provided a nice tight bind. I did not have a single problem with slipping binds of any kind. The impressive part is that the silicone was expertly poured in my review unit. I don’t use anything but clear flowable just because of its self-leveling nature. I have never been able to get a decent installation with other automotive silicones.

Square Wheels went with a TerrapinX bearing. In the literature for the yo-yo they state that the bearing was broken-in out of the box and loud… they were not kidding. While it give an amazing amount of spin I just could not take the noise for long so I pulled out some V4M and put a couple of pin drops in. Afterwards it was silent and smooth sailing.

Playability

As stated in the weight section, the Royale is smooth and stable. I love the floaty feel on the string during play as well. I did notice a miniscule amount of vibe that I was unable to tune out, think a notch down from the infamous CLYW vibe. It was only noticeable during grinds and did not interfere with any of the tricks. I have always said that if it doesn’t hurt the play I could care less about the vibe. During the play I found that even though the gap is high walled I was able to pull off any suicide I threw at it. Whip tricks and slacks were also easy to hit thanks to the large catch zone, even my sloppy Brent Stoles that Brett has teases me about. Grinds were straightforward and easy to do thanks to the soda blast finish. I found the large rims kept skin contact to a minimum while in the palm and on the arm allowing it to spin in place until I wanted it to move. Thumb grinds were a little tricky due to the total lack of an IGR, but with a little fine-tuning I was able to catch it after popping it up from a sleeper without needing to throw at a slight angle. Thumb grinds will always be slightly slippy with this yo-yo but can still be done with relative ease. The spikes are one area where the Royale really does excel. Even though they are short, I found them easy to grab and use for matador tricks and ripcord starts. All said and done I found the play to be extremely enjoyable from the Royale.

Final Thoughts

Freshman efforts can always be nerve racking on a new company. They will set the tone for how the community views them and can make or break a company. I am very happy to say that the Royale is a great freshman effort. The feel on the string is just as impressive as the ano job that it comes with. It is an easy to recommend yo-yo for anyone who wants to kick back and relax with, and let’s be honest that is why most of us throw in the first place. Just about the only thing I would ask from the Square Wheels crew is that their next design please include an IGR. other than that keep up the good work guys.

Introduction

Spartanik is a new yo-yo company out of Europe. What started out as a small joke design ended up being latched on to by quite a few players in the German and Italian yo-yo communities. As the company owner, who only goes by Sparta, explains he continued on with the manufacturing for two reasons:
1) He likes to finish what he started.
2) He was eager to give people an alternative to the big company and Chinese yo-yos flooding the European market.
I first took notice of the Rage of Achill design on the One Drop forums where he posted the initial CAD schematics that sparked quite a bit of discussion. From there, people talked about the whole design and I watched as it went from computer drawing to fully functioning yo-yo. Now we get to see if the Rage of Achill ready for prime time or if it is just an off color joke best forgotten.

Specs

• Diameter: 52mm
• Width: 42mm
• Gap: 4.3mm
• Weight: 66 grams
• Bearing: 6x13x5mm ILYY KMK Bearing
• Response: flowable silicone

Construction

One thing I should mention right off the bat is that this is a prototype. After having this run blasted and anodized a flaw was discovered. In order to achieve the desired weight while switching aluminum alloys the machinist used to make the run removed too much material at the angle where the rim meets the catch zone. The flaw causes the yo-yo to crack if it takes a hard hit. Spartanik has already begun correcting the problem by shifting a little extra weight to the area in question. I have been told that the newer prototype plays just like this one even with the shift so all play discussion in this review should reflect the final release. The only difference is that there might be some slight visual changes.

The first thing I noticed when I took the Rage of Achill (aka the RoA) out of its packaging is just how crazy it looks. There are subtle H-Shapes, there are crazy H-Shapes, and then there is this. Some will compare this to the H-Spin Envy and I can see that but this corrects the Envy’s biggest flaw, the catch zone. On the RoA the catch zone is more angled to help guide the string into the gap, on the Envies that I have played in the past the catch zone is almost horizontal and the string would stay on the inner wall during play. This would result in tilting and decreased spin times. As can be seen on the RoA’s profile the yo-yo is all rims connected to an angled inner hub leading towards the catch zone. The gap of the yo-yo is ultra low walled, almost completely eliminating string contact with the inner wall. Turning to the cup of the yo-yo we can see a spiked hub in the center and an IGR cut into the underside of those enormous rims. The yo-yo is bead blasted and anodized a pewter color. The blasting feels quite smooth to the touch and I did not notice it being to aggressive where it came in contact with the string. Over all comfort is decent but this yo-yo can be harsh during play. All the mass is concentrated in those flattened rims, which can be painful on a fast return to the hand. In the end I am a fan of the design, it is just what the community needs, an extremely unique and unorthodox design.

Weight

At 66 grams this yo-yo just screams on the string. It is a fast and stable player. The rims keep it from processing during play. You can slow it down a bit and still enjoy the play of the RoA but it is one of those yo-yos that seem happiest when it is speeding around on the string.

Response and Bearing

The response on the Rage of Achill is flowable silicone. It almost looks like Red Hot sILYYcone but it could just be red gasket maker. Either way it is perfectly poured in the groove and gives consistent binds during play.

The Rage of Achill actually has two options for the bearing, a standard large KMK bearing or a B!ST V-Cave bearing which is similar to a KonKave. I did try the V-Cave and it was decent but I found it had similar problems to other specialty bearing; specifically it bunched the string in the middle of the yo-yo hindering play. For all my play tests I went with the flat KMK. I found the play to be superior and I have always considered the KMK to be the best metric bearing on the market.

Playability

As I said above, this yo-yo screams on the string. It is quite fast while also remaining incredibly stable. Even though it is a fast player I did not feel like I had to rush to keep up with it, but that could just be because I am use to light and fast playing yo-yos. During play I was able to hit any and all suicide tricks I threw at it thanks to the ultra low inner wall. One trick I was also able to hit is the jade whip where you twirl the loop around a couple times before hooking the yo-yo. I do not remember the name of the exact trick, but it is one that has eluded me in the past. Hops where also quite easy to hit thanks to the super wide catch zone. I did notice that the angled catch zone guided string quickly into the gap but still gave a slight tilt if I brought the string up to fast and hit the catch zone. This is just an issue with these extreme H-Shape designs. Grinds where excellent due to the blasted finish. It is silky smooth to the touch while spinning on the hand, arm, or finger. I was especially impressed with finger grinds. I thought it would die out due to the increased skin contact afforded by the design but it gave stellar spin times when balanced on my index finger. Thumb grinds were well implemented but the opening is a little too small for my bulbous thumb. I sometimes got a rejection while catching the yo-yo on my thumb from a sleeper. I would end up hitting the spike dead on. This is not so much a design flaw as it is an “I have fat thumbs” flaw. The spikes were easy to catch during play and while balancing on my thumb or finger. Over all the play is impressive for such an unorthodox design.

Final Thoughts

Spartanik set out to give an alternative to the big name and Chinese companies flooding the market and I think they succeeded. The Rage of Achill is just one of those yo-yos that is a blast to play. You have no idea what to make of it when you first pull it out of the box but after a few throws you will be grinning from ear to ear. While it may have started out as a joke, it ended up being the best kind of joke. One that makes you laugh and smile while playing it. I honestly do not know if Spartanik has any further designs to bring to market after this, if so you have caught my attention with this one and I would love to see what comes next.

Introduction

My love of new companies is showing again. It always makes me happy when I get an unknown; there are no preconceived notions of how it will play. I’m not say preconceived notions are a bad thing, it is just that fans of One Drop, General-Yo, CLYW, (company of choice here) all know the play of their brand of choice. Even if it is a completely new, off the wall design from that company you will probably hear a player say “It still feels like a (insert company here)”. The new company we looking at today is G Squared, started by Brett Grimes and Jacob Gross. Brett and Jake are both passionate players, members of High Speed YoYo, and sponsored by Toxic String with Brett also being on the One Drop team. The backstory for G Squared is simple, both had met up for a Sunday morning video session and had an idea; why not make a yo-yo of our own. It was just that easy. A month or so later and the first prototypes came off the machine, the rest is history. Brett and Jake had a few extra of the retail run made with a special colorway that were to be given to friends, hence the funky blue/orange acid wash version in this review. When Brett gave me mine he asked if I even wanted to do the review since we are friends and all. My response was a less than elegant “heck yes”. I explained to him that I have friends at other yo-yo companies; I am not affiliated in the least with G Squared so why wouldn’t I want to review it? Now lets see what two passionate players can come up with when they put their heads together.

Specs

• Diameter: 56mm
• Width: 43.64mm
• Gap: 4.34mm
• Weight: 65 grams
• Bearing: One Drop 10 Ball
• Response: Clear Flowable Silicone

Construction

The profile of the Albatross shows off an organic rounded butterfly shape. This is a theme you will see throughout the Albatross, very few harsh angles. The large rims do a complete curve from rim edge all the way to the gap where there is a slight step out from the wall. The step out is there to reduce string contact and open the catch zone up a bit more. The cup of the Albatross reveals an interesting design choice. Instead of a smooth wall going from the IGR lip to the hub, they had a “stability ring” added to the inner wall. The ring gives a great aesthetic and makes an excellent channel for the IGR. The hub in the center is the only angular part of the entire yo-yo. Instead of a rounded hub, G Squared went with a trapezoidal hub giving a little bit of a break to the organic look. The finish of the Albatross is the standard Gruntbull blasted finish found on other popular brands such as VsNYYC and CLYW. The feel is slick in the hand and the colors are vivid. Over all I love the design of the Albatross. It has an extremely comfortable feel; I can tell a lot of thought was put into making sure that the yo-yo would cause absolutely no discomfort during play.

Weight

The 65 gram weight allows for a fast but slightly floaty feel. Thanks to the stability ring in the cup this is a rock solid stable yo-yo. I noticed no tilt during play unless I forced it, such as when I did a gyro flop. I expected the weight distribution to be spot on; the machining was out sourced to One Drop. The use of a veteran machinist with years of yo-yo experience shows. It pays to use an expert who can point out where the issues may be well in advance of actual production. Thanks to that and a great design, the yo-yo is graceful and quick responding on the string.

Response and Bearing

The response is the one area I am not fond of in the Albatross. Both Brett and Jake are huge fans of the feel of CLYW’s response. As such they went with a response groove with specs similar to the CLYW design. While it is a perfect response groove for silicone, I have personally moved away from flowable. I am a bigger fan of the Flow Groove Pad response due to the ease of installation and the quick return to play that they provide. Yes, I have become lazy; I would have preferred a Flow Groove Pad response groove that can easily double as a silicone response. On the bright side, I have been itching to try the CLYW Snow Tire response pads and this will give me an excuse to order a pair.

The G Squared team went with the One Drop 10 Ball bearing. Nothing more really needs to be said. It is one of the best in the industry due to quietness and durability.

Playability

Wow, just wow. I can definitely see Brett and Jake’s influence in the play of this yo-yo. Both have a lot of flow in their play style even though Jake can be more tech oriented at times. On the first throw I noticed how the yo-yo moved with purpose on the string while also having a little float to it. It is a medium speed yo-yo by nature but can easily be pushed into the higher speeds without feeling like it was being forced. The extra step out in the gap works exactly as intended, giving wide open loops for suicides of all varieties. The stable nature and wide open catch zone made for easy catching of even the sloppiest hops, including behind the head Eli Hops. While the Albatross is a full sized yo-yo it is still nimble during play while providing the extra spin time needed to perform my favorite chopstick trick, Guy Wright’s Chopstick Bunny. The Gruntbull bead blast made for excellent grinds of all kinds and the huge IGR channel under the lip was easy to catch when popped up from a sleeper allowing for quite a few thumb-to-thumb transfers. Just about the only thing the Albatross can’t do is matador play, other than that the play is perfect.

Final Thoughts

G Squared has made an amazing freshman effort. They are a textbook example of what can happen when you apply your extensive knowledge of yo-yos gained from years of play with many different styles and brands, pull out what you have found to be most attractive from those others, and then involve industry veterans in making your design a reality. While I might have made a couple of different design choices, as outlined above, these are just personal preferences and do not detract from this incredible yo-yo. I can see this dual signature series yo-yo of Brett and Jake’s being quite popular. I can’t wait to see what they come out with next.

Tomorrow 3/13 at 6PM EST HSYY will drop the first of the Albatross

We will have 3 colorways

Antiquity which is Bronze and Copper Splash

Cool Water which is Blue/Silver Acid Wash with a Dark Blue Splash

And one you read that right 1 very very special yoyo, only 4 exist and they are in the hands of Gsquared/HSYY/One Drop owners. We will have one to sell to the public and it will be the rarest of the Albatross.

See ya tomorrow..
Brett

Introduction

I am betting there are many of you out there who are unfamiliar with the yo-yo company known as Toxic or it’s owner Evan Evans. That’s understandable considering they started out as, and still are, Toxic Strings, maker of both Mark Montgomery’s and Brett Grimes’ signature strings. Boutique string makers dabbling in the world of yo-yo design has been a time-honored tradition dating back to 2006 when Paul Wallace worked with Chris Mikulin to make one of the most talked about and well-loved yo-yos in the industry, the Peak. Paul went on to form G-String, one of the most well known boutique string makers in the community. Today we are getting a chance to see the tradition continue with Toxic’s first foray into the yo-yo market, the Hazmat. Is Toxic ready to branch out into the yoyo world or should they just stick to making killer strings for everyone else?

Specs

• Diameter: 56mm
• Width: 42mm
• Gap: 4.57mm
• Weight: 65.5g
• Bearing: One Drop 10-Ball Bearing
• Response: Flow Groove Pads

Construction

The Toxic Hazmat is the brainchild of Evan Evans, owner and operator of Toxic Strings and it is machined by One Drop Yo-Yos. No, this is not a collaboration between the two companies. One Drop Yo-Yos has recently started up a machining division dedicated to helping other yo-yo companies produce high quality yo-yos without having to outsource the work overseas. A win/win for everyone involved, your yo-yo design will be made by a machine shop that specializes in yo-yo work and you get to pick the brain of a top notch machinist that works with the designer in order to make sure any issues are squashed well before the aluminum touches the lathe.

For his debut release, Evans designed a full-sized, hybrid H/V-Shape, and Side Effect enabled yo-yo. The profile of the Hazmat shows off a large set of angled flat rims that transition after a minor step down into an ever so slightly convex V-Shaped catch zone that ends at the response gap. If it weren’t for that slight step this would be a completely V-Shaped yo-yo, the step gives a little extra shift in weight at the rims allowing for greater spin times. The outer edge of the rims are rounded enough to reduce most pain inducing hits but every once in a while, when you are not paying attention, it will hit wrong and you will feel it. This is just a hazard of a mostly V-Shaped design. The face of the yo-yo reveals a deep cup complete with a slight IGR and a Side Effect hub in the center. The stock Side Effects are the standard spike SEs anodized in black. The finish of the Hazmat is Pyramatte tumbled then anodized in black, deep orange, or a 50/50 combo of both. Over all I am a major fan of the design, I have always loved the V-Shape and the feel that yo-yos with this shape give during play.

Weight

Full sized and 65.5 grams with spot on weight distribution makes for a swift yet stable yo-yo during play. The Hazmat moves at a fast but not unmanageable pace thanks to the spike Side Effects that come standard with the yo-yo. Being one that can never leave well enough alone, I tinkered with the Hazmat. I broke out my Novus full of various Side Effects and tested them all with the yo-yo. I can honestly say I’m torn at this point. The stock feel with spikes is great but aluminum Ultra Lights just make this thing fly. In the end Evan made a wise decision including Side Effect tech in the Hazmat. In the end it opens the door for anyone who likes the shape but may be hesitant by the weight.

Quick side note, while heavy is not my normal cup of tea, if you want to grin from ear to ear install RSM Side Effects in the Hazmat.

Response and Bearing

Evan decided to use Flow Groove Pads for the Hazmat, giving it an easy, reliable, and inexpensive response. Out of the box my Hazmat was dead unresponsive. I may try silicone in it once the pads wear out, just to see how it handles a slightly recessed response.

The 10-Ball bearing makes its way into another brand of yo-yos. I cannot complement it enough, so I will just end by praising Toxic for selecting high quality parts for their first release.

Playability

As I noted in the weight section, this yo-yo is quick and stable. I was able to keep it at a manageable speed with little to no effort needed. Giving it a little push made it fly, and swapping out the stock spikes for aluminum Ultra Lights made the Hazmat play at a pace just about two notches down from “Tasmanian Devil on a Red Bull” speed. The stability of the Hazmat was most noticeable when it was balanced on a finger using the spikes or a set of RSMs; it was hard to tell it was actually spinning. The V-Shape catch zone quickly guides the string into the gap, reducing the tendency to tilt due to the string getting momentarily caught on a sidewall. The quickness of the Hazmat made for near instantaneous direction changes during play. The response was just about perfect even when jamming multiple Lindy Loop string wraps into the gap, only getting snaggy when I pushed it to far. Grinds are well implemented thanks to the Pyramatte finish especially during arm and palm grinds where the rims edges were the only thing to come in contact with my skin. Just about the only area that this yo-yo falls short is during thumb grinds and as I have said before, it is more of an issue with the V-Shapes in general. The issue is most noticeable when trying to catch the yo-yo on your thumb after popping it in the air from a sleeper. The cup walls are a little too close to the IGR and it ends up rejecting the thumb. I have seen this with other V-Shape yo-yos, not just the Hazmat. If you transition from a trapeze into a thumb grind this problem is pretty much nonexistent. Other than this minor issue, the play of the Hazmat is spot on and extremely impressive for a freshman release.

Final Thoughts

After playing this I can honestly say more string companies should get in the yo-yo game. The Hazmat is a textbook example of how you put out a first yo-yo. I can see this yo-yo being popular with 3A players, competition players, and those who just love to tinker and have fun. I am looking forward to seeing what Toxic comes out with next.

Introduction

The CODE2: Nautilus (aka CODE2) is the next in the community-developed series that One Drop started last year. I have been a fan of these since day one. The fact that a company, any company, would turn their design process over to their customers is absolute lunacy… in the best way possible. The first CODE experiment was a more controlled affair where the community got to vote on each spec of the design. The CODE2 ramped up the concept and completely turned the design over to one lucky community member. The way it worked was that entrants had to submit a proposal on the One Drop forums during phase one of the process. During this time others could comment on the designs and offer feedback. Whether the entrants decided to use this feedback was totally up to them. After the initial phase a small committee selected a group of the top 17 designs and let the community vote on which one they wanted to see made. After two weeks of voting, Jason Rodriguez, J-Rod in the community, won phase two with 26% of the votes. Once that phase had concluded it became a one on one affair with One Drop and Jason hashing out the final details of the project. During this phase small tweaks were made to the final CAD designs before it was fabricated. Eight prototypes were sent into the community for one final round of feedback and tweaking before the retail release was machined. The kicker to this is that the initial prototypes were so well received that not a single change was needed, hence the prototype pictures in this review, it is what the community will receive when the retail CODE2s drop at Pacific North West Regionals; only the artwork will be different. With all the back-story out of the way we finally get to see if the CODE2 process is a success or if yo-yo designing should be left to the professionals.

Specs

• Diameter: 56 mm
• Width: 44 mm
• Gap: 4.7 mm
• Weight: 64.1 grams (base weight) 67.3 grams (w/ stock aluminum spikes)
• Bearing: One Drop 10 ball
• Response: One Drop Flow Groove Pads

Construction

The premise behind the CODE2: Nautilus design, according to Jason, was to put out a yo-yo geared for straight performance, especially in 5A and horizontal play, that was still comfortable to hold. To that end he came up with a wide, oversized, gentle H-Shape design. The profile shows off the large rims and that end at a slight step before entering the convex, grooved catch zone. At the end of the catch zone is a small step before entering the gap. The step is there to help reduce string contact with the inner walls. The outer edge of the rim and the catch zone are both rounded off making for a very comfortable feel in the hand. The face of the yo-yo reveals an extremely large, deep cup. The floor of the cup is flat with just the Side Effect hub in the center. Under the rim is a small IGR that should be suitable for thumb grinds. The finish is One Drop’s standard Pyramatte finish, giving the yo-yo a smooth pseudo blasted feel when you run a finger over it. Over all I love the design, which should not come as a shock to anyone who followed the CODE2 process. During the voting portion of the contest I told everyone that if they didn’t vote for my design please vote for this one, it was my favorite of all my competition. The design itself is extremely comfortable while hold and during play.

Weight

This is the first Side Effect yo-yo from One Drop that was designed to be heavier from the start. It has the heaviest base weight (w/o SE’s installed) of any Side Enabled yo-yo One Drop has produced. At 64.1 grams base it is actually heavier than the play weights (w/ SE’s installed) of all the other Side Effect yo-yos produced with their stock side effects installed. The CODE2: Nautilus ships stock with a set of aluminum spikes, which brings the stock play weight to 67.3 grams. At first I was apprehensive of the heavier weight but after trying it with all the other Side Effects at my disposal I kept coming back to the spikes. This yo-yo feels like the aluminum spikes were made specifically for it. It is stable on the string while remaining quick and agile.

Response and Bearing

The bearing was the only area that was not up for debate during the design process. Whatever yo-yo won would have a large 10-Ball bearing. This is not a massive issue; the 10-Ball is one of the best bearings in a market that has all but standardized on C-Sized bearings.

I was happy to see a design with Flow Groove pads won. While I like the old school .555 pads, I like only really needing to stock one type of pads in my kit, and they are not as messy as flowable. Flow Groove pads are an excellent alternative to pouring flowable silicone. They are easy to apply but also leave a deep response channel if you do decide to pour your own response.

Playability

The play of the CODE2 Nautilus is top shelf all around. On the first throw I was impressed with the smoothness of the yo-yo, it is one that you do not feel spinning on the end of the string. During my play sessions with the CODE2 I threw all I could at it, including my limited horizontal and 5A play at it. During my time I was greeted by a yo-yo that could flawlessly execute horizontal twirls and 5A nunchucks. As for standard 1A trick, this yo-yo is a pleasure to play. The wide catch zone is super easy to hit, making it great for fast paced competition play where speed can have a negative impact on the player’s accuracy. Loops stay open for all the suicide tricks including my favorite one and a half mount suicides off your throw hand index finger. The spikes make for excellent matador tricks. I found that the high rim weight and excellent stability gave the CODE2 some impressive spin times while it balanced on my thumb. As for grinds, the Pyramatte finish still holds up as an exemplary non-blasted finish. The IGR is a little shallow so thumb catches, when popped up from a sleeper, can get a tad slippy but not so much that they are impossible to perform. This is a small issue at most, the fact that the balance is spot on means that I really can’t complain too much. Changing the IGR could potentially mess with the over all feel of the yo-yo.

Final Thoughts

I am not the only one who is fond of this new yo-yo. Recently Plamek won EYYC 2012 using a CODE2 Nautilus. That pretty much sums up the play you are going to get with it. In the end all I can say is that I am still impressed by One Drop for giving a community member a shot at creating his or her own “signature” yo-yo. In the end I think One Drop has made a wise choice letting the community become involved in their business, it is producing some very impressive and innovative yo-yos to market. I can’t wait to see what the next yo-yo based CODE contest brings to the table and how it will top the CODE2 Nautilus.

On a side note, the CODE experiments branching out beyond just yo-yo design. One Drop team member Graeme Stellar is currently heading up the CODE3 competition where the community is designing a new trick with each step of the trick being submitted by random player. Head over and check it out, free yo-yos and your steps immortalized in a trick are up for grabs.

Ends tonight Valentines Day at Midnight EST..

Brett

Introduction

The Decapod was the first yo-yo design shown by recent start up Ten Yoyo. The unusual design was the first thing that got not just my attention, but also the attention of many others in the community as well. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t slightly disappointed when they put this yo-yo on the back burner in favor of releasing the Wet Whistle. At the time I was not the biggest fan of the ultra wide designs that were popping up in the market, but if you have read my Wet Whistle review you know my opinion has changed on that subject. I don’t know if they just wanted more time with the Decapod design or if they felt the Wet Whistle would make a better freshman splash on the market. At this point I’m not worried about it, the Decapod has recently dropped on the industry and I finally get to review this unique yo-yo.

Specs

• Diameter: 54mm
• Width: 38mm
• Gap: 4.6mm
• Weight: 64.5g
• Bearing: Crucial V-Groove
• Response: Flowable Silicone

Construction

Oh how I wish this had come in the retail packaging. I love when companies go out of their way to do something special with something as mundane as the box the product comes in. The current king of outlandish packaging is Crucial, who has in the past used school milk cartons, ice cream pints, and mini shoeboxes. Looks like Ten YoYo is giving Crucial some competition with the Decapods butcher inspired packaging. The Decapod comes shrink wrapped on a Styrofoam butcher tray, the type that a T-bone steak would come on, and then they take the extra step of putting a butcher scale style sticker on the shrink wrap to complete the look.

Photo courtesy of the Ten YoYo Facebook page.

The Decapod is an exaggerated H-Shape yo-yo design similar to the Hspin NVX. The profile shows medium sized rims with a deep concave cut swooping into the gap. The gap, on first inspection, looks high walled but a closer look reveals a slight angle leading into the response, keeping the walls away form the string. There was one surprising feature that had not been mentioned before. In the catch zone there are projection profile like grooves cut into the wall, but these are the thinnest grooves I have ever seen on a yo-yo. They almost feel like the grooves on an LP record. The face gives a good idea of just how thick those rims really are. There is a deep cup with a domed hub covering the entire floor. Under the rim is a slightly angled IGR, somewhat of a rarity on these exaggerated H-Shape designs. The yo-yo has the same military hard coat black that was on the Wet Whistle with a striking blue X logo on the center hub. If black is not your thing, the Decapod also comes in a raw 7075 aluminum version complete with the same blue X logo. Over all, the design is decently comfortable in the hand. The edge of the rim could be a little more rounded but other than that it is an elegant riff on the current H-Shape trend.

Weight

The Decapod is a lightweight 64.5 grams and almost all of that is in the rims. It is extremely stable with incredible spin times… with the right bearing, we will get to that in a minute. The Decapod is fast on the string, flying from hop to hop during tricks with near instantaneous direction changes.

Response and Bearing

The response for this yo-yo is poured clear flowable silicone, a switch from the Wet Whistle’s white flowable silicone. Both give excellent binds and dead unresponsive play. I personally preferred how the white popped against the black finish of the yo-yo but that is a purely subjective opinion. Lets be honest, we don’t spend that much time looking at the guts of the yo-yo. We are too busy playing them.

I don’t know if it is just the bearing in this Decapod or if it is indicative of the V-Groove bearing in general, but found this bearing was holding back the performance of the Decapod. It did not give a decent spin time even after repeated cleanings. I know the reason behind using it but honestly this yo-yo does not need a bearing to keep the string away from the gap walls. After switching to a 10-Ball I was getting much better performance. All the opinions in the play test section based on my play with a 10-Ball installed.

Playability

This yo-yo plays incredible. The lightening quick speed coupled with the large H-Shape catch zone make for a fast yo-yo that is still very easy to use, even at an intermediate skill level. Jade whip, Ninja Vanish, and plastic whip felt easier than usual to hit. Eli hops and Black Hops were also a breeze, even when done sloppily, thanks again to that catch zone and the slight angle on the rims that guide the string into it. Suicides are a trick made for these extreme H-Shape designs. The lack of a wall and little to no obstructions in the catch zone mean that the loops stay wide open the whole way through. Most grinds on the Decapod are top notch. The grooves act as a blasted surface so finger grinds spin for quite some time. The yo-yo rides on the slim edge of the rims during palm and arm grinds leaving little to come in contact with skin and reducing sudden shots off the arm. Thumb grinds are good but can slip off every once in a while. If the angle of the IGR were slightly steeper it would alleviate this small issue. Overall, I loved the play of the Decapod and can honestly say that it may have just taken the crazy H-Shape crown away from Hspin.

Final Thoughts

The Decapod is a brilliant playing yo-yo. Do not let my comments on the bearing sway you from thinking anything less. This is a near perfect follow up to the Wet Whistle and proof positive that Ten YoYo has no problem squeezing the absolute best performance out of some seriously off the wall designs. Roo and Wabbit have done another amazing job and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.

The specs are as follows:
56mm diameter
43.64mm width
4.34mm gap
65 grams

Introduction

It is the beginning of a new year; so that means yo-yo companies are gearing up to top the successes of the previous year. This means ramped up production and more importantly brand new designs. ILOVEYOYO is starting off the year with a brand new entry in their budget line of yo-yos. I have eagerly been waiting for this new design to hit my door for several reasons; chief among them being that the first budget ILYY, the Void, is in my opinion one of ILYY’s best designs to date. At this point lets dispense with the lengthy intro, dive right in, and see if this is a worthy successor to the Void and another great entry in ILYY’s more budget oriented line.

Specs

• Diameter: 54 mm
• Width: 42 mm
• Gap: 4.10 mm
• Weight: 65.5 grams
• Response: Large KMK Metric bearing
• Bearing: ILYY sILYYcone

Construction

If there is one thing that ILYY has always been known for, it is the absolutely stunning and vivid colors of their yo-yos. The Valve is no exception, the rich emerald green used on it is pretty much perfect. The Valve is a slightly rounded V-Shape design, a shape that I have always been fond of due to its excellent weight distribution and wide-open gap that expertly guides the string into the gap. The rims on the Valve are rounded off, giving a comfortable feel in the hand while holding it and during bind returns. The gap area has almost no wall to it what so ever, which will only help add to the performance during play. The cup of the Valve is large thanks to the full size design. The entire hub area is lifted directly from the 2011 Saint Eel, complete with the easy to use spiked hub. There is a small IGR lip on the undersides of the rim, whether or not that is enough for thumb grinds will be discussed in the playability section. The finish on the Valve is ILYY’s hard coat Candodized finish. I am torn on the finish, while I would love to see the Valve in a Candy Blast finish (Frank stop rolling your eyes at me) I think that the blasted finish would detract from the striking green color. Overall I am impressed with the deceptively simple design of the Valve, it feels great in the hand and looks great while flying around on the string… all while maintaining an understated and classic look.

Weight

A 54 mm yo-yo with a 65.5 gram weight, I can live with that. Specs like that give the Valve a moderate amount of speed without making it feel like it is out of control. The pushing of the weight towards the rims gives the Valve an increased spin time while remaining stable throughout play.

Response and Bearing

The response is the always-impressive Red Hot sILYYcone response. As we have seen in recent months custom silicone, like Monkey Finger’s Monkey Snot, will sell if offered to the public. I wish Frank and Dom would find a way of packaging their Red Hot sILYYcone in easy to use applicators, I think it would be a hit.

The KMK bearing is still tops among the metric bearings on the market, although I am noticing that they are arriving a little louder than normal lately. I don’t know if it is the humidity causing issues in transit from Europe or a change in manufacturing. It isn’t a huge issue, more of a preferences sort of thing. A simple lube job later and it is quiet again.

Playability

On first throw I was rather impressed. The balance and speed is spot on for my play style. I found that even though it naturally wants to play at a nice even pace, the Valve could easily be pushed towards speedy play without much effort. The low walled gap made learning Jake’s 360 Red Triangle Suicide a whole heck of a lot easier. The loop stayed open long enough to hit the suicide a couple of times. The spikes on the Valve are sufficiently pointy enough for rip starts and matador play but may not be long enough for players with smaller hands. Even with the Candodized finish, grinds were more than acceptable. I didn’t have any major issues with finger, palm, or arm grinds. It just had the occasional desire to catch and shoot off but that was only after coming from the winter cold of outside into my much warmer house. Thumb grinds were easy to pull off as well thanks to the deep cup and slight lip. Over all the play is spot on for the Valve.

Final Thoughts

This is another great addition to ILYY’s budget line and another stellar player for the company. I really like this push towards lower prices from ILYY and I hope it entices more players to give the company a shot. As for whether I find this to be a worthy successor to the Void… heck yes and then some. I am going to have to find one to add to my collection. If this is how ILYY is going to start the year, I can’t wait to see what they do over the next 11 months.

Finally we have the team of General Yo and Brett to bring a very unique and limited edition Entheos to the store, each yoyo is hand swirled in faded red, titanium, and white paint. No two yoyos are alike, each one is unique. Limited to 4 yoyos ever. This is one you General Yo fans dont want to miss.

Introduction

The Duncan Freehand, in all its various forms, has become a staple in the industry. In its stock configuration it has become THE entry-level yo-yo for most everyone beginning to learn the sport. The history of the Freehand line is pretty much common knowledge. Steve Brown, while employed at Duncan, developed the counterweight style of yo-yo play and the original Freehand to go along with it. Production on the Freehand stopped after the original mold broke. The design was later picked up by Bandai in Japan who added the friction sticker lip to the gap section of the yo-yo and a clear die counterweight, one of the most sought after accessories on the market today. In 2004 the design was reintroduced by Duncan as the Freehand Zero, complete with the new friction sticker lip. Since that time the Freehand Zero (aka FHZ) has had many runs using various types of plastics and has become one of the most modded yo-yos on the market today. Recently Duncan released an updated version of the FHZ, one that is more than just a pretty new plastic. This new design adds the light technology from the Duncan Pulse line of looping yo-yos and the recessed sticker response from the Freehand 2. My love of all things light up has made this a must have for review, so lets just dive in and see what it can do.

Specs

• Diameter: 57.17mm
• Width: 38.1 mm
• Weight: 70 Grams
• Bearing: Small A-Sized steel bearing
• Response: Duncan Friction Stickers

Construction

The FHZ design is pretty well known in the market today. It is a classic butterfly shape with a thin width. Not much has changed until you start inspecting the guts of the yo-yo. When you open it up you will see the newer recessed response system, which keeps the sticker away from the string during play. Everything else has stayed the same; the spaced system and the hex nut and bolt… everything. The other major design change is more “under the hood” so to speak and is hard to see until you pop off one of the caps. In the cup, under each cap, is a hex shaped piece of plastic that houses two batteries, a tri-color LED, and a centrifuge switch. While spinning the switch turns on the pulsing tri-color LED and turns this from an ordinary looking yo-yo into an experience reminiscent of a rave. The edge glow translucent plastic on the FHZ I received catches the pulsing light. The other pack in with the Light Up FHZ is a clear light up die. The new die is similar looking to the Hyper Freehand Die with one huge exception. There is a small recessed button on one side. Once it is on, the new die lights up with an intense blue glow. Not exaggerating here, but I was able to light a completely dark room with the one die. Over all this new FHZ has changed just enough to make it feel fresh while still retaining the classic FHZ design that everyone has grown to love.

Weight

At 70 grams this is a heavier yo-yo. I would have preferred slightly lighter but it really was not a huge problem, it was still decently quick on the string. The light system did not add enough weight to cause the yo-yo to become clunky on the during play.

Response and Bearing

The new recessed response is a much-welcomed improvement to the design. It is still responsive on the string but quite a bit less so in its stock state. Fresh out of the package I found the Light Up FHZ to play about as responsive as an older version with completely worn in pads. It was easy to achieve near dead unresponsive play fresh out of the packaging simply by removing one of the pads.

The bearing is one of the areas I would like to see a little improvement in. I have played stock FHZs and large bearing mod FHZs in the past and I find that the large bearing FHZs tend to have a better level of play. The reason for this, in my opinion, is that they open up the gap quite a bit.

Playability

The improvement to the response system alone changed the way that this yo-yo handled over previous versions, and in my opinion it is for the better. I found that this FHZ was much less prone to coming back and biting me on the knuckles before the stickers were fully worn in. As far as my standard level of tricks, I found that whips went fine while suicides suffered slightly due to the tight gap. Grinds were non-existent in any form because of the smooth plastic and caps over the cup. My 5A play is horrible on a good day but I had to try just to have an excuse to use the light up die. I was able to pull off the front style trick Nunchucks as well as learn Bee Sting without much problem. Over all the play was enjoyable and I found that this is a perfect yo-yo to start your 5A journey simply because it is cheap enough that you don’t mind when it goes flying into a wall… or concrete.

Final Thoughts

Reading the review above makes the Light Up Freehand Zero sound as if it were just an OK yo-yo. Here is the thing, take every criticism I have said and set it aside, while they are valid I can honestly say that this yo-yo is just too much fun not to play. The lights are just everything when it comes to this yo-yo. Playing it in a dark room is a treat for the eyes. I found that I wanted to learn 5a with this yo-yo just so I could come up with new ways of getting the die and the yo-yo spinning around on the string. Even with every negative I have said I have absolutely no problem recommending this yo-yo to those looking to pick up something fun to play.

Friend of the site, J-Rod, was kind enough to send this rocking shot of him throwing some 5A with the FHZ.

Introduction

The Greyhound is the last in ILOVEYOYO’s experimental series of yo-yo, but this one packs one major difference from the other two. This one is actually making it into the big leagues. The boys at ILYY decided that of the Trvth, PYBIT, and Greyhound the last was production ready. When I received all three a while back I had a feeling this yo-yo would make it, it was the most conventional looking of the three. Here is a basic run down of the Experimental Line, the Trvth was an homage to the Silver Bullet, the PYBIT was ILYY’s super wide, and the Greyhound is built for all out speed. After playing all of the experimental line I am glad to see one of them make it into production, lets see if they chose the right one do unleash on the public.

Specs

• Diameter: 53.90mm
• Width: 37.00mm
• Weight: 63.50g
• Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
• Bearing: ILYY KMK 6x13x5mm

Construction

The Greyhound comes in ILOVEYOYO’s standard red velveteen pouch with the ILYY logo embossed on the front. Once rested from the pouch I noticed that the Greyhound is a very rounded H-Shape. The profile shows off an unmistakable butterfly shape with a pronounced rim. The catch zone has a convex rounded wall traveling down into the slightly walled gap. What really took me by surprise was the thin width of the design. It isn’t super thin like the Trvth; more akin to the width of a One Drop M1. This wouldn’t be as eye catching as it is if it hadn’t been for the fact that it is a hair shy of being 54mm in diameter. The cup shows off a hub area lifted straight from the original E1NS design; all curves with not a single angle to be seen. The underside of the rim has a very shallow IGR cut into it. The Greyhound finish is the hard coat Candodize finish reserved for all of ILYY’s prototypes. As far as comfort is concerned it should go without saying that the Greyhound is ultra comfortable in the hand. The entire rounded design just feels right while in your grasp. Overall, the design has a lot going for it especially comfort and being pocket friendly.

Weight

Weighing in at 63.5 grams makes for a very quick yo-yo on the string. The weight feels evenly distributed throughout the entire body of the yo-yo. While this keeps the yo-yo feeling nimble, it has a slight impact on the stability, I would have shifted some of the weight towards the rims to increase the spin times and the stability of the yo-yo.

Response and Bearing

As usual the response is ILYY’s own red Hot SILYYcone. In the Greyhound I found the SILYYcone gripped better and reacted fast thanks to the reduced weight of the yo-yo. This made for incredibly tight binds.

The KMK bearing in the Greyhound is top notch as usual, but I did experience a little problem with the one here. Some dirt must have gotten in one of the balls locking it up. I gave it a lengthy mineral spirits bath and everything was right as rain. The only reason I mention it is to remind everyone to check his or her bearings before giving that initial test throw. Locked up bearings tend to make for a quick, unexpected, and painful return to the hand. All I can say… I’m glad my kids were not in the room.

Playability

With a name like Greyhound one would expect this yo-yo to be quick… but honestly I think Greyhound is a nickname, “Greyhound on a Red Bull” is just way too long. This yo-yo is incredibly zippy and light on the string. I hit on this in the weight section but I found that what I gained in speed I lost in stability. The Greyhound would tilt just a bit during play and I found that I had to compensate a little more than usual. After I got use to compensating I found the greyhound played well. It was able to handle my usual barrage of tricks. Even though there is a slight wall in the gap, loops stayed open during suicides. I was impressed with the Greyhounds ability to pull off most grinds. I have been a tad bit critical of the Candodized finish in the past due to it getting a little sticky and compromising grinds. With the Greyhound being so light I found that it didn’t want to dig in on finger, palm, and arm grinds. The yo-yo felt feather light while on my palm, it would just stay put and spin for as long as I would allow it. Thumb grinds were a bit of a mixed bag. The shallow IGR was a bit slippy. Adding a bit more mass to the rims would allow for a deeper IGR that would grip the thumb better. Over all the play of the Greyhound is impressive but there are a couple of small tweaks that could be made to make it even better.

Final Thoughts

Of the three Experimental Series yo-yos the Greyhound is definitely the one I would have picked for mainstream release. It is going to be a must have for players that love to throw at a breakneck speed. There are some small changes that could be made to flesh out the play but they are not deal breakers. Since this is the last of the Experimental Line I can honestly say that I loved trying all the crazy designs, I hope Frank and Dom decide to do this again. When they throw standard yo-yo conventions out the window they come up with some crazy designs.

- Brett

All other ordering is fine, so buy as you please tonight!

Introduction

Ten YoYo appeared out of nowhere several months back with a unique design that caught my eye… they called it the Decapod. When I contacted the owners of Ten YoYo, forum members Roo and Wabbit, I was told that the Decapod would be coming later. What really intrigued me was when they said they would contact me with information on their upcoming, patent pending, new release. Fast forward a month or two and the Wet Whistle is dropped on the scene. While the yo-yo is aimed squarely at the all-ages crowd, its inspiration came from a tool for the 21 and over set. The Wet Whistles ultra wide design was modeled after the jigger, a bar tool used to measure out spirits for mixed drinks. It just proves that when you run out of yo-yo ideas all you need to do is look to your environment. I have played several ultra wide yo-yos over the past year; all of them were unique but did not bowl me over. Will the Wet Whistle be the yo-yo that finally gets me to join the ultra wide craze that a lot of throwers seem to be joining at the moment?

Specs

• Diameter: 57 mm
• Width: 54.75 mm
• Gap: 4.6 mm
• Weight: 68 Grams
• Bearing: C-Sized KonKave Bearing
• Response: Poured White Silicone

Construction

Normally it takes quite a bit more than the packaging to catch my attention. I usually open the box or bag, snag the yo-yo, and then throw the packaging on the shelf so that I can ship it back after the review. Ten YoYo’s packaging grabbed my attention right from the start. The Wet Whistle came in a large, layered cardboard box with a blue and white slide off cover. I was expecting that with such a large box I would open it up to find each half separate… packaged H-Spin style. Instead a completely assembled yo-yo, a company sticker, a Twisted Stringz Type-B string, and a plastic looping yo-yo greeted me. You read correctly, Ten YoYo ships two yo-yos in every Wet Whistle box. Not much to say about the looper, it is an inexpensive plastic but still one heck of a pack in. Enough about the packaging, it made me take notice. Now lets get to the Wet Whistle.

The design of the Wet Whistle is a straightforward V-Shape profile with a small radius cut into the rims to aid in comfort. The catch zone drops into a slightly walled off gap area. The gap is not completely high walled, instead it is angled just enough to keep it away from the string. The face of the yo-yo shows off a cavernous cup. At the center of the cup is a small plateau with a spiked hub. There really isn’t an IGR in the cup area, which is quite common on ultra wide yoyos. The finish is a smooth subtle bead blast that is a hair rougher than One Drop’s soda blast. The wide feel of the Wet Whistle in the hand is just right for my larger hands but might feel a little bulky for throwers with smaller mitts.

Weight

Large yo-yos always seem to sneak past my comfort zone. These larger yo-yos need the extra heft just to feel “normal”. The Wet Whistle is no exception to this; it is a large yo-yo that weighs in at 68 grams. While that may sound a little hefty, keep in mind that it is also an ultra wide and over sized yo-yo as well. Given all of those factors it is surprising quick and agile on the string. The weight is pushed away from the center of the yo-yo making for a very stable amount of play. I found the Wet Whistle to have a little float to it as well.

Response and Bearing

The response of this yo-yo is poured white silicone. It is quite durable; after a couple weeks of play it is showing nothing but the slightest bit of wear around the edges. This white silicone gives incredibly tight binds while still remaining dead unresponsive.

The bearing is a deshielded, C-Size KonKave bearing. While I have never been a fan of the KonKave bearing due to it bunching the string up in the center of the yo-yo I did not find any adverse effects while playing it in the Wet Whistle. I did find a standard flat bearing gave me a little more control over string wraps and play.

Playability

Impressive, we should just start with that. Other ultra wide yo-yos that I have played have felt a little off to me, this one feels like a fleshed out yo-yo. I have always been a fan of the V-Shape employed on the Wet Whistle, with it straight shot from the rim to the gap. There are no steps or breaks to hinder the string’s travel towards the bearing. The Wet Whistle’s play is quick on the string and stable during tricks. The angled gap walls allowed the string loops to stay wide open during tricks like twirly bird and suicides. It also responded swiftly when a direction change was thrown at it. I loved that its wide stance did not hinder it during tight quarters tricks like Black Hops where you have to bounce between the strings of a Triple or Nothing. During grind play I found the finish to grind like a champ, being very close to the General-Yo finish in feel when it comes in contact with the hand. Thumb grinds are pretty much non existent on the Wet Whistle, but I was expecting this, I have not played an ultra wide that had an IGR on it yet. Over all I find this yo-yo to be a spot on, stable player that is outstanding on the string.

Final Thoughts

This is the ultra wide that has changed my views on this new trend. The feel on the string and the level of play that it gives is top notch. This is an absolutely amazing debut product from this young company. About the only thing I would change with the Wet Whistle is to switch out the KonKave bearing for a standard one. This is a completely subjective stance; others love the KK bearing. Other than that I am hard pressed to find a fault with this yo-yo. It is one of those rare review units that I am actually going to miss when I send it on. This is an amazing debut from Ten YoYo and I cannot wait to try more from this company.

He is off to a good start, check out his youtube channel here. http://www.youtube.com/user/Yoyomad1001?feature=watch

Introduction

It has been way too long between Big Brother reviews. The last BBYY review I wrote was back in the summer of 2010. I will be honest; this latest yo-yo came completely out of left field. I had thought that Doug Spence had gone on indefinite sabbatical when about a month ago I noticed a post by him over on YoYoNation showcasing his latest design. I asked him about it and he offered to let me review the then unnamed yo-yo. Flash forward to today and the review for the Big Brother Pixel. Lets see what this unique looking undersized yo-yo has to offer.

Specs

• Diameter: 50 mm
• Width: 46.5 mm
• Weight: ~66 grams
• Bearing: Steel C-Sized Bearing
• Response: Flowable Silicone

Construction

The best way to describe the profile of this yo-yo is simple. It is what happens when a tomato past can and an H-Shaped yo-yo breed. The profile on this is quite similar to the ILOVEYOYO PYBIT that I review earlier but with enhancements to that shape. Instead of having flat rims with high walls that drop straight down to the gap, the Pixel rims have a slight curve inward and a step. They also have an ever so slightly curved wall leading down to the gap. This give the Pixel a well-defined catch zone with gently curved rims that will guide the string where it needs to go. The face of the Pixel shows a cup completely devoid of obstacles. At the center is a small hub with a hole in the center that shows off the exposed tapped axle. On the underside of the rim is a shallow IGR that looks like it should be able to perform thumb grinds. The yo-yo has been bead blasted and anodized in a striking shade of green. I am not sure whom Doug uses for his bead blasting but it is unique only to his products. The best way to describe it is that it is a less aggressive feeling Candy Blast finish. The finish gives the Pixel a soft feel in the hand. When holding the yo-yo it does have a slight can-like feel to it but the curves take the bite out of any harsh edges that may hit wrong during play.

Weight

The specs say the Pixel weighs in at around 66 grams but I would hazard to guess that it is lighter, it zippy on the string with a decent spin time. I would have liked a little more meat on the rims for some added spin time but it still gives enough time to go through anything but a super long combo.

Response and Bearing

The Pixel comes with a recessed silicone response that was already broken in when I received it for review. Out of the box it gives dead unresponsive play snappy binds. I did not notice any slippage on the string while binding, even at lower speeds.

The bearing is just you standard 8-Ball, steel, crown cage large bearing. Big Brother has never sought out specialty or gimmick bearings. The one that came in the Pixel was louder than I like but a quick lube job later and I was ready to go.

Playability

The Pixel has that strange feel to it that most can shaped yo-yos have, like it just does not feel right in the hand. On the sting though it is a different story entirely. It is zippy through the tricks with only a hint of vibe that I was able to tune almost completely out while messing with the axle. Whips and slacks were easy to hit thanks to the slight curve in the rims that would guide the string into the gap. This was especially helpful during Eli Hops. On the PYBIT I would hit the rim and the yo-yo would go completely off kilter, on the Pixel if I hit the rim the string would move towards the gap. The yo-yo would tilt a little bit but not as badly as with a straight rim. The inner walls are curved enough to keep the string isolated. This kept the suicide loops open. As I said in the weight section I would have liked a little more heft to the rims. I noticed that on longer combos I had to rush or the yo-yo would spin out. Not a huge inconvenience to me since I rarely throw super long combos, it is just a matter of knowing the limitations of whatever yo-yo you are throwing at the time. When it comes to grinds I whole-heartedly approve of this yo-yo. The finish on the Pixel allows the yo-yo to just sit on your hand or finger and spin for extended periods of time. Thumb grinds were equally impressive thanks to the addition of an actual IGR and a rather deep cup.

Final Thoughts

Odd shaped yo-yos have been making a name for themselves in the market lately and I can see the Pixel being no exception to it. The play of the Pixel is solid and the grinds more than make up for its spin times. This is a refreshing addition to the can shaped market as well as the undersized market. I am glad the leave of absence has not dulled Doug’s design skills. If the Pixel is a hint to a shift in his designs, I am eagerly looking forward to his next creation.

Now In Stock!!!

• Week of Dec. 04 - Ten YoYo Wet Whistle
• Week of Dec. 11 - No Review This Week due to work schedule
• Week of Dec. 18 – ILOVEYOYO Grey Hound
• Week of Dec. 25 – Holiday Break… we all need it
• Week of Jan. 01 – Duncan Pulse Free Hand Zero

Introduction

The Armstrong is dead… long live the Burnside. That pretty much sums up the story of One Drop’s latest release. The Burnside started out its life as the Armstrong, the signature yo-yo for Clint Armstrong. Clint was a recent, and extremely talented, addition to the One Drop Competition Team. As with everything else in the world, life happened, specifically school. Clint moved from the wilderness of Oregon to the desert of Arizona to pursue his career in high education. While this is great for him it left One Drop with a fully fleshed out signature design with no signature to place on it. Instead of just shelving the design One Drop did what any manufacturer would do, change the name and continue with the release. With the original intent of this yo-yo being a no holds barred competition yo-yo for Clint, I am curious to see how it stands without the signature status behind it.

Specs

• Diameter: 56.77mm
• Width: 42.55 mm
• Gap Width: 4.42mm
• Weight: 67.25 grams
• Bearing Size: One Drop 10 Ball Bearing
• Response: Flow Groove

Construction

The Burnside is an oversized, wide, pure H-Shaped yo-yo. The profile reveals a massive set of rims that angle towards the gap. The inner edge of the rim drops into a steep, concave catch zone that is wide open and extremely easy to hit with the string. The catch zone ends right at the response leaving absolutely no wall to come in contact with the string. The face of the yo-yo reveals a wide-open cup with an ever so tiny hub in the center. One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the IGR, normally competition yo-yos eschew the IGR as being unneeded in competition play. Going back to the hub of the Burnside for a moment we can all see it is a simple, tapped axle hub. One of the things that many are going to talk about is the lack of Side Effects on this yo-yo. This was originally a signature series yo-yo. I would guess that Clint decided that he did not need Side Effects on his design. While this may bum some players out there is a massive plus to this, it allows One Drop to release a pure competition yo-yo for just $85, dropping the price point for competition yo-yos dangerously close to budget territory. The finish on this yo-yo is your standard Pyramatte finish. Pyramatte gives a smooth feel and decent grind for a non-blasted finish. Size wise, this is a big yo-yo. When I hold it in my hands, my middle finger rests completely in the catch zone. While this is not a negative for me, players with smaller hands may want to keep this in mind. The overall design of this yo-yo is quite striking and another step in the new direction that One Drop wants to take.

Weight

The Burnside’s 67.25 gram weight is on the higher end of my tastes… on paper. In the real world it feels great on the string. The key to this is the overall large size of the yo-yo allowing the weight to be spread out, negating any “anchor-on-a-string” feel. It is hard to pin down the speed and feel on the string. It definitely has a floaty feel to it but it is equally competent while being pushed as fast as you can muster or slowed down a bit for relaxed play.

Response and Bearing

The Flow Groove response pads make a return in the Burnside. They start out snaggy but break in fast giving a long lasting, easily swappable response.

The 10-Ball bearing also makes a return in the Burnside. This yo-yo is using some of the same cost saving manufacturing techniques used in One Drop’s price conscious Café Racer. I was expecting the One Drop Value Bearing to make a return and was pleasantly surprised when I was proven wrong.

Playability

I really don’t like to outright gush over a new yo-yo. That is one of the reasons I stick to a strict rule of giving at least one week of play before reviewing in order to let the new yo-yo honeymoon period wear off. That being said, this yo-yo has been an absolute joy to play from day one. Honestly the only fault I can find with it is the rims can hit hard when returning from a bind. Other than that I am at a loss. The stability is spot on for this yo-yo is picture perfect, keeping the yo-yo exactly where you need it. During this play test I learned how to do the Paul Han GT, which is a Ninja Vanish whip from Trapeze. I found the trick required quite a bit of precision in order to pull off. The large catch zone helped in pulling off the trick as well. The biggest hang up I had in learning the trick was learning how much string to leave between the yo-yo and my non-throw hand before whipping the string. I kept leaving too little and then smacking the yo-yo with my hand while whipping the loop around. Suicide tricks are a breeze thanks to the total lack of an inner wall. Grinds are what you would expect from the Pyramatte finish. Finger grinds give enough time to whip into a Ninja Vanish. Thumb grinds were easy to catch thanks to the surprise IGR that I mentioned earlier.

Final Thoughts

Dollar for dollar I would have to say this is one of the best values on the market. You are getting a level of play that you would expect from a yo-yo that could have easily sold for $125 and up. If you are looking for a competition yo-yo you seriously need to give this one a try. If you are just looking for a yo-yo to grow with and learn new tricks… again you need to give this a try. I would like to end this review by saying thank you to Clint Armstrong. You helped make one of One Drop’s best yo-yos to date. As for whether the Burnside can stand as a regular release, the answer is an overwhelming yes. With the Dietz covering the undersized spectrum and the Burnside covering the oversized, One Drop has cemented themselves as a serious threat in the competition yo-yo market.

Hey all,

As you know most of the High Speed Team is sponsored by Toxic Strings. We agreed to let Evan sponsor us due to the fact that he makes some of the best string around and because he is extremely receptive to new ideas for string that come from the community. Please take a second to check out his page on Facebook… better yet give his product a shot. We will be adding Toxic String to our growing list of string vendors in order to give you the best assortment of string possible.

Click on the Facebook logo to go directly to the Toxic page.

-Chris

It is truly amazing to see something like this:

and this:

Turn into these:

High Speed Yoyo Facebook Group

Introduction

Ok, I’m going to state this at the beginning so that no one has to ask later on… I have NO idea what the name P.Y.B.I.T. (hence to be called the Pybit) means. Frank and Dom know but refuse to tell anyone. If someone else gets it out of them, please leave me an e-mail or PM; you are a better researcher than I.

Recently there has been a push towards ultra wide yo-yos. There is the Steamroller, Wet Whistle, and Miracle just to name a few. Honestly I have been skeptical of this new movement in yo-yo design, they appeared cumbersome on the string and in all honesty if I wanted a Diablo I would just pick up a Diablo. Yes, I was guilty of judging a book by its cover, something I tell my students repeatedly not to do. During the summer I had the opportunity to play an Aoda Miracle at the Ohio State Yo-Yo Contest. It was a fun experience, so I contacted a couple manufacturers that had some ultra wide yo-yos in development and asked them if it would be possible to have a unit sent over for review. Enter ILYOVEYOYO and the Pybit, the second of their experimental series of prototypes and their unique take on the ultra wide market. As with the Trvth before it, this yo-yo is completely bonkers in design, more so that the Trvth in my opinion. It honestly looks like Frank and Dom took the yo-yo designer’s playbook and chucked it right out the window. I am curious to see how something that totally ignores modern yo-yo design conventions plays.

Specs

• Diameter: 52 mm
• Width: 47 mm
• Weight: 67 grams
• Bearing: ILYY KMK 6x13x5mm
• Response: Red Hot SILYYcone

Construction

Ok, before receiving this yo-yo I had seen pictures of the Pybit but those pale in comparison to actually hold it in your hand. In the past I have heard people liken a yo-yo’s feel to holding a can. While that may have been a little bit of hyperbole in the past, in this instance it is pretty spot-on. The Pybit is shaped like a squat tomato past can. The profile is comprised of an almost completely flat rim that has a radius near the catch zone and a near 90-degree drop to the gap. The outer edge of the rim is slightly rounded, reducing the chance of a painful return during play. The face of the Pybit reveals a cavernous cup. The floor of the cup is slightly raised with a modest domed hub in the center. There isn’t a traditional IGR, instead an angle has been cut into the underside that acts as the IGR. The finish is the standard ILYY prototype Candodized finish that ILYY employs on every prepro and proto. The over all feel in the hand is ever so slightly cumbersome but not wholly uncomfortable. The Pybit almost completely covers the index, middle and ring fingers of my throw hand. The rounded outer rim mentioned earlier keeps the flat edge from cutting into the fleshy parts of my palm while holding it or when it returns to the hand. The whole package ends up giving us a bizarre looking yo-yo that feels equally odd and right in the hand.

Weight

Even though this is a 67 gram yo-yo it does not feel chunky on the string. Has a decent amount of float to it while moving around and being popped into the air. It is not a speed demon of a yo-yo, but you really don’t want it to be, we’ll get to that in the Playability section.

Response and Bearing

The SILYYcone response in the Pybit is expertly installed as usual, giving nice tight binds. I am glad that it was recessed; with the walls being almost completely flat I could see the response being overly snaggy on it especially with multiple string wraps.

The large bearing in the Pybit is an absolute necessity. It allows for a wider gap during play. If this had been a small bearing yo-yo I don’t think it would be nearly as playable as it is.

Playability

Maddening but so much fun, that is how best to describe the Pybit. The almost completely flat rims means that the yo-yo does little to help guide the string into the gap. If you slap the side of the rim with the string during play the yo-yo will tilt a bit, do it again and the yo-yo goes completely off kilter; that is the maddening part. It took me about a day of playing it, all the time resisting the urge to throw it in a wood chipper, before I began to warm up to it. The trick to getting the most play out of it is to stop treating it like a conventional butterfly yo-yo and start treating it like a super slim, like the Bullet, Trvth, and Flying V. You need to aim for that gap. Once I figured that out it was pretty much smooth sailing from there. I was hitting tricks like Black Hops consistently and Eli Hops were no big deal as well, although it was interesting to see just how epically wrong an Eli Hop could go if you hit the rim. I was really surprised at how capable suicides were with the Pybit. I was expecting the high walls to interfere with the loops but all in all it was a non-issue, I was throwing consecutive GT Suicides quite easily. Grinds were a mixed bag due to the smooth finish. Arm grinds shot off at varying speeds, same with finger grinds. Palm grinds were doable if I cupped my hand a bit but I never got enough time to pull of a trick. Thumb grinds were great, the deep cup coupled with the angle under the rim made for easy snagging with the thumbnail.

Final Thoughts

Don’t let my negative comments in the play testing section dissuade you from picking the Pybit up, if you have a chance to try one I highly recommend it. That being said, this is part of the ILYY Experimental Line so it is very possible that it will never see the light of day outside the extremely limited developer release. If I were to change anything I would give the rims a little bit more of an angle so that it would help guide the string towards the gap. Does this bizarre design have a place in today’s yo-yo world, with out a doubt yes. I don’t see anyone using a Pybit during a competition, but who cares yo-yos were originally designed for fun and that is what you get with the Pybit. Now for one last shot… Hey Frank, would you be so kind as to tell us what P.Y.B.I.T. means? Thanks.

Don’t Miss Out On This One!

Introduction

General-Yo has been in the yo-yo game for almost three years now. It is hard to believe that when that first, overlooked Torrent from an unknown man from Riverside hit the shelves, Ernie and General-yo would become the international powerhouse that they are today. The funny thing is that I am not surprised in the least; Ernie just has that combination of brilliant design skills and friendly personality that just make you want to try his products. I have been a fan of General-Yo products since the days of the second run 5-Star. Since then I have had the good fortune to play all the other models, with the exception of the illusive OG Torrent. Today I am taking a look at Ernie’s 9th release, a radical departure in design from what we have come to expect from General-Yo simply called the Entheos. I can’t wait to dive in and see if this new direction that Ernie is taking General-Yo is up to par with what we have come to expect from him.

Specs

• Diameter: 50.3 mm
• Width: 41.35 mm
• Gap: 4.24 mm
• Weight: 67 grams
• Response: General-yo Thick Hat Pads
• Bearing: C-Sized AIGR Bearing

Construction

The Entheos arrives in the standard white cardboard box with a logo sticker prominently displayed on the front. When I opened the box I was greeted by the blue side cup staring back at me. Cool, little flat rim face action similar to the Hatrick. When I wrestled the yo-yo out of the box the similarities pretty much ended between the Entheos and… well anything else in Ernie’s stable. The profile shows off flat rims and an angled V-Shape catch zone. Gone are the flowing, rounded butterfly shape catch zone instead it is all very angular. Thing is even with this new direction there was a lot of thought put into the comfort of the design. In my hand I found the Entheos did not have any sharp angles that would cause the yo-yo to hit wrong during play. At rest it sat comfortably on my middle finger with the rims lying on the adjacent fingers. The cup displayed the trademark Gen-Yo spike that has been on almost all of Ernie’s designs since the original Torrent. The floor of the cup past the spike is flat and obstruction free leaving plenty of room to catch the IGR with your thumb. No General-Yo yo-yo would be complete without the custom bead blast finish that was introduced on the second run 5-Star. The velvety soft finish has always been a favorite among players due to its ability to give smooth grinds. Over all I am liking the new design, it is a refreshing change that still has that General-Yo feel while holding it in the hand. I think about the only issue I have with the design choice is more of a personal preference thing that anything else and that has to do with the color. I would have liked the colors to pop a little more. This is a minor nit pick and honestly completely subjective.

Weight

This is a heavier yo-yo that comes in at exactly 67 grams. Most of the weight is concentrated in the thick rims giving excellent spin times and a good amount of stability. The added bulk allows the yo-yo to play well with a slower free flowing play style. Now don’t get me wrong, give it a little push and the Entheos will zoom on the string just as well as any lightweight on the market. You just have the option of slowing it down if you would like.

Response and Bearing

Hat Pads have always been a favorite of mine for a number of reasons. They give tight binds and last forever. They are also the perfect fit for CLYW silicone grooves. If you stack two thick pads it will give you a flush response in your Peak, if you want a little recess use a thick and a thin pad. That versatility alone has been the reason why I always have some on hand.

The AIGR bearing is my close second favorite bearing. It is the smoothest 8-Ball bearing on the market and always comes pretty much whisper quiet. All of my large bearing yo-yos have a 10-Ball or an AIGR in them.

Playability

This is one smooth yo-yo, not surprising since General-Yo set the bar for smooth early on. On the first throw I found it hard to feel the spin while it was sleeping at the end of the string. During play testing I threw my standard battery of tricks at it and found nothing that it could not handle. Suicides were a snap thanks to the low cut V-shape keeping the sidewalls away from the loop. The spikes were difficult but not impossible to catch, allowing the Entheos to balance freely on my thumb. During play testing I decided to focus on grind tricks, this is a General-yo yo-yo after all. Arm grinds were easy to pull off and gave me a chance to do my best Johnny DelValle impression having it grind all the way up my arm and almost across my chest. Finger grinds were also east to do I would pop the yo-yo up and catch it on my right index finger and then pop it up and catch it with my left index finger. Same with thumb grinds where I was able to do multiple transfers between my thumbs. One grind trick that I decided to focus on is a finger grind to ninja vanish. The Entheos is a perfect choice for learning this trick thanks to the bead blast and long spin times. It gave me enough time to set up the trick, pop the yo-yo off the finger, and whip the string around to a proper ninja vanish. All in all the play of this yo-yo is exactly what you would expect from a General-Yo product.

Final Thoughts

One of the big questions I have been asked is if this “feels” like a General-Yo. The short answer is yes and then some. It does have that General-Yo feel to it while building upon it with the new shape. The open V-Shape catch zone and ability to play at a medium clip makes for a very forgiving yo-yo when you want to learn a new trick or practice every nuance of a competition set. It will be interesting to see how the public reacts to this design shift, I for one am extremely excited by this change in direction. The Entheos shows that change can be a very good thing and the Entheos is a great jumping on point for people new to the brand. I know the Entheos just came out but I am really looking forward to what Ernie brings out next.

Introduction

This is more of a review for posterity than for anything else. The Secret Agent Decoder Ring is one of the rarer yo-yos out in the wild. When it pops up in the Buy/Sell/Trade sections of the major forums it usually commands an astronomical price tag. The funny thing is that its success is predicated on a fluke. It is just the convergence of a contest, a limited run, and small naming contest. When the Secret Agent Decoder Ring (aka the SADR) came out it was just a fun little design that Heath had made to sell at the 2010 World Yoyo Contest. There was a limited run of 32, with most of them selling at the contest. One went to the winner of the acronym contest held on YoYoNation. The big question since then has been, is it worth it? There have been other limited yo-yo designs sold at Worlds that have never seen the light of day afterward. Those don’t command nearly the amount of money or attention that the SADR captures. Heath was kind enough to lend me his personal SADR to review for this session, now I get to find out what all the fuss is about.

Specs

• Diameter: 54.1 mm
• Width: 38 mm
• Gap: 4.1 mm
• Weight: 63.8 grams
• Bearing: Large 10-Ball
• Response: Flowable Silicone

Construction

This is a large diameter thin yo-yo, similar in design to the Flying V but not quite as extremely thin. The profile shows off a large V-Shape catch zone with well-rounded rims on either side. Closer to the response area there is a scalloped cut giving the profile a slight H-Shape. From what I can tell the scalloped cut not only keeps the weight pushed to the rims, it reduces string contact against the inner walls as well. The cup of the yo-yo has an almost completely flat floor with a sharp, curved, conical spike in the center. Under each rim is a deep inset IGR that tappers to an almost knife-edge. One of the more interesting design choices of the SADR is the laser etch logo in the cup. Instead of going with a traditional logo Heath went all out with an elaborate binary code logo that translates into… well I won’t tell you, you will have to do decode it yourself. The whole yo-yo has been Gruntbull blasted and anodized in a rich black finish. Normally I do not like black yo-yos but on this one I will give it a pass just because the laser etch would not have popped as much on a different color. Over all I am a fan of the design, it is comfortable in the hand and is extremely pocket friendly. That last part is important to me, sometimes I don’t want to look like I have a can of chewing tobacco in my jeans pocket while walking down the street.

Weight

This is a pretty light yo-yo given its size but with it being so compact in width all of the weight is concentrated. This gives the yo-yo a very stable feel to it while zipping around on the string. This is a speedy throw with a long spin times thanks the weight being pushed to the outer rims.

Response and Bearing

The response is Heath’s standard flowable silicone. He has been using it since the initial run of Sky Walkers and it has served him well ever since. I find that they slightly recessed silicone gives the Vs. Newton yo-yos a dead unresponsive feel out of the box with little to no break in time retired.

The SADR comes stock with a 10-Ball bearing in it. There is absolutely no more that I can say about this bearing. It is hands down the best on the market.

Playability

Being similarly thin in design like the One Drop M1 and the SPYY Flying V means that this is as unforgiving as those two yo-yos. This is not a bad thing; most experienced players will adapt to the slim shape and have an easy time aiming for the gap. For intermediate players this is going to be a good learning experience. I know that when I got my M1 I had a dickens of a time hitting the gap consistently but after a couple of weeks it actually made me a more consistent player. I can see this doing the same for others as well. As far as tricks I didn’t really set out to learn a new trick during my play testing of this yo-yo, instead I just took it with me everywhere and played the heck out of it. What I found was that it is more than capable of doing every trick you can throw at it. Better still it is an awesome suicide yo-yo. Unlike other slim yo-yos, this one does not have a high wall that closes the loop, great for me since I have been working on my consistency in regards to suicide tricks. As far as grinds are concerned, this is a Gruntbull blasted and anodized yo-yo so it is an excellent grinder. I didn’t notice any string cutting that is prevalent in other GB anoed yo-yos. Overall, the play on this yo-yo is top notch giving solid performance while being a little less than forgiving to newer players.

Final Thoughts

It is kind of a shame that this yo-yo is so limited, I can see people liking this as a great pocket throw to knock about. Does it deserve the $200 plus premium that it commands on the trade forums… no. Even Heath doesn’t think it should be going for that much. At the end of the day this is another good design from Vs. Newton that I would like to see come out in higher quantities. If you can find one at a good price on the forums I would recommend that you pick it up, just do me a favor play it like mad; it is a fun yo-yo that will be wasted on the shelf.

Introduction

Sequels are nothing new in this day and age. We see them all the time, especially in the movie and book industry. While some complain that they would like to see something new, I don’t really have a problem with a good sequel as long as it brings something interesting to the table. There in lies the problem, for every Oscar winning Godfather 2 there is a Matrix II: Reloaded waiting in the wings. The yo-yo world is beginning to get loaded with sequels as well, and has its share of detractors clamoring for new designs. Again I will say that sequels are not always a bad thing and most of the time they come at the request of the players. The 2WEI is a perfect example of such a request. Many players loved the original E1NS but wanted something in a larger size. After dusting off the E1NS design and enlarging it the guys set out to tweak every aspect of it in order to give it the level of play we have come to expect from ILOVEYOYO. The question now is whether the 2WEI is ready for the silver screen or if it is a sequel that needed to stay in the can.

Specs

• Diameter: 56.15mm
• Width: 46.30mm
• Weight: 68.80g
• Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
• Bearing: ILYY KMK 6×13x5mm

Construction

Frank and Dom set out to take the E1NS design and max it out… and that is exactly what they did. This IS a maxed out E1NS in both looks and feel. The thing I truly loved about the original E1NS design was all the curves that it had. There were no harsh angles at all on that yo-yo so it just felt right in the hand. The profile of the 2WEI is one continuous curve from the outer rim down into the guts of the yo-yo. The curve lessens towards the gap so there is a little bit of a high wall effect, but the wide gap compensates for any issues that may arise with multiple string wraps. The cup looks exactly like the E1NS cup which is great if you want to thumb grind. There is a small rounded hub in the center that barely protrudes from the floor. This leaves the cup wide open and obstruction free for easy catching on the thumb. The finish on the 2WEI is a riff on ILYY’s Candy Blast finish and Pearl finish called the Pearl 2.0 finish. This new finish has all of the grinding capabilities of the Candy Blast finish coupled with the durability of a military hard coat. As far as looks go, it captures the light almost as well as the standard Candy Blast, I would love to see this finish in a blue or red. I would hazard to say this is one of ILOVEYOYOS best finishes, I smacked the yo-yo against a brick wall on accident during testing and it didn’t even flatten the blast. That being said, it has been posted that this will be the last yo-yo with the Pearl 2.0 finish… a decision I am hoping ILYY decides to reverse.

Weight

Big yo-yos can be quite deceptive in the weight department. This yo-yo is pushing almost 69 grams but it does not feel like it. The 2WEI has a large diameter and width allowing the weight to be spread through out the body. I found that the 2WEI played quick, but not ultra speedy, with a hint of float to it.

Response and Bearing

The SILYYcone makes a comeback in the 2WEI. It still provides snappy binds and lasts forever. About the only thing that I can say negative about it is that if you do not use a sharp knife to remove it, the SILYYcone can be a little bit of a pain to get out of the response groove.

The KMK metric bearing also returns for this new model. I must have gotten one that made it out of the factory dry, mine was loud this time around. After applying a drop of V4M to the bearing it quieted down to the levels that I am use to while still giving me great spin times.

Playability

Smooth and stable, that is the best way to describe this yo-yo. It is one of those that you don’t really feel spinning at the end of the string. At first the only thing that let me know that it was spinning was the noise of the bearing before I lubed it. For this yo-yo’s review session I decided to try to learn horizontal twirly bird. While I am not the best at this trick I did find that the 2WEI stayed in whatever position that I put it in, remaining stable no matter if it was vertical or horizontal. Suicides where a snap even though it has a little bit of a high wall to it, the secret to the loops staying wide open is that the inner catch zone has been expertly masked, keeping the bead blast away from the loops. The Pearl 2.0 finish gives excellent grinds on the hand, arm, and finger. Thumb grinds are also easy to pull off thanks to the unobstructed cup and a well-implemented IGR. I did notice that the finish was coarse enough to file away a little bit of the top of my thumbnail as the yo-yo spun on it. Just about the only thing that I have to say that can be construed as a negative is that this yo-yo is big. I found it to be easy to use and move around but I have large hands. Other players with smaller hands may not find it as comfortable to hold.

Final Thoughts

ILYY has stated that there is only going to be one run of these due to a lack of community interest. That is a shame considering that this is definitely one of the better full to over sized yo-yos on the market today and beats out the Lio as my favorite full size ILYY product. Even if you are on the fence about this yo-yo due to the size I would recommend giving it a throw, it may just surprise you.

by Chris Rhoads
October 9, 2011

Introduction

Anodizing in its simplest form is a way to protect metals, such as aluminum, by increasing the thickness of the oxide layer that naturally forms on the surface of the metal. It provides several practical uses such as corrosion resistance, wear resistance, prevent metal galling, and better adhesion for paints and glues. At its purest form, anodizing is a process, not an art… that is until you add the dyes, masks, and creativity that it takes to transform a scientific process into what we are seeing on many metal parts on the market today. We are now seeing dedicated companies like Gruntbull pop up that specialize in the cosmetic side of anodizing, giving new life to paintball guns, iPods, and more recently yo-yos. Not to be outdone by these larger scale operations, smaller homebrew anodizing shops have popped up to offer even more impressive techniques. These smaller shops, usually run by one person, have elevated the art form of anodizing to stratospheric heights. I have been lucky enough to know two of these amazing artists, Justin from Not Fail Anodizing and Jason from Loaded YoYos. Both have amazing skills and a unique vision for their craft. While this is a labor of love, anodizing is also a labor-intensive process. So much so that Justin has walked away for a bit and Jason has taken a hiatus from individual commission jobs, focusing more on working with companies on limited runs. Hopefully these two individuals will come back to the craft full time because they are simply amazing at what they do. As you will see in the gallery below Jason’s artwork is simply breathtaking.

Interview

Before we get tot the gallery, I took a moment to talk with Jason about his craft. I decided to include it here, it gives an interesting look into the art of anodizing.

1) Why did you decide to get into anodizing?

Despite all the yoyos I have anodized to date, my experience with anodizing only goes back to March 2011.  So my experience in anodizing is around 6 months total.  I’ve only been throwing for a handful of months prior to that.  I guess, you could consider me quite a newbie both for anodizing and yoyos!  I do pick up hobbies quickly though, especially those that are challenging, technical or have an artistic bent.  Anodizing has all of this in spades.  I remember purchasing my first few aluminum yoyos, the SPYY Pro and a CLYW Sebby Peak and being enamored with their finishes, textures and colors.  I knew that anodizing was possible on a homebrew scale and after discovering Vendetta’s work on the forums, I thought that anodizing is something I would like to try.  I really owe a lot to Vendetta for proving to people that high quality, creative anodizing on yoyos could be done by a homebrew anodizer.

2) What made you decide to try the “Skittles” splash ano?

I had actually conceived of the Skittles finish, early on in my experiments with anodizing, but only got around to trying it on the “Skittles Marmot” yoyo, which I finished on April 19, 2011.  I call the technique I use for the Skittles finish, “Fade-Splash”.  The concept is quite simple, rather than just a straight fade or a straight splash with solid colors, you combine the two techniques to do a multicolored splash.  The colored splash can span any color range.  For “Skittles”, it spans the whole rainbow.  For “Inferno”, it goes only from Red to orange to yellow.  I believe that “Skittles” and the other Fade Splash finishes like “Inferno”, “Fire in the Sky”, “Orcas Away”, etc. are original and unique and are the first yoyos to display Fade Splash techniques.  While I suppose one day, Fade-Splash will be an imitated technique amongst other manufacturers and anodizers, I hope that the community remembers Skittles and the other Fade Splash finishes as the pioneers to this new look.

3) Is the “Skittles” ano as hard as it looks?

Definitely.  Skittles is a hard ano.  It’s hard because it has several different components.  If you think about it, a full Skittles finish is more than a single ano job.  It is several color fades, a splash and then a final solid color.  I can comfortably say that Skittles is at least 4 or 5 basic ano jobs in one.  Some of the steps are very complicated, specifically getting the full range of rainbow colors faded as cleanly as possible.  I also pay a lot of attention to splash pattern and splash density.  It’s one thing to just slap masking on a yoyo and call it splash.  It’s another to do it in a visually appealing and interesting way.  Finally, you have to remember, that with anodizing, you cannot touch anything to the yoyo.  You can’t hold it, you can’t drop it, you shouldn’t even wash it in tap water.  Each step in Skittles involves a lot of handling and it is incredibly easy to accidentally bump, drop, rub or brush the anodized yoyo halves in the middle of a job.  If you’re lucky, you can work around the spot you touched… but if you’re unlucky, you will have an ugly flaw.  As a boutique anodizer and OCD perfectionist, I am very very picky about flaws.  Unless a flaw is incredibly minor (i.e.: most people would not call it a flaw), I will scrap the whole thing, strip the yoyo and redo it.  Most people don’t realize the high degree of risk and low margin for error with anodizing.  One need only consider the large numbers of B-grades, NQP, Flaw to Loves, BadApples, etc. that major manufacturers sell at discounted prices due to ano flaws for proof that even in highly commercial facilities, flaws are a fact of life.

4) Do you strip ano as well? If so what problems have you encountered with stripping a yo-yo and reanodizing it?

I do strip my own yoyos and use a combination of chemical and mechanical techniques to do this.  I have probably stripped over 50 yoyos and so far have not encountered any problems with any of the yoyos that I have stripped and reanodized.  I do, however, try to keep stripping to a minimum and never strip a yoyo more than twice, unless it’s a beater that I am specifically using to test new ano processes with.

5) You recently started anodizing Titanium. The progress you have made in such a short period of time is amazing. How did you come up with the Rainboflage approach?

Thank you!  I’ve wanted to do titanium anodizing for a while, but found it challenging due to the need for different supplies and a scarcity of adequate ‘palettes’ to practice on.  Titanium yoyos aren’t exactly cheap or common!  Thankfully, with the help of a few community members, and an ungodly amount of research, I was able to get some practice down and quickly master a few colorways, which I am quite happy with.  Rainbouflage in particular is a stunning colorway.  I derived some of my inspiration for Rainbouflage from other titanium artists who produce art on ti bicylces, flashlights, knives, paintings, sculpture, etc.  I also spent some time talking to a few titanium experts to help me through a few of the tougher challenges I was encountering.  It was only a couple months ago that I completed my first titanium ano job, so I foresee lots of interesting effects, colors and techniques in the future as I learn more.  I still offer commissioned ano jobs on titanium because I find it interesting and fun to do.

6) Are you working on any new techniques that you would like to share with us. New things that will blow our minds?

Well, I am working on new things… whether or not they will blow your minds remains to be seen.    On the aluminum front, I have been dabbling here and there with the elusive swirl ano technique.  This is a closely guarded industry trade secret and unfortunately, I don’t know it, so I am forced to figure it out on my own through experimentation.  I already understand the basics about how to do it, but I am not sure whether I have sourced the exact supplies required or mastered its execution.  I can create swirl ano pieces… but they look terrible.    Also on the aluminum front, you’ll be seeing more creative stencil work.  Stencils are lots of fun and add tons of character to a yoyo, but they are also incredibly risky and difficult to apply.  One unsteady hand and the whole job is botched.  That said, I have gotten pretty good at laying stencils, so you will likely see more of that from me.

On the Ti side, I am going to be working more on masking and stencils as well as some other finer techniques like hand painting.  It will be a short while before I master these techniques well enough to share them, but keep your eyes open!

Gallery

This gallery is a small sample of the work put out by Loaded YoYos. Some are the work of just Jason while others are collaborations with Nick from AngelDusts and Josh from GalaxyBlasts who both have unique techniques for applying a gorgeous bead blast surface. Finally, some of these yo-yos are representative of Jason’s ability to make a manufacturer’s colorway concept to life. Each set of pictures will be labeled with the collaborators who worked on it or the manufacturer who requested it.

1.     20,000 Leagues – Turning Point Positron (AngelDusted, tester for VsNYYC colorway request)

Turning Point Positron Still

Turning Point Positron Spinning

2.     Cupcake Sprinkles – Crucial Confection

Crucial Confection Still

Crucial Confection Spinning

3.     Silver Skittles – CLYW Peak (GalaxyBlasted)

CLYW Peak Still

CLYW Peak Spinning

4.     Fire In The Sky – SPYY Punchline

SPYY Punchline Still

SPYY Punchline Spinning

5.     Skittles – General Yo Essence

General Yo Essence Still

General Yo Essence Spinning

6.     Sunshine – CLYW Bassalope

CLYW Bassalope Still

CLYW Bassalope Spinning

7.     Rainboflague – One Drop Sovereign

One Drop Sovereign Still

One Drop Sovereign Spinning

8.     Rainbow Fade – Northern Spin Co. Aurora (Don’t ask about the spikes)

Northern Spin Co. Aurora Still

Northern Spin Co. Aurora Spinning

9.     Inferno – VsNYYC Moonwalker (Requested by VsNYYC)

VsNYYC Moon Walker Still

VsNYYC Moon Walker Spinning

10.  Orcas Away – VsNYYC Moonwalker (Requested by VsNYYC)

VsNYYC Moon Walker Still

VsNYYC Moon Walker Spinning

The One Drop CODE2 design challenge has entered the voting phase. There will be two weeks of voting starting today. I urge all High Speed YoYo readers click on the link below and get your voice heard. Just like political elections, you have not earned the right to complain about the outcome unless you have cast your vote.

Click here to vote

Here are links to the designs so that you can make an educated choice:

P.J.
ryanlim92
jrodriguez
malfil
clifton
victorkaxx
DaemonDG
saintrobyn
BABBYlonian
J Mackerl
zedaselva
xJoshMoshx
Douglas Brown
Sabata
CrispyG
Adam99362
feherkenyer

Introduction

I’ve said it before; signature yo-yos are a great insight into the player who it is made for. When done properly, as a true collaboration between player and company, it becomes a yo-yo set up specifically for that individual player’s style. The one downside to that is one simple question… what if I don’t conform to that player’s style? One Drop has recently taken this issue head-on by allowing their players to implement the Side Effect technology on their signature yo-yos. The first to do this was Dan Dietz with his yo-yo, the Dietz. I really didn’t mess with it too much because I liked the stock feel of it. Today I am looking at the DANG, Paul Dang’s signature yo-yo and another signature model with Side Effects. For those that don’t know Paul, he is like the fifth Beatle of One Drop. If you ever watch the shop cam you will probably see him in the shop helping with packaging, production, or testing. He also helps cart yo-yos back and forth between the shop in Eugene and the anodizer in Portland. On top of all of that he has been a member of their competition team for quite some time. Basically, a Paul Dang signature model has been a long time coming. Now it is time to see what the most eccentric member (if you have read his Facebook page you will understand why I say this) of the One Drop team has to offer.

Specs

• Diameter: 55.25mm
• Width: 41.3mm
• Gap: 4.35mm
• Base Weight: 60.7 grams
• Weight with Aluminum Ultra Lights: 63.2 grams
• Response: Flow Groove Pads
• Bearing: One Drop 10 Ball

Construction

As it states on the One Drop site, the Project holds a special place in Paul’s heart so it is only fitting that he decided to use that as the base for his signature yo-yo. You can definitely see its influence in this yo-yo. The flat rims, cup design, slightly rounded catch zone, and Projection Profile all scream Project. That being said the Project was not the only yo-yo that influenced Mr. Dang’s yo-yo. There is also quite a bit of CODE1 in there. You can see it in the H-Shape profile, the size, and the use of Side Effects. Now that we know its roots lets talk about the yo-yo on its merits. The catch zone is wide open and perfect for catching string wraps. The profile is comfortable in the hand and doesn’t hit my palm wrong even with those pronounced flat rims. The cup does look like an oversized Project cup, meaning it is missing an IGR of any variety. The floor is wide open and obstruction free so if you do decide to install Spike or RSM Side Effects you will be able to easily catch them when popped up into the air. The finish is One Drop’s now standard Pyramatte finish. Overall I love the looks of this yo-yo but, like Paul, I also have a soft spot in my heart for the Project. The only thing that could have made this more Project like would have been if they had added the inner grooves to the walls and floor of the cup.

Weight

Going solely on the published specs I was expecting a speedy and lightweight yo-yo. I was shocked when I first threw this yo-yo. Even though it is a 63 gram full-sized yo-yo it plays at a nice medium pace to it. It can be easily pushed to higher speeds but feels right at home when moving along at a relaxed pace. As for the expected lightweight feel, I could not have been farther off. It has a slight amount of heft to it while moving around on the string.

Response and Bearing

The response is One Drop’s Flow Groove Pads that were introduced way back with the revised M1. We all know I am a fan of the Flow Groove Pads. They last forever and give snappy binds without being responsive.

The stock bearing is the One Drop 10-Ball. Honestly nothing more needs to be said about it. It is the best bearing on the market hands down.

Playability

Being a signature model, I never know how to judge the play of the yo-yo. It was not made for my preferences; it was designed for a specific player in mind. I will be honest, this yo-yo had to grow on me a little bit. It played great, don’t get me wrong, but for my own preferences it was just missing something. This is understandable; it is Paul’s yo-yo. Being a Side Effect yo-yo means that, I can start tinkering… and that is exactly what I decided to do. I took out the stock Ultra Lights and started swapping things around. After fiddling about I settled on CODE1 Side Effects. This was my perfect set up, it just needed a little more weight in the center. It fleshed out the feel of the yo-yo for me and gave it a nice amount of float that I like. That is the best part of the Side Effect technology; while some say it is a gimmick, for me it was a necessity. It allowed me to take someone else’s signature yo-yo and make it my own. I am sure there will be many who don’t touch the stock set up and that is great, but having the option to do so is even better. More signature yo-yos should have this level of customization. As far as the play on the string, this thing is easy to maneuver, weaving in and around strings. During the play testing of this yo-yo I continued to work on a crazy little Hidemasa Hook variation that I call a Straddle Hook. It is a hook that goes between the index and middle fingers of the non-throw hand and ending up with the yo-yo hooked around your non-throw hand thumb. I’ll try to video this trick later; I am butchering it in print. As far as grinds are concerned, finger grinds are excellent on it. The H-shape rides on either side of the finger allowing only the Projection Profile catch zone to make contact with flesh. Palm and arm grinds are also pretty well done on the DANG, although I would love to try a soda blasted, clear anodized DANG to see if it captures that same grinding magic that the original Project had. Thumb grinds are not as easy to pull off thanks to the lack of an IRG but that is not to say they are impossible. I found that the cup and inner rim was deep enough that you could perform thumb grinds without having to throw at an angle. Over all I loved the play of the DANG, even more so once I found my own preferred setup.

Final Thoughts

I said it above and I will say it again down here, more signature yo-yos need to be made like this. Most of the time buying a signature yo-yo means that you have to adjust to meet play style of the person it was made for. Sometimes you get lucky, like I did with the Dietz, but that is the exception instead of the rule. With the Side Effect tech being present in the DANG I was able to change it up and turn Paul’s yo-yo into one that suites me and is quickly becoming my favorite full sized One Drop yo-yo, edging out my current favorite, the CODE1. If the MarkMont Next, Dietz, and DANG are what happens when One Drop lets their players in on the design process I can’t wait to see what the rest of the team has to offer.

• Week of Oct. 2 – One Drop DANG
• Week of Oct. 9 – Off due to parent teacher conferences
• Week of Oct. 16 – Off due to an unforeseen family issue
• Week of Oct. 23 - ILYY 2WEI
• Week of Oct. 30 - Vs. Newton SADR
• Week of Nov. 6 - General-Yo Entheos
• Week of Nov. 13 - ILYY P.Y.B.I.T.
• Week of Nov. 20 – One Drop Burnside
• Week of Nov. 27 – Big Brother Pixel

General-Yo

Ernie and Co. dropped their latest yo-yo on the community at the National YoYo Contest. The Entheos is an undersized, beastly looking player. I am eagerly looking forward to trying one once the hit the market.

Photo courtesy of www.generalyo.com

Anti-Yo

The day has finally come. Anti-Yo has finally released the YWET at the National YoYo Contest. This yo-yo has been talked about for years and has been the butt of many jokes in the community, basically becoming the yo-yo equivalent of Duke Nukem Forever. Well early reports are saying that unlike DNF this yo-yo lives up to most of the hype, as one of my friends who picked one up in Chico said ” it won’t do your tricks or anything for you, so there is definitely an upper limit on how good it can actually be”. Ah sarcasm, I love this community. This is another one that I am eagerly wanting to get my hands on.

Photo Courtesy of Bird In Hand www.birdinhand.com

One Drop Yo-Yos

One Drop YoYos received the prestigious “Industry Excellence Award” this year at the National YoYo Contest. Words cannot describe how proud I am of Shawn and David, although to be honest I am not surprised in the least. Here is just a small list of things that they have done over the year:

• Side Effect Technology – revolutionary new axle system that allows you to change the looks, weight, and functionality of the yo-yo. At its heart it is the evolution of their original hex nut axle design so even if you never use it to change any of the three functions listed above it is still a brilliantly implemented replaceable axle that will keep your yo-yo viable if should happen to strip it.
• The CODE Projects - If you don’t know about these, One Drop has opened up their design process to the community. The CODE1 was designed completely through polls posted at YYN basically being designed by committee. The CODE2 is about to hit the voting phase. Instead of being done by committee, the CODE2 is going to give one player a shot at working with One Drop to make a yo-yo based on their design. It is up to the designer to take input from the community and decide if they want to implement changes.
• A successful collaboration with CLYW – Spawning from a logo contest held by CLYW, One Drop and CLYW came together to release the Wooly MarkMont. It just shows the level of trust people have in One Drop, so much so that Chris from CLYW turned over the designs of one of his best selling yo-yos to Shawn at One Drop, asking to tweak it and add some of the innovations that they have come up with over the years. The result is what some, myself included, consider to be the absolute best version of the Wooly Marmot design.

Introduction

One thing I have always admired about ILOVEYOYO is their willingness to do a completely bonkers design just for the heck of it. You can look back and see just that in yo-yos like their St. Eel, a little steel beast that on paper just should not be as appealing as it is in real life. To this end team ILYY has started releasing some of these yo-yos in very small runs as an experimental series of sorts. There is a own side to this model and that is that these yo-yos may never actually see a true release so if one catches your eye you need to act quickly. Currently there are three experimental series releases, The Trvth, P.Y.B.I.T., and the Greyhound. Of the three, the Greyhound has made it out of experimental stages and will see a full release in the near future. Today I am looking at the Trvth, a yo-yo that takes a lot of its inspiration from the Tom Kuhn Silver Bullet 2. The idea came from Dom’s love for the original SB2 and his desire to create the ultimate homage to that classic design. Now it is time to see if these experiments are ready for primetime.

Specs

• Diameter: 55.40mm
• Width: 28.50mm
• Weight: 66.60g
• Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
• Bearing: ILYY KMK 6x13x5mm

Construction

I went in expecting something completely different from anything I have ever tried in the past and I was not disappointed. The Trvth is a modified imperial shape with a wide gap. The rims are very well rounded and comfortable when they hit the palm of my hand. The catch zone is almost nonexistent meaning you will have to be pretty darn precise when it comes to hitting tricks. The cup area is large and shallow with an enormous flat floor, sharp spiked hub, and a pretty well implemented IGR. The floor is covered with a gorgeous flame laser etch that hides an ILYY logo and the Trvth logo. The coating is the standard Candodize finish that ILYY uses on all prerelease yo-yos. Overall, this is an incredibly unique design that pays the utmost respect to the SB2 while adding many of the modern touches that we have come to love in today’s designs.

Weight

At almost 67 grams, this is at the higher end of my comfort zone but it does not feel all too heavy on the string. During 1A play I found the weight to be acceptable while having a little zip on the string when moving through tricks.

Response and Bearing

The response is still ILYY’s custom Red Hot sILYYcone. This was recessed a little more than normal leaving enough to grip the string but also reducing the break in time required for a normal install.

The bearing was a little bit of a shock. I would expect a design like this to be paired with an A Bearing but instead ILYY used their standard large metric bearing that comes stock in 99% of their throws. This choice allowed them to open up the gap, making tricks easier to hit.

Playability

Unique, that is the best way I can explain it. The closest yo-yo to this design that I have played is the SPYY Flying V and it is quite a bit wider. Even though it is odd, I loved playing with the Trvth. While it looks like it would be hard to hit tricks, I found after a few minutes of play that I was hitting everything that I can normally do with a much wider yo-yo like a CODE1 or an Avalanche. Eli Hops were the trickiest of the lot but after some practice they became standard fare. I did not attempt behind the head Eli Hops; that was just an accident waiting to happen. Having such a thin yo-yo made hopping between the strings on Black Hops a snap as well. Since it is based on an old school design I decided to try it as such. I did not have a slim line metric bearing or thick lube so I took an idea from Ed Haponik’s playbook. I took apart a dead large metric bearing and installed just the inner race in the yo-yo. After looping the string around axle three times I was able to get it to play responsive. Leaning on my extremely basic knowledge of regens and stalls proved to me that this is indeed a pretty good responsive yo-yo. Moving back to some of the more modern features of the design, the spike and IGR are not just there for aesthetics. The spikes are extremely sharp and easy to catch when you pop it into the air. I had a blast just catching it in by the spikes and having it spinning on my thumb. The IGR is well implemented but not easy to hook on the thumb. The shallow cup causes the yo-yo to deflect off the thumb when you try to land it after popping it in the air. This is only a small issue considering that this is the first modified imperial design that I can think of that has an IGR. I’m not saying they aren’t out there, just that I have not seen them. Finally, while this yo-yo was never designed to grind it did a decent job on the hand and the finger.

Final Thoughts

Quirky as it may be, I like this yo-yo. It is refreshing to see a yo-yo designed just for fun instead of being the latest and greatest competition play. If this yo-yo does make it into production I would like to see ILYY follow SPYY’s lead and release it with a thin bearing as well as a standard size bearing. This is another fun yo-yo that, much like the Flying V, could be a great bridge between responsive and unresponsive play. At the end of the day I can see a place in the market for this yo-yo and I hope ILYY decides to give it at least a small run. The key will be to put it out at a price that will make player want to give it a go, because once they do I have no doubt they will enjoy it.

One Drop YoYos Bape Colored Dietz
One Drop YoYos Bape Colored Code1
Duncan Echo
Duncan Metropolis

More stuff coming soon. Stay Tuned…

Introduction

I have said it in the past, I love watching a company take an existing yo-yo and try it in a completely new medium, especially titanium. I am not alone in this line of thinking. It seems that every time a company asks the public what they would like to see next, inevitably there is a group that asks for such and such model to be remade in titanium… no matter how impractical it may be. The reason I say impractical is because unless you do some major tweaking to the design the end result will not be playable. This is were the fun comes in; watching a designer take an existing design and tweaking it enough to be a well playing yo-yo while still allowing it to show its heritage. Honestly it is simpler to just start from the ground up with a brand new design, but sometimes the challenge is just too tempting to pass up. Case in point, today’s review. I am looking at the Vs. Newton Ti-Walker, the titanium successor to the immensely popular Sky Walker. The Sky Walker is what put Heath on the map and is still one of the most sought after yo-yos in the Buy, Sell, Trade sections of most forums. It is going to be interesting to see if Heath remained true enough to the original Sky Walker design or if this is a completely new animal from the Vs. Newton stable.

Specs

• Diameter: 52.8 mm
• Width: 42 mm
• Gap: 4.1 mm
• Weight: 63.9 grams
• Response: Flowable Silicone
• Bearing: C-Sized Ceramic Bearing

Construction

Right out of the box it is easy to see that the Ti-Walker has had some work done. The original Sky Walker had a more angular profile with a defined, flat rim. Its profile was aggressive with three defined parts; the flat rim, the first transition into the catch zone and then the step down into the rest of the catch zone. The Ti-Walker has had its profile tamed from the original profile. The flat rim has been removed completely, the step has been lessoned and the almost straight walls have developed some well-defined curves. These differences are a welcome change in my book. While the Sky Walker is one heck of a player it was not always the most comfortable yo-yo. It could hit you wrong if you were not paying attention. The Ti-Walker is just feels better in the hand with more attention being paid to comfort. The cup is the most similar to the original design but that does not mean tweaks were not made. The Ti-Walker has had some additional material removed from the underside of the rim leaving behind a much needed and easy to catch IGR. The finish is a satined, raw titanium finish. The satin gives it the ability to grind while still retaining the gorgeous look of raw titanium. I am normally not the biggest fan of raw yo-yos but there is just something appealing about raw titanium. While I know it would kill the grinds on the Ti-Walker I would love to see someone mirror polish one up like the Sovereign and the Oxy Ti. Overall the design is very well implemented. While I can see its roots in the Ti-Walker, I think the design strays a little too much for it to simply be a titanium Sky Walker.

Weight

The design tweaks are only half of what was changed between the Sky Walker and the Ti-Walker. The weight has been reduced by a gram and a half as well. This reduction changes the play when compared to the Sky Walker. While the original was floaty this newer model is quite zippy on the string. The overall speed has increased giving a faster paced yo-yo that flies between tricks.

Response and Bearing

The response has not changed at all when compared to the original. It is still an expertly installed flowable silicone response that is grippy at first but breaks in for dead unresponsive yo-yo.

The bearing is changed from the 10-Ball bearings used in the Sky Walker and Battosai to a ceramic bearing. There are quite a few who say that ceramic bearings give better performance over their steel counterparts… I am not one of those people. The Ceramic bearing in the Ti-Walker was no better than the 10-Ball. This is not a knock against Vs. Newton or the Ti-Walker more a comment against ceramic bearings in general. I think some of the supposed superiority is a placebo effect that comes from the higher price tag. As far as the bearing itself, it spun true and didn’t need much maintenance.

Playability

Smooth and zippy, that is the best way to describe the Ti-Walker. There is something about titanium yo-yos; they always seem to be smoother than their aluminum counterparts. If I had to guess I would say that a little extra care is taken in machining them due to the fact that titanium is more expensive so mistakes are quite a bit more costly. The play of the Ti-Walker can best be described like this, take the Sky Walker and give it a Red Bull. This is quite a bit faster on the string in my opinion. The float isn’t as pronounced as it is on the original and the little thunk when it hits the end of the string is not as noticeable. During the play test of this yo-yo I didn’t learn any new tricks, instead I had too much fun doing all the hops that I already knew how to do. The Ti-Walker is just a blast to hop around on the string. The lightweight makes it effortless to jump around from string to string. My favorite trick during the week… the first part of Kwijibo. I would pop it up and catch it cross-armed, then I would pop back up, uncross and catch again. I think my record was ten catches in a row going back and forth between the two. As far as grinds are concerned, it is surprisingly competent for a raw yo-yo. The satin finish gives it decent grind times on the arm, palm and hand, arguably the best grind finish of any titanium I have played with. Thumb grinds were great with that wide cut IGR. I would love to see Heath implement this feature on all of his future yo-yos.

Final Thoughts

Those of you who have written this yo-yo off as nothing more than a titanium Sky Walker clone could not be more wrong. I would even go so far as to say that Heath is wrong for saying it as well. Pretty much everything but the hub in the center of the cup is different from the original design. The Ti-Walker is a brand new design that gives great performance at a decent price tag considering that it is made from titanium. I would recommend it for anyone looking for an extravagant addition to his or her collection. My only word of advice, don’t just leave it there for show. It needs to be played. The only thing I would change about the Ti-Walker is to ditch the ceramic bearing and put the 10-Ball back in. That could reduce the price a little more and make this yo-yo even more desirable. Vs. Newton did a great job on their first titanium; I am looking forward to the next one.

Here is the review schedule for September. The ILYY Trvth review is being pushed back a week due to late arrival from Germany.

• Week of Sept. 04 – One Drop CafeRacer
• Week of Sept. 18 – Vs. Newton Ti Walker
• Week of Sept. 25 – ILYY Trvth
• Week of Oct. 2 – ???

Introduction

One Drop is known for many things and has brought quite a few new ideas to the way yo-yos are designed. Through out their long history in the community there is one innovation that keeps getting over shadowed by their cutting edge tech. One thing that has done more for the industry than hex nut axle systems, Side Effects, or community-designed projects have ever done. One Drop is the innovator of the inexpensive yo-yo. When they dropped the M1 back in the fall of 2008 it was almost unheard of for an aluminum, ball bearing yo-yo to cost less than three figures. Almost being the key word, the One Drop Project debuted at $86 when it was released but that was not good enough for Shawn and David. They wanted an accessible yo-yo for the masses, so the M1 (or Metal for Everyone) dropped at a mind blowing $60. The instant it dropped the budget yo-yo market was born. After a year of production, and with the budget market in full swing, One Drop retired the M1. Now in the fall of 2011, almost three years after the M1 debuted, One Drop is back with their M1 successor the CafeRacer. With the CafeRacer they have set out with a new goal, to show that they do not need to follow the larger companies who are farming out their machining to some unknown, overseas factory or licensing someone else’s budget design. Basically they wanted to show that they could make the a low cost yo-yo in house that meets the high standards that the community has come to expect from One Drop. With that little history lesson over, I guess it is time to see if the CafeRacer can hold up to the legacy of the M1.

Specs

• Diameter: 50.4mm
• Width: 38.9mm
• Gap Width: 4.06mm
• Weight: 64 grams
• Stock Response: Flow Groove
• Bearing: One Drop Value Bearing

Construction

Ok, I have to get this out of the way. The first thing I noticed when I took the CafeRacer out of the box was the axle. This is probably the most radical departure from any other aluminum One Drop on the market. Instead of a Side Effect, hex nut, or press fit brass nut the CafeRacer has a tapped axle system. David explained that it was a cost saving measure that does not hinder the overall quality of the yo-yo. Even though it is still a tapped axle system, the axle and threads go all the way through the yo-yo maximizing the number of threads, thus minimizing the chances of total yo-yo failure due to thread stripping. The profile of the CafeRacer is hard to nail down as any one style. It has rounded rims that transition to a gentle v-cut before dropping dramatically, almost h-style, into the gap. The walls of the catch zone leading into the gap are flared out enough that they should not hinder suicide loops. The cup of the CafeRacer is unlike anything I have seen on a yo-yo. If you were to just look at the profile you would think that the CafeRacer is heavy and all rim weight. Once you look inside the cups you see that this is not the case. The rims are thin and extend out quite a bit from the first step into the cup. Then there is another step down to the actual floor of the cup. At the center there is a thick, flat hub with a hole in the middle allowing the axle to peak out. There is a very slight angle cut into the underside of the rim allowing for a rudimentary IGR. The finish on mine is One Drop’s stock Pyramatte finish with a rich, almost British Racing green color. At the time of writing there are solid colors out on the market as well as at least five different special edition colorways that fetch a slight price premium over their solid color brethren. The rounded edges and soft finish give this yo-yo a very comfortable feel in the hand. Overall, it is a refreshing and fun new design that borrows only the diameter from its predecessor.

Weight

As I said above, this looks like it would be a heavy yo-yo that is chunky on the string. Well, looks can be deceiving. The steps in the deep cup reduce the weight quite a bit with the outer step pushing some weight to the rims while the thick hub retains center weighting. What it amounts to is a very stable design that is light on the string and easy to control at whatever speed you desire.

Response and Bearing

Even though this is a budget yo-yo, the guys at One Drop did not skimp on the response. The CafeRacer uses the same Flow Groove response found in all of One Drop’s designs. This gives you the option of using Flow Groove pads or flowable silicone.

My CafeRacer came with a One Drop 10-Ball but the stock CafeRacers will come with One Drop’s new Value Bearing. The new bearing is an 8-Ball made by the same company that makes the higher end 10-Ball. I had a chance to play a stock CafeRacer with the Value Bearing for about an hour and really could not tell that much of a difference between the two. It was a hair louder but that was about it. To be perfectly honest, it played exactly like a General-Yo AIGR bearing. Side by side I would be hard pressed to tell the difference. Just goes to show that value does not mean cheap.

Playability

Smooth. That best sums up this yo-yo. No I don’t mean vibe free, can’t tell it is spinning smooth. It is, but that is not what I am talking about. The smooth I am talking about is more the chilled out and relaxing type smooth. Since it came out at almost the exact same time as the Dietz there have been a lot of people wanting to compare the two. You really can’t do it. The Dietz is a frenzied, beast of a competition yo-yo that is all about high-energy play. It is an undersized that is built from the ground up for competing. The CafeRacer is more of an everyman’s yo-yo, living up to its Metal for Everyone roots. When I want a yo-yo that I can relax with or just grab and go the CafeRacer is what I want. Don’t get me wrong, this yo-yo can be pushed hard and played to the outer edge of insanity, but you don’t feel like you have to. It caters itself to the player’s style instead of the player having to adjust to the yo-yo. There was one thing I noticed while testing this yo-yo; it is super stable. It does not like to turn at all. That is great for everything except when you want to do a gyroscopic flop. That trick requires a little more prodding in order to get it to go. Where this stability came in most handy was when I decided to learn the Eric Tranton trick Eclipse. It is a crazy Mach 5 style trick where you orbit the yo-yo around the string before you do the Mach 5 isolation rotations. While learning this trick I hit the yo-yo repeatedly with the strings, which would normally cause the yo-yo to lean on the string. With the CafeRacer it stayed more in line even during my mess-ups. Grinding on the CafeRacer is a very pleasant experience. During the Dietz review I mentioned that I think they changed the media used to tumble their yo-yos. Now I am sure of it. This has to be an improved version of the Pyramatte finish. I am getting better palm, finger and arm grinds, even during humid weather. Normally I would have to force it to stay put, now I have to force it to move. The thumb grinds are a slight weakness, they can be done but if you don’t hit it just right it will slip off. Since the yo-yo was not made for thumb grinds, the fact that I can do them at all is a plus.

Final Thoughts

One Drop has done it again. This is definitely a worthy successor to the M1 crown and I would dare say one of the best budget yo-yos on the market. They have also proved that you can keep the design and manufacturing in house, maintaining high levels of quality control; something that seems to suffer when a product is outsourced to a large, nameless, foreign factory. The CafeRacer has, just like the M1, become the budget yo-yo to beat. It is glass smooth, relaxing to play with, and inexpensive. Everything one looks for when looking for a first time metal… or just a yo-yo to take everywhere without caring if it gets the snot beat out of it. I look forward to the inevitable forum topic asking to see your beat up CafeRacers.

Specs:

• 67 grams
• 50.3 diameter
• 41.35 wide
• 4.24 gap

Photo Courtesy of Ernie Kaiser

Photo Courtesy of Ernie Kaiser

-Chris

Introduction

Landon is back again with his second metal yo-yo, a metal version of his acrylic masterpiece the Omnicron. I am still in awe at how underrated 3Yo3 is in the industry. Having talked to Landon quite a bit I have come to understand the shear level of precision that goes into each and every yo-yo he produces. Every acrylic, Delrin, or Teflon yo-yo is hand turned by Landon; the fact that they come out so smooth shows off his mastery of the craft. His first metal yo-yo, the Bassline, was an absolutely brilliant design that was loved by the critics but ignored by the community. Funny thing is that when you post a topic on one of the forums asking what yo-yo is underrated you will inevitably get five or six replies about the Bassline, even David from One Drop has expressed his bafflement over how underrated the Baseline is. Lets hope that the same fate does not befall the Omnicron X. Just looking at the design you can tell that it is almost completely opposite in every way when compared to the Bassline. Lets hope that this extreme dichotomy is not only shown in the designs of these two yo-yos but also in how the community perceives it.

Specs

• Diameter: 52.00 mm
• Width: 42.85 mm
• Weight: 67.1 grams
• Bearing: C (.5x.25x.1875)”
• Response: Flowable Silicone or Hat-Pad sized pads

Construction

Once you pull it out of the window topped metal cylinder package you will understand what I am talking about when I say that the design is the anti-Baseline. The Bassline was large and curvy, a very laid back yo-yo while in contrast the Omnicron X is a mid sized, angular, and aggressive looking yo-yo. The profile of the yo-yo shows off the huge rims attached to the H-Shape frame. The rims start off completely flat but transition to a slight angle before hitting the massive first step into the catch zone. In the catch zone there is a smaller step into the high walled gap. The face shows off a concave front rim that drops into the deep cup. The IGR is very sharp coming to a thin edge. There is a small spiked hub in the center that is sharp enough to use for matador play. Now this is a special edition Omnicron X. What makes it special is the coating of the yo-yo. The normal Omnicron X has a Pyramatte finish to it while this one has been bead blasted. The difference is night and day between the two. I have played both the regular and special edition versions of this yo-yo and all I can say is the finish on the special edition should not be special at all; it should be standard. It adds an extra level to the over all feel of the Omnicron X that I will talk more about in the Playability section of this review. The bead blast gives it a very light grey look, but there is one very minor down side. It is so light that the laser etch gets lost. Not a big deal, I just like the artwork on this yo-yo and would love to see it pop a little more. In the hand the yo-yo offers a decent level of comfort but the harsh outer edge can hurt if it hits wrong. You need to pay attention when bringing it back to the hand or it will remind you just how aggressive it is.

Weight

This is a solid 67 gram yo-yo. Not really floaty but by no means a boat anchor on the string. The Omnicron X moves at a decent clip but I would not personally call it fast. That is not to say it is lacking in performance. My first encounter with this yo-yo was at the Ohio State YoYo Contest where I got to play CJ Atkinson’s personal Omnicron X. For those that don’t know, this is CJ’s signature yo-yo. I watched him use this yo-yo throughout the entirety of the contest and I can honestly say that not only does it fit his smooth style but he can also push the Omnicron X to perform better than I could ever hope to.

Response and Bearing

Landon ships the Omnicron X stock with flowable silicon, which lasts quite a while. If you prefer the ease of pads you are in luck, the response groove is designed to accept General-Yo Hat-Pads as well.

The bearing is just a generic steel 8-Ball bearing. I was impressed with how quiet it stayed without being over lubricated. It doesn’t spin as smoothly as a 10-Ball but it isn’t a bad substitute if you need one in a pinch.

Playability

This is a highly stable yo-yo with super long spin times thanks to those large rims. I found the responsiveness to be spot on, reacting quickly to direction changes. Landon masked off guts leaving the walls near the response area smooth. This helps to prevent string wear and it also keeps the suicide loops open, though not quite as wide open as a low walled H-Shape design. During the play testing of this yo-yo I decided to test just how stable this Omnicron X is. In order to do this I set out to learn the bunny picture trick that I saw Guy Wright do in one of his videos. While the trick looks pretty simple there are a lot of wraps and small movements that can knock the yo-yo off kilter. Add to that the fact that is takes a little time to construct the rabbit; you will need a decent amount of spin time to complete the trick. I am happy to say that I never had the yo-yo spin out on me and while it wanted to tilt slightly while merging the body with the head of the bunny, the overall stability of the Omnicron X greatly reduced the amount of time it took for me to perfect the trick; now I have something new to amaze my students with. As I said above, I think the finish on the Special Edition Omnicron X should be standard. This finish is far superior in grinding ability. The yo-yo stays where you want it on your arm or palm during grinds and does not move until you allow it. Thumb grinds are darn near perfect thanks to the knife-edge IRG. There is next to no contact between it and the thumbnail. I found that I was getting longer thumb grind on this than any other yo-yo in my collection. The spikes are very usable for matador play and ripcord starts.

Final Thoughts

This is a very impressive second metal from Landon. I like that he decided to go in the complete opposite direction from his first attempt. There is not much I would change, maybe laser etch the light grey bead blasted model in black instead of the normal white, and give a little more of a radius to the outer rim edge, but this is really just splitting hairs on my part. If you are looking for an Omnicron X the bead blasted special edition is THE edition to get, I know for my collection I am going to try and find one of the special run. If you can’t find one of the specials then do yourself a favor and pick up the regular run. It plays just as well but is a tad bit less grind friendly. With the Bassline and Omnicron X addressing two completely different segments of the yo-yo community, I cannot wait to see what Landon’s next metal yo-yo is going to be.

Chris Kayatz posted this today on the official Hspin site:

Friends,

I realize that the my silence around some changes in HSPIN has lead to all kinds of rumors. I hope to resolve them with this post. The below email was sent to the HSPIN NETWORK on July 29.

*************

Friends,

On July 6, I had a very important and relieving meeting with the other four shareholders of HSPIN. You don’t know them, but they are my best friends who have always supported me in the background.

With the advent of my daughter, with my family moving to Switzerland in August, and with the new exciting job I accepted, I will have even less time for yoyos. I know I already frustrated some of you with the lack of attention.

As for myself, I have to be honest and admit that yoyos became a burden to me, no longer fun. We lost USD >30’000 over the last two years, which is appalling. The primary reason for this, is that I was too generous. So I started to worry about finances, and the fun was out of the window.

I got married playing the yoyo, and yoyos will always be dear to me. But I need to be realistic about my capacity.

So during the above meeting, wedecided to go back 7 years, when I did this just for fun with my own ideas.

HSPIN will continue. I will produce 1-2 yoyo batches a year. These yoyos will be my own brain childs, and will again be my personal “extravagant”, weird style – which is what made HSPIN famous 10 years ago.

I will have to cutcosts, including sponsoring, travel, TShirts, stickers,.

I don’t want to stop the Network, as many of you I have built solid friendships with. I want to revive the HSPIN Family as it was in 2005: Few people dear to me and to HSPIN, which have significantly supported HSPIN at some point in time. I will not be able to support you financially, or with yoyos (at least not with many). But I would be proud to count you in on becoming part of the HSPIN Family. Technically, this also means you are free to join other teams if you wish. But be careful, find a good one.

You are the first ones to know this. Does it come as a surprise? I don’t hope so. But if it feels weird, I want to assure you, it feels weird for me too.

.

As for HSPIN: I will focus on getting the BEYOND ENVY ready. Slowly though. And I have a new design in mind for afterwards. A weird, exciting and expensive one.

Talk to you soon I hope,
ChrisK

**********

My favority German rap band “Die Fantastischen Vier” has a line that goes

Dieses Haus ist besetzt ohne Pause bis jetzt
denn wir kamen zuerst und wir gehen auch zuletzt
Buenos Dias Messias auch wenn’s dir nicht paßt
du bist nur Gast hier du faßt hier nichts an.

What they mean, is that they were the first proper German rap band, and since then, there has not been any significant competition, and that there won’t be any until they decide to disappear.

What I mean with quoting them…. is obvious HSPIN was the first serious, incorporated European high end yoyo maker, and looking around us now, I think we are in a similar position as Die Fantastischen Vier.

Take care, be in touch,
Chris

To say I was surprised is a little bit of an understatement, although I completely know where he is coming from. I have talked to Chris off and on for quite some time and I know that for him family is key. He is a very proud father who on several occasions has cut our conversations short so that he could go read a bed time story to his daughter. Even though he always apologized for doing it, I never minded. It brought a smile to my face every time, must be the teacher and father in me.

I wish you nothing but the best with your family and your new job Chris. I hope you regain that joy that made you one of the top European manufacturers and I am glad to see that while you may be cutting way back, you are not dropping out completely. Best of luck friend, please make sure you keep in touch.

-Chris R.

Sorry for the lack of a review last week. As some of you know I am an elementary school teacher first and a reviewer second. My school district started back to work on August 18th for the teachers with the kids coming back on August 23rd. The first week back is always a little crazy and has been doubly so for my district which over the summer finished their new facilities and combined three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school into one site.

Don’t worry, I have not forgotten about the reviews. Here is a list of my upcoming reviews:

• 3Yo3 Omnicron X (Special Bead Blast Edition)
• One Drop CafeRacer
• ILOVEYOYO Trvth

I am working on keeping a Weekend review schedule so expect to see reviews drop every Saturday or Sunday.

thanks everyone for your understanding,

Chris

Introduction

I love a good success story. C3 started off kind of rocky but has learned from their initial release, coming back to dazzle the scene time and again. Their yo-yos are reaching critical acclaim and becoming highly sought after. Their aluminum yo-yos have been holding their own against their western counterparts for quite some time now. Not to be pigeon holed into one medium, C3 has decided to enter the plastic and budget markets at the same time. Instead of going the normal injection molded route that a lot of companies employ for their plastic lines, C3 has decided to make their first plastic out of medical grade Delrin. Thus the Halo was born. The pluses are that since Delrin is machined like aluminum the company will have tighter control over the quality but the big minus in the room will be price. Usually Delrin yo-yos are the same price point as their metal counterparts. At $60 the Halo fits into the budget market for high performance yo-yos. Now we get to see if the enormous success of C3’s metal line will translate to their new plastic design.

Specs

• Diameter: 57.50 mm
• Width: 42.41 mm
• Gap: 4.50 mm
• Weight: 68.70 mm
• Bearing: C-Size Centre Trac Bearing
• Response: C3Yoyodesign Silicon Pads

Construction

The Halo arrived in a frosted transparent box that lets you see that, yes there is a yo-yo in there but not get a good look at the details. When I pulled the yo-yo out of the box the first thing that struck me was the size. This is not an undersized yo-yo, instead coming in larger than the Duncan Freehand Zero. The profile of the Halo is the standard butterfly shape but with flat rims transitioning into the catch zone. The outer walls curve almost completely into the gap leaving very little wall to come into contact with the string. The cup of the Halo is pretty shallow with no IGR at all. The floor is slightly raised from the rest of the yo-yo with a channel cut along the diameter between it and the inner rim. The hub in the center is made from machined aluminum and is pressed completely through each half, doubling as the bearing seat on the backside. The hub comes in a variety of colors giving it an understated break in the all white Delrin body. The hubs come in pretty much all colors of the rainbow. There is no anodizing or finish to talk about, it is a solid Delrin yo-yo so it will have the same self lubricating properties and soapy feel that all other Delrin yo-yos have. The butterfly shape of the Halo is very comfortable in the hand with no sharp angles to hit wrong. I like the design, keeping it classic makes it more accessible to a wider audience, about the only people that may be intimidated by the Halo are people with small hands

Weight

The Halo is almost 69 grams, but with it being so large it does not feel like a brick on the string. I found that it was a medium speed yoyo with great spin times. The weight is pretty much all center weighted so it is very stable on the string.

Response and Bearing

The response is C3’s white silicone pads. I was first introduced to them during my Darkstar review and thought they were way to grippy at first. I don’t know if they have changed manufacturers or if I just had an off batch in the Darkstar but the pads in the Halo are great. They started off unresponsive and have stayed that way through out. I am not the only person who likes these pads; Chris M. from CLYW recently announced that he has C3 making a custom version of these pads to fit their response groove, calling them snow tires. I can’t wait to try a pair in my Wooly Marmot and my Gnarwhal.

The bearing is my one sticking point with this yo-yo. C3 has gone with the Centre Trac again. While there is nothing mechanically wrong with the Centre Trac I am not the biggest fan. It is very loud even after three drops of V4M lube. The only difference between before lube and after is that after it is loud and responsive. I swapped it out with a 10-Ball at first and then a General-Yo AIGR bearing. Both of them felt smoother and made the yo-yo quieter during play.

Playability

On the first throw I was impressed with the smoothness of this yo-yo. It is not dead smooth but it was relatively vibe free. Now I should get this out of the way right now, there is no such thing as a “smooth as glass” plastic yo-yo. They will all have little imperfections that cause some sort of vibe. Now some will have the slightest of Peak vibe while others will vibe like an unbalanced washing machine. I am happy to say that this one falls well towards the Peak vibe end of the spectrum. There is no vibe on the string and just a little of it during grinds. As I said before it is very stable on the string. During the play test of this yo-yo I decided to just go pick a trick from the Rethinkyoyo contest submissions on YouTube. I found nolsoe94’s Bindcepion trick and decided I needed to learn that. It is a regen trick where you have to catch the yo-yo in your non-throw hand after throwing it up in the air from a sideways plastic whip. What makes this yo-yo great for leaning this trick is that it is bigger and easy to catch plus the plastic is easier on the hands. I must have cracked my knuckles several times trying to catch the yo-yo. One last thing I noticed about this yo-yo is that with the pads flush with the walls the regens were strong enough to continue on with other tricks and combos. One area that I would like to talk about is grinds. Usually plastic yo-yos are just not the greatest for grinds. They get sticky and just shoot off your arm. Delrin solves this problem by being self-lubricating; the plastic sweats giving the surface an oily feel. This yo-yo is well suited for arm, palm, and finger grinds. Where it is lacking is thumb grinds. There is no IGR and the cups are too shallow to accommodate a thumb if there were. This is by no means a deal breaker; most budget yo-yos kill of the IGR anyways.

Final Thoughts

Ok, so who shouldn’t buy this yo-yo? Thumb grinders with very tiny hands. That is about it. Everyone else should definitely give the Halo a shot. I would put this on my very short list of favorite Delrin yo-yos; right up with the 3Yo3 Volume, which has been my favorite for quite some time. C3 has been making a name for themselves in the metal world and have now shown they can compete in the plastic market as well. Where this bests a lot of the plastic currently on the market is in the quality of the construction. Since they are machined like a metal yo-yo they do not fall victim to the cracking issues that plague a lot of the injection mold plastics out on the market. C3 has shown that they continue to step up their game with each and every release. Now I want to see what they can do with more exotic materials, maybe a titanium yo-yo of some variety.

Introduction

The Stampede is the second offering from Xcube. Alexandre Valin or Xela as the community knows him, has been on a hot streak since he starting his France based yo-yo company. The Steamroller, his first yoyo, was a huge success throughout the community. Well now he is back with a new throw, and this one had some people curious from the get go. It has a different shape then the Steamroller yet was still wide. It is curvy, has simple engravings and is just plain different in almost everyway from his previous offering. Would it be as successful as the Steamroller? There is only one way to find out. Lets get cracking!

Specs

• Weight (g) 65.50
• Width (mm) 51.00
• Diameter (mm) 56.00
• Gap Width (mm) 4.50
• Bearing Size (Inside x Outside x Width) 6 x 13 x 5

Construction

Upon first look I was surprised by the width of this yoyo, this would be my first throw in the newer ultra wide design category. After getting over the width I was hit by the finish of this yoyo; it’s silky, almost feeling lubricated. This is a wonderful finish. The simple engravings were tastefully done and popped out against the vibrant anodizing. Each yoyo is numbered, which is a nice touch for collectors or people who have a favorite number that fits with in the range. The shape fits in with the rest of the extreme H-Shape category, which includes other members such as the Hspin NVx and the Vs. Newton Battosai. The shape lends itself well to huge spin times and easy catches during whips and slacks. The cup is large and obstruction free thanks to the minimal hub.

When taking apart the yoyo I noticed something, it was extremely tight and hard to loosen, there has been some issues with people having very tight bearing seats. Xela immediately addressed this issue, now having a tight bearing seat doesn’t necessarily mean its bad thing, it better then a loose one for sure. But you will need some simple tools to remove the bearing with out damaging it or the yoyo itself. Xela has made a video to illustrate how to safely remove the bearing from the Stampede. Overall the design is very well implemented and, depending on your stance about tight bearing seats, flaw free.

Weight

This yoyo is pretty fast for its size, the weight is evenly rim focused which provides a beautifully stable yoyo with incredible spin times. Xcube has definitely been doing their homework when it comes to designing yoyos. Some bigger yoyos often are plagued with weight issues and some newer designers are not sure where to trim the fat with out sacrificing the original design. This yoyo does not fall into that category. It was designed properly with the weight being considered through out the design process.

Response and Bearing

The stock bearing is quiet yet clean, it spins smoothly and efficiently. No issues with the bearing. One thing that must be mentioned, the bearing is a metric large bearing, while it looks very close to a C-Sized bearing they are not the same size. This is just something to be aware of if you decide you want to swap out the bearing.

The response is green pads that Xcube calls Cross Pads. These pads are quite thick and hard. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like these. My own experience with pads such as these has been that they often slip binds because they lose that grippy nature due to the firmness. Although I have slipped a couple binds with thinner strings, the Cross pads grip nicely and solidly with normal strings. I think some day I will try and silicone the Stampede I have just to see how it reacts with my response of choice. Until then I have no major issues with the Cross pads as long as I am using regular to thick string. They do their job look good against the purple finish, I have a thing for neon green.

Playability

As I stated earlier, this would be my first experience with a yoyo that falls into the ultra wide category. I initially didn’t know how I was going to like this. In the hand the Stampede feels comfortable; I was pleasantly surprised. I was almost certain that the width would hit my hand funny somewhere but it didn’t. It felt great. I knew this finish was special from the moment I touched it. I threw a hard break away and did a finger grind. Now let me say this first I am not the worlds best grinder. I can do some good grind tricks but it’s not my forte. This yoyo landed on my finger and stuck there, spinning effortlessly, spinning, spinning, spinning… Amazed at the time it sat there was like a moment of yoyo bliss, the General Yo finish once king of the grinding yoyos has been dethroned. I must have sat and threw grind after grind. Amazed each and every time. After my little grinding bliss wore down I began throwing the Stampede through a series of tricks, one word kept coming to mind, STABLE. This yoyo is incredibly stable, I kept envisioning thoughts of a tightrope walker and how the large pole helped them maintain balance on that tiny tightrope. That I think is the secret of the Stampede. Its width is not a deterrent but an aid to its ability to remain stable. The yoyo moves around smoothly and effortlessly. I really like this yoyo, after two weeks with it; it has become one of my go to yoyos.

Final Thoughts

Xcube has made a winner; the Stampede is an excellent yoyo, and worthy of being in anyone’s collection. If you have ever thought “Hey I wonder how those ultra wide yoyos play?” give yourself a Stampede, it is a perfect example of this new category. Not much more to be said other than “Well done Xela, Well Done!”

Introduction

Signature yo-yos are a pretty cool way to get to know the players that you enjoy watching. If a company is doing it correctly, they are going to collaborate hand in hand with the player to create the best yo-yo to meet his or her needs. So, as long as you don’t have a company just churning out yo-yos and then telling the a player on their team “this is your new signature yo-yo” you will get a glimpse at how a player thinks and what they look for in the yo-yos they will eventually perform with and possibly even compete with. Case in point, the new signature yo-yo from One Drop, the Dietz for East Coast player Daniel Dietz. This yo-yo was a complete collaboration between Daniel and the guys at One Drop, with Daniel giving input into what needed changing in order to meet his style. For those of you that don’t know him, Daniel has been around for years but has mostly flown under the community radar. It is funny to say that because in the fund raising community he is larger than life, using his yo-yo skills to raise close to $40,000 for his charity of choice, Smile Train International. Well, enough with the introduction. As I said above, there is no better way to get to know the player than to dig into his signature yo-yo.

Specs

• Width: 41.5mm
• Diameter: 50.4mm
• Gap: 4.34mm
• Base Weight (two halves, response pad, bearing): 59.9 grams
• Weight with aluminum Dietz Side Effects: 62.96 grams
• Response: Flow Groove
• Bearing: One Drop 10 Ball Bearing

Construction

One thing that I should probably clear up before we go any further is the name. You may hear this yo-yo referred to as the Halifax. That was the internal name given before all the specs were finalized between Daniel and the guys at One Drop. As I said in the intro, there were many revisions of this yo-yo and one of them had Halifax laser etched on the rims. After the design was completely fleshed out they retired the Halifax name for a future design and started calling the Dietz by its proper name.

The Dietz is an undersized, angular, Side Effect compatible yo-yo. The profile shows an extreme H-Shape with thick rims and a deep step into the catch zone. With so many angles, the Dietz gives off the appearance of being very uncomfortable to hold but looks are quite deceiving. Every edge has an ever so slight curve to it, giving the Dietz a great feel in the hand while holding it and when hitting the palm after performing tricks. Not to be upstaged by the catch zone, the cup is equally elaborate in design. There is a deep IGR cut under the rim and a step down to the inner wall leading to a flat floor around the hub. The stock Side Effect is a two-tiered conical design that ends in a flat nub on the top. The Dietz is wrapped in One Drop’s tumbled, Pyramatte finish, giving the yo-yo a smooth feel in the hand while retaining the ability to grind. This design is a radical departure from what we have come to expect from our friends in Eugene, OR. It feels like it has been influenced more by the military’s stealth program than by the yo-yo world… and that refreshing change suits me just fine. This design shows that that while One Drop is willing to shake things up a bit, they are not compromising where it counts the most, comfort.

Weight

Side Effect yo-yos are very tricky to talk about when it comes to weight. They all ship with a stock set of Side Effects and that is how I review them. The tricky part is that since you can change them out, talking about how the yo-yo feels at a particular weight is kind of a moot point. This is especially true for the Dietz, which is a lightweight in its stock form. When I first got it One Drop had not machined enough of the stock Side Effects so they shipped it with what they had on hand. I ended up plugging in aluminum Ultra Lights and leaving them in there until the stock Dietz Side Effects showed up at my door. In that configuration the Dietz plays super fast, almost to the point of being out of control. While it may not be for everyone, I loved how that played. Using the stock Side Effects slowed the Dietz down a hair making it move quickly but not insanely so. No matter what setup you decide to go with you will be greeted with a very stable, long spinning yo-yo.

Response and Bearing

The flow groove pad makes its return in the Dietz. These pads come pretty grippy out of the box but break in fast. Once broken in, you will be greeted with tight binds and a set of pads that will last you quite a long time.

The Dietz ships stock with the One Drop 10-Ball. This is one of the highest quality bearings on the market as evident by the fact that other companies have started shipping it with their yo-yos. The smooth feel and low noise level make them a fan favorite as well.

Playability

On the first throw with the stock side effects I was very impressed with the feel on the string. The best way to describe this yo-yo is zippy. It moves quickly between tricks and flows from string to string when hopping it about. The wide open catch zone makes it easy to land no matter what trick you are trying to pull off. To put this to the ultimate test I decided to work outside my comfort zone during play testing. I have heard that the Dietz excels at horizontal play, something I have never been good at and to be honest, I have also been a little intimidated by it as well. It didn’t help that the week before I started play testing this yo-yo Brett posted a video of himself getting cracked in the skull while learning the same trick, Banana Turnover to Trapeze, that I was going to attempt to teach myself. What I found with this yo-yo that helped learn the trick was that it was light while still being stable in the horizontal position. It didn’t drop out of alignment as much as a heavier yo-yo making it easier to line up with the string. Also that wide catch zone helped when it came to catching the string. With some of my other yo-yos it would hit the sidewall and bounce off more times than it would actually move into the gap. On the Dietz I found that once the string was in the catch zone it would guide itself easily to the gap. As far as the rest of the play is concerned it has all the strengths that come with an H-Shaped yo-yo; better suicides due to low friction, high spin times for long combos, and easy to catch on whips and lacerations. Finally, a quick word about the grinds. The Pyramatte finish is deceptive because it feels like a straight, non-blasted finish but it grinds almost as well as One Drop’s Soda Blast finish. The only issue I have ever had with it is that in high humidity it will get a tad sticky, but that is a minor issue. I found that rim design gave longer arm and palm grinds since it was always riding on just an edge instead of a flat surface, keeping skin contact to a minimum. Thumb grinds were easy to accomplish thanks to the deep IGR.

Final Thoughts

With the Dietz One Drop has shown that they are ready to move in a different direction. Gone are the grooves, flat rims, and simple yet elegant shapes that have defined them for quite some time. The Dietz’ unique design gives a high level of performance and precision, fitting perfectly with Daniel’s highly technical style of play. Now that One Drop is giving their competition team a means to create their perfect yo-yo I can’t wait to see what the company and the rest of their players come up with next.

If you would like more information on Daniel’d chosen charity, Smile Train International, and how you can join in helping out with this worthy cause please click on the link below.

http://www.smiletrain.org/

Introduction

The Saint Eel holds a fond place in my heart. It was my first micro yo-yo and the first ILYY product I ever bought. The Eel has been through many revisions in order to get where it is today. At the moment it has had three prototypes, ranging from a finger straining 68 gram version to a featherweight, ceramic blasted 59 gram version. The retail release settled on a moderate 61.5 gram, electro-polished beauty that almost hit it out of the park. At the end of that review I mentioned that I wanted it to ditch the polish for the more grind friendly ceramic blast from one of the earlier prototypes. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who wanted some changes. ILOVEYOYO, being… ILOVEYOYO, took the Saint Eel design back to the drawing board to change it up a bit for 2011. The result is the conveniently named Saint Eel 2011. After playing every version of the Saint Eel I now get to see if ILOVEYOYO has taken this near perfect steel yo-yo and finally hit a home run.

Specs

• Diameter: 42.10mm
• Width: 31.00mm
• Weight: 62.00g
• Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
• Bearing: ILYY KMK 5×11x5mm

Construction

No matter how many of these I play, I am always shocked when I take the Saint Eel out of its red, ILYY embossed, drawstring bag. It always feels like it should be bigger due to the weight of its steel composition. Once wrested from the bag it was immediately clear that this different from the previous models. Right off the bat I noticed ILYY had ditched the polished finish in the catch zone, instead going with a grind friendly satin finish. The rest of the profile is exactly the same as the first retail release. It is still a very organic butterfly shape, almost resembling a mini E1NS. The cup is where the other drastic change to the design occurred. The inner cup retains the polished look from the previous run but there is a new spiked hub in the center. The new spike adds a little more center weight to the yo-yo and allows ILYY to use a longer axle in the St. Eel. The new spike is still unobtrusive and allows for easy thumb grinds. As far as over all comfort is concerned it feels great in the hand, in fact in my hand it pretty much rests entirely on my middle finger. After playing this for a week I can honestly say that the enhancements to it have improved upon the design.

Weight

The spikes add about a half a gram of weight over the previous release, nothing to really write home about. This version is still missing that little extra thunk that the third prototype had when it hit the end of the string. The Saint Eel is stable on the string and pretty darn smooth. It feels like a midsized yo-yo on the string with a solid feel to it during play. The best thing that can be said is that the feel of this yo-yo is exactly the same as the previous run. If you like the weight and distribution of the previous generation then you will have no problems with this one.

Response and Bearing

The response is the standard sILYYcone that ILYY uses in all of their releases. It lasts forever and gives tight binds.

The stock bearing is a smaller D-Sized KMK bearing. Unlike the previous generation the bearing in the 2011 Saint Eel is shielded so I didn’t need to clean it like past Saint Eels. The bearing is smooth, quiet, and long spinning.

Playability

The first throw made me realize how much I missed the little sucker. I have owned pretty much every version of the Saint Eel with the exception of the original prototype, but I got to play Frank’s for an extended period of time. I just love the fact that this tiny yo-yo plays as well as my bigger throws. I mean it fits completely in the cup of my One Drop CODE1 but it gives me just as much fun while playing it. Now I must say that micro yo-yos are not for everyone. You have to adjust your play to meet the demands of the smaller yo-yo. While I would not recommend this for a first time metal it is a helpful tool when you want to get your consistency down. For this review I stuck with tricks I know instead of picking up a new one. I wanted to see if it was as easy to hit tougher tricks on this one than it was with say a C3 Halo or even a CODE1. What I found pretty well matches up with what I said earlier, I had to adjust to the small size of the St. Eel. I noticed during Brent Stoles that I more times than not would put the yo-yo through the triangle than land on it, causing a knot if I wasn’t careful. Eli Hops were also brutal, especially behind the head ones. Once I had my aim down I would hit them more often than not and I don’t know if it is all just in my head or not, I feel like I am hitting some of the tricks on my bigger yo-yos, especially Brent Stole, a little bit easier after practicing so much on such a small yo-yo. Now one area of weakness in earlier models was the grinds. The previous run had the electro-polish to it that had a slight satin and were ok, but it still felt off. The 2011 model has a deeper satin to it allowing for much better grinding. I don’t feel as though I am fighting it as much as I have in the past. As I stated earlier this yo-yo is still able to thumb grind even with the new spikes. Those spikes are great looking but not quite as usable as I would have liked. The polished cups don’t allow for easy grabbing of the spikes, raw metal and flesh just don’t work well together. Not really a flaw because previous Eels were never designed for matador play. If they had satined or blasted the cups then those spikes would be infinitely more usable.

Final Thoughts

As with every other ILYY reissue lately, they have taken a proven design and ramped it up. The Saint Eel is still pretty much the micro yo-yo to beat. As I said before this is not for everyone, being such a tiny yo-yo means it may end up frustrating newer players. If you are looking for a great pocket yo-yo this is the one for you, even if you are not I recommend still giving it a go. While everyone is looking for the next competition level yo-yo to hit the market it seems that the fun factor is falling by the wayside. The Saint Eel may not be the next competition yo-yo but it is a whole lot of fun in a tiny steel package.

The collab is with Kyle Maxwell (Barking Spider)
he name comes from both the companies as well as the design itself
the yoyo itself is a heavily modded Battosai (japanese)
Kumo will feature 4 sets of inter-changeable rims for various play styles and preferences (eight legs)
here she is with proto rims

This is not the only exclusive to pop up. A little while back Heath’s machine shop goofed while cutting the Flying Hut Prototypes, the good news is that those mistakes were very salvageable and ended up becoming the Moon Walker. There are just a small number of them machined and they were never meant to be a legit model, but since they are such a fun throw Heath is having each one anodized in a unique colorway. This will give each Moon Walker it’s own “One Off” status. If you snag one you will end up with a ultra rare piece of Vs. Newton history. HEre are some of the Moon Walkers Heath had anodized by Jason Wong: