3Yo3 Al5
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
April 14, 2013

Introduction

Landon Balk has been creating yo-yos since 2001, starting off hand turning acrylic on a lathe. In 2009 he brought his creations to the public with the crystal clear acrylic Cosmo, which was a gorgeous and fun yo-yo to play with. In 2010 he switched from acrylic and Delrin to aluminum with the phenomenal yet woefully underappreciated Baseline. Last year Landon stepped it up again with another material change and did his first titanium yo-yo, the Ti5. The Ti5 was a big hit in the community, with its crazy packaging, ability to spark, and spot on play. Today we are looking at the Ti5’s more affordable kid brother, the Al5. While it will not spark since it is made from aluminum it does come in its own crazy package. If it has the same level of play as the older titanium sibling Landon will have a sure fire hit on his hands.

Specs

• Diameter: 53.85mm
• Width: 43.23mm
• Gap: 4.02mm
• Weight: 65.2g
• Bearing: C- Size Steel Bearing
• Response: Flowable Silicone

Construction

As with the Ti5, the Al5 comes in it’s own unique packaging. This time, instead of a macho cable junction box, Landon got in touch with his sensitive side and went with a Yankee Trader style vacuum seal, glass candle container. It is just as cool as the junction box and a whole heck of a lot easier to open. It had me laughing when I pulled it from the shipping box since I was not expecting it.

The Al5 uses an almost identical shape to the Ti5. It has a hair smaller diameter, a slightly larger width but the same basic shape is there. The profile shows off the super wide catch zone with large sloping rims and scalloped cuts leading to the gap. Landon stuck with the rounded zero wall design of the Ti5 here as well, which I am a fan of due to the decreased string contact and wear. The cup is were the departure from the Ti5 design is noticed. The step in weight placement that has been seen in quite a few designs lately is still present in the Al5 as it was in the Ti5 but it is closer to the rim edge and is quite a bit thicker. There does seem to be an IGR since the walls leading to the floor of the cup feel like they have a slight angle to them. The Al5 has a bead blast finish to it that feels ten times better than the raw titanium finish from the Ti5. Raw yo-yos in general can feel sticky in certain situations. The overall comfort of the Al5 is similar to its brother. It feels great in the hand with fingers resting on curves instead of harsh edges. The rims seem to have a little more of a rounded edge. I noticed the Al5 did not feel as harsh while playing it. Overall, if you liked the looks of the Ti5 you will love the looks of the Al5. I liked the Ti5 but I honestly think I like the Al5 design better. It retains all Ti5 feel while adding a blast finish, IGR, and more comfort.

Weight

The Al5 is a little over half a gram heavier than its sibling, basically nothing to write home about if you have played a Ti5. The Al5 is just as quick as the Ti5 and I dare say an even more stable since the stabilizing weight ring extends further in towards the center of the yo-yo.

Response and Bearing

The stock response is flowable silicone and the stock bearing is a standard C-Size steel bearing. The Al5 comes with the silicone slightly recessed out of the container so the yo-yo performs pretty much dead unresponsive from the get go. There is none of that accidental binding that comes with breaking in a freshly poured response. The bearing is loud but works quite well. No major complaints over this generic steel bearing. I can break open some V4M and lube it up if it starts truly screaming at me.

Playability

The Al5 shows Landon’s expertise in yo-yo design. When I wrote about the Ti5 I talked about how titanium gives the creator better control over weight placement. This is true and it is a unique property of the metal. Where the Al5 shines is that it plays nearly, as in 99% nearly, identical to its titanium sibling. This is amazing considering the Ti5 was a $300 yo-yo and the Al5 will only set you back $85. The Al5 is a fast player that is perfect for high-speed competition and tech play. It is easy to catch thanks to the cavernous catch zone. The added stability makes for an easy go of things during horizontal play. Where the Al5 just outright dominates its older sibling is in the grinds department. The bead blast finish allows it to just sit on your finger for what feels like an eternity. Couple that with the large catch zone and I am popping back and forth between palm grinds, finger grinds, and even grinds using the Mr. Spock hand salute. My hardest grind combination was a finger grind, pop in the air, to a thumb grind. While the Al5 has what feels like an IGR the hole is small so you have to be precise when hitting the target. Once you have the Al5 latched on to your thumb it does not want to come off accidentally.

Final Thoughts

I liked the Ti5 quite a bit; it feels great on the string. That being said if you sat it and an Al5 down on a table, had me play both, and told me I could only have one I would pick the Al5 everyday and twice on Sunday. When I said it played 99% identical to the Ti5 I was not joking, the 1% difference allows the Al5 to surpass it. With every release Landon is stepping up his game, now he is pushing out aluminum yo-yos that equal his already amazing titanium efforts. I look forward to what he has to show me next.