Big YoYo String Vitality (Prototype)
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
August 18, 2013

Introduction

String companies making their own yo-yo seems to becoming quite the rage. Paul at G-String did it a while back with a custom white YoYoJam with G-String branded caps and more recently Evan at Toxic String released the excellent Hazmat. It makes sense that the string makers would get involved. Who better to design a yo-yo than the people responsible for keeping the darn thing attached to your finger? Keeping the tradition alive is newcomer Jake Vande Walle, owner of Big YoYo String along with yo-yo designer and Big String team member Josh Rodriquez. When he first sent out pictures of the Vitality I was more than a little intrigued. It looked very similar to the entry I submitted for the One Drop CODE2 contest. That being said, I HAD to review Josh’s creation. While it was not identical to mine in shape or weight, it was close enough that I could get a decent idea of what could have been. Lets break into it and see if the string maker to yo-yo designer trend has merit or if they should stick to gaps and leave the rest of the yo-yo to the experts.

Specs

• Diameter: 55.655mm
• Width: 44.215mm
• Base Weight without Side Effects: 64.47 grams**
• Bearing Size: Size C Bearing
• Response: OD Flow Groove (for prototypes)

**As tested the Vitality weighs 67.67 grams with aluminum spike Side Effects.

Construction

This is a prototype review so things can and will change before the final product ships. Josh feels strong enough about the current design that he wanted a write up of the raw test unit.

The profile of the Vitality shows off a fluid and organic V-shape with bulbous rims that flow to an ever so slight step halfway down the catch zone before meeting a small cut near the gap that aids in keeping the string away from the walls. The face of the yo-yo continues the rounded organic design with the edge of the rim rounding into the cup and back on itself forming the IRG. The inner walls travel straight down to the flat floor of the cup with only the Side Effect hub breaking up the look. The prototype shipped raw with spikes but the production run will ship with spikes and aluminum Ultra Lights. It will also have some sort of blast; currently Josh is looking at a soda blast finish. The design as tested feels great in the hand with absolutely no sharp angles to hit wrong in the hand. Comfort wise, this is a joy to play. I am a fan of the looks of this yo-yo and find the extra step in the catch zone opened it up wider than if he had kept it completely flat. As it sits right now I wouldn’t change anything on the design.

Weight

With the stock spikes installed the almost 68 gram yo-yo seemed to flow from trick to trick. This is a laid back yo-yo that is great to zone out with. Basically the type of yo-yo I look for when picking one up. Swapping out with Ultra Lights drops almost a gram off the weight and firms up the play a bit. It is easier to push it into high speed making it a good fit for the high-speed tech players looking for a nimble player.

Response and Bearing

Since this is a prototype the final bearing and response are not set in stone. At the moment Josh is looking at shipping them with a 10 Ball and Flow Groove pads. Since they are not finalized yet I will refrain from talking about them at this time.

Playability

I played it mostly with the spikes it was shipped with and found the play to be smooth as silk. As I said, it flowed from trick to trick but never felt sluggish. I have always been a fan of the wide-open V-Shape design. It gives you the easy to hit catch zone of an H-shape without any harsh steps that can gum up the strings travel to the gap. The Vitality was able to handle any tricks thrown at it and excelled at suicide tricks thanks to the almost complete lack of contact with the walls. The loops stay wide open allowing you to get your hand easily in place. Being a raw yo-yo means it isn’t going to be the best at grinds but attempting them yielded some impressive results. The Vitality pulled off decent hand and finger grinds. Arm grinds wanted to grab a little more while thumb grinds were darn near perfect. If the play I am getting from the proto is any indication, this is going to be a beast on the string and an excellent yo-yo for the grind fanatics in the community.

Final Thoughts

The Vitality is definitely a yo-yo to keep an eye out for. It plays great on the string and is quite comfy in the hand. Whenever I do a prototype review I am asked to give opinions where I would change the design. In this case I cannot really find a something to change. Obviously I would want a blasted finish and if push comes to shove, maybe shave a gram off the base weight. Other than those two areas I would leave it alone. This is an impressive freshman effort from Big YoYo String and I look forward to playing the production model.