Caribou Lodge YoYo Works 28 Stories Peak By Brett Grimes


Introduction

When I first got into this hobby one yoyo has always stuck in my mind, The CLYW 28 Stories Peak, the anodizing is so over the top with the variations of blues with a red splash on top. This colorway is so in your face but has a beauty unrivaled by any other yoyo in my personal opinion. Due to these selling out almost immediately, finding one in excellent condition has been the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. It has eluded me over the last 8 months, either I didn’t have the money at the time or none were available when I was ready. Well the moon, stars, and sun have aligned on this special day, I finally hunted down and brought home the elusive 28 Stories Peak. All the time waiting you would think the pedestal I built for this colorway would be high, and it was, but the splash anodizing on this yoyo left me speechless. Now, will the play do the same?


Specs

Diameter: 54.65mm
Width: 42.50mm
Gap: 4.17mm
Weight: 67.30 grams
Bearing: C-Size
Response: Flowable Silicone


Look and Feel
What needs to be said here is the complexity of this finish. The splash is nothing new to CLYW fans and it has been done by other companies but will always be identified with CLYW. The 28 Stories anodizing is simply stunning to say the least. The first thing you will obviously notice is the red splash, but once you really look at it you will notice the complexity of the blues underneath. They vary from light sky blues to deep royal blues creating what can only be explained as a beautiful cloudy day. The appearance will not let you look away. In a case full of solid color yoyos, it demands to be played. Peaks use a classic butterfly shape, in the hand you know your holding a piece made by skilled artisans. This definitely has a well crafted feel.

Weight
Coming in at 67.3 grams this is not a lightweight yoyo, but don’t think for one second that it is a boat anchor. This yoyo moves around the string with authority plowing thru tricks. It has a definitive feel that lets you know there is a yoyo at the bottom of that string. It might not be for everyone but I feel the weight of this yoyo is perfect for its size and shape. I don’t think it would have the charisma it has if it were lighter. I will quote a favorite saying of mine “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” and CLYW has found the perfect size to weight ratio.

Response and Bearing
The bearing is a normal C sized bearing. For the tech guys this is a .250 x .500 x .187 size. I love large bearing yoyos and the Peak comes equipped with a cleaned and dry stainless steal bearing. The beauty of this is the break in period is drastically reduced and often is totally unresponsive right out of the box. The response system is flowable silicone. I’m sure this is time consuming for the folks at CLYW but they have it down pat. I have yet to see a flowable silicone job done as nicely as within this Peak. It provides fantastic binds with a bite. I love a snappy bind, nothing irritates me more then binding and it’s delayed a few milliseconds before returning. On the Peak, when I say “bind” it binds.

Playability
Throwing a Peak is a joy in itself. Like anything built by hand there will be variances from product to product but the Peak is incredibly smooth. I noticed the smoothness on the first throw. It was incredible. I proceeded to go through some of my favorite tricks with nothing but a smile on my face. Slacks, Whips, it just took what ever I threw at it. It begs to be played and play it I did. It has a different feel to it, making me want to slow down and perform the tricks with elegance and class versus cranking thru them. I totally dig the way this yoyo handles itself on the string. I still smile to this day when throwing the Peak.

Final Recommendation
Will a Peak turn you into the next best yo-yoing sensation? No, will it make you land that super hard combo? No, what it will do is provide you with an exceptionally smooth yoyo that has quite possibly the best-anodized colorway seen. Every player at one point needs to own a Peak. It might not be the yoyo for you but I can guarantee you will have to pry mine from my cold, dead hands.