Cyclon Mods Large Bearing FHC
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
August 15, 2010

Introduction

The Duncan Freehand Zero has got to be the undisputed workhorse of the yo-yo world. Introduced back in the late 1990’s as the Duncan Freehand, this yo-yo has gone on to win championships. Most recently, Tyler Severance used one to win his 2007 5A title at Worlds. What makes this yo-yo so resilient to the effects of the ever-changing tastes of the yo-yo industry is a killer combination of price and mod potential. This is THE go to yo-yo when you want to change things up and create something new. Mod experts like Chris “Ricerocket” Rice, Joey “Luke Vader” Penland, Perry “Modfather” Prine, and Alex “Cyclontzy” Franke have gone on to make huge names for themselves in the community. Their mods range from simple silicone recesses to the most complex of complete yo-yo reshapes and they all use the FHZ as one of their canvases of choice when applying their art. You read that correctly, I do consider modding an art form in the yo-yo world just as I consider a one off car designer like Chip Foose an artist. It takes a level of skill and experience along with an eye for detail to take a decently working yo-yo and turn it into one that performs as good, if not significantly better, than the original design. Today we are going to take a look at the latest from Cyclon Mods, the large bearing FHC. Will this be another in the long line of Picasso grade mods or is this more the crayon artwork that my son likes to hang up on the fridge?

Specs

  • Diameter: 57.15 mm
  • Width: 39.5 mm
  • Gap: approx. 4.5mm
  • Weight: 67 grams
  • Bearing: C-Sized Steel Bearing
  • Response: Single Side Crucial Ghost Pad

Construction

The Freehand that has been modded and sent for review is an Enyo plastic edition Freehand. For those that do not know, Enyo Resin is a high grade plastic created by GE Plastics for use in the automotive industry. What makes Enyo Resin so special is the color shifting effects of the plastic produced by tiny prismatic crystals embedded within the plastic. The end result is a plastic yo-yo that shifts color similar to the tricked out cars you see rolling down the street. The Freehand Zero itself is a large yo-yo falling squarely in the full sized category. The shape of the Freehand Zero is the epitome of butterfly shaped yo-yos, which is good because Duncan has a trademark on using the term “Butterfly” when describing a yo-yo. The classic shape and large size is still extremely comfortable in the hand. The gentle curves rest comfortably in the hand and the big size does not feel cumbersome while throwing or catching, even in smaller hands like my daughters. The side caps on this yo-yo are the first mod that you will notice on this FHC. It is very subtle logo change. The new logo perfectly mimics the stock, silk-screened Freehand Zero logo but instead of saying FH Zero it says FH Cyclon. Alex accomplished this mod by polishing the original logos off the caps and then he applied custom cut vinyl appliqués to the caps. The only give away that it isn’t stock is the slight raised surface of the sticker. Opening up the yo-yo gives us access to the major modification. Instead of the stock brass inserts and small A-Sized bearing we find a set of Crucial SPRs and a large C-Sized bearing. Each half of the yo-yo has had a recess cut into it encompassing the inner diameter of the sticker lip area. The recess is deep enough to fit the thick aluminum spacers with an installed response sticker and still remain below the edge of the wall. The SPRs fit snuggly in the recesses with no rattle. All in all, the mods look like they could have been factory instead of aftermarket. Probably one of the best compliments that you can give a modder is to say that they look like they were meant to be there from the beginning. This yo-yo falls into that category, with mods that look as if they could have come from the factory instead of having to be added later.

Weight

Thanks to the thick aluminum SPRs and the C-Sized bearing, the FHC is about 3 grams heavier than a stock Freehand Zero. The extra weight is concentrated in the center of the yo-yo adding to the solid feel of the FHC. It still zooms along on the string like a Freehand Zero should. The added center weight gives it a bit more stability during play. I am a fan of the extra weight and the feel that it gives the yo-yo. It is not overpowering and does not change the speed.

Response and Bearing

The stock response is a single Crucial Ghost pad. I am not the biggest fan of the feel of Ghost Pads; I find that they slip sometimes, so I replaced it with a General-Yo Hat Pad. That is the beauty of pads, you can switch them out at a moments notice to meet your needs. The addition of the Crucial SPR Kit gives the FHC the ability to use standard .555 pads, giving the end user a vast amount of pads to choose from.

The C-Sized bearing in the FHC gives the yo-yo a good amount of spin time. The bearing used is a generic 8-Ball, nothing fancy but it gets the job done. That being said, the world of customization opened up by the SPR mod’s ability to use a C-Bearing means that you can now drop in your favorite bearing whether it is a Center Track, AIGR, or 10-Ball.

Playability

It may look like a stock Freehand Zero, but it does not play stock. Yes, it does have a thin amount of vibe to it, but it vibes a heck of a lot less than every Freehand Zero that I have ever played, and some metals for that matter. For all intents and purposes this is one of the smoothest Freehands I have played. The only time I felt the vibe was during the finger test. During play, where it counts, the FHC was smooth as butter on the string. The extra gap width from the C-Bearing allows for more string wraps leading the way for more complex tricks and an easier time catching it during whips and slacks. In testing the FHC, I performed several tricks on my daughter’s stock Freehand Zero and then did the same on the FHC. I found that tricks like the Flux Capacitor, tricks with multiple strings in the gap, clogged and stalled the stock Freehand Zero while the FHC was able to perform them with ease. The extra center weight and the added stability made for an easier time performing Twirly Bird. The stock Freehand Zero tended to tilt more during the trick. As far as grinds are concerned, this yo-yo doesn’t do them. It was not designed for them so I can’t really knock it. It could be modded with a satin or bead blast but it would kill the looks of the Enyo look.

Final Thoughts

I find that the mods added to the FHC make this a Freehand Zero that I want to play. I have never hid the fact that I am not a fan of the Freehand Zero in its stock form. It just does not play the way I like a yo-yo to play. This corrects most of the issues I have had with the Freehand Zero in the past. Alex at Cyclon Mods has really brought some competition to the modding community with his expertly implemented mods. I look forward to him stepping it up to the next level and start doing complete reshapes.