Duncan Light Up Freehand Zero
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
January 8, 2012

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.