Efreet 64
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
December 7, 2014

Introduction

Today I am looking at the 64 by Bulgarian yo-yo company Efreet. I had previously mentioned in my first Efreet review that they are a company with a business model quite similar to that of some of the top tier Japanese companies, which is to say they came up with a design that works great for what they are trying to accomplish and then they scale it up or down in size and weight distribution in order to achieve the feel they are looking for in that particular model. The one I am reviewing today is their larger, 64mm diameter model. Efreet does have their second 64mm Fire yo-yo design, which I will be reviewing later. I wanted to do this one first so that you would have it to refer back to since the play between the two is extremely similar and the Fire review will mostly deal with the setup and play of a yo-yo that has flames coming out of the cups.

Specs

• Diameter: 64mm
• Width: 50mm
• Gap: 4.6mm
• Weight: 75 grams
• Response: clear silicone pads
• Bearing: Size C KonKave bearing.

Construction

The first thing I need to get out of the way, this yo-yo is a beast. It is huge, even in my ample paws. The size and shape would lend itself well to a metal off string yo-yo; the only modification needed would be a thinner bearing and the gap. That being said, this yo-yo is extremely comfortable in the hand. It did not feel too cumbersome to hold thanks to the rounded organic shape and the soft blast finish.

The profile of the 64 shows off just how similar it is to the smaller 56. It retains the rounded rims and organic catch zone that leads to the low walled gap. They are virtually identical except for the size. The cup is more of the same with its flat floor, lack of an IGR, and inverse hub with the company logo laser etched into it. Overall I was fond of this design on the 56 and it works just as well when scaled up on the 64.

Weight

It cannot me stated enough this is a large yo-yo. As such, the 75 gram weight does not feel overly heavy during play. It is stable on the string but easy to move around. It responds quickly to direction changes. The speed of this yo-yo is what shocked me the most. It excels at playing at a medium pace but has absolutely no problems ramping it up into high gear and playing fast. I found the speed range to be quite impressive.

Response and Bearing

The 64 uses the same bearing and response pads that the 56 uses. Again, I am not a fan of the KonKave but it did not bother me as much as they usually do. The pads are decent but could stand to have a tad more grip to them.

Playability

During play I was expecting a cumbersome yo-yo with limited use… I was wrong. It played quite well. The 64 is quick on the string and plays with quite a bit of float to it. I found that even during congested tricks such as Black Hops that the 64 was able to navigate the tight string wraps around my fingers. It is also insanely easy to hit during tricks such as Jade Whip and Iron Whip. While most of the play is great there is one issue I need to bring up so that players can compensate for it. This yo-yo has a large kickback to it when throwing front style. This is not a huge issue but one that you will want to be aware of unless you like hard cracks to the shins. If I had to make a guess, I would say the kickback is due to the sheer size of the yo-yo, it either needs a smaller gap or a larger diameter bearing. Grinds on this yo-yo are nothing short of amazing. The bead blast finish and crazy spin times gives the player ultimate control while it is in contact with your hand. Even without an IGR, I found that thumb grinds were pretty easy to pull off. Every once in a while the yo-yo may slip off my thumb but for the most part I found the underside of the rim was large enough to compensate for that without having to throw at an angle.

Final Thoughts

I was not expecting the level of play that I got out of the 64; it was just so large. To give you an idea of how big it is, the 64’s cup is almost large enough to fit a MarkMont. Classic in it and will easily fit a G-Squared Quake. Other than the kickback issue the 64 is an impressive yo-yo that would be great for someone looking for a large, comfortable yo-yo, especially if they are searching for something unique and different from what they already have in their collection.