“5-Star” 2nd Run by General-Yo By Chris Rhoads

Introduction
Right off the bat General-Yo is setting the stage high with the 5-Star line of yo-yos. When one hears “5-Star” two things probably come to mind, 5-Star quality and 5-Star generals. Given the name of the company and the 5-Star name it is hard not to conjure up images of Omar Bradley or Dwight Eisenhower. Now the question is, will this yo-yo live up the legacy that the name is associating itself with? Is it the General of the Army or is it just a lowly Private?
Specs
Weight: 64 Grams
Width: 41.27 mm
Diameter: 52.14 mm
Gap: 4.20 mm
Bearing: AIGR C-Sized Bearing
Response: One Drop Thick Pads or Flowable Silicone

Look and Feel
I will have to admit; when I first saw the second run 5-Star I was less than impressed. I thought that the shiny, first run 5-Star just exuded class and I had hopes that when the second run was produced it would retain that mirror polished look. I know that it was not the best grinding surface but it just had such a unique look that I could overlook the lack of grinding. Now that I have a second run in my hands, the new look has grown on me. It is muted and understated. This yo-yo’s look just tells the thrower “I am supremely confident in my abilities and do not need to distract you with flash” I was lucky enough to pick up an all light green 5-Star, which adds to its muted elegance.

Now as far as the feel is concerned, this yo-yo feels like no other. I have felt some bead blasted finishes in my day and this one takes the cake. It is a hair courser than a soda blast finish. The best description I have heard when describing this finish comes from a buddy of mine who said that it feels like it is lubricated when grinding. It is that smooth. The shape of the 5-Star lends itself to fitting comfortably in the hand while throwing and catching it. There are no sharp edges or flat spots that would possibly hit a pressure point in the palm.

Weight
When it comes to the weight of the 5-Star all I can say is that the specs lie. They say it is 64 grams, making it over 2 grams lighter than a Duncan Freehand Zero. In the hand, the 5-Star feels so much heavier. The weight distribution is perfect on the 5-Star, giving it phenomenal stability while also giving it amazing spin times. There is really nothing more to say about the weight. I am not a fan of lighter throws but there are always exceptions to the rule and this one is among them.

Response and Bearing
The 5-Star uses stock One Drop thick pads in a deep recess, giving it snappy binds. If you look closely at the picture of the 5-Star innards you can see just how deep the pad recess really is. The recess is deep enough to accept flowable silicone. The fact that the 5-Stars are designed to accept both pads and silicone goes to show that General-Yo is thinking about the players first and foremost. While flowable is a great response system, there is nothing worse than being mid trick when you notice bits of silicone flying out of your yo-yo. With the 5-Star I can grab a spare thick pad out of my case and be back up and throwing in no time.

The bearing on the 5-Star is the true secret weapon of this yo-yo. It is an Aircraft Instrument Grade Rated bearing. Let me say that again so it will sink in, it is an Aircraft Instrument Grade Rated bearing. In another life, the bearing in my yo-yo could be buried in the guts of an F-16 gyroscope keeping our troops safe. The AIGR bearing gives incredible spin times and needs very little maintenance to keep it going strong. This is not my first experience with the General-Yo bearing, I have been using one in my BBYY Bully for quite some time and it has yet to disappoint me.

Playability
As always, it comes down to this. How does the 5-Star play? In a word, incredible. For starters, that bead blast finish gives insane grind times. I have been able to transfer the 5-Star back and forth several times from palm to palm, drop it and still bind return it without it spinning out on me. The bead blast extends to the IGR and gives it impressive thumb grinds. While I have never been great at performing thumb grind, I am able to transfer the 5-Star from one thumb to another with ease. The one area where do I feel the light weight is when I throw suicides. It does not immediately drop like a heavy yo-yo, giving me a few extra milliseconds to catch the string. As for all the other tricks, there is not a slack, wrap, or whip that the 5-Star cannot handle. I can honestly say that the 5-Star is one of my top three favorites.

Final Thoughts
I honestly cannot say a bad thing about this yo-yo. It takes the best aspects of a light and heavy yo-yo and puts them in a single throw. It is nimble on the string while spinning like a heavyweight. It grinds forever and never once took off while on my arm or in my palm. Going back to the earlier question, yes it does live up to its 5-Star status. If you pick one up, don’t be surprised when the rest of your collection begins to salute it.