E1NS 2009 by ILOVEYOYO

Reviewed by Chris Rhoads

December 21, 2009

Introduction

Every company has a beginning, that first product that either makes or breaks the company. For ILOVEYOYO that product was the E1NS (a leetspeak version of the German word eins meaning one). The E1NS was originally intended to just be an internal release for Frank and Dom, the owners of ILYY. Strong, positive feedback of the initial version convinced the guys to produce a small run for the public. Since the initial release there have been six revisions to the E1NS line. With each revision came a new weight, a slight reprofile, a new finish, etc. Now, after two years, we have what can be considered the definitive version of the E1NS. Is the seventh version of the E1NS the one or just another one?

Specs

  • Diameter: 50.00mm
  • Width: 41.7mm
  • Gap: 4.2mm
  • Weight: 66.60g
  • Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
  • Bearing: ILYY KMK 6×13x5mm

Construction

First thing I noticed about the E1NS is that it is completely devoid of flat edges. It is rounded from one end to the other and all parts in between. Even the catch zone leading up to the response has a gentle curve to it. This lends to a very comfortable yo-yo in the hand. It rests nicely in the throw hand. The cups are deep enough to cover my thumbnail completely. This is a plus since ILYY took it upon themselves to add a well-pronounced IRG, perfect for prolonged thumb grinds. The finish on the E1NS is ILYY’s new Candodize finish in a stunning black and orange color combination (or as my son calls it, the Halloween yo-yo). One thing that I had not noticed about the Candodize finish is that it looks smooth but it isn’t. I ran my thumbnail across the surface of the yo-yo and it felt like I was running my finger across a vinyl record. Going back to my Fury, the only other ILYY Candodized yo-yo in my collection, I noticed that it had the same feel to it just to a lesser degree.

Weight

The weight distribution of the E1NS is spot on. This latest revision has had as much weight as possible pushed to the rims. The results are increased spin times from the previous E1NS that I owned while still maintaining a stable, vibe and wobble free throw. At 66.60 grams it does play a little heavy but not so much that it feels like a brick on the string. It hits that sweet spot for me giving me the speed that I want but not too much speed. Sometimes a fast yo-yo can make you feel like you have to rush to keep up with it. The E1NS never gave me that feeling. At this point I do not think they could do another weight revision to the E1NS without messing up the delicate balance that they have achieved.

Response and Bearing

The response is the now standard red-hot sILYYcone that ILYY uses across their entire line. It gives amazing binds while maintaining the unresponsive nature of the yo-yo itself. A problem I had with my E1NS is that ILYY did not apply enough sILYYcone in the response groove, causing the yo-yo to slip binds on all strings but G-String PX, which is the thickest string I use.

The bearing is the KMK metric bearing used in the ILYY line as well. It spins great and I appreciate the fact that they are deshielded by default. I do wish they would switch over to the C-Bearing that has become standard large bearing in the industry. There is such a minute difference between the KMK 6x13x5 bearing and the C-Sized bearing that is does not seem like it would be that hard to redesign the bearing seat to accommodate C-Bearings. This would give ILYY customers the ability to choose from a wider variety of bearings.

Playability

This is a smooth playing yo-yo with next to no vibe and no wobble. It is a little on the slow side but as I stated above, I like a yo-yo that works at your speed instead of the player rushing to meet the speed of the yo-yo. It just gives the player more time to set up the tricks. Perfect for those players like myself who do not have the fastest reaction times on the planet. The redesigned rims give the yo-yo an excellent amount of spin to combo trick after trick with ease. The slippy binds were annoying to say the least. Having to stop and wind up the string after pulling off a combo killed the flow and took me out of the groove that every player gets into while throwing. Moving to a thicker string temporarily solved the problem but for a permanent fix I am going to have to rip out the sILYYcone and redo the response. Once I moved to the thicker string I had no problems pulling off all the tricks in my repertoire. The E1NS can grind with ease and I would put it in the middle of the pack. The Candodize finish can pull of impressive grinds, as evidenced by the small bearing Rocket that I used recently. It is quite a bit better than a smooth anodized finish but it lags a little behind a true blasted finish.

Final Thoughts

I found the E1NS to be a great player that had a little setback with the installation of the response. An easy fix but an annoyance none the less. I expect this to be a one-time occurrence that will not crop up in other retail releases. Even with this issue, I have no problems recommending this yo-yo to anyone looking for something new. It is a fun yo-yo that will work well for anyone intermediate on up. ILYY has worked on perfecting the E1NS over the past two years and I think they have finally achieved their goal.