Liopleurodon by ILOVEYOYO

Reviewed by Brett Grimes 8/28/09

Introduction

The Liopleurodon by ILOVEYOYO has been one of the most hyped yoyo’s to appear this year. Almost anyone who touches one has given it nothing but glowing reviews as big as the prehistoric creature it was named after. I am not one to fall on to the hype boat so easily as someone hypes almost every yoyo that comes out. With this being the first yoyo designed fully by Frank O. co-owner of ILYY, I began to think maybe its not just hype. So when I received a chance to snag a preproduction Lio, as they are called for short, I was ready to put it thru its paces. I had huge expectations for this yoyo and I was not sure they were going to be filled. Would the Liopleurodon come thru or was it just another over hyped yoyo?

Specs

Weight: 68g

Width: 41.5mm

Diameter: 54.85mm

Gap: 4.15mm

Bearing: 6x13x5

Response: Red Hot sILYYcone

Construction

The yoyo came in the standard velvet bag, with pin, that is an ILYY staple. As I threw that off to the side, I stood back and stared at the Lio. Almost everyone thinks its purple and black but its not. Instead, the true color is titanium and it has a slightly grey, with hints of dark brown to it. In some photos it does look black but the photos included with this pretty representative of the true color. I am a huge fan of the candy blast finish, which is stock on most ILYY products, and this one was truly spectacular. The purple against the titanium is classy, yet still has a certain amount of eye candy flash to it. The feel of the yoyo was extremely comfortable in my hand. We’re off to a good start.

Weight

Coming in at 68 grams this yoyo is a heavy weight, and that’s right up my alley. It is not so heavy as to feel like a boat anchor, it does move around quite easily, but the weight is definitely there. I think this is one of the most well balanced yoyos I have thrown to date. The weight is where it should be, it never feels heavy, it never feels light, what it does do is feel RIGHT. Frank, being on my short list of favorite throwers, definitely did his homework on this one.

Response and Bearing

The Liopleurodon comes with the ILYY red-hot sILYYcone applied wonderfully into the yoyo. I love to see a precision silicone job and the Lio has it. ILYY has one of the smoothest silicones in the business; they have it down to a science. As with every ILYY I have thrown the binds are snappy and clean just like they should be. Nothing replaces a well-executed silicone job.

The bearing is a 6x13x5 metric bearing, cleaned, and unresponsive right out of the gate, just the way I like it. Again, I am not a fan of the nonstandard nature of the 6x13x5mm bearing but I guess I will need to order a back up as now I have 3 yoyos with this bearing size.

Playability

When throwing the Liopleurodon, the first thing that happened was I noticed how incredibly smooth this yoyo was. Even on bad throws, what would normally send quite a few yoyos into a vibe-induced mess, the Lio still was smooth. The Lio moves around the string with an authority yet it’s still quite nimble. Slacks, Whips, Suicides are all wonderful, I found myself just throwing and throwing because this yoyo, in one word, was just incredible. Every single thing I threw at the Lio it took and it did it with a style and grace. Ever have that one yoyo that has just got this aura of wonderfulness to it? Well the Lio is it. I cannot explain in words how smooth this yoyo is. Do not take my word on it, you must try one for yourself.

Final Thoughts

With all the hype surrounding this yoyo on the various forums, I am here to say right now that they are true. This yoyo, in my opinion, is one of the best yoyos ever made. I have been privileged enough to throw a huge amount of yoyos, from almost every manufacturer, and the Lio stands above most in smoothness. It has made my “desert island list” of what yoyos I would want if stranded. Frank if, by chance you read this, you have created one of the best yoyos to ever touch my hands and for this I applaud you. Wonderful job. Now stop reading this and go find a Lio immediately, you will not be disappointed.