Noctu by ILOVEYOYO
Reviewed by Brett Grimes 8/24/09

Noctu

Introduction
ILOVEYOYO, or ILYY for short, brings to the table the Noctu. A radical design that brought images of me going to the hospital for stitches after one of my signature moves. Shaped like something right off of Batman’s utility belt, this yoyo has made me drool since I first saw the preproduction photos. It is a sight to behold with its sharp edge on the rim and beautiful blue candy blast finish. Was this merely a pretty yoyo or would it really be functional? I knew going in, this was not your average yoyo. Would I be able to wield it around like Batman or was I going to test my health insurance?

Specs

  • Weight: 63.50g
  • Width: 41.58mm
  • Diameter: 51.99mm
  • Gap: 4.35mm
  • Bearing: 6x13x5
  • Response: Red Hot sILYYcone

Look and Feel

ILYY has some of the classiest packaging in the business; I love the velvet bag and pin. When I pulled the Noctu out first thing that hit me was the candy blasted blue finish, its jaw dropping to say the least. After the initial drool fest ended I was left with a very odd yoyo in my hand. This is not your grandpa’s Duncan, this looks more like a weapon then a yoyo. I love it. Holding it in your hand feels odd, your middle finger sits in the gap and your index and ring finger on the outside of the wings. I thought for sure this was going to be a real pain to get used to and it had me thinking when this comes back to my hand its going to hurt, more on that later. At this point having it in my hand for a few minutes I’m not sure what I think of this yoyo.

Noctu

Weight
This yo-yo is a bit lighter then I’m use to, coming in at 63.50g. I am known for liking heavier yoyos and lightweights usually just make me wish it had more girth to it. But the Noctu had me intrigued and I was willing to put my differences aside for this one. I really wanted to like this yoyo.

Noctu

Response and Bearing
The Noctu comes with the ILYY red-hot sILYYcone applied wonderfully into the yoyo. I love to see a precision silicone job and the Noctu has it, Frank and Dominic definitely know how to silicone a yoyo. The bearing is a 6x13x5 metric bearing, cleaned, and unresponsive right out of the gate, just the way I like it. The only downfall is that the ILYY bearing sizes are hard to find and keep a backup handy. If I do not have a backup I am obligated to buy one just for this yoyo. It is not a huge issue but if it was a standard C sized bearing I can carry a couple and it would cover multiple yoyos, again non-issue and nothing against ILYY for choosing what they did.

Noctu

Playability
On the first throw, the only thing I can think of this thing hitting me in the skull. I fear this yoyo, I respect that edge, and I cannot put it down. The lighter weight floats on the string and cuts like a knife, slicing thru the air and anything else in its way. The yoyo is a suicide machine. I have noticed that all my suicides with the Noctu would leave the loop remain wide open. Was it the shape or was the string afraid of getting in the way? My fears of this hurting my hand when returning from a bind quickly escaped. Some have complained they don’t like the shape and that it hurts but I didn’t find it uncomfortable in the slightest. Multiple layers in the gap were not an issue and neither were any slack or whip I could throw at it. The Noctu performs like a high-end yoyo should.

Noctu

Final Thoughts
This yoyo is not for the beginner you can seriously injure yourself on a bad bind, we have all done it and it hurts. But the Noctu is going to do a little more then hurt. I had this almost become a reality when I threw a hard sleeper only to realize I was in a bad bind. As the yoyo shot towards my head like a laser guided missile, I managed to summon my ninja skills and dodge the hit. The wall behind me had neither dent nor ding, what it did have was a perfect slice. If this were my head, I would have been in the emergency room receiving stitches. Will this yoyo hurt you? Possibly. You have to be very aware of what you are doing. It does have an edge on it, although its not sharp its not rounded either. RESPECT this yoyo and it will reward you with a wonderful experience. It is a true player just; don’t get on its bad side. Kudos to ILYY for pushing the envelope on design.

Noctu

Editor’s Note: ILOVEYOYO is in no way affiliated with DC Comics. Any and all comparisons made to any characters owned by DC Comics were made by the reviewers of this site.