ILOVEYOYO Torino
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
April 25, 2010
Introduction
There seems to be a small, but growing trend in the yo-yo world, making multiple sizes based on the same shape. YoYoFactory did it with the 888, calling it the DNA. CLYW has the Peak and the Wooly Marmot, not to mention the upcoming Sasquatch and Gnarwahl. Heck, YoYoRecreation has produced a complete, seven product line of yo-yos based on the same shape. ILOVEYOYO has decided to join the game; first with the experimental 2WEI based off the E1NS and the yo-yo we have today, the Torino, which is based on Dom’s signature yo-yo, the Wasabi. Now, the Torino is not just a copy of the shape of the Wasabi only larger. Like YoYoRecreation, the guys at ILOVEYOYO took the shape and tweaked it here and there to tune the play to their likings. Today we are going to sit down and see if tweaking an existing shape has paid off for the guys at ILYY.
Specs
- Diameter: 54.00 mm
- Width: 42.90 mm
- Gap: 4.1 mm
- Weight: 66.20 grams
- Response: sILYYcone
- Bearing: ILYY KMK 6×13×5mm
Construction
Before talking about the actual yo-yo I need to talk about the color of this particular Torino. The green version of the Torino is a limited run of 25 specifically made for and sold at the WELOVEYOYO Meet 2010 in Germany. Any leftovers from the meet were sold online at Yo-Shop. To be perfectly honest this is a darn shame. The green Candodized finish on this yo-yo is absolutely stunning. I am usually not a fan of the color green; unless it is combined with purple (Joker fans represent) and I find the emerald green hue of this yo-yo just incredible.
The Torino’s shape is very comfortable for its size. It sits nicely in my palm and my fingers rest naturally on the curves of the catch zone. Now I do need to remind everyone that I am 6’ 5” and have the hands to match. If you have tried a Peak and found it to be too large for your hands then you may want to try a Torino first, it is close to the same dimensions. The shape itself can best be called a butterfly / v-shaped hybrid. It starts out in a rounded butterfly but a half in into the catch zone it switches up into a v-cut straight to the gap. I found that this makes the Torino very comfortable to catch while giving a nice, large gap to hit with the string. The IGR is large and unobstructed making it easy to land on the thumb thanks to the small, rounded ILYY hubs that have been seen in previous models, including the Wasabi.
I did find one flaw with the Torino, and surprisingly it stems from the Candodized finish that I have enjoyed on previous models. It is the rainy season here in Ohio and where there is rain there is humidity. While testing the Torino on a rather humid day I noticed that the Candodized finish became sticky and lost its ability to grind. On a dry day it grinds like every other Candodized yo-yo I have thrown, which is to say quite well.
Weight
For such a large yo-yo the Torino plays like a featherweight. It is light and speedy with quite a bit of its 66 grams pushed to the rims. The weight distribution gives it a great deal of spin time and a nice float on the string, I did find that it was lacking the extra little thump at the end of the string that I like. I don’t mean that it needs to hit like a boat anchor when thrown but I like a nice, solid thunk when it hits the end of the string, basically the yo-yo’s way of saying “I am here, lets start the tricks”. An extra gram would have given the yo-yo the extra little oomph that I feel it needs.
Response and Bearing
The bearing is the standard KMK metric bearing used in previous ILYY models. If you have read my ILYY reviews in the past you know my stance on the metric bearing. For those of you that have not, here it is in a nutshell. The KMK bearings are great but they are almost the exact same size as a standard C-Bearing. Would it really be that drastic of a change to switch to a C-bearing and give the end user more choice in what bearing they can use? Personally I would love to play an ILYY product with a 10-ball bearing.
The response is the Red Hot sILYYcone that ILOVEYOYO is famous for. I really like the binds that it gives but I would like to see it a little more flush with the gap. It feels that as of late ILYY has been recessing the response a little too much when applying it, causing for the occasional slipped bind. Other than that it is the best silicone used on the market today and I wish I had the ability to apply sILYYcone in all my yo-yos that accept flowable silicone.
Playability
The Torino is surprisingly swift through tricks. I did not expect it when looking at the size but it plays like an undersized. While it plays fast it is extremely easy to hit tricks. That wide catch zone and large 4.1 mm gap just gobble up the string. I did not find the large size to be cumbersome when going through multiple string wraps around the hand, it easily weaved through the strings without snagging.
As stated above, on a humid day it is not the best at grinding, but on a dry day the Torino will grind for a decent amount of time on the palm, arm, and finger. Thumb grinds are amazing with the large IGR. All in all a very well playing yo-yo that will be sure to please.
Final Thoughts
The Torino is an amazing player with a couple of small quirks; most of them due to the fact that this is made for Dom’s play style which is completely different from my style. When being put through its paces it is an uncompromising beast of a player. If you are a fan of the original Wasabi but felt it was a little on the small side this yo-yo is perfect for you. If you are looking for a larger yo-yo in general, you really should give the Torino a serious look.
