iYoYo HiDRA
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
August 1, 2016

HiDRA 00

Introduction

iYoYo has certainly made a name for themselves with their latest products. They are known for making high quality German designed/Chinese manufactured yo-yos. Their last releases have produced two amazing bimetals and then there is the odd man out that I am reviewing today. The HiDRA is their single metal design based off their bimetal, the FiRROX. Since this is their “odd man out”, will it continue to carry on the quality play that I have grown to expect form the company?

HiDRA 01

Specs

• Diameter: 55.4mm
• Width: 43.75mm
• Gap: 4.75mm
• Weight 66.8 grams
• Response: 19mm slim pads
• Bearing: C-Size Center Trac

Construction

The HiDRA profile is similar to the FiRROX design but not quite as angular. The rims are rounded with a shallow groove cut into the catch zone wall to give it a look similar to the FiRROX’s where the steel and aluminum met. Traveling further down the catch zone there is the oh so common step out that keeps the string off the walls. The cup shows some chunky rims that compensate for the lack of a steel rims that a bimetal would afford. The rest of the cup design is lifted straight from the FiRROX design complete with the step down into the flat floor. The HiDRA has a blasted outer finish with a polished finish in the cups. There is no IGR for thumb spins. Some may worry about the polished finish hindering finger spins but I found that the laser engraving actually aids finger spins like a make shift blast finish. The overall comfort of this design is quite nice, the rounded rims give it the best feel out of all the iYoYo design I have reviewed thus far.

HiDRA 02

Weight

The HiDRA may be almost 67 grams on paper but it plays quicker than that spec lets on. It is nimble of the sting and quick during direction changes. It is quite stable during play as well.

HiDRA 04

Response and Bearing

The white 19mm pads give great binds with little to no slippage during play. I am not sure who the maker of the pads is but they hold up well. With most companies making a 19mm variant of their pads, replacing these will be a snap if you need to do so.

The bearing is your standard Center Trac bearing. It is relatively quiet and allows for decent string wraps. While I am not a fan of string centering bearings, these are the ones I dislike the least.

HiDRA 05

Playability

As I said above, this yo-yo is quick. It is also quite smooth as well. The best thing I can say is that the HiDRA plays as well as the FiRROX at almost half the price. Just like its bimetal brother it is great at both horizontal and vertical play. In fact, in one regard it is superior to the FiRROX, it is a much better grinding yo-yo. There are no raw rims to catch on the player’s skin while it spins on a hand or arm. While it is not quite as heather weight feeling as the FiRROX, it is close enough for me.

HiDRA 03

Final Thoughts

iYoYo continues to impress me with their products. While I was worried that the single metal design would be “boring” compared to the bimetals I have played in the past, I am happy to say that I was wrong. If you are looking to try this brand I highly recommend starting with the HiDRA and its $55 entry fee.