General-Yo Magnum
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
August 2, 2010
Introduction
Magnesium, good old atomic number 12 on the periodic table of elements. Magnesium is an interesting metal, with some unusual facts. It is used to make car parts, electronics, and medications for acid reflux and restless leg syndrome. It also burns with a bright white glow when powdered or cut into thin strips and it reacts slowly when submerged in water. My favorite fact is that magnesium is the 9th most abundant mineral in the universe due to its buildup in supernova stars. That means that the material for the wheels we drive on and the yo-yo I am reviewing today could have potentially been in the heart of a star. While all the fun facts are cool, one has to ask, why bother with machining a yo-yo out of it? Magnesium is a tough metal to work with due to the fact that the shavings can ignite in certain conditions. Even though it is tough to work with it does have one large upside, it is two-thirds the density of aluminum while being just as strong allowing for some interesting weight distribution in the objects made from it. Today I am reviewing the Magnum, the fifth design from Ernie Kaiser and General-Yo. The Magnum is Ernie’s first foray into the realm of exotic metals and his first entry in the world of full sized yo-yos. This yo-yo was a labor of love for Ernie, spanning 10 months of engineering and redesigns in order to push the absolute limits of what he could do to a yo-yo. Now is the time to see whether all of this hard work has paid off making a long lasting, shining star or if the Magnum is just shooting star destine to burn out and fade from memory.
Specs
- Diameter: 53.34 mm
- Width: 41.40 mm
- Weight: 67.4 grams
- Gap: 4.2 mm
- Bearing: C-Sized AIGR Bearing
- Response: Thick, Smooth General-yo Hat-Pads
Construction
The Magnum arrived in a dark stained, hexagonal, balsa wood box with brass colored hinges and clasp, and a gold accented General-Yo logo engraved into the top of the box. Opening the ornate wooden box reveals the Magnum, a small bag of Kevlar string, and a pack in note giving suggestions about the proper care of the Magnum. The best line on the note; “Your Magnum is made from Az3 magnesium alloy and should be kept away from fire and extreme moisture.” After removing the Magnum from the box you just can’t help but feel intimidated by the massive appearance of this yo-yo. Overall it has a similar shape to the General-Yo 5-Star but the rims are absolutely enormous. Ernie has said that because of the lower density of magnesium he was able to push 30% more mass to the rims of the Magnum over the aluminum designs he has created in the past. The rims give the Magnum the appearance of a chunky super weight. A profile shot of the Magnum looks more like your classic rounded butterfly shape with a gentle curve into the large gap. Switching back to the cups of the yo-yo, moving past the massive rims, one can see a deep recessed IGR and an unobtrusive spike in the middle. The surface of the Magnum is non-blasted and nickel-plated giving it a smooth, dark silver appearance. I must admit I am a sucker for nickel-plated yo-yos. Nickel has a unique ability to react to the oils produced by skin, changing the color of the surface over time. I have watched as my MarkMont has developed a dark rich patina over time during my extensive play. Overall the Magnum is a beautiful looking yo-yo that is also very comfortable in the hand. The rounded shape hits comfortably when returning to the hand and rests perfectly on the palm. It is the superb design that has become synonymous with General-Yo products.
Weight
While the Magnum is massive looking, it is far from massive feeling. The Magnum is larger in almost every way when compared a One Drop Project 2 with one exception, the weight. The P2 actually beats the Magnum by 0.2 grams. The key to this is the magnesium and the above-mentioned fact that it is two-thirds the density of aluminum. This allowed Ernie the chance to give the Magnum those huge rims without it having a finger straining weight. I found the Magnum to be on the string even with the chunky rims.
Response and Bearing
The response on the Magnum is flush mounted thick Hat-Pads. These pads will start off a tad bit grippy and will take some time to break in. If you do not want to wait for them to break in I would recommend that you order a set of thin Hat-Pads with your Magnum and install them in place of the stock set up. I found that the stock pads, once broken in, gave very snappy binds with no slipping. General-yo pads are my pad of choice on my pad response yo-yos and when I do not feel like messing with flowable silicone.
The AIGR bearing is, as usual, an awesome bearing. I really cannot say anything new about it. They last forever and spin true. They get a hair louder than my favorite bearing, the 10-Ball, but feels exactly the same in a yo-yo.
Playability
On the first throw I honestly did not know what to expect. On looks alone, I was expecting it to hit hard but when I picked it up I was shocked by how light it felt. The looks and the feel just did not seem to match up. When I did end up throwing the Magnum I would have to say that it hit the end of the string with the same feel that I have experienced from my version one 5-Star which comes in at almost 3 grams less than the Magnum. The play of the Magnum is very smooth on the string and I found it passed the finger vibe test with flying colors. One thing to note about the Magnum, I found that it is unforgiving on a bad throw and does not correct well once it receives one. This yo-yo will force you to perfect your throw to get the most out of it and in the end you will be thankful for it and rewarded with a long spinning beast of a yo-yo. Once acclimated to the play of the Magnum, I was rewarded with some of the longest spin times that I have ever encountered with a yo-yo. With the Magnum I decided to learn the tricks Jade Whip and Jade Whip into Bucket. I found that the extra spin time was a godsend for the many attempts it took to learn those tricks without having to bind and throw again. As for all the tricks I already know, this yo-yo handled them with ease and came back for more. Just about the only area of play that the Magnum is weak in is grinds. This should come as a shock to no one considering it has an almost mirror smooth finish. While it may not palm, finger, or arm grind well, it thumb grinds like crazy thanks to the well-executed IGR.
Final Thoughts
The Magnum is an amazing yo-yo that plays unlike anything I have thrown before. Many have asked me if I think the $300 price tag. In all honesty, that is for you to decide. Personally, I think it is and would love to have one in my collection. This is the first review yo-yo that actually saddens me to send back. I feel like I have been given a glimpse of the future of yo-yoing. There is only so much you can do to aluminum while staying fresh and relevant. I think that more companies are going to have to follow General-Yo by not only working with exotic metals but by pushing said metals to their limits to get unique and new levels of play, like General-Yo ahs done with the Magnum. Yo-yos like this are setting the bar higher for others in the industry. When I wrote my review of the General-yo Ministar I ended it by saying that I wanted to see what Ernie could do with a full sized yo-yo and now I have my answer. General-Yo has impressed me once again with their solid design and incredible play.
