Hspin Gorylla
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
April 17, 2010

Introduction

I am a big fan of the misnomer. The short guy being called “Stretch”, overweight guy being called “slim”, the tall man being called “tiny”. All fun plays on words, but normally I only see it when dealing with the living. Well that ends now. When I had first heard about the Gorylla I had expected a beefy, full sized yo-yo that played with the brute force of the animal it was named after. Instead, I opened up the well-traveled Swiss box to find a pint-sized chimpanzee. As we all know, looks can be deceiving. In time we shall see if this yo-yo is aptly named or if it is just another clever use of language.

Specs

  • Weight: 66.0 grams
  • Diameter: 52 mm
  • Width: 40.50 mm
  • Gap: 4 mm
  • Bearing: 5x11x5 Hybrid steel/plastic de-shielded bearing
  • Response: Slim custom silicone stickers

Construction

Those of you that have played Hspin’s other recent release, the Beysick, will notice quite a few similarities between it and the Gorylla. They share the same unique IRG design, flat rims, axel and response system 2.0, and center hubs. The difference in shape is that in the Beysick we have this deep cut, V-shaped catch zone and the Gorylla has a more organic rounded catch zone. I found that the more rounded shape gave the Gorylla a better feel when held in the hand. The fingers tended to rest naturally around the yo-yo. It also feels better when returning to the hand; the rounded shape does not hit as hard as the angular, v-shaped Beysick. The last major difference between the Beysick and the Gorylla is in the anodized finish. The Gorylla has the fine bead blast anodized finish that Hspin is famous for. It is velvety smooth to the touch and allows for great grinds. While the Beysick and Gorylla are both fine yo-yos and great examples of what Hspin can make, I would have to give the nod to the Gorylla when it comes to the overall construction due to the finish and better feel in the hand. Just about the only thing I did not like about the Gorylla, looks wise, was the color and that is my own personal preference; I am a fan of brighter colored yo-yos.

Weight

The Gorylla’s shape gives it a more solid feel on the string over its little brother. The rounded shape gives the Gorylla a better weight distribution as well. While it shares the same fantastic spin times that the Beysick has, it also feels more stable. There is a better center weighting that just is not there on a v-shaped yo-yo. As far as the weight itself, the Gorylla is a wonderful combination of full but floaty on the string. It plays fast but the weight isn’t so light that it zooms around at Mach 1.

Response and Bearing

The bearing in the Gorylla is the same hybrid bearing that Hspin has been shipping with their yo-yos since it’s introduction in the Cut. It gives great spin times and stays almost whisper quiet. One thing I have read in the forums lately is that a lot of people wonder if you can clean the hybrid bearing. From my own personal experience it can be cleaned in mineral spirits without a problem. I have done so on all three of my hybrid bearings and have yet to have one die on me.

The response in the Gorylla is the new, thin pads that Hspin introduced in the NVx. They are deceptively small and look like they will not give enough surface area to bind well. In reality they give a very snappy bind and last quite a while. If pads are not your thing you can always add silicone to the groove. There are conflicting reports on the longevity of the silicone once applied but I have siliconed the NVx and Beysick, both lasted over a month without issue.

Playability

On the first throw the Gorylla hooked me. It hit the bottom of the string with a satisfying thunk but never played like a boat anchor. It felt comfortable in the palm of my hands most of the time, only occasionally hitting wrong with those flat rims. It speeds through tricks at a great pace that never made me feel rushed while throwing. Even though the catch zone is not v-shaped like the Beysick, I found that it was still easy to hit during whips and slack tricks. Chris Allen put a new trick up on his site, C-COW-B, which can be tricky and set the yo-yo off kilter during play. After learning it I found that the Gorylla handled this trick with ease. The added center weight meant that the Gorylla recovered from even the most crazy of bad throws quickly. Grinds are fantastic on this yo-yo because of that Hspin surface; it can handle palm, finger, arm, and thumb grinds without breaking a sweat.

Final Thoughts

Generally I do not like to compare one yo-yo to another in a review as much as I have in this review. I made the exception this time because the Gorylla and the Beysick share so much in common, they truly are fraternal twins. That being the case I can see a lot of confusion from people looking to buy one of these great yo-yos. Here is the best way to break it down. The Beysick is a great introduction to Hspin yo-yos. It shows Hspin’s design prowess while maintaining an amazing $60 price tag. The Gorylla is what you want to buy if you want the FULL Hspin experience. With the Gorylla you get the hybrid bearing, the Hspin anodized finish for superior grinds, and a more stable all around yo-yo. At $90 it is a little more expensive than the Beysick but at the same time you are getting all of what Hspin has to offer at a price that is still cheaper than their premium lines. In the end I find the Gorylla to be the best bang for the buck that Hspin has to offer.