One Drop Cabal
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
August 1, 2016

Cabal 00

Introduction

For the longest time, players have been asking the big companies to make a plastic yo-yo. Specifically, they wanted a Delrin yo-yo. Delrin, one of the brand names for polyoxymethylene (POM for short), is a medical grade plastic used in many manufacturing industries such as auto, consumer electronics, and my favorite paintball. Here is the thing about Delrin yo-yos, and I have covered this in the past, they are not necessarily going to be cheaper than an aluminum due to the fact that the material still needs to be machined like a metal yo-yo, and machining costs money. This tends to be an issue because most people equate plastic to being “low cost” and that just is not the case. The Cabal will be One Drop’s first, fully in house, machined plastic model. We have seen what they have done with aluminum (6061 and 7076), titanium, as well as the polycarbonate shells that they outsourced to a US based plastics shop. Will they be able to pull off the tight tolerances and smooth play with a material that is extremely finicky to machine?

Cabal 01

Specs

• Diameter: 56.6 mm
• Width: 44.7 mm
• Gap: 4.25 mm
• Weight: 67.1 mm
• Response: One Drop Flow Groove
• Bearing: One Drop 10-Ball

Construction

The Cabal profile is almost an exact copy of the MarkMont Classic profile with only subtle differences, like a slight step from the rims to the catch zone and the step out in the gap being a little less pronounced. Other than that it is a Delrin version… and that makes me a very happy man. I have never been shy in saying the MarkMont Classic is one of my hands down favorites. In the gap we see where One Drop used a page out of many other Delrin manufacturers playbooks and machined custom aluminum inserts that make up the bearing seat and and response groove. The bearing post is a separate insert that also makes up the central hub in the cup. Looking at the cup itself, we can see some chunky rims with recess underneath which can be used as an IGR. The floor is completely flat with the exception of the hub I mentioned earlier. If you do not like the pewter colored hub in mine, don’t fret, you will soon have a rainbow of choices. As for the bodies, I hope you like black or white, at the moment those are the only two options… unless you would like to dye one yourself, then definitely pick up a white one. I have already seen several dye jobs and they look incredible.

Cabal 02

Weight

It is a touch over 67 grams, putting it in the middle weight category. It is stable on the string and allows for some excellent, laid back play. It is hard to describe the feel of it on the string. It obviously does not have the feel of a metal yo-yo but at the same time it does not feel like a molded polycarbonate either. There is a preciseness to the feel of the weight placement without feeling as exact as a metal’s distribution. Yes, I know that sounds strange, it is the best I can come up with.

Cabal 04

Response and Bearing

One Drop Flow Groove Pads and 10-Ball bearing, really isn’t much to say about that. The bearing adds to the smooth feel on the string. The pads are One Drop’s standard Flow Groove pads and not the smaller 19mm Pads. That means they are going to be much more durable and last longer.

Cabal 05

Playability

The Cabal is an odd yo-yo to describe when it comes to its play. It is as smooth as any metal on the market but feels so unlike the other yoyos out there. I think the best way to describe it is refreshingly different. I cannot stress it enough, it is smooth. It floats on the string during play but can easily handle some speed if that is your thing. Grinds are doable but not as controllable as a blasted aluminum finish or textured finish like the Rally use to have. Now I know what some are going to say, why spend $60 on a plastic when one can get a metal like the Benchmark for the same price? For me it is a simple answer… I am getting burned out on metal yo-yos. Don’t get me wrong, they are great and the Benchmarks are excellent budget yo-yos but I want something new. Something that will play as well as a metal but feel unlike a metal at the same time. I want something new and unfortunately we are hitting a point where there is only so much you can do with a single metal design. Now at the same time some may ask why not get a cheaper plastic like the Big Dipper for $35? Again that is easy. While molded plastics are good, they just do not have the precision feel of a high quality, machined, Delrin throw. They have mold lines and you can feel where the weight is off because the plastic is not uniform throughout.

Cabal 03

Final Thoughts

This yo-yo is exactly what I needed at this moment. As I said above, I think metals are great but I was beginning to burn out on them and needed something different. The Cabal is a $60 slice of plastic that gives the same exacting performance of a metal but with a feel so unique and completely its own.