One Drop Cascade
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
August 2, 2012

Introduction

I took my son to see Willy Wonka yesterday, the good version, not the Johnny Depp version. Yes, that is the reason why this review is a day late. There is a scene in that movie where Wonka and the kids go into his invention room where all these crazy experiments are going on. All of them are strange and some seem to be going horribly wrong but in the end you know that Wonka is a genius and that he, along with his Oompa Loompas are going to make them all work. That is a perfect analogy for One Drop. Shawn and David fill the Wonka role to a tee, hunkered around their oddly named machines in the shop. They also have their various Oompa Loompas, both in house and out, giving the vital advice needed to keep the experiments going. If you need proof of this, look no further than their latest release, the Cascade. On the One Drop site it is stated that the first version was almost scrapped because there was “vigorous debate” about it. Enter Justin LoTempio, Oompa Loompa number one, to give some advice and the first revision was born. This version was well received so it went into prototyping and sent off to the team members. This is where Mark Montgomery, Oompa Loompa number two, comes in and gives even more advice. The second revision is made based off of this advice and became the shipping version that I have in my hands today.

Specs

• Diameter: 53mm
• Width: 45mm
• Gap Width: 4.35mm
• Base Weight (two halves, response pad, bearing): 63.92 grams
• Weight with aluminum Dome Side Effects: 66.90 grams
• Stock Response: Flow Groove
• Bearing Size: One Drop 10 Ball Bearing C-Size

Construction

The Cascade, named for the mountain range near Eugene, OR, is quite a departure from the more industrial designs that One Drop released in the past. The profile shows a melding of the classic butterfly shape with the more modern H-Shape profile. The rim is an oversized bell shape that curves into the catch zone where it meets a step out transitioning to an ever so slightly walled gap. This profile makes for an extremely comfortable yo-yo to hold in the hand. The rim edges look like they would be harsh if caught wrong but the rounded edges lessen the impact. The cup design bares a slight resemblance to the cup of the Café Racer. The rim starts off thin at the edge and then there is a larger inner rim contained within. Instead of having a perfectly flat secondary rim like the Racer, the Cascade’s secondary rim has a slight scalloped cut. The secondary rim drops straight down to a small curve that leads to the totally flat floor of the cup. The center of the cup houses the Side Effect hub with the stock aluminum dome hubs preinstalled. The Cascade is missing an IGR but we can talk about if it affects the play later. The finish is One Drop’s standard Pyramatte finish, which is great for grinds under almost all conditions; sticky, humid weather being the exception. Overall I like the direction they took this yo-yo. It looks good, recognizable as a One Drop while remaining completely unique and I cannot stress enough how comfortable it is in the hand and during play. That alone makes for very user-friendly yo-yo, all the rest is just icing on the cake.

Weight

With the stock Side Effects the Cascade’s shipping weight is just under 67 grams. While this may sound a little heavy it does not play chunky at all. This is another one of those yo-yos that works well for speedy tech play and slower flow play. I tend to play slower so I felt I that t flowed from string to string while remaining stable as can be.

Response and Bearing

The Cascade uses the response and bearing that One Drop has become know for, the Flow Groove pad and 10-Ball bearing. Both of them have established themselves as the leaders in the field and I honestly don’t see that changing any time soon. I recently read a bearing review where the author said that people who don’t try new bearings are holding themselves back, I don’t agree. I am one who prefers using the same type of bearing in all of my yo-yos, not because I don’t like other bearings but because I don’t want to think about the bearing at all. I just want it to work. The 10-Ball is that bearing for me. Using a bearing that always gives consistent play means I can focus solely on what it is in the yo-yo’s design that makes it play like it does.

Playability

This is one smooth yo-yo. Smooth to the point that a friend of mine told me she had to stop while playing her Broken Heart Cascade just to make sure it was still spinning. Yes, I did take the time to remind her that if all the colors from the splash are blended together then it is safe to say it is still spinning. She called me words and that was that. As I said this yo-yo plays well at whatever speed you prefer. I play at a medium clip and prefer to flow my combos from one trick to the next. This yo-yo nails my style of play almost perfectly. I never felt like I had to speed up or slow down in order to compensate for the yo-yo. This was most evident during whips, the Cascade always seemed to be where I needed it in order to hit that wide open catch zone without feeling sloppy. At 45 mm this is the widest yo-yo One Drop has produced to date, even so I didn’t feel the width getting in the way while hopping from string to string in tricks such as Black Hops or while getting into wrist mounts. The slight wall in the gap does not impact suicides too much; the loops stay open more than long enough to catch during play. Arm, palm, and finger grinds are exactly what you would expect from the Pyramatte finish, longs spin times with excellent control. There is no IGR but that doesn’t mean it can’t thumb grind. I found that thumb grinds work best on the secondary rim closest to the cup floor you just have to coax a slight angle when you throw if you want to thumb grind. I did set up a Cascade with spikes to see how well it balanced on the spikes and I am pleased to say it did quite well. Also, if you have a hand big enough to hold it by the spikes it is easy to ripcord start the Cascade.

Final Thoughts

The Cascade is an excellent new addition to the One Drop line and I am betting that it is going to be a sought after yo-yo for many in the community. I can’t blame them; it is one of those rare yo-yos that are made to accommodate a diverse set of play styles and a wide range of players. That being said, I am not surprised that most of the Facebook and Instagram photos that I saw posted by One Drop Team Members getting ready for the 2012 World YoYo Contest had a couple of Cascades in the shot. All Oompa Loompa talk aside, I have to thank Justin and Mark for getting involved in the creation of this yo-yo, the guys at One Drop have outdone themselves with the Cascade.

A note about the colorway:

The colorway seen in this review is the limited  edition Ravenosaurus colorway offered exclusively at Europe based YoYoRaven.

YoYoRaven: Ravenosaurus Cascade