One Drop Chik!
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
June 26, 2013

Introduction

Back in November of 2011 I reviewed the Burnside, the yo-yo that was suppose to be Clint Armstrong’s signature yo-yo. Alas that never happened. Clint left the One Drop team on good terms when he went to college, which left the company with a great signature yo-yo design and no player. Instead of scraping it, One Drop released it under its current name without a team member attached. It is no secret that I absolutely love the Burnside. It is one of my hands down favorite yo-yos, one that I always go back to when I am between reviews. It is a rather inexpensive yo-yo (retail price of $85) that is just perfect in every way… at least when it comes to what I look for in a yo-yo. That last part is key, every player is different. Now you can imagine then that I was absolutely DROOLING when One Drop announced One Drop team member Igor Korzhev’s signature yo-yo, the Chik, which borrows its name from Igor’s nickname. Korzhev based his new signature model on the design of my beloved Burnside but added a few enhancements. When I heard this I was both happy and worried at the same time. I knew one of the enhancements would be the addition of Side Effects, a feature that automatically ups the cost of the yo-yo. As I said, one of the reasons I like the Burnside is that the price makes it an easy recommendation for anyone that is interested in a high performance, low cost yo-yo. For this review I plan on answering the following two questions:

1) Do the changes to the Burnside design enhance the play?
2) Do the changes justify the increased price that comes with them?

Specs

• Diameter: 56.8mm
• Width: 41.7mm
• Gap: 4.34mm
• Base Weight (two halves, response pad, bearing): 62.8 grams
• Shipping Weight (with aluminum Spike Side Effects): 66 gram
• Bearing: One Drop 10-Ball
• Response: Flow Groove Pads

Construction

At first glance it looks as though the profile of the Chik is a direct copy of the Burnside with only the visual change of the added projection grooves in the catch zone. On closer inspection though you can see that the shapes are quite different. Where the Burnside had more of a scalloped cut on the walls, the Chik has a straighter angled wall leading to the gap. The projection grooves give the appearance of a more curved catch zone but it is quite a bit more V-Shaped compared to the decidedly H-Shape Burnside. The cup of the Chik is a little more rounded on the walls and the IGR groove is a tad smaller compared to the Burnside but then they went an added the Side Effect hub system to the Chik. This single addition fixed the only gripe I had with my Burnside. The Chik can have spikes. I like to balance a yo-yo on my thumb or pop it in the air and catch it by the spikes. I may suck at them but I also like ripcord starts. I always wanted spikes on my Burnside but had to do without. Comfort wise the Chik is in the lead compared to its sibling. One Drop added a little radius to the outer edge of the rims. This eased the impact on returns to the hand. Design wise, I like the Chik. It retains enough of the Burnside look while still looking fresh and new.

Weight

The Chik is 1.25 grams lighter than the Burnside and has had weight shifted around quite a bit. I have found that the Chik is quicker, more stable on the string, and spins longer than the stock Burnside.

Response and Bearing

The Flow Groove response and 10-Ball make their triumphant return in the Chik. No surprise here. The Flow Groove pads give incredible binds and longevity that I have not seen in a pad before. The 10-Ball is my go to bearing. It is quiet and smooth, two characteristics I want most in a bearing.

Playability

So the looks have been altered, the weight has been shaved, and what weight is there has been redistributed… so is the play any better? The answer is without a doubt yes. First off the Chik is quicker, not in a balls to the wall speed sort of way but in response sort of way, if that makes any sense. While playing with it is still pleasant and you will not feel rushed it just responds quicker to direction changes making the movements feel smoother and more fluid during play. It is still quite stable on the string but it has no problem going off plane when you want it to, say when you want to perform a gyroscopic flop. The catch zone is easy to hit for all off your whip and hop related tricks. Palm, thumb, and arm grinds are similar to the Burnside. Finger grinds are improved thanks to the projection grooves and redesigned catch zone. I found that the Burnside grips my finger a little and at times wants to shoot off. The Chik has less contact on my fat digits and will stay in place while spinning on my finger. The spikes add the matador play I missed with the Burnside but also add the ability to change the over all play thanks to the Side Effect system. At the end of the day I am a fan of the level of play that the Chik provides.

Final Thoughts

When I started the Burnside review I said, “The Armstrong is dead, long live the Burnside.” Well I should now be saying the Burnside is dead long live the Chik. I have had it for a little over two weeks now and in that time I have not picked up my Burnside with the exception of doing a bit of direct comparing with the Chik. The Chik is just that much fun, which leads me to those two question I asked at the beginning of the review. Do the changes enhance the play compared to the Burnside? I think we all know my answer to that. Compared to the Burnside, the Chik is the superior player. In fact this is not just Burnside 2.0, the Chik is its own yo-yo. Now the bigger question is whether the changes justify the inflated price. Well, there is the rub. I guess that is up to the player and if they can afford the extra three whole dollars increase in price. Yes, you read that correctly. The Chik retails for $88. Honestly, at that price I don’t even see a need for the Burnside. This plays better, is user customizable, and retails for essentially the same price as its older brother. With that being said, there is absolutely no reason to choose the Burnside over a Chik.