One Drop Kuntosh
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
June 25, 2016

Introduction

Let’s just get this out of the way right now, everyone has their “unicorn”. That hard to obtain object that causes major amounts of obsession when thought about. It does not matter what hobby, or hobbies, you subscribe to, if you are in it long enough you will have your unicorn as well. I have many different hobbies that I geek over. As a comic fiend, I would love to get my hands on Daredevil #1 and #131, first appearances of Daredevil and Bullseye respectively. Now I know that the Frank Miller run is the gold standard of Daredevil comics but that is the thing about unicorns, they don’t always have to be the “best” offering in the hobby but they need to mean something to you. In the yo-yo world, for the past six years the unicorn of choice seems to have been the Anti-Yo Kuntosh. It was first planned for a 2010 release during Anti-Yo’s resurgence. During that time Anti-Yo tapped One Drop to machine their new designs, complete with Side Effects. The Kuntosh never actually saw a production run and only ten prototypes were made, with two of them going missing. So for the last six years there have been whispers by those that have been luck enough to throw one of the eight remaining prototypes. Every time a hushed post appeared in the forums it caused the rest of the yo-yo community to start clamoring for its release. Skip to early 2016 and One Drop announces that it has finally inked a deal with Mr. Patrick to release the Kuntosh officially as the “One Drop Kuntosh designed by Sonny Patrick”. It is now time to see if this unicorn lives up to the hype or if, like the car it is named after, is better left as a poster hanging on your bedroom wall.

Specs

• Diameter: 56.9 mm
• Width: 45.6 mm
• Gap: 4.32 mm
• Weight (w/o Side Effects): 62.95 grams
• Weight (w/ stock Flat Cap Side Effects): 66.3 grams
• Bearing: One Drop 10 Ball Bearing
• Response: One Drop Flow Groove Pads

Construction

Just looking at this yo-yo, I can see where the car design inspirations came from. This yo-yo is an angular stunner just like the Lamborghini model it is named after. This is a text book wing shape with large rims and a steep V-Shape catch zone that travels, uninterrupted, to the gap. The cup is also almost totally devoid of rounded cuts, with the only one being the transition from the IGR to the inner wall. The floor is flat with the Side Effect hub in the center, complete with Flat Cap Side Effects. This release has one of the busier laser etch designs from the usually understated One Drop. There are three laser etch designs. When you purchase a solid color, either the front, middle, or back of the Lamborghini Countach graces the inner cup, with it being a random draw on which one you get when you order. The finish is One Drop’s standard Pyramatte finish, not the Slip Matte Type III Hard Coat finish used on the prototypes. With a yo-yo like this, the comfort would appear to take a backseat to performance and it does to an extremely small extent. It is not as uncomfortable as one might think, but the rim edge does pack a punch if you are not carful.

Weight

With the Flat Cap Side Effects, this yo-yo plays quick and agile on the string. I tried it with the bigger Anti-Yo Side Effects and there was a noticeable slowdown. While that may have been how Anti-Yo may have envisioned it with the heavier Side Effects, I think it was a good call changing them out for the caps. I play it with Ultralights and the 0.8 gram difference did not make too much of a difference to me.

Response and Bearing

The prototypes and the 2016 retail run both use One Drop’s Flow Groove pads so no change there. The big change comes with the bearings. The original protos shipped with a Crucial Grooved Bearing while the 2016 run uses One Drop’s flat bearing, which I personally find to be the superior choice.

Playability

I have to say this up front. When I first saw this yo-yo back in 2010 I found the design to be off putting. I thought it was overly angular and would give pain inducing and sub par play. Needless to say, I was wrong. I have already addressed the pain issue… or non-issue as it were. Play wise, this thing is a beast. It plays quick on the string and remains extremely stable. It plays well horizontally and, with spikes, does some great matador/finger spin style play. It probably does not grind as well as the prototypes but it definitely gets the job done, especially the thumb grinds which some don’t seem to care about but I still love to do. I have talked to a player that owns both and he does give an ever so slight nod to the prototype but says that is mainly due to the finish and the fact that the original is just so darn rare… which I can see coloring anyone’s preferences. The Kuntosh’s play gives powerful spin times and incredible stability all while playing faster than one would expect from such a large yo-yo. At the end of the day, what more could you ask for.

Final Thoughts

Is the hype real? I would say so, but I am just one opinion. I will say this is probably one of Sonny’s best designs and would have gone down as Anti-Yo’s best yo-yo. As is, the Kuntosh is a killer addition to One Drop who we all have to thank for bringing it out of the shadows so that the masses can finally stop talking about it, pony up the $85 and start playing it. Unlike the car, this yo-yo’s performance is even more striking than its looks.