One Drop X Toxic Strings T1
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
April 13, 2014

Introduction

The best objects in the world are not the prettiest, shiniest, or newest but the ones that tell the best stories. These are the objects that we hold most near and dear to our hearts. A perfect example of this would be the vase full of copper roses on my wife’s computer desk. They may look like a simple metal sculpture to everyone else but they have a story that makes them one of my wife’s most cherished items. The first rose I gave her was one of the first things that I ever bought her when we started dating. Every year since, whenever we visit the Ohio Renaissance Festival I go and get another rose and every year, even though she knows one is coming, I find some way of surprising her with it or… with them if life happens and we have missed a year.

The One Drop X Toxic T1 is another excellent example of how an object tells a story. In this case the story is how great the yo-yo community as a whole is. The story of the T1 starts with a 2-year-old boy by the name of Trevan Evans. He was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Trevan’s parents, Angie and Evan Evans, happen to be regulars in the yo-yo community and own the company Toxic Strings. When the diagnosis was discovered it became readily apparent to the Evans family that their life was going to change. The medical bills were going to mount and life was going to change drastically for young Trevan. In steps One Drop who came up with the idea of collaborating on a yo-yo with Toxic with the kicker of this collaboration being that a healthy portion of the proceeds from the sales of this yo-yo is going to the Evans family to cover Trevan’s medical expenses. As I said, the best objects tell the best stories and that is one heck of a story. The great part is that this is not the first time I have heard a story like this in the yo-yo industry. The community is rife with stories of members and companies helping out charities and now we can add another about the coming to the aid of one of our own who has a family member in need.

Well enough with story time; let’s get to the yo-yo.

Specs

• Diameter: 56.77 mm
• Width: 48.4 mm
• Gap: 4.45 mm
• Weight: 66.3 grams
• Response: Flow Groove
• Bearing: One Drop 10-Ball

Construction

The T1 is a crazy looking yo-yo in all the right ways. Pulling it from the box you will immediately be shocked by the large presence of the T1, it is larger and wider than a CLYW Chief and wider still than the CLYW Cliff and the One Drop Cascade. There is no way around it; you are getting a large chunk of aluminum when you lay down your $79 for one of these. The profile shows off a combination organic and H-Shape profile with wide rims and a rounded catch zone covered in a revised version of One Drop’s projection profile who took cues from Evan Evans during the revision process. Near the gap of the yo-yo is a step out similar to the Cascade that is going to keep the string from coming in contact with the walls. The cup on the T1 is a step in design similar to the Cascade and the Summit where the weight is moved back from the rims. This leaves a thin wall near the outer edge of the rim and then a thicker wall half way in the cup. The floor is flat with a raised hub and exposed, tapped axle in the center. For as large as the T1 is, it feels great in the hands and all the edges are rounded so there is no discomfort during play.

Weight and Feel

Normally, a 66.3 gram yo-yo would fall into the middleweight category but it feels light when spread out over the T1 body. That being said, this is an extremely stable yo-yo but not the speed demon on a string you would expect from a lightweight. Instead, and I loath to use the term because it is so hard to define, this yo-yo is floaty. It has a hang time to it that I have not felt in a yo-yo for quite some time, and I am finding it quite refreshing.

Response and Bearing

It may be a collaboration between two companies, but the response and bearing is all One Drop. The bearing is One Drop’s higher end 10-Ball and the response is One Drop’s Flow Groove response. I am not surprised, Toxic has had success using this bearing and response combo in their own yo-yo, the Hazmat, so why deviate from a winning formula of long and quiet spin times with top-notch binds.

Playability

As I said above, this yo-yo is floaty and chill. The weight is placed just about perfect for long spin times and serious hang time when popped into the air. With the shift lately towards competition yo-yos, speed, and tech tricks, the T1’s laid back and relaxed feel is a welcome change. I would have to say it is one of the chillest yo-yos to throw around and I have reviewed some pretty laid back yo-yos lately. This isn’t to say the T1 is not a performer; it is quite capable of pretty much anything you throw at it. One trick I found easier to perform on this than others is the infamous, in my mind, Brent Stole. This is a trick that vexes me; everyone has one such trick. Some days I am spot on and others I couldn’t land one if you paid me. The T1 was quite a bit more forgiving with the Brent Stole and I have been hitting them in greater numbers on it versus others in my collection. Grinds are what you would expect from the Pyramatte finish with the redesigned projection profile adding a little extra spin time on finger grinds. Thumb grinds are great when the T1 is thrown at an angle but if thrown straight, the T1 slips off due to a lack of an IGR.

Final Thoughts

So now the question is should you buy it? Honestly, yes go and buy one… and that is coming from a player who was underwhelmed at the specs because I am not always a fan of wide yo-yos or ones without an IGR. At the end of the day, as I said above, you are getting a massive amount of aluminum for your dollar on this one since it is being released for only $79. At that price it is one of those yo-yos where it does not matter if it does not meet your preferred specs, if you have small hands, or whatever other reason you may have to look elsewhere. Who knows, you may come to like it as much as I do. This is one unique design that plays unlike most of the yo-yos currently on the market. On top of that it has one heck of a story.