Radical Seas – Set Sail
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
October 20, 2013

Introduction

It seems like every week brings a new company popping up with a design. That is what we have here; a new company with a nautical theme named Radical Seas is dropping the prototype for their freshman effort, the Set Sail, on the community. I will admit, I judged it completely on the render they posted when first showing off this new design. It was this white, shiny render of this crazy H-Shape beast that just hit home with me. I had to play that yo-yo. I was eager to see if they could make the actual product look as good as the render. Well, they sent me one of the raw prototype units to throw around, s it is now put up of shut up time for me. Now I get to see if I was totally misjudging this book by its cover or if it has some substance beyond the flashy look.

Specs

• Diameter: 58mm
• Width: 44.14mm
• Weight: 70 grams
• Response: Blue K-Pads
• Bearing: Buddha Whipple 10-Ball

Construction

Before I begin I must say that this is a prototype review. That being said, the blast and the ano designs have not been finalized. There will be changes before the final release.

The profile shows off a beautifully rounded, deep H-Shape design with a large catch zone complete with slightly rounded walls that swoop down into the no walled gap. The large rims are devoid of any sharp angles that could cause pain during play. The face of the yo-yo transitions from the profile thanks to a large radius carved in at the outer edge of the rim that rolls the rim into the cup. Under the rim is a sufficiently deep IGR and behind that is a weight centralizing ring that steps out from the wall before traveling towards the flat floor. At the center of the cup is a small, spiked hub that is just pointy enough to pull off ripcord starts and matador play. Since this is a raw prototype I am cannot talk about the finish but I would make the following suggestions. This yo-yo is screaming for a grind finish, I would go with a fine blast similar to a General-Yo blast or a finer blast such as a soda blast. Also, I would stick with solid colors on the Set Sail. I think splashes and acid washes would detract from the design and mar the overall look. As it stands right now, I would not change the looks at all, the Set Sail has a stunning aesthetic.

Weight

The prototype shipped at a hefty 70 grams, which makes for a slower yo-yo. Radical Seas has said that they are aiming for a final weight of 67 grams. I hope they hit this target weight. While the Set Sail is quite playable I think shedding 3 grams will make this quite a bit more appealing to the rest of the community and will allow for the yo-yo to play well at accelerated speeds. At the moment it is extremely stable and a great chill out throw but it feels a little strained when you attempt to push it towards higher speeds. While I don’t mind slower play I know others will want more speed.

Response and Bearing

The stock, blue K-Pad response works great in the Set Sail. They give an excellent spin when the yo-yo unravels on the initial throw and bind tight when returning to the hand.

The bearing is a string centering Buddha Whipple 10-Ball. While I applaud the total quietness of the Whipple I am still not a fan. Bearings like the Center Track are taking strides to address some of the issues with string centering bearings by keeping a good deal of the bearing flat so that the string can layer properly. Bearings like the Whipple cause the string to bunch even worse by locking the string to the center of the bearings, not allowing it to shift left or right. I would recommend trying it with a flat bearing as well as the stock bearing. You might find, like I did, that you prefer the play of the Set Sail with a flat versus the Whipple bearing.

Playability

The Set Sail is one smooth yo-yo as is and is an excellent yo-yo to relax with at the current shipping weight. It resists tilting during normal play but you can still easily pull off a trick like Gyro Flop with ease. The hefty rims give the Set Sail impressive spin times, allowing for 30-second combos if the mood strikes. The no-walled gap keeps loops wide open for your favorite suicide combos as well. As I said above, this is a slower playing yo-yo at the moment but if they hit their target 67 gram weight I can see this yo-yo being quite the speed demon on the string if you wish to push it. Judging the Set Sail on similar designs I can see some excellent potential in the area of grinds given a proper finish. At the moment it is good at thumb grinds and fair at finger and palm grinds, which is impressive given the sticky nature of a raw finish.

Final Thoughts

I love reviewing prototypes, especially protos like the Set Sail. There is quite a bit of potential in this yo-yo and I am looking forward to eventually trying the final product. Radical Seas has shown that they are more than just a flashy render on the screen; they can take their ideas into reality with ease. I hope to hear more from them soon when they officially launch their finalized freshman effort.