RAyoyos Chupacabra
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
December 9, 2012

Introduction

RAyoyos is the latest in a long line of young upstarts to hit the market. Their first release borrows its name from the Central and North American hobgoblin called the Chupacabra, whose name literally translates into “goat sucker”. I am glad they used the actual name instead of the translation… I would have a hard time telling non-yoyo players that I am throwing a Goat Sucker. When talking about the yo-yo to company owner Ryan Jacobs, he told me he wanted an angular yo-yo similar to the Japanese designs that had a distinct focus on speed. In his own words he said, “it is meant to fly through the air”. Let’s see if he nailed it on this freshman effort.

Specs

• Diameter: 56.56mm
• Width: 44.1mm
• Weight: 65.7 grams
• Bearing: C-Sized 8-Ball
• Response: Flow Groove Pad

Construction

Right off the bat you can see the Asian influences in the profile of the Chupacabra. It has the similar two-step catch zone that has become commonplace on most of the YoYoRecreaction line of yoyos. Where the Chupacabra differs is that the profile is much steeper, giving a much more V-Shape look as opposed to the thicker H-Shape look of YYR designs such as the Dreadnought and Gleipnir. The cup is where the Chupacabra completely comes into its own. At the outer edge of the cup is a usable IGR, something usually not found on a competition yo-yo. The center hub is spherical and rises ever so slightly from the floor. The blast on the Chupacabra gives it a slick feel. In the hand this is a large yo-yo. I found it felt fine if not slightly large in my hands. People with smaller hands will want to give it a test throw if possible. The rounded rims are welcome and negate some, but not all, of the pain from those thin rims during play. The over all stepped V-Shape design with the IGR show a focus on long spins and increased speed. I am impressed with the design. V-Shapes have always been my personal favorite just because they feel the most stable during play. They transition the string to the gap quicker than other designs, keeping it from pushing against the outer wall where it can tilt the yo-yo off axis during tricks.

Weight

At almost 66 grams, the Chupacabra could be perceived as a middleweight. That would be a fair assumption but you have to factor in the overall size. This is a large yo-yo with a 56.6 mm diameter. Spreading 66 grams over such a large design makes this thing feel fast and light. I found it quite stable during play, even when pushing it to higher speeds.

Response and Bearing

The response is a standard flow groove pad. Gives great binds and a quick break in time. There is nothing new to learn here, especially if you have read my previous reviews.

The bearing is an inexpensive 8-ball bearing provided by Sunshine Bearing Company. Ryan let me know that since this is such a small initial run, they went with a generic bearing. They are looking at upgraded bearings in subsequent runs. Honestly, I didn’t find much wrong with the stock bearing. It was a little loud but not completely unmanageable. I didn’t notice any irregularities in play or any signs that it was seizing up. If it were up to me, I would keep this bearing and run with it, especially if it can keep the price down. Now, if there is no retail price difference in including a 10-Ball or an AIGR Bearing then by all means give us the higher quality option.

 

Playability

On the first throw I could tell this was a well thought out design. As I said above, thanks to the V-Shape profile this yoyo is rock solid stable during play, even when it comes to sloppy players such as myself who don’t always hit the gap perfectly. Triple or nothing hops between the strings showed this off quite well, I notoriously hit two strings when hopping around in such confined spaces. On the Chupacabra, even though I was landing on more strings than I should I was still able to hop back off clean without throwing the yo-yo out of alignment. Total spin time is rather impressive on this and I found regens to work quite well keeping my rethrows to a minimum during extended play sessions. Grinds were smooth and stable on the hand, palm grinds are especially fun. The thin rims allow for crazy smooth balancing of just one rim on my hand during a palm grind. Thumb grinds are acceptable but can be slightly problematic due to the inner wall being so close to the IGR… at least with larger hands such as mine. While smaller hands may find the Chupacabra uncomfortable to hold they will definitely have an advantage over me if they like thumb grinds. Truth be told, the thumb grind problem is a non-issue for most. This miniscule issue is completely overshadowed by the amazing play of the Chupacabra.

Final Thoughts

All said and done, this is an amazing yo-yo. This yoyo does not live up to its name; the Goat Sucker does not suck. I have no problem recommending it to anyone looking for a new yo-yo for competition or just general day-to-day play. Honestly, I would say that if you were looking for an alternative to the Japanese yo-yos that suffer from high prices due to import fees look no further than this yoyo. RAyoyos has done an outstanding job. All I can say is welcome to the ever-expanding community guys; I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.