“SKYY Chaser” by SPYY
By Chris Rhoads 08/29/09

Introduction
About a month ago I had a chance to purchase, and throw, my first SPYY product the Flying V. That yo-yo intrigued me because it was the signature yo-yo of one of my favorite players, Ed Haponik, who has a flow and old school style that appeals to me. After my exceptional experiences with the V, I decided that I needed to throw more yo-yos by SPYY. This being my second experience with a SPYY product, I needed to see if they were a one hit wonder or if they were the real deal. It just so happened that my friend Adam Hunter came to my aid and sent me a picture of a prototype that SPYY was putting out called the SKYY Chaser. Seeing the design of this new yo-yo, and the specs, I knew I had to try it. So, I e-mailed Steve Buffel at SPYY and asked if it would be possible to purchase one direct. He said yes and the rest is history, now we will get a chance to see if the sky is the limit or if it falls like a lame duck.

Specs
Weight: 65grams
Diameter: 49.5mm
Width: 39.5mm
Gap 4.0mm
Bearings: size C (large) stainless steel, dry
Response: YoYoGuy Silicone O-Stickers (readily accepts flowable silicone)
Finish: anodized bright orange and laser engraved

Construction
Before I begin talking about the construction of the SKYY Chaser I feel it important to point out that it comes in two versions. There is the C Version that is orange, comes with a C-Bearing, and can use Silicone O-Stickers or flowable silicone. Then there is the D Version that is yellow, comes with a D-Bearing, and uses response pads. I am a huge fan of flowable silicone so this review will focus on the C Version of the SKYY Chaser. In the future I hope to add comparisons with the D Version.

It is hard to tell what the end user will notice first when rescuing the SKYY Chaser from its cardboard shipping coffin. Will it be the intense, orange anodized finish or the eyeball grabbing Phoenix laser etching? Both are incredibly well done and will make sure that this yo-yo stands out in your case no matter how it is oriented. Now before anyone says it, yes you have seen that etching before. It pays homage to the “Screaming Chicken” graphic on the 1973 Trans-Am, Burt Reynolds would be proud to call this yo-yo his own.

The SKYY Chaser itself is very well constructed. There are no machine lines and the finish is perfect. The only issue I had with my unit was that the bearing seat was extremely tight, almost too tight. When dealing with manufacturing tolerances less than the width of a human hair, tight bearing seats are not uncommon. This one was tight to the point that you could fell it when you unscrewed the yo-yo. The seat eventually corrected itself after several openings and closings of the yo-yo. The only major issue I have with the SKYY Chaser is the lack of a bead blast finish. SPYY has one of the best bead blast finishes on the market today. It gives excellent spin times while not being so aggressive on the strings, this yo-yo needs that finish.

Weight
The SKYY Chaser comes in at 65 grams. Not too heavy and not too light, a good middle ground. The weight is concentrated into those beefy rims, giving it great spin times. It does not thunk at the bottom of the string but it does not float either. It flies through tricks with ease while still letting you know where it is at all times.

Response and Bearing
As stated above, this is the C Version of the SKYY Chaser so it uses a C-Bearing. I am a big fan of standardization in products. It is good for the consumer because it makes life easier when buying replacement parts. SPYY moving to the standard C-Bearing means that the end user has a wide variety of brands and styles to choose from. The SKYY Chaser comes with a cleaned and very dry bearing right out of the box. It has a great feel to it and does spin for quite a long time.

The C Version of the SKYY Chaser also uses YoYoGuy brand O-Stickers and can accept flowable silicone. This was my first encounter with this brand of O-Sticker and they gave a nice, tight bind but felt a little too grippy at times. After a couple days of play I ripped out the stickers and put in a recessed flowable silicone response. Binds are now perfect, it plays unresponsive and binds like a dream.

Playability
The SKYY Chaser plays bigger than it actually is. Like I said it is only 65 grams but feels heavier while in action. You feel its presence on the string. It does whip through tricks with ease. The large width, relative to its size, makes it a very stable yo-yo and is forgiving on a bad throw. There is very little vibe or wobble on it, pretty much dead smooth to the point of not knowing how fast it is spinning. The smooth finish of the yo-o helps with suicides, leaving the loop wide open. The spikes are sharp enough to allow for matador tricks and ripcord starts. The grinds do suffer because of the extremely smooth anodized finish. It will occasionally take off on the arm or the palm but it still finger and thumb grinds well. That is the only negative to the play; it needs a bead blast finish.

Final Recommendation
To answer the question from the introduction, this is not a lame duck. This is a solid playing, eye-catching yo-yo that everyone will enjoy. Saturn Precision YoYos is not a one hit wonder. If you are a grind fan you may want to try it first. I am a grind fiend and would like to see it perform better in that area but overall I am impressed with this little wonder. It has almost all of the features I look for in a yo-yo and performs brilliantly. It will be hard for any player to not be impressed with the SKYY Chaser.