Mullicabob’s Powder Coating
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
September 1, 2014

Introduction

Robert Maskos, aka Mullicabob, has been powder coating yo-yos for quite some time and every time I see a new piece posted on the forums it has always caught my eye. It has reminded me of the paint jobs from Levi, Jacob Gross, and Brett Grimes but from what I have heard, his PC process was much more durable. Well finally the stars aligned and I was able to convince him that he should send some samples for review which was great for me since I have always been curious about how powder coating changed the feel of the yo-yo but I have been squeamish about having it done to one of my precious (insert Gollum voice here). Now I get to see how tough it is and what benefits it brings to the table.

Overview

For the three finishes he sent I tested them all the same and will comment on the unique looks and feel in each section. This is not a review of the yo-yos so I will not comment on the play unless it is specifically related to the powder coat itself. One blanket statement I will make is about the durability. While I did not walk the dog on concrete, I did intentionally smack that bajeezus (yes, it is a technical term) out of them against my wooden deck and they all came away without a scratch. I am quite impressed with the resilience of this after market mod.

Flat Powder Coat

The flat finish is the most striking in my opinion. The blue used in this finish has a hue shift in it going from blue to almost purple and looks incredible while spinning. The finish feels like a slightly more aggressive Gruntbull finish and allows for easy grinding most of the time. I did notice that in humid weather it would become a tad bit sticky and lose some of the precise control that I look for during grinds but it is not a deal breaker.

Bead Blast Powder Coat

The bead blast finish is not as stunning looking as the flat finish but makes up for it in the grind department. This finish is the powder coat equivalent of ILYY’s Candy Blast finish. It is smooth and easy to control no matter what the weather throws at you and feels great. My only worry was with string wear but I kept a close eye on my string and it didn’t prematurely fray or break.

Teflon Powder Coat

The Teflon coating was an experiment on Robert’s part and both he and I agree that it is not up to snuff. It gives poor grinds and feels sticky in the hand. One thing it does have going for it is that this is the richest black I have ever seen on a yo-yo. If you are not interested in grinds at all and want a tuxedo finish similar to what you see in the pictures then this is the finish for you.

Final Thoughts

Color me impressed. I usually prefer the feel of metal, or occasionally plastic above everything else. While painted yo-yos have been amazing artistic expressions there has always been something unnatural feeling about the paint during play. The flat and blasted powder coats on the other hand felt more natural and the durability means I would have no problem doing this to an everyday throw that I know is going to be abused. If you are looking at changing the looks of one of your yo-yos, especially one that has seen better days, send it to Robert. This goes double if you are itching for a white yo-yo, this is the only way to get that color on a metal. What I would love to see is a combination of the looks of the flat with the play of the blasted finish.