The UnKnown by MadHouse Yo-Yos

Reviewed by Chris Rhoads 9/03/09

Introduction
Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out the UnKnown by MadHouse Yo-Yos. It is a limited production reinterpretation of their debut yo-yo, the 5150, which was primarily sold at the 2009 World Yo-Yo Contest. I was intrigued by the UnKnown due to the A-Sized bearing, which I feel does not get enough love by the industry. Don’t get me wrong, they are out there in some notable, high-end yo-yos but you predominantly see the C-Sized bearing. When Rick at MadHouse offered me the UnKnown for review I knew I had to try it. I needed to find out why everyone has been raving about this company on the forums and when it came to the UnKnown, I had to find out what that crazy cat was smiling about. Now lets delve into the asylum and see if the UnKnown needs a little more alone time in a straight jacket.

Specs
Weight: 65.10grams
Diameter: 50.72mm
Width: 39.38mm
Gap 3.67mm
Bearings: A-Sized Small Bearing
Response: Flowable Silicone
Finish: Brown / Black anodized with a “Chalk Board” bead blast finish

Construction
First thing anyone is going to notice about the UnKnown is the incredible artwork. The twisted Cheshire Cat laser etch is the work of Billy Wilhelm, IV on most of the yo-yo forums. Wilhelm’s unique style and impressive line work comes through in all its glory on the yo-yo, with no loss to the fine details such as the cat’s whiskers. All I can say is that after I found Wilhelm’s Deviant Art page I am hoping that I will see more of this work on upcoming yo-yos. You can see more of his unique style by following this link. http://www.interverse.deviantart.com/

The yo-yo itself is very well designed. The gentle curve of the walls gives it a nice fit in the hand. The gap is not the biggest in the world but it does accommodate a fair amount of string wraps. The only aspect of the design that I would consider a possible issue is the sharp rims. During a recent play session with the UnKnown I was not paying as much attention as I should and whacked myself in the shin while throwing a trapeze. I took a small chunk out of my leg and learned a very important lesson; don’t watch CNN while throwing a yo-yo. I do not blame the yo-yo, I have heavier yo-yos that also have a sharp edge and I have no doubt that if I had hit my leg with one of those hefty chunks of aluminum I would probably be an amputee.

The finish of the UnKnown is unique to the MadHouse line of yo-yos. They apply what Rick at MadHouse calls a “Chalkboard” finish. It is exactly as it sounds, the yo-yo feels like a chalkboard. This definitely took some getting use to at first. It feels so weird but works so well on grinds. The only down side to it is that it does feel a little like nails on a chalkboard when thumb grinding. The great thing about the finish is that most light scuffs rub right off, like taking an eraser to the board.

Weight
From what I have read about MadHouse’s previous release, the 5150, the biggest gripe was the weight. MadHouse stepped up to the plate and added almost 3 grams when they created the UnKnown. While the 65 grams sounds a little light on paper, it is a heavy playing yo-yo. I was surprised by the first throw when I was greeted by a resounding thunk at the end of the string. The weight is distributed to towards the rims giving a great amount of spin time while delivering superior stability. The shape and distribution make it a very forgiving yo-yo on a bad throw.

Response and Bearing
The UnKnown comes with a pretty standard, steel A-Sized bearing. It does its job admirably without any issue. There really is not much to say about the bearing, it just works.

The UnKnown comes standard with flowable silicone. Half of my UnKnown came with a great silicone job; the other half had the dreaded bubble issue that has been talked about on the forums. For those that do not know what I am talking about, MadHouse rushed to apply the silicone and have the UnKnown ready for its Worlds debut. This caused some of the units to develop a bubble in the flowable silicone that will shorten its lifespan. The way companies deal with issues like this determines how much respect I have for them. In this particular instance, MadHouse stepped up to the plate and admitted fault. Not only did they shoulder the blame, they offered a free MadHouse T-Shirt to any purchase of the UnKnown that was made before September 30, 2009 even if the customer did not suffer the defect. The only stipulation they had was that the purchasers needed to send a copy of the receipt and a picture of themselves with the UnKnown to MadHouse. That is class, giving to everyone instead of just the affected. Many companies outside the yo-yo industry could take a lesson from MadHouse.

Playability
As I stated above, this is an extremely stable yo-yo. It has very little tilt and is very forgiving on a bad throw. It plays heavy and with authority, although I am sure there are people that would like more weight. The UnKnown is a fast yo-yo that flies quickly and confidently through the air. The gap will hold a decent, not massive, amount of string wraps. The solid play of the UnKnown has made it one of my “go to” yo-yos whenever I am looking to just throw for a while.

Where this yo-yo really excels is in the grinds. The chalkboard finish is just such a unique grinding surface. At first I did not know what to think of it. Even though I am a teacher, I have never been the biggest fan of chalkboards. Once I had it spinning in my palm, I knew there was something special about the finish. It is smooth on the skin and did not lose much velocity while grinding. Thumb grinds were very strange at first. As I stated above, it did feel a little like nails on a chalkboard. The first time I did a thumb grind I dropped it due to the initial shock of the feel. After recovering, I gave it a second shot and now I am pulling off some of my longest thumbs grinds.

Final Recommendation
I am always happy when I find a new company. The UnKnown is truly a great yo-yo that makes me want to try more of the MadHouse line. It is solid, stable, and fast. If you like A-Bearings, you will like this yo-yo. If you like grinding you will love this yo-yo. If you are a catastrophically clumsy player, try the UnKnown first. For those of you that have tactile related issues with certain types of finishes, I would highly recommend that you find someone with an UnKnown and try it first. For everyone else, get one if you can. The limited nature of the UnKnown plus the buzz surrounding MadHouse means that it will sell out quickly.

I would like to leave you with the original art by Billy Wilhelm that inspired the beautiful laser etch.
The full size image can be viewed at his Deviant Art page listed above.