2016 SPYY x TMBR x YoYoExpert eh Release

December 19, 2016 By Steve Brown

It’s that time of year again!

We get a new edition of everyone’s favorite fixed axle yoyo, we get a new video of fixie impossibilities from Ed Haponik, and we get the smug satisfaction that comes with feeling vaguely superior to all the people who don’t play fixed axle.

Ok, that last bit only lasts for about 6 minutes and it’s not our most endearing trait, but hey, it’s the holidays, and we want a little validation for our hard work, ok? Our knuckles are a mess.

YoYoExpert.com will be releasing the 2016 edition of the SPYY x TMBR x YoYoExpert eh at 8 pm EST on Monday, Dec. 19. This edition comes in FOUR different exotic woods, making it the most diverse and beautiful edition yet! The eh will be available in Wenge, Bubinga, Zebrano, and just TWO pieces made in Ebony wood. These will retail for $85 each, and the Ebony version will retail for $200 each and only be available to purchase via raffle. More details up at YoYoExpert.com!

Ed Haponik – EH 2015 Release

December 23, 2015 By YoYoNews

It’s that time again…another year, another glorious special edition wooden yoyo from SPYY x TMBR x YoYoExpert to celebrate everyone’s favorite fixie sage, Ed Haponik! Check out the latest video from Ed and a full description of the yoyo below. YoYoExpert still has a few in stock, but once they’re gone…they’re gone.

In 2012, SPYY team member Ed Haponik took a one year oath to play only a single fixed axle, wooden yo-yo. It was a custom design from SPYY who sponsored him at the time. He completed this goal as of 12/31/12 and documented his efforts on 365yoyotricks.com and in several of his clip videos. Ever since Ed has truly helped to inspire a resurgence in fixed axle play!

In 2015 things have changed. SPYY is no longer around has just re-entered the game with a new Titanium Yo-Yo and Ed is still throwing the best fixed axle tricks around via his Instagram page!

In hopes of continuing this amazing story we decided to approach Ed, SPYY, & TMBR. And again this year, all agreed the story and message behind this great yo-yo needs to live on. The legendary yo-yo he used, The EH, is now re-envisioned once again and available in a limited run.

This year, the limited EH is crafted from WHITE oak. This wood offers a beautiful tight grain that isn’t too porous with an excellent density and smoother feel to the touch. This newest version also comes with one of the coolest axle systems out there – The TMBR Wood Thread Axles! Hand carved by Colin Leland, you will not find anything else like these on the market! After spending some time with the new 2015 EH, Ed thinks it’s the perfect fixed axle yo-yo for tricks like stalls, kickflips, varials, and lunar landings!

The 2015 ‘EH’ is limited to 96 pieces and will not be reproduced. Each EH comes packaged with a special signed note from Ed and one side of the yo-yo features the EH logo engraved with the other left untouched to give it a simple clean look. Play Simply Our Friends!

Start Your Fixed Axle Journey With Tutorials from Ed Haponik HERE!

This post sponsored by YoYoExpert.

SPYY x TMBR x Yoyoexpert “eh”

December 22, 2014 By YoYoNews

The “eh” has returned to Yoyoexpert.com as a surprise release! More of a story than a yoyo model, the “eh” started out as a handful of drill-pressed throws that Ed Haponik and SPYY’s Steve Buffel cranked out in Steve’s Calgary garage. Fixed axle aficionado that he is, Ed evidently liked playing it so much that he asked Steve to make him a special one to use for a year straight, which Ed documented in videos and on 365yoyotricks.com. At the end of 2012 (and again in 2013), Yoyoexpert celebrated Ed’s commitment and Steve’s classic design by releasing a production version made by Portland-based woodcraft-powerhouse TMBR. One of the coolest aspects of the “eh” is that it represents the collaboration of four people, each of whom is respected within yoyoing for his own distinct contribution.

With each release, the “eh” has seen subtle changes in material and engraving, but this is clearly the most significant change so far. Over the past year, TMBR’s “wood-thread” axle system has become increasingly popular among fixed axle players. This innovative and craft-intensive process allows for all-wood construction (no metal axle, no glue) AND take-apart design. Actually, it goes a step further as you can actually reconstruct the “eh” in butterfly, classic/imperial, or “pagoda” setups. The axle cap in the middle of the “eh” is a design necessity, but it changes the look substantially. The engraving is smaller and moved off the center, featuring the original “eh” logo on one side and the logos of the 3 companies responsible for it on the reverse. The body is also made from white oak (previous versions were red) which offers the smoothest surface and most uniform weight distribution of any “eh” so far.

In terms of play, it’s a pretty awesome fixed axle yoyo. Its smooth walnut axle sleeps well enough and it comes back easily, maybe a little more aggressively than previous versions. In recent years, fixed axle has become its own distinct species. Where just a few years back, playing fixed axle meant you did regular 1a tricks as kind of a dare, these days fixed tricks have become marked by shorter sleepers and integrated stalls, kickflips, weird balances, and constant regenerations. The new “eh” really caters to these adaptations. The oak body is easy to control in a stall, the gap holds loops open on kickflips very well, and the flat rims make Ed’s backhand catches quite a bit easier.

Bear in mind that it’s completely different from playing a modern unresponsive metal yo-yo. That may seem obvious, but it can’t be overstated. Playing wood is a different kind of challenge; one of the hardest and most rewarding in yo-yoing.

The “eh” also comes with a typed note from Ed and one of his signed Yoyoexpert trading cards. Limited to 120 pieces total. Available now exclusively from Yoyoexpert.

SPYY x TMBR x Yoyoexpert “eh” SPECS:

Diameter: 57.15mm
Width: 34.92mm
Gap Width: Two Pennies (seriously)
Weight: 58 grams
Axle: Take-Apart All Wood Axle

Buy the SPYY x TMBR x YoYoExpert eh

This post sponsored by YoYoExpert

Kyle Nations – I Like To Play

May 5, 2014 By Steve Brown

Kyle Nations drops yet another video of fixie goodness, including some tricks with the prototype fixed axle throw coming soon from Square Wheels YoYo Company. Bearings are for suckers!

Yoyos used are the Missing Link by Square Wheels and the SPYY x TMBR eh.

Goodbye, SPYY

July 20, 2013 By Steve Brown

We woke up to some bad, bad news this morning. SPYY, makers of some of the most underrated but consistently awesome performance yoyos, is closing up shop.

SPYY came on the scene in 2003 with the Saturn Experiment, an attempt to produce a high-end yo-yo that can handle multiple string layers (bind-style) around the axle without stopping or returning to the hand. In 2005 the first high-end consumer yo-yo was produced, the Saturn Radian and it went on sale on eBay in early 2006. The first run sold out quickly, with a huge interest from the market. For the time, the yoyo was one of the smoothest competition throws available and players quickly became obsessed with what would be next from this small Canadian company.

From there they produced the Addict, a more rounded profile throw, that expanded their fan base considerably. As their following grew, they began acquiring a team that would eventually include Guy Wright, Ed Haponik, Alexis JV, Nate Sutter, Sebastian Brock, Gary Longoria, Lilia Markham, Joey Fleshman, and Devon Jackson. Recently produced models include the excellent TMBR x SPYY EH, Dynamo, and Amplifier.

SPYY’s remaining stock has been shipped off to YoYoExpert, and if you were ever on the fence about picking one of their models up we recommend you grab one now. Below is an excerpt from the email that SPYY sent out to their team and a few friends…and we’d like to personally thank Steve Buffel and his wife Suzanne for everything they’ve done for the industry and the community. You couldn’t possibly imagine a pair of more wonderful people, and while we’re sad to see SPYY go away it’s reassuring to know that at least we’re just losing some yoyos, and not some friends. Thanks for everything, SPYY!

—–

Thanks for taking a chance on us and our little yoyo company. Suzanne and I tried to push it to a full time carrier a while back, but I melted my soul in the process.

I think it’s time to call it a day. 10,000 yoyos sold to date. I guess we can all be proud of that. It’s been a fun ride with crazy ups and downs, just like this hobby of ours 🙂

I wish you all the best and you have our blessings and full support to pursue yoyoing however you feel it suits you best.

Thanks and please stay in touch. We’ll see you around.

Hugs and tears,
Steve & Suzanne
SPYY

FIXED FRIDAY: Back to Basics

May 24, 2013 By Ed Haponik

Hi kids. I’m Ed Haponik and this is Fixed Friday.

(apologies for the lack of caps below – it’s verbatim from the vid below and i speak in lowercase.)

a few people have asked lately about a ‘back to basics’ vid, so here you go. if you want to build a renaissance you better make sure all your friends can hold a brush… or build a movable type printing press. i hope this q&a is helpful.

WHAT’S YOUR SETUP?
i use the EH by spyy x tmbr. it’s made of wood which is way more fickle than plastic. i find that a 2-cent gap gives me a kind of response i like. sometimes i need to sand the axle down. with other yo-yo’s you may need to shim the axle to get a good gap. if i can do spirit bomb and shoot the moon on consecutive throws, then i know it’s right where i like it. i tend to go for thick type-10 cotton string, and generally a little vibe doesn’t bother me at all.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH STRING TENSION?
this is an aspect of your setup that changes while you play. it makes a difference with a bearing, but it makes all the difference without one. ufo’s and sidewinders are your go-to tension tools. i probably do 20-30 sidewinders on an average day. righty tighty, lefty loosey. you might think that they affect the whole string, but they really impact certain regions much more than others. sometimes i’ll do a sidewinder right for positive tension all-over, and then a little adjustment right (meaning LEFT) near the gap to get less aggressive response.

HOW HARD DO YOU THROW?
i throw to fit the trick. if i’m doing kamikaze or white buddha, it’s going to be balls to the wall-out hard, whereas there’s rarely a reason to throw hard into a stall. a hard throw relies on arms, but it’s like throwing a punch. if you don’t connect your hip/core, you’ll have less behind it. bear in mind you will scorch axles throwing hard which will change their characteristics. stop n go usually needs a bit more juice because your ‘go’ depends on a tight wind, especially if you’re hopping out. you just have to recognize that there’s more than one way to throw, and that if a trick isn’t working for you, it’s another variable you can adjust.

HOW DO YOU DO ‘UNRESPONSIVE TRICKS ON A FIXED AXLE?
same way you get to carnegie hall. there’s no substitute for trying these tricks 10,000 times. with something like spirit bomb, for example, be quick and direct and keep your hands apart so the formation can’t collapse. the key with sketchy tricks is to keep the slack string from collecting anywhere near the gap. a fixed axle suicide needs to cover more ground (right to left) than it does with a bearing. as was noted earlier, you’re sabotaging yourself if you don’t have appropriate string tension (usually nice and neutral). a yo-yo returns because of friction, period. there will always be increased friction in a fixed axle gap, but it can be mitigated by technique. when pulling up into a hook, plastic whip, or gt whip, lift the yo-yo up without letting the string go slack at the bottom. don’t yank it. 3/4 of hitting any trick is believing that it can be done. if you take the attitude that something is to hard for you or impossible, then it will be.

HOW DO YOU SNAPSTART?
you’re not going to try any tricks 10,000 times if you can’t wind a yo-yo efficiently. i feel like of any yo-yo trick out there (besides maybe shoot the moon), snap start is the best “barometer of awesome”. i would not be as good a yo-yoed as i am by half if steve brown hadn’t taught me to snap start. it makes the spaces in between mess ups feel like a successful trick (or it can be a trick itself). to do it, place your middle finger and thumb on opposite sides of the yo-yo (kind of like at 10 and 4) and twist (with your thumb popping up). it will suck at first, probably for a week. but you can’t put a price on an efficient wind.

HOW DO YOU STALL?
i did a video on this a few years back. the idea behind any stall is that the yo-yo is mostly wound up and sitting in a static position on the string, which you regenerate out of. pretty much any string hold has a stall application. the only trick is recognizing the importance of spin direction. just like you can really only catch a trapeze stall one way, you can only really catch a brother stall with the opposite spin. you need pretty aggressive response, both for the catch and for the regen. you don’t need to throw hard. it’s easiest to think of breakaway or forward pass and just be in the right place. what you do once you’re IN a stall has been the subject of a lot of recent innovation.

WHAT TRICKS SHOULD I PRACTICE?
practice what appeals to you, for sure. but also spend time solidifying things ‘beneath your level’. work on repeated regens from trapeze stall. work on shoot the moon and flyaway dismounts out of everything. work on tricks you know you have down with a bearing like pop n fresh or cold fusion. don’t be afraid to try stuff that seems out of your range either. don’t have a preconceived idea of what kind of fixed axle yo-yoer you need to be. there’s no road map for a lot of this. practice doesn’t make perfect. practice IS perfect.

WHAT YO-YO SHOULD I USE?
besides my EH, i love tmbrs in general. you can also opt for a butterfly to get your drew on. i find them a little light, personally. proflys might be my favorite raw stallers, but good luck rocking a long sleeper with one. no jives are an all time favorite of mine and helped set the standard for progressive fixed axle play.

whatever you throw, it’s going to be you hitting the trick. there’s so much open territory in the fixed axle realm now . i hope some part of this vid helps you get out there and stake a claim… or y’know just have fun.

Fixed Friday: 3D and Off-Plane

April 26, 2013 By Ed Haponik

Woot Woot. It’s Friday, homies. That long grind of a week is at an end, and you are rewarded for your efforts with a lovely spring weekend (which you may wish to spend in dutiful refinement of the art of the noble disk). I’m pretty amped on this week’s FF concept, which will take us into the realm of THREE-DEE… So pop out the blue/red glasses that came with that special edition Ninja Turtles comic (or your copy of Save Deth 1)… or if you’re John Higby, I guess just keep reading as normal.

When you think about it, the original 3D/Off-plane tricks were really Sidewinder and UFO. These tricks have long served as great visual kitsch for audiences with the dual function of helping to correct/adjust string tension. We’ve all seen 2a players doing sidewinder (usually a few times in a freestyle), but it’s also awesome to do it Bob Rule-style, AS the trick, itself. And so, the first trick is straight up ganked from Drew Tetz, rocking a sidewinder right into a Lunar Landing stall.

The next one ups the ante a bit. Bilateral Sidewinder is hard enough without engaging on its own. Trying to catch that stall will make you wish you lived at 120 fps, but SO fun when you nail it. Snap-stalls are among my favorite simple/fixed-axle tricks. To 3d-ify one (0:16), I guess you can just put the snap on its side. This forces you to catch the stall by moving your arm along a horizontal plane. I found this one to be way easier than it looks. If your normal snap-stalls are money, this is really not significantly harder.

At 0:26, we start to get a bit arcane and techy. Halifax Biscuits is a trick I shared on 365 last year. It’s easy enough on a bearing yo-yo, but once you squish the gap and replace the moving parts with wood guts, it can be a bit sketchy. To overcome the natural tendency toward wood axle GT-snags, I switch the spin direction around, throwing this trick front-style and then changing to trapeze. Some wider gap fixed axles will do ok with a regular GT landing, but my ‘Eh’ wants to freeze up, so these kinds of adjustments are necessary. With the slow-mo, the mechanics of the trick are self-explanatory, but now we’ll introduce a piece that’s central to taking your wood yo-yo off plane: you’re gonna have to throw hard.

As long as a yo-yo is spinning in one direction, its angular momentum resists being turned about any other axis. Pushing it 3D challenges that momentum and will slow its spin considerably, which of course means that it will now be more willing to turn and lean all over the place. The low-friction environment of a bearing yo-yo makes overcoming these changes in plane a lot easier, but to recreate the concepts on fixed axle, there’s nothing for it but to throw hard. And when you throw hard… you get hit hard. Break out the Icy Hot, tiger.

I always have to laugh derisively when I see people going goo-goo over “horizontal tricks” only to find that when they do them they are “semi-oblique at best”. Thou shall not do horizontal tricks at 45 degrees. Get out a responsive fixie and try to throw a truly horizontal trapeze stall. It’s really not that tough. We think it must be because “ooh horizontal”, but the path of least resistance for a stalling yo-yo is to land back on the string. Once you can “let it” with some consistency, it’s nothing to integrate some cool foot moves (0:43) or even Texas Cowboy (0:47). Awhile back, I did a trick called Alien Invasion. It’s not in the video, but I do think it applies. A simpler version (0:56) is to throw a sideways trapeze stall back into a sideways Man-Bro. I find it easier to catch the latter while turning.

Honestly, whose face WASN’T melted by the radness that was Boyd’s part in the first Save Deth DVD? That great Of Montreal background tune, Boyd’s hilarious yo-yo faces, and THEM 3D ELI HOPS. You couldn’t walk around a yo-yo contest in late 2007 without being brained by some kid’s errant attempt (or by Boyd’s Tiger Knee, actually). Taking the concept to fixed axle might seem about as natural as an oral bowel movement, but they work great! 3D Eli-ing into your standard trapeze stall requires a hard throw and some precision, but otherwise there’s not much to it. If you don’t mind a sub-dural hematoma, you can even take one all the way behind the head! If you’re hitting that with regularity, I offer the following dare: Stop-N-Go 3D Eli-Hop to Reverse-Stall at 1:18. Remember, the S&G changes the spin direction, so your normal trapeze stall won’t work. Gotta cross it up!

In the last trick, I start with another Stop-N-Go, but then Eli out sideways. Doing this, you can catch in a Lunar stall… also sideways. This isn’t that hard, but you may have to dislocate your throw hand thumb a bit to find that string. You’ve got two, and with the popularity of juicing these days, who needs thumbs… or teeth!?

I hope someone out there is enjoying these Fixed Friday submissions even half as much as Drew and I am. Although I guess… even if it weren’t the case, it wouldn’t change much for us. You’ve gotta pick a direction and explore it, either until there’s nothing left to explore or you no longer have fingers and eyes.

While on the journey, if you’re looking for a sweet fixed axle throw, here’s the model I throw every day. This is the 2nd run of the SPYY x TMBR “Eh”. It’s available at yoyoexpert.com, and it’s super great. It’s made of denser oak than the last run, giving it a bit more inertia for longer spins. The gap is (IMO) just right and the lasering came out mega-keen. Even comes with a type-10 string I twisted myself (and a thank-you note). Thanks for reading, and enjoy the weekend!

Fixed Friday Contest – Win a SPYYxTMBR Eh!

January 11, 2013 By Ed Haponik

Contest time, kiddos!

So, some of you may remember that SPYY and TMBR recently collaborated to bring you a production version of The Eh, the yo-yo which I threw throughout all of 2012. Although it felt like a fair few while I was twisting string for them and packing them in boxes, the full run sold out quickly and with quite a plethora of folks wishing for more.

When and whether more Eh’s will be made is not up to me. I leave those kinds of decisions up to the guys who know and understand their own businesses. However, we DID withhold one particular specimen for use as a prize to some lucky fixed axle hipster.

This lovely little example is just like every other production Eh, but with one funky distinction. Instead of the oak leaf signifying the Eh’s “Made in the USA” status, this particular model sports the original Canadian maple leaf, as on my own Eh.

In order to win this little guy, you’ve got to get your best fixed axle trick on video. You are strongly encouraged (though not required) to use elements described in the first four installments of this column.

To qualify, you must:

1. Make a video with your best fixed axle trick. Video must begin with this title card: Give Me That YoYo, Eh! Contest Title Card

2. Upload it to YouTube or Vimeo and give it the title “YoyoNews.com: Give me that yoyo, Eh!”

3. Post your vid on the Fixed Friday Facebook group page.

Entries must be uploaded and posted no later than 11:59 PM EST on January 25th, 2013.

All of the videos will be watched by the members of the Light Sleeper Society, that subterfugal shadow organization seeking to gradually overthrow the use of moving parts in yo-yo’s. They will decide on a winner by consensus, and said winner shall have his/her glory, in addition to this unique throw.

Best of luck.

56 Tricks by Ed Haponik

January 3, 2013 By Steve Brown

Ed Haponik set himself apart with his stint on 365yoyotricks.com last year by only using a single wooden yoyo, handcrafted to his specs by SPYY. And not only did Ed go a full year only throwing a single fixed axle yoyo, but he managed to contribute some of the most creative and mind-bogglingly difficult fixie tricks we’ve ever seen.

SPYY x TMBR EH

December 2, 2012 By Steve Brown

Coming soon to YoYoExpert.com!

SOLD OUT!

The EH is a run of ~40 pieces. Designed by SPYY and TMBR to match the model that Ed Haponik has thrown exclusively all year. Flat-sawn red oak, walnut axle, and type 10 cotton string….each one hand-twisted by Ed Haponik from his “Cones to Balls” cone of string. WOW. Only $35 each, and they’re moving fast!