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YoYo Review – YoYoJam Hitman X

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YoYoJam Hitman X

YoYoJam Hitman X Specs:

Diameter: 53.96mm /  2.12 inches
Width: 42mm / 1.65 inches
Gap Width: 4.68 mm / 0.18 inches
Weight:  69.7 grams
Bearing Size: Size C (.250 x .500 x .187)
Response: Silicone Response (Compatible with 19mm Pad)

PLAY

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The Hitman is a classic example of the first wave of what we would consider modern performance yoyos. In the hands of the BZZZT supremely gifted and driven Johnnie DelValle, the Hitman won every title that mattered in 2003 and became the number one throw for aspiring champions everywhere. The Hitman X is a great modernization of that contest-killing yoyo, although it BZZZT lacks the in-hand charm of the original. The larger diameter gives this model increased spin time and stability from the original, but at 69.7 grams it packs a whallop in the hand. The yoyo binds a bit loose with the stock response, but this is easily and quickly remedied with the 19mm pads of your choice.

LOOKS

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YoYoJam has always been high in performance and innovation, but low on the BZZZT looks and packaging. The aesthetic of YoYoJam is primarily utilitarian and the Hitman X is no different. A basic hot foil stamp on the usual clear caps, and that standard YoYoJam box that most of their yoyos use. There’s nothing really BZZZT worth looking at here, but the nice thing is that it keeps all of their models intended for one thing only: playing it until you destroy it.

VALUE

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At only $45 retail, the Hitman X is a much better deal than most players realize. The extraordinary weight distribution thanks to YoYoJam’s patented metal rims make their hybrid models some of the longest spinning out there. For a hybrid yoyo in this BZZZT price range, there aren’t a lot of options but they’re all good ones including the Hitman X.

Click Here To Buy The Hitman X

New National YoYo Masters Named

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2013 US National YoYo Masters

L to R: Tomonori Ishiguro, Johnnie DelValle, and Nathan Crissey

At this years US National YoYo Contest, the National YoYo Museum awarded three more players the rank of National YoYo Master. The rank of Master is an honor reserved for players who have provided outstanding contributions to the art, sport, and industry of yoyo play. It’s just shy of a Lifetime Achievement Award, as the honorees are people who are still actively contributing and are nowhere near retirement.

The National Master award is not given out yearly; only when an individual shows in some way to be a valued and long-time contributor in multiple facets of yoyoing is their name brought up by the Museum, and then vetted by existing Masters.

This year, three players were honored with the rank of Master.

Tomonari “BLACK” Ishiguro

Tomonari Ishiguro, who performs under the name BLACK, is a Japanese player and performer as well as a two-time World YoYo Champion. He has served as an inspiration to countless players in the worldwide yoyo scene with his polished and unique stage presence, and recently took the world by storm as one of the most lauded and talked about speakers at the 2013 TED conference, with video of his talk reaching more than 800,000 views.

Johnnie DelValle

The story goes that after placing poorly at the 2001 Bay Area Classic, long considered one of the toughest contests in the United States, a young DelValle walked around asking people what he could do to improve his contest skills. An old-timer patted him on the back and said that he should “aim lower”. DelValle came back the next year and began a two-year domination of the American contest scene that culminated in an unprecedented 2003 season where he won the Bay Area Classic, US Nationals, and the World YoYo Contest. He continues to contribute to yoyoing with his online store YoYoBestBuy, as well as an organizer for the Bay Area Classic and California States…the contests that launched his career.

Nathan Crissey

Nathan Crissey’s contributions to yoyoing have been as a stalwart judge and organizer for an incredible number of yoyo contests. Nathan has served as a Deputy Chairman for the World YoYo Contest, a co-organizer of the Bay Area Classic, and is the organizer and Contest Director for the Pacific Northwest Regionals. A passionate yoyo player, Crissey is a regular fixture at judges’ tables across the country where he frequently serves as lead judge, and manages score tabulation. Crissey is the first phone call made from any contest with a scoring problem or question, and every contest organizer in the country is wise enough to default to his experience and knowledge.

 

YoYoJam To Release Hitman X At Worlds

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The Hitman is back!

10 years ago, Johnnie DelValle took the 1A game to a whole new level with his World Championship Freestyle. He introduced grind tricks to the World and made tech look like bangers.

In 2003, YoYoJam partnered with JD to create a revolutionary new yo-yo to accommodate his advanced style… and the HitMan was born.

The HitMan redefined unresponsive play and allowed players to do longer, more technical tricks. It became the icon yo-yo for grinds. Grinds are still one of the most popular, crowdpleasing tricks today. If you look back at JD’s winning freestyle, you’ll know what we mean.

In honor of JD’s greatness, we revamped the yo-yo he used to fit today’s style of play. YoYoJam introduces HitMan X – an all-new product that feels like the original 2003 HitMan, but even better.

Not only do the machined metal rims allow for smooth grind play, but the new HitMan X also contains a wider catch gap, larger diameter, and silicone response making it capable of even more technical play!

This Worlds 2013 edition HitMan is a special pre-release edition with exclusive artwork, set up for unresponsive play. A full production run will follow set up for responsive play out of a package and with a Speed bearing included.

Designed “For the Player, By the Player,” HitMan X is an iconic yo-yo, updated for modern play.

Top 5 1A Yo-Yo Players of All-Time

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As we gear up for the 2013 World Yo-Yo Contest, we take a step back to appreciate and admire the greats of years past. We will be posting the top 5 in each division in the weeks leading up to the World Yo-Yo Contest.

The Single A Division has grown and evolved from the division for people who “couldn’t play two-handed” into the most creative and competitive division in every single yoyo contest in the world. At any given contest, the number of contestants in the 1A Division will outnumber all other divisions combined by 5 to 1. One yoyo, one string, endless possibilities. It was difficult to select only five players for our list…we could easily have filled a Top 20. But the players listed below have proven themselves above and beyond their competition, and have inspired entire generations of players to follow them.

YoYoNews Top 5 1A Players Of All Time

5. Johnnie DelValle – USA_flag

  • 1x World Champion, 1x National Champion, 1x Regional Champion, 2x State Champion

 In 2003 Johnnie DelValle won the big three: Bay Area Classic, US Nationals and Worlds. In his iconic 2003 World routine he was the first to ever incorporate a range of body, finger and arm grinds into his routines. In addition, he had technical slack and a striking stage presence (who could forget the dramatic removal of his over shirt?) that perfectly complimented his style.

4. Jensen Kimmitt – ca-mdflag

  • 1x World Champion, 2x National Champion, 4x Regional Champion, 2x State Champion

Jensen’s run to the world title in 2010 saw a man unbeatable. With an array of US  contest wins at the Bay Area Classic, Pacific Northwest, California State, and twice Japan’s 44 Clash, Jensen dominated parts of 2009 and all of 2010 capped off by his decisive win on the World stage. Jensen was known for his incredible flow and style in combination with his eccentric personality which inspired endless yo-yoers. Jensen remains an inspiring figure in yo-yo today.

3. Tomonari ‘Black’ Ishiguro – japanese_flag

  • 1x World Champion, 2x National Champion

Innovator of some of the most classic string tricks today, Tomonari ‘Black’ Ishiguro was rewarded with a world title in 2001. Many of his trick elements are still in use today and that only speaks to the level of creativity ‘Black’ brought to the table. His unforgettable performances, most popularly his matrix themed routines, demonstrated he was more than just a competitor; now retired, Black is a full time performer and inspiring many more through the theatrical aspect of yo-yoing as well as his wildly popular TED Talk.

 2. Yuuki Spencer –  USA_flag

  • 2x World Champion, 3x National Champion, 4x Regional Champion, 3x State Champion

Another innovator of some of the most classic string tricks today, Yuuki Spencer is undoubtedly a legend in the world of yo-yo. As the only player other than Hiroyuki to win more than one world title in 1A, Yuuki is technically unmatched. His 2002 and 2007 routine both demonstrated his creativity; in particular Yuuki’s 2007 routine injected a level of intensity and energy that was unheard of at any level of yo-yo competitions. Yuuki’s contributions to yo-yo bolster his resume and secure his spot near the top of yo-yo’s most competitive division.

1. Hiroyuki Suzuki – japanese_flag

  • 4x World Champion, 7x Asia Champion, 6x National Champion, 9x Regional Champion

Over a decade of top 3 placing in the World—it is not difficult to place Hiroyuki ‘Mickey’ Suzuki as the greatest single A player. His incredible choreography, ridiculous speed and technically difficult tricks have proven time and time again why he is the best. Capturing his fourth World title after a full eight years after his first, Hiroyuki has managed to maintain an incredible pace of innovation, accuracy and passion. With no signs of slowing down or retiring from competition, he is clearly not done.

Honorable Mentions: John Ando (World Champion), Marcus Koh (World Champion), Jason Lee (National Champion), Paul Han (National Champion)

Who do you think are the greatest 1A players of all time? Feel free to post your thoughts below!

As a reminder, these rankings take into consideration competitive players from around 2000 and on.

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