YoYo Related News From Around The World
One Drop YoYos have finally released the Cabal, their long-rumored second plastic yoyo. Their first plastic yoyo, the Rally, was well received but discontinued, and was a molded part that was finished with machining. The Cabal is a completely machined, POM (commonly known by the trademarked named “Delrin”) yoyo with a custom machined axle & guts setup. They haven’t hit retailers yet, but expect to see them in stores this month! Check out full specs and more pics below.
CLYW has officially released photos and specs for the new Riccardo Fraolini signature yoyo, the Manatee! There will be a small pre-release this weekend at the 2016 Bay Area Classic, and the full release will happen in early June at retailers worldwide. Riccardo was the 2015 Trick Innovator of the Year, and has been the undisputed king of the #trickcircle on Instagram pretty much since the concept started.
Designed collaboratively by Riccardo Fraolini and Chris Mikulin, the Manatee is the first model they’ve released that’s this wide, and also the first full-sized yoyo in a budget price range. With an expected retail price of $80-$90, the Manatee is nearly the price of the short-lived Campfire pocket yoyo they released a few years back.
The CLYW Manatee will be available early June at CLYW retailers worldwide in solid and splash colors.
Everything is getting weird and awesome with yoyo designs these days! For years now, various companies have experimented with free-spinning components…from YoYoFactory‘s hubstacks to some truly interesting designs from Auldey, YoYoJam, and most recently YOYO.Y’s V5 Catch parts. And it’s those V5 Catch parts that have led to this latest bit of “wait, what?” from YoYoFactory.
The Nine Dragons is the yoyo we were teased back in 2007-2008 under the name “Revolution #9” back when YoYoFactory was really pushing their “Project Red Alert”, which was an ongoing initiative for them to create innovative (or just downright cheeky) yoyos separate from their main product line. From the old Project Red Alert blog:
Interesting, then, that it took a Chinese company to help YoYoFactory bring this one to market. Through a collaboration with Chen Jialin from YOYO.Y, Revolution #9 has a new name, an improved design, and it’s finally available.
The idea of the Nine Dragons is relatively simple to understand, regardless of how complicated it is to produce. The main body of the yoyo is covered by a POM shell that spins independently of the rest of the the yoyo. It’s not a revolutionary concept (well, not anymore…back in 2007 this was basically science fiction) but the implementation here is the most interesting thing, along with the fact that YoYoFactory is the first major company to really put a push into this technology that includes competition-specific promotion. In the video above, Ben McPhee announces that beginning this weekend at California States, YoYoFactory will be hosting and promoting “9A Divisions” to specifically foster the unique tricks that can be created with a Nine Dragons.
So, a unique competition division coupled with an interesting and readily available product at only an $80 retail seems like a great combination of things that could lead to some legitimately fun developments in yoyo contests.
The Nine Dragons was offered early to members of the YoYoFactory Dream email list (ordered mine!), will have a limited pre-release at Cal States this weekend, and should be available at retailers fairly soon after that. Expected retail price is around $80 USD. Check out YoYoFactory’s FAQ on the Nine Dragons HERE.
Rising from the depths of the dark ocean, Radical Seas has given us a first look of their latest yoyo, the Oracle! With bi-metal designs flooding the market, Radical Seas wanted to approach their newest design in a unique way by producing it with either brass or copper ring. Check out full specs below, and keep an eye on the Radical Seas’ Facebook and Instagram pages for more details.
The oracle was a copper bimetal idea, deciding to sub out different metals to show character of materials. The final design ended with a flush pressed ring that varied in material, restated design aesthetics and made the cup standout. The finish is a light beadblasting with 180 mesh media. The densities of the metal play a big factor in individual performance of each model, it’s pretty cool to feel
G Squared sent us a first look at their next release, the Hawk! Available at G Squared retailers in January 2016, the Hawk looks like a nice evolution of their design aesthetic. Check out full specs below, and keep an eye on the G Squared Facebook and Instagram pages for more details.
Yoyofficer is releasing another mid-range yoyo, the Quash! We’ve got photos and specs for you, as well as a teaser video from YoYofficer team member Ryan Gee. Check out their official press release and specs below!
With our mid-range models Imp and Lava, we wanted to offer mid-sized and light yo-yos, that would be a great fit for many competitive players. Our latest model Quash is designed with the same idea, but offers even higher level of play.
This time, we opted for simple V-shape and larger 45 mm width to provide really generous catch zone. The weight was reduced to 63.7 g to ensure even faster and more agile play. It resulted into light and really fun to play yo-yo, that still can rule on stage.
Comes in 6 different acid washes, all with beadblasted finish and equipped with our grooved 10-ball bearing.
YoYoNews has your first look at the next titanium yoyo to hit the market, the iYoYo TiGER! Designed as a collaboration between ILYY and iYoYo, the TiGER is a fully titanium body with a polished gold finish, and will retail for €250 (about $278 USD). You can pre-order the TiGER now direct from iYoYo and get a massive €50 discount, which is a pretty good deal! The TiGER will begin shipping to players and retailers in October 2015. Check out the specs and full statement below from iYoYo.
When I started iYoYo, I knew I wanted to run a collab-yoyo of some sort with ILYY (formerly iloveyoyo). I have been friends with Dominik and Frank for a long time and know what they are capable of doing.
During our annual Easter Meeting, Frank and I go struck by the idea of making a Titanium throw. Titanium from GERmany…TiGER! Cliché name? Maybe, but we love it 🙂
Shape-wise, the yo-yo is a mixture of the iYoYo 2 and my favorite ILYY, the Torino. When thinking about colors for titanium yoyos, we remembered raw, silver and blue/purple versions. We wanted to do it different. We wanted to have something more subtle….nah, we wanted to make it BLING! 🙂
The TiGER will come in shiny Gold polished, which looks sooooo good during play and will make you shine on any contest or yoyo demo you ever do!
It comes stock with a high-performance Ceramic Konkave Bearing, kindly licensed by Dif-e-Yo, as well as regular slim silicone pads for easy maintenance.
How many we’re going to make? That’s up to you! As you can imagine, being a small brand means we will not be able to finance a huge run. Therefore, we’ll make as many as are pre-ordered through the store and of course from our retailers!
The TiGER is available today for Pre-Order on my store Yo-Shop.de. Pre-Ordering gets you a whopping 50 EUR off. Shipping will be in October 15!
If anybody wants to try it, go and grab Carlos Braun at Worlds in Tokyo, he’ll have it with him!
It’s always exciting when a new yoyo company pops up, but when they pop up with a titanium yoyo as their first release it’s REALLY worth checking out!
Jeffrey Pang, the mad genius behind Fluid Print Dynamics who make some of the coolest 3D printed yoyos I’ve ever seen, has a new brand called Luftverk and their first release is a titanium yoyo called the Evora. There have been a few pics here and there, but we have more images for you as well as full specs and price! Here are some details from Evora designer Jeffrey Pang:
I wanted something that could spin up fast. There seems to be way too many yoyos out there with a massive kickback and dare I say – too much rim weight. The Evora has a certain airyness to it without feeling too light. And it spins up quick when you throw it hard. The shape is super ergonomic and no production titanium has had such an aggressive shape before. It will be interesting to see how people react to it once they go on sale. I took these pictures before I sent them out. The first run of 35 will be glass dusted and anodized purple. Annodizing with titanium is quite different than aluminum. Aluminum uses pigments, compared to titanium where the oxide layer is grown. Depending on the thickness, it will refract light differently, giving you an “anodized” look. Anodized titanium looks very different than aluminum – its very iridescent and will turn different colors in different lighting conditions. Even the oils on your finger will make the yoyo turn from purples to golds. It really looks incredible – I can’t wait to see when they get back. I also have a super slippery SAE type II finish I want to do – maybe in small quantites. It would make for a cool special edition.
I went with a full ceramic bearing because it is completely corrosion/rust proof. It’s stupid expensive compared to a stainless steel bearing, but you can wash this bearing with soap and water if debris ever gets inside without any worry. I travel a lot, and it’s great peace of mind that I can just go to the nearest sink if the bearing ever gets gritty. Another benefit we dont really think about is how much acetone we go through by cleaning bearings. In a way – its an enviromentally friendly bearing too. Plus side it looks great sandwiched between the titanium halves.
If you’re anything like me, EVERYTHING about this yoyo sounds pretty amazing! There’s clearly a tremendous amount of attention to detail here, and I’m super intrigued by the 100% ceramic bearing. It looks amazing…like the ghost of every bearing I’ve ever ruined and thrown away, ha ha! No word yet on a release date for the Evora, but be sure to follow Luftverk on Facebook and Instagram for the latest information.
We’ve been seeing prototypes kicking around for a while now (they’ve even popped up for sale on BST forums already), but now we have our first good look at the final production version of the new G Squared Marvel yoyo. Check out the photos, specs, and press release below.
We are proud to finally show you the first look at the production Marvel! This design has taken us nearly a year to perfect! Our goal for the Marvel was to create a yoyo that would reignite the sense of awe that drew us all into this hobby and sport.
The design of the Marvel cannot be described by a generic shape class. We used attributes from all 3 major shapes—organic, v, and h—to create something with unparalleled comfort. With this release, we also wanted to offer a design that would cater to finger spin tricks. Along with the concave cup, we used an undercut, which offers a lower center weight for a greater overall playability.
Put all these elements together and you have our perfect “everyday throw”, competition inspired while remaining comfortable and fun!
Ernie from General Yo just shared this first look at the prototype of the next General Yo release, the Prophecy! Ernie will have the prototype with him at the upcoming California State YoYo Championships if you’d like to try it out before the retail release.
For the longest time I have wanted to design a yoyo that lends itself to finger spins without having all the center weight. As the styles and tricks change, it forces the evolution of yoyos into areas that push the envelope of design and function. To be honest, I wasn’t thinking of yoyos when the idea just hit me. I would like to think it is a predestined shape that was meant to be…I introduce the “Prophecy”.
The YoYoFactory Horizon is finally here!
This new signature model for 2014 EYYC Open Champion Paul Kerbel is an oversized 1A yoyo designed for long spins, incredible stability, and optimized for finger spin and horizontal tricks. With limited first releases at Asia Pacific, Triple Crown of YoYo, and in Mexico City, the Horizon is has started landing in player’s hands and begins shipping to stores on Monday, July 14th.
Without individuals who push yo-yo play in new directions, yoyo play and design would be stagnant. Luckily YoYoFactory works with some of the most creative and amazing players in the world, like 2014 EYYC Open Champion Paul Kerbel. His new signature yo-yo, the Horizon, pushes yoyo play and design in multiple new directions.
Oversized, powerfully stable and long-spinning, the Horizon is unique to the market. Its large, flat, unbranded face is optimized for aggressive finger spin tricks, and the weighting and stability give players everything they need for success. Back on an Y axis, spin time is ridiculous. There are NO tricks that need this much spin so why not try everyone you know on a single throw?! You will get closer to achieving it than you think! Expand your horizons today with the YoYoFactory Horizon!
YoYofficer and Barely Legal have released a new collaboration yoyo, called “Nifty”. This might well be the first collaboration between a Chinese manufacturer and a European brand, and it looks pretty good. The video features Barely Legal team members Robert Kučera, Zdeněk Hýbl, Adam Hutchinson, Daniel Hotový, and Ondřej Dolejš.
Check out pics, specs, and full details below.
Barely Legal is small Czech brand, run by Czech national champion Robert Kucera and former CLYW team member Zdenek Hybl. Yoyofficer joined forces with Barely guys to make our first collaboration model, NIFTY!
Nifty was designed in close cooperation between our two companies and than manufactured by Yoyofficer, to ensure great build quality, beautiful colors and smooth blasted surface.
We all love Nifty’s performance, it offers great combination of lower weight and powerful spin. It can play really fast and agile, but still has good stability and spin time for long combos. And thanks to open stepped V-shape, landing tricks is as easy as it gets.Nifty is beautiful design, competition beast that is yet really fun to play and costs just 70$!
Introducing Revival — a breakthrough hybrid from YoYoJam®! The Revival is Grant Johnson’s newest signature 1A model. For the first time ever YoYoJam® is introducing a fusion of durable celcon plastic with precision machined aluminum rings that literally “wrap” around from its exterior to its interior. It’s the most advanced hybrid YoYoJam® has ever produced. Grant visualized every fine detail of the unique shape of Revival to allow for maximum spin time and true control.
From the first time you throw Revival you will discover a truly solid and satisfying experience – especially when you bind it. Its powerful focus on rim weight and emphasis on precision balance results in a truly one-of-a-kind throw. Every bind and return is surprisingly strong and forceful. Set up out of the box with YoYoJam’s® Solid Spin Axle, silicone response, and their premium stainless steel 10-ball Speed Bearing, the Revival plays like a full metal but for a fraction of the cost. And like all YoYoJam® products, it is proudly made in the U.S.A!
Revival’s celcon interior combined with its unique finish on the aluminum rings make grinds easier to learn. Its wide, yet slimmed shape makes a great yo-yo for 3A and 5A as well. Horizontal play in any style is stable and impressive.
The Revival is ready for the most complex of tricks, so be prepared to experiment and have fun with this exceptionally refreshing yo-yo. YoYoJam® has taken the hybrid line and once again reinvented it for modern play!
We’re exciting to bring you a first look at the prototype for the new machined plastic yoyo from Square Wheels!
Square Wheels has put a ton of thought and effort in to this, and they feel it’s a real game-changer for machined plastic yoyos. A few features they shared with us:
1. The yoyo is machined from a plastic resin that is hand mixed, degassed, and cast into bars by Jon Mackey. Since this is a hand-cast plastic, this gives them the ability to mix any color they want.
2. A unique new design for the bearing seat. Square Wheels has heard the complaints about bearings fitting too tight, too loose, and even breaking the plastic. Square Wheels has developed a new design, and will be machining their own bearing seats at near perfect tolerances…without inflating the price of the yoyo.
3. This new plastic yoyo uses a different resin formula in the rims than the body, to allow for legitimate rim weighting while maintaining even wall thicknesses and no risking the structural integrity of the yoyo. Since Square Wheels is hand-mixing and casting the resin bars themselves, they can even introduce drastically different weighting scenarios from one run to the next.
Square Wheels will be producing both bearing and fixed axle models with their proprietary resin formula. I think with this much thought going in to this new product line, we can expect some really unique things from Square Wheels. No word on price or release date, but we’ll update when we get more information.
