YoYo Related News From Around The World
Saitou Ryunosuke and Yamamura Hoshou are firmly in the MarkMont™ camp of skill toys right now, with a stellar video featuring smooth, inventive 1A and jitter rings. Yeah, jitter rings. Mark is bringing them back…the toy you love to play and hate to hear.
Yoyo used is the MarkMont Classic by One Drop YoYos.
One Drop YoYos has announced the Virtuoso, a new signature model for Ethan Cheung!
Ethan is one of our very favorite players, and it’s super gratifying to see a new signature model for him. His creative talents are truly staggering, and watching his US Nationals freestyle to music he composed and performed was a high point of the event.
Ethan’s new signature model, the Virtuoso, is designed and produced by One Drop YoYos. Here’s what they have to say about it:
It’s always intriguing to make a signature yo-yo. We always invite the player to contribute as much as possible to the design so that this important moment for them is the best it can be. A good measure of success is if the yo-yo is a reflection of the person. Ethan Cheung is a player on our team who is focused on competitive yo-yoing, but he doesn’t sacrifice any artistry in this pursuit. This rare combination makes Ethan stand out.
If you watch Ethan Cheung’s performance at Worlds 2018 in Shanghai you will notice precision, artistry, clarity, mastery. If you look at his signature yo-yo, the Virtuoso, you will notice the same characteristics. The 7075 aluminum alloy design is very focused towards function as a hard core competitive yo-yo with all the performance you would expect. If you look closely, you’ll also see the artistry with the clean flowing lines, the minimalist cup, the light bead blast, and the beautiful “projection profile” on the face of the rim giving a small nod to our first yo-yo, the Project.
Ethan explains his thought process on designing his signature yo-yo:
“At a glance, the design is reminiscent of the Format:C: which was the yoyo that allowed me to push my own boundaries and place 10th at Worlds in Iceland. But if you look more closely, you’ll notice the grooves on the rim – a tribute to the original Project and the roots of One Drop. For this signature model, I wanted a yoyo that would allow me to explore more styles of movement, that complements any style of play thrown at it. It is this balance of comfort and performance, of minimalism and detail, that makes us proud to present: the Virtuoso.”
The Virtuoso will be available this month at YoYoExpert.com.
One Drop YoYos just announce their largest yoyo yet, the Par Avion. Made from the largest diameter bar stock they could fit through their machines, the Par Avion has a diameter of 62.5 mm and according to the write-up on their site, plays surprisingly floaty. Neat!
The Par Avion floats into YoYoExpert on March 1st. Check out full specs below.
Doc Pop hopped on a train recently headed up to Eugene, Oregon with the goal of collaborating with the folks at One Drop YoYos to design and produce a new yoyo in 48 hours. Check out the second part of his epic quest to create The Weekender, a new modern responsive yoyo!
OhYesYo and One Drop have finally announced and released pics and specs for their collab, the Eclipse!
Check out the full story behind this yoyo and specs below. No word yet on release date but expect to see these hitting stores this month or very early December.
On the 21st of August 2017, the “Great American Eclipse” happened. It was a total solar eclipse. As the two heavenly bodies came into alignment, we found beauty in the darkness. Coffin Nachtmahr, Founder of OhYesYo, Frequency Wavelength Modulator, and Yo-yoing’s Modern Anti-Hero, tells the story of the Eclipse:
— The Set Up —
This project started as a camping trip to Marty Coatney’s farm in Lebanon, Oregon. He invited a bunch of yoyoers and others to the land to see the 2017 solar eclipse. Andy Kenst (a yo-yoer who lived in Oregon near One Drop) and myself had been building a friendship and he helped fund a project of mine earlier that year and was like “Coffin, you gotta come see this man.” Apprehensive as I usually am, I explained I’d try to make it. A week later Andy messaged me and said “Hey, I got you a plane ticket – see you soon lol.” From that point on it was all great – I’d never been to Oregon and I was beyond hype. Andy joked about collaborating with One Drop and I said if they’re interested I’d gladly draw something up on the spot.
— The Eclipse —
Fast forward a bit and I’m in Eugene, Oregon. Marty comes to pick me up from the airport and we head to his house. This is really my first interaction with Marty and we get along immediately. I met his family as well and got his son into skateboarding which for me felt amazing. Andy and I finally meet face to face and the party begins. Lots of fun and festivity at Marty’s place as people begin coming in to set up camp. I successfully broke and repaired his dad’s 4×4 which bridged a gap between me and his dad. There were lots of great folks at the farm.
— Beerlunch —
Andy says “hey dude, let’s make a trip to One Drop”, so I grab my backpack and we’re outta there. I arrive and finally get to meet the One Drop team and they are arguably some of the chillest people ever. I proceed to go observe the machines in their factory that I’d obsessed over in the background of several videos. Spotted Victoria (One Drop names all of their machines) and snapped a photo of it. Having some background in robotics I just wanted to observe them while they worked to learn as much as I possibly could. Deep States and Trilliums were going out this weekend so I offered my help if it was needed, but everyone wanted me to enjoy the trip more than anything. We left the shop and walked to get some beer and food nearby (might’ve been the greatest beer I’ve had) and then an ice cream shop where I had to be educated about what an Affogato was (ice cream with espresso poured over it) – so good. We came back and sat at Shawn’s desk and he says “you wanna make something?” I reach for my mini notebook and sketch up something that looks like it would be fun. I’ve always been biased to mid weight over direct center or rim weight. After about 20 minutes of very minor tweaks for aesthetics and what not, we had something that resembles a damn good yoyo.
Throughout the weekend I come back and forth to the One Drop factory to hang out and play with the massive collection of Yoyos available there.
— It’s Alive… It’s ALIVE —
Months later I receive a photo of the most gorgeous matte grey yo-yo that tells me it’s Everything I wanted it to be. A few days after that, the Eclipse protos arrive at my house and just in time I take them to the East Coast Masters yo-yo contest and it’s an instant hit – everyone was hooked on them. From that point on, people have been asking when or where they could get one. July comes up and I’m at Nationals with one Eclipse and it’s getting passed around profusely and it strikes me again everyone loves it. Markmont claims it was incredibly smooth for the way it looked. I’m very pleased with this knowledge.
–The Drop–
The plan now is for me to come back to Oregon to finish what we started. I cannot wait to assemble these and to share this wonderful opportunity with the people who have patiently waited for it. Collaboration is what this community is all about, and the story and the result of the Eclipse is ready to be shared. Nothing but love … and a little darkness.
It took Vilmos Zoltan Kiss and One Drop two years and two trips from Hungary to Oregon to finalize the design for the VTWO, and it’s finally here! Check out his new video and full specs and details.
Hi there! Vilmos here. I couldn’t be more happy and proud to introduce the VTWO. It took us two years and two summer trips to Eugene to see it to its completion.
The VTWO, continues the line of the Vilmos Zoltan Kiss signature series. As with the Valor, I was dedicated to be as personally involved in the design process as the first time.
The Valor was designed to excel in competition yo-yoing and it hit the mark based on the feedback we received. For the VTWO, I wanted to raise the bar even higher in terms of performance, quality and making sure that the design was distinct and iconic.
I love straight lines, flat surfaces and minimalistic design so the V-shape was a no brainer. Using the advantages of 7075 aluminum we were able to make the body ultra thin and maximize the rim weight for more power, more performance. The wide open catch zone is great for maximum control and easy maneuverability. The surface is bead blasted to elevate the design and performance.
To keep it simple and elegant I aimed for a flat hub and decided to go with two grooves in the catch zone to complete the design and give a nod to the Valor’s “Triple Grooves” feature.
To further my personal journey in making the VTWO I wanted the art to stand out as much as the yo-yo. To achieve this we collaborated with Portland based comic book artist and writer Leila del Duca.
Sebastian Brock has teamed up with One Drop YoYos to design and produce his ideal organic shaped yoyo, the Overture! Check out One Drop’s description and full specs below. No word yet on release date or price.
An Overture is an introduction and a start to something great.
We are deeply honored to begin working with U.S. National Champion Sebastian Brock to bring his dream yo-yo into the world: The Overture. Sebby is a legend and has been at the top of the yo-yo competitive scene for more than a decade. He is also an innovative yo-yo artist with a unique style. He brings years of experience and perspective so we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build his yo-yo.
We are also excited to have Max Naff in the collaboration to bring us the artwork.
The approach to the collaboration was to build the yo-yo that Sebby has had in his mind and heart for a long time: a refinement of the classic organic yo-yo. Sebby’s yo-yoing is noted for plane-pushing and having many layers to the tricks, and as a result he was looking for big (58mm), stable, bead blasted yo-yo with a balanced distribution of weight that is tuned for his style. It feels good to return to a large retro hub that allows for a little extra center weight, a beefy and reliable 16mm axle and lots of style.
Besides being a top competitor, Sebby is well known for creating the The Alternative Freestyle Invitational which generally takes place at the World Yo-Yo Contest. He had the idea to showcase the art of yo-yoing without the pressure of the point system. He did this for the love of yo-yoing and inspiring players are all kinds to showcase their talents and style and hopefully inspire future players.
Sebby hopes the Overture will inspire your play and he says that it “slays with a soul”.
Vilmos Zoltan Kiss drops a quick new video with some really smooth tricks, vilmed in the beautiful Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, Korea.
Yoyo used is an unnamed prototype from One Drop YoYos.
One Drop YoYos and SF YoYos have teamed up for a new release, available first at the Pacific Northwest Regional YoYo Contest this weekend in Seattle. Check out full specs and details below!
SF + OD = SK
We love collaborations. This time we are proud to be working with SF. If you are already a fan of SF, you know the deal. If you haven’t heard of them, the thing to know is that there isn’t much to know except that their yoyos are well loved, coveted and collected. Who are they? Few people know and the mystery is what makes them fun.
You can learn more by following them on Facebook (go give them some love):
https://www.facebook.com/Sfyoyos/
The yo-yo is called the SK. In keeping with the theme, the product page on our site doesn’t give you too much go on. But know this: It’s bead blasted, made in America at the One Drop factory, is finger spin ready and will sell for $44.
http://onedropyoyos.com/yoyos/sk/
The first run will be released this weekend at the Pacific Northwest Regional Yo-Yo Contest in Seattle. Both companies will have a booth and SKs. Come say hi.
If you can’t make it to PNWR, more SKs will release in a few weeks from both the SF and the One Drop websites.
Salsa dance with the enigma. It’s that feeling all the time.
Drew Mrowiec-Barnhart amazes once again! I can’t pronounce this trick, but it’s cool because I also can’t do the trick.
Yoyo used is the One Drop Dang 2.
Rem Egura tears through some solid tricks in this quick new video. Good stuff!
Yoyo used is the One Drop Vanguard.
Congrats to Lukáš Pokorný on picking up a sponsorship from One Drop YoYos, and congrats to One Drop on adding a great team member in the Czech Republic!
Tech Creators brings us another pile of crazy good tricks from Drew Mrowiec Barnhart. Digging into this video for inspiration is like digging for buried treasure but even the dirt is made of gold. There is so much good stuff in here it’s ridiculous. Enjoy!
Yoyo used is the One Drop YoYos Dang 2.
Graeme Stellar has more energy than you. Always. Plenty of tricks, too!
Yoyo used is the One Drop Dang 2.