Tessa Piccillo delivers a really satisfying slack rejection for this week’s CLYW Cabin Tutorial. Looks good, feels good.
Yoyo used is the CLYW Kodiak.
YoYo Related News From Around The World
By Steve Brown
Tessa Piccillo delivers a really satisfying slack rejection for this week’s CLYW Cabin Tutorial. Looks good, feels good.
Yoyo used is the CLYW Kodiak.
By Steve Brown
Monkeyfinger’s newest design, the Prime8, will be available Friday, December 9th! Check out their press release and specs below!
We are excited to introduce you to our first yoyo release of 2016 that we have dubbed the Prime8. This yo-yo is the signature throw created in cooperation with MonkeyfingeR team captain Tyler Jorgensen.
Utilizing a comfortable H/O-type hybrid design, it is both stable and fast. This design allows the Prime8 to perform a wide range of tricks while maintaining its momentum. Additionally, the cup design features not one but two inner thumb grind rings!
The Prime8 will be initially available in five different colours:
As always, we at MonkeyfingeR Design pride ourselves on our cutting edge and innovative colour schemes, and we are confident that the Prime8 will not disappoint!
Each box contains:
– Prime8
– 1 x MFD sticker
– 2 x info cards
– 1 x Tasmanian Hybrid Bearing
– Monkey SNOT response system
– 1 x Custom colour Ape Hangers
– Custom triangle display box
By Johnny Le
It might be getting colder outside, but Monkeyfinger‘s Franken Lab is on fire lately as they have been hard at work pumping out their latest creation, the 2Evil. Monkeyfinger has decided to follow up on their first success, the Evil-Yo, and bring forth a new and improved version. Release date is to be mid-December at various retailers, just in time for the holidays!
By Johnny Le
The 2015 Eastern Canadian Regional yoyo contest has come to a close and the new champion has been crowned. Congratulations to Benson Fok for taking home the gold in both 1A and Open. Be sure to check out the Canadian YoYo Association YouTube channel for the rest of the freestyles.
By Steve Brown
Results are in for the 2014 Canada Nationals, and Luckey Li is the new Canadian National YoYo Champion! Check out full results below.
Rank |
First Last |
Technical Execution |
Tech/Perf Evaluation |
Major Deductions |
Final Score |
|
1 |
Luckey, Yulin |
Li |
57.6 |
31.5 |
3 |
86.1 |
2 |
Harrison |
Lee |
47.4 |
30.5 |
0 |
77.9 |
3 |
Keiran |
Cooper |
41.0 |
29.25 |
0 |
70.3 |
4 |
Tim |
Neilson |
26.9 |
28.25 |
0 |
55.2 |
5 |
Matt |
Yong |
26.3 |
24.125 |
0 |
50.5 |
6 |
Junhong |
McIntosh |
27.6 |
24.625 |
3 |
49.2 |
7 |
Lake |
Steppan |
25.6 |
23.625 |
1 |
48.2 |
8 |
Jeremy |
McKay |
21.3 |
27.75 |
2 |
47.0 |
9 |
Jungyo |
Choi |
23.6 |
22.375 |
0 |
46.0 |
10 |
Derren |
Zhou |
17.7 |
23 |
0 |
40.7 |
11 |
Itani |
Ibrahim |
19.5 |
25.5 |
7 |
38.0 |
12 |
Jesse |
Doucette |
17.3 |
22.1 |
6 |
33.5 |
13 |
Jason |
Kirsch |
17.1 |
20.875 |
6 |
32.0 |
14 |
Colton |
Steeves |
11.9 |
16.75 |
0 |
28.7 |
Rank |
First Last |
Final Score |
|
1 |
Luckey, Yulin |
Li |
93.9 |
2 |
Keiran |
Cooper |
68.9 |
3 |
Jungyo |
Choi |
66.8 |
4 |
Junhong |
McIntosh |
64.5 |
5 |
Jeremy |
McKay |
59.4 |
6 |
Jesse |
Doucette |
56.1 |
7 |
Jason |
Kirsch |
54.8 |
8 |
Matt |
Yong |
50.9 |
9 |
Derren |
Zhou |
50.5 |
10 |
caleb |
kientz |
47.1 |
11 |
Alex |
Skelly |
46.6 |
12 |
Kohel |
Mintz |
45.1 |
13 |
Andrew |
Broadbent |
38.7 |
14 |
Michael |
Wittemann |
37.5 |
15 |
Ian |
Sadio |
36.9 |
16 |
Norman |
Gretchen |
34.7 |
17 |
Dustin |
Steeves |
24.2 |
Rank |
First Last |
Technical Execution |
Tech/Perf Evaluation |
Major Deductions |
Final Score |
|
1 |
Aidan |
Chow |
48.6 |
19.25 |
0 |
67.9 |
2 |
Benedict |
Ramsbottom |
44.2 |
21.8 |
3 |
62.9 |
3 |
Kolsen |
Nichol |
37.5 |
18.5 |
1 |
55.0 |
4 |
Royce |
Blackstock |
33.8 |
14.125 |
3 |
44.9 |
5 |
Ryan |
Cooper |
22.1 |
12.125 |
0 |
34.2 |
6 |
Sam |
Roberts |
19.8 |
11.5 |
0 |
31.3 |
Rank |
First Last |
Technical Execution |
Tech/Perf Evaluation |
Major Deductions |
Final Score |
|
1 |
Zachary |
Schutte |
51.1 |
26.875 |
0 |
78.0 |
2 |
Luke |
Reinert |
50.2 |
25.1 |
1 |
74.3 |
3 |
Zach |
He |
46.8 |
24 |
1 |
69.8 |
4 |
Stephanie |
Haight |
46.4 |
22.125 |
1 |
67.5 |
5 |
Joseph |
Pallagi |
43.3 |
23.75 |
4 |
63.0 |
6 |
Tucker |
Jensen |
10.8 |
23 |
3 |
30.8 |
Rank |
First Last |
Technical Execution |
Tech/Perf Evaluation |
Major Deductions |
Final Score |
|
1 |
Michael |
Wittemann |
52.3 |
27.5 |
9 |
70.8 |
2 |
Jeremy |
McKay |
43.3 |
26.75 |
10 |
60.0 |
3 |
Ibrahim |
Itani |
35.8 |
19.625 |
7 |
48.4 |
4 |
Stephanie |
Haight |
39.0 |
19.25 |
12 |
46.3 |
5 |
Joseph |
Pallagi |
24.1 |
22 |
0 |
46.1 |
6 |
Junhong |
McIntosh |
23.5 |
21.625 |
0 |
45.1 |
7 |
Harrison |
Lee |
25.3 |
20.875 |
6 |
40.2 |
8 |
Ian |
Sadio |
35.4 |
21 |
20 |
36.4 |
9 |
Jason |
Kirsch |
19.8 |
17.5 |
2 |
35.3 |
10 |
Keiran |
Cooper |
34.1 |
17.75 |
21 |
30.8 |
The Ape-X is the most accessible, “all-around” design yet from Canadian manufacturer, Monkeyfinger. With a more conventionally-shaped body and a comfortable feel in the hand, the Ape-X handles modern play easily while giving the player a more “classic” yoyo feel. It’s not the most stable throw out there for plane-bending tricks, but it has a solid, reassuring feel in the hand and plays lightly and quickly on the end of the string. The profile is a classic, rounded shape with a v-shape accent that give it a more modern look and feel. In an era where “zero wall” yoyos are becoming more and more popular, it’s a nice change of pace to use something that features a more classic, organic body shape.
With a bead-blasted finish on the catch-zone, the yoyo grinds well and feels great in the hand. As you’d expect of any modern aluminum yoyo, it spins dead smooth. The Monkeysnot response works fine, but as with all flowable response applications it’s difficult to maintain consistency of play and can quickly become the impetus for #yoyodamage. The binds started off smooth and reliable but an air bubble in the response quickly turned into a tear, and I replaced the silicone with a standard 19mm pad. If you like and can manage the variables of flowable silicone, Monkeysnot works great. If you prefer something easier to maintain and are a fan of instant gratification, stick with pads.
The anodizing and finish on the Ape-X are beautifully done! While our review model is not a production color, the finish quality is the same on the final production. We’re quite fond of our earth-tone, olive green with gold and blue splash, but the production colors are notably brighter and bolder. Monkeyfinger seems to be in the process of replacing/overhauling their packaging, and our review model only came in the customary fabric pouch. So, zero stars for packaging, but that’s only a reflection of their transition and not an actual commentary on the quality of packaging.
Monkeyfinger avoids engraving on their yoyos, and instead opts for a subtle “ghost logo” anodized in a contrasting finish. The glossy Monkeyfinger icon on the matte portion of the yoyo is subtle but effective.
Retailing for $105, the Ape-X isn’t a budget throw by any means, but it’s still reasonable for a high-end yoyo made in small batches by a boutique manufacturer. It’s still more reasonably priced than quite a few lesser performing yoyos, though, so we’re going to say that if you have the money, the price is right where it should be.
By Steve Brown
This Friday, CLYW will finally release the Bonfire! Along with their new Winter 5-Panel Camper hat, this next part of CLYW’s new 2014 line will be available this Friday at 4pm (Mountain Time) only at CLYW.ca.
From CLYW:
I’m sure most of you guessed it, the design of the Bonfire is based off of the Campfire, but just … you know … BIGGER! We kept the same look, but under the hood it’s a different animal. The original Campfire was known for being a pocket throw that is super stable, quick and long spinning. The Bonfire is built for fun and flowing tricks. It’s floaty in all the right ways making it similar in play to the Peak and Chief. Ever since Chuck got one, he can’t put it down.
The Bonfire will be available in Part 2 of the 2014 Release, which will be dropping this Friday at 4pm (Mountain Time) at our store. Part 2 will include our new 5 Panels and the Bonfire. We’ve decided to split up the Bonfire and Puffin 2 due to time constraints with Christmas. So we’re going to be doing a Part 3, which will be scheduled for early/mid January and will include the Puffin 2 and more Yetis.
We’re currently working with FedEx on a better rate for shipping to the US, so that we can guarantee arrival on these before Christmas. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Specs for the Bonfire are posted below, and if you missed our post about CLYW’s new 5-panel camper hats you can find it here.
Top: Black Bip Bop
2nd row (left to right): Clareview Station, Harrison Hurricane
3rd row (left to right): Black with Copper Speckles, Concrete Blizzard, Ash Berry
Bottom row (left to right): Solid Green, Red with Clear Splash, Solid Gold, 28 Stories
By Steve Brown
CLYW dropped their first email newsletter since December of last year, and it looks like their going to start putting them out more regularly. Sign up here if you haven’t already: CLYW Email List.
They dropped a new video of Chuck and Zach, filmed at Worlds and full of bangers. “August Blueprint” is 2:42 of exactly the kind of yoyoing that has made the CLYW team one of the most respected group of contest players in the past couple of years.
And CLYW dropped info on the newly redesigned Gnarwhal (currently just being called the Gnarwhal 2, but they might have a more formal “edition name” by the time it’s finally released). From their newsletter:
I felt the Gnarwhal was a perfect size and shape, but it needed an update to keep up with our new models. Adding some more rim weight would increase those spin times and make it more stable. So I revised the design and made it a hair wider, and the walls were optimized for maximum rim weight and strength.
The weight was kept around 65.5g, making it perfect for speed and nimble enough for plane breaking tricks. The catch zone is a little wider as well to make it easier to fly through tricks without having to worry about missing a string. I’m really happy with what we came up with: the Gnarwhal 2 is perfect for competition and can keep that spin going while learning those more advanced Cabin Tutorials.
Full specs and release info coming soon.
Prototype of the newly redesigned “Gnarwhal 2” by CLYW
By Steve Brown
Our friends at CLYW have a new website, and have been dropping some great special editions!
Two limited editions of the Yeti have gone up (and sold out immediately) as well as the FINAL RUN of the Canvas! There are a handful of Ash Berry (gorgeous!) and Electric Bacon Canvases left, but after this there will be no more.
The new site combines the CLYW blog and store, so finally you have a one-stop for all your information about CLYW. Well, other than YoYoNews.com. 😉
There will be ONE final Canvas drop before the model is officially retired…and rumor has it this one will feature special artwork by Jensen Kimmitt! No pics yet since they’re at the engravers now, but we’ll post pics and a release time the moment we have more information.
By Steve Brown
We’ve got ’em….full results for the 2013 Canadian National Championships! The event got a ton of press this year,
1A Prelims were looking good, with some great talent already seeded to finals and the Top Ten from prelims containing some rising talent. With last year’s National Champion Alexis JV not attending the event, the title was up for grabs and against the backdrop of the largest mall in North America, Canada’s top talent came out in full force for a shot at the National title.
Then it came down to finals, and CLYW players dominated with favorite Harrison Lee taking the top spot, and teammate Charles Haycock coming in second by less than a point. There was a solid point drop after third place, showing that the Canadian scene still has some work to do to catch up to its superstars, but from what we’ve heard there is a lot of solid talent on the rise in the Great White North.
Guest judge Matt Fernandez got away from the table long enough to enjoy the Open Division and took home top honors in the Open Division, encompassing the 2A – 5A styles of play.
In the International 1A Division, favorite Ky Zizan was just slightly edged out of first place by Yomega’s Daniel Dietz.
And in the Sport Ladder, Alexander Nadon took home the top honors! Alexander is only 9 years old, and he dominated this division…I think we can expect great things from him!
Congratulations to all the competitors, and huge thanks to all the organizers, judges, and sponsors for making this event happen.
The Forte is very much a vanity project for Monkeyfinger player Mike Montgomery. It’s not a yoyo that is going to have a wide player appeal…it was very obviously designed to a single person’s tastes and that comes across in the general play of the yoyo. The typically full-sized diameter combined with weighing 68 grams and measuring about 7mm narrower than most full-sized yoyos gives this a solid thwack as it hits your hand, and the threat of #yoyodamage with this bit of metal is very, very real. The yoyo spins dead smooth, but being both narrow AND heavy is a lot to ask of the average player. The yoyo does play quite well, though. Actually, it plays REALLY well. It’s remarkably stable and holds spin through pretty much anything you can throw at it. But the narrow profile makes it feel a bit awkward in the hand, and if you pull it back at full speed you stand a really good chance of regretting it.
The Forte is machined nicely, but it’s not an attractive yoyo. Straight lines and hard angles all over, both in the profile and the inner cup area. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with plenty of straight lines…lots of yoyos go for that these days and it works wonderfully. But something about this yoyo being so narrow makes this look like a metal version of an early TMBR yoyo…very rudimentary. The black anodization is very uneven, appearing almost brown in places and looking worn through in others, both in the gap and the inner cup. I’m told this is intentional, but since it’s not a uniform finish the result is a bit odd. But to be fair, it’s not very noticeable unless you’re really inspecting it.
Monkeyfinger gets some points for unique packaging, and the fabric pouches that are packaged with the yoyo are a nice touch. But the box graphics are a mess! The box carries a dark argyle & skull pattern, but then has pseudo-graffiti blow-apart diagram of the yoyo that looks to be simply carried over from other packaging…in spite of not even matching the Olde English Monkeyfinger logo. There’s so much going on that it’s hard to get any idea of what you’re looking at, and it’s genuinely difficult to recognize if Forte is the name of the yoyo or the company making it.
At $125, this is not a casual purchase and it’s definitely not a bargain. At this price, it’s a commitment to a yoyo that plays well, feels odd, and looks…well, you can decide how it looks for yourself. I don’t care for the finish but opinions may vary.
The Forte plays really nicely, but feels weird in the hand. If you’re looking for something narrow, heavy, and stable, look no further! This yoyo can handle a lot in the trick department, and the narrow width admittedly makes it a good everyday pocket throw. But it’s an oddball, for sure, and carries a high threat of #yoyodamage due to its weight and narrow profile.
By Steve Brown
The 2013 Canadian National Return Top Championship will be held August 17th at the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada. Website and registration are up now at CanadaNats.ca.
By Steve Brown
Northern Spin Company is releasing the Quantum yoyo on May 24th, and this beautifully shot video tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the yoyo, and the company that is producing it. Stunning work.
By Steve Brown
Raised By Wolves and CLYW finally released their long-awaited collaboration yoyo today. In all the hustle and bustle and general weirdness of April Fool’s Day, this beautiful limited edition seems to have been overlooked.
Available only online at the Raised By Wolves website, this super-limited model is available for $123 USD.
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