Alex Gallimore just dropped a new video to celebrate his spot on the Sengoku team! Congrats Alex and Sengoku…looks like a great match.
Yoyos used are the Sengoku Kenshin and Masamini.
Sean De Los Santos Joins Sengoku
We just got word from the folks at Sengoku that they have a new team member…Sean De Los Santos! Sean is based in New York, and recently took 7th Place at the Ringmaster Classic.
Congratulations to Sean and Sengoku on a great pick-up!
Yoyo used is the Sengoku Kenshin.
Ryan La Grou – Senogku Team: Dream On
Ryan La Grou showcases both of Sengoku’s latest models in his new video Senogku Team: Dream On. I’m a sucker for good yoyo videos with bamboo and waterfalls in the background. Makes it seem more majestic.
Yoyos used are the Sengoku Hideyoshi and Masamune.
YoYo Drop – Sengoku Hideyoshi
Sengoku truly unleashed the beast on their latest yoyo, the Hideyoshi! The company that has brought some of the best high end bi-metals to game, now brings forth a tri-metal! The Hideyoshi is machined with a 7075 aluminum body, with a stainless steel outer ring, and a brass inner ring. This out of the box design from Sengoku is another great step forward in distinguishing themselves as an innovative yoyo manufacture. Sengoku decided to take the production of the Hideyoshi to China, in order to keep the prices down, the definitely kept the quality of the yoyo up to their standards. Hideyoshi’s will be released at select retailers, as well as direct through Sengoku.
The idea behind the Hideyoshi, was what would happen if a second ring were to be added to create a tri-metal? The only way to find out was to make one and so it began. The idea was to distribute the weight in a manner that I couldn’t do with a single ring. The idea of lots of weight on the rims wasn’t an option, since placing 2 rings all the way on the edge made no sense, since it can be done by placing a single heavy ring.
While I was desingning the Nobunaga I noticed that there is a spot that affects stability. It can be noticed in Nobunaga´s inner cup, so I decided to place a brass ring there. I then added a larger stainless steel ring on the outer portion to give it power, I felt this was necessary given the low weight.
I was skeptical about a tri-metal until I got the first prototype, and in my opinion it feels different. Better, powerful, and stable. Having designed two full production products, and a slew of prototypes, I can say that I am VERY satisfied with the result.
Of course there was another probem, the cost. It would be a shame to release the first tri-metal ever and only making it available to a few collectors that can pay 300+ dollars. The design needs to be economically sustainable. A difficult decision was made to move production to China, some people will not like the idea, but I believe that many others will welcome a tri-metal for under $200 with the standard high quality product people have come to expect from Sengoku. It meets Sengoku´s high quality standards. A result I can stand behind.
Sengoku Hideyoshi specs:
Body: 7075 Aluminum
Rings: Stainless Steel and Brass
Width: 44 mm
Diameter: 56 mm
Weight: 63.6 grams
Bearing: Terrapin Delta DryPlay – Size C
Response: IrPads
Retail Price: $198 USD
Sengoku Announces Masamune
Sengoku is a new company based out of Nagoya, Japan whose focus is on producing premium competition yoyos. Following up on their first release, the Nobunaga, their sophomore release is called Masamune, and is named after a legendary swordsmith. Masamune, a bi metal created with stainless steel rings and a new material never before seen in the yoyo industry that is only available in Japan called Alumigo Hard. Here is what Sengoku owner Julio Robles has to say about the new alloy:
Alumigo Hard is an high tech alloy that is comparable to and even better than steel, relatively new, commercially available since around 2 years ago and made in Japan only.
In numbers, aluminum 7075 is far behind in all properties. Alumigo Hard also has excellent machinability and resistance to corrosion, and the most important feature is that unlike titanium Alumigo Hard is not extremely expensive.
This new alloy sounds absolutely amazing and the possibilities are endless. With all the talks about the new alloy, what about the yoyo itself? Well Sengoku has already prototyped and finalized the design of Masamune all while fully utilizing Alumigo Hard.
The walls are extremely thin and the Steel rings weighs more than 50% of the aluminum body weight. The rings were placed using nitrogen to shrink and make them able to withstand hits.
The Masamune will be available November 13th at select retailers, as well as direct through Sengoku.