yoyo2.com

Sorry I’ve been gone from yoyo2 for a few weeks. Dave and I were on a super long road trip and since I’ve been back home there has been so much to catch up with that the blog took a back seat.

Until now. At Worlds there were a ton of new products. I’ll try my best to talk about a few of them:

First the Turning Point. Kentaro has been working on the design of this yo-yo for a while and it shows. A super wide yo-yo that is very stable and smooth. Weight distribution is also impressive. A lot of mass at the rim with such a wide shape usually turns into a wobble. But Kentaro has tuned this yo-yo to perfection.

The Turning Point will be in production soon so keep your eye out for it.

Yo-Yo Jam released there new yo-yo, The Synergy, in its prototype phase at Worlds. Their answer to the hubstack is a yo-yo with spinning rims. While this isn’t a new idea (See Dave Poyzer’s mod from 2005 here and here) it is the first produced bearing rim yo-yo. The inherent flaws with the Synergy are the large mass of the bearings. To counteract this Yo-Yo Jam has placed brass weight rings in the hub part of the yo-yo. This increases the mass of the stationary part of the yo-yo. All the added weight makes this yo-yo extremely heavy and awkward to play with. It also decreases sleep times immensely so not much can be done while engaging the bearing rims.

From Yo-Yo Factory, we have their 10th revolution. A Plastic Hubstacked yo-yo. The Grind Machine

Thanks to hitmann for the picture
Wide regular sized plastic yo-yo with hubstacks and a big bearing. A deep groove to fill with silicone or thin pads. Stable and smooth. It’s really nice to see a new hit the market thats 1/2 the pice of most metal. Yet is has the playability of a champ. The weight is adjustable with the use of small rubber o rings under the plastic thumb grind lip.

The First composite mock ups of Sebastian Brock’s new signature yo-yo from Caribou Lodge Yo-Yo Works; The Bassalope

Smaller diameter. Medium Bearing. Semi-deep recess for pads. The yo-yos pictured are not functional. The production Bassalope’s will be aluminum.

Some nice added cosmetic touches to the yo-yo as well. Rumor is we might see working metal protos at Internationals/Worlds!

As much as I’m a critic of the “garage yo-yo manufactures”, I really enjoy when a group of yo-yoers get together to create a yo-yo for there niche geographic community. Brazil really started it all years ago when mario started Vulto. Mario, and the Brazilian community, had no way of bringing new Brazilian player quality yo-yos because taxes and exchange rates are so high.

This tradition is still strong. Forest has been working on the “Timeless”. A very classic butterfly shaped yo-yo, with an awesome looking finish! Looks like big bearing. O ring response (or silicone if you want to put it in the groove). And maybe Hubstack-able. Check out this post on the Brazil message board for more pictures and info. I hope someone has one of these at Internationals or Worlds!

The subtleties of this yo-yo are on point. It combines so many different aspects of current yo-yo trends. But it brings it all together and makes not just another rip off Anti-Yo/CLYW/Yo-Yo Factory. Even the logo adds to the concept.

For the past 10 years yo-yoers have been on the quest for a perfect looping yo-yo. Most have found it in nearly braking Yomega Raiders. Some find it in Duncan Speed Beetles or Yo-Yo Jam Sunsets. But they all require a large amount of tuning or break in time…

Now Yo-Yo Factory is challenging it all. The Loop 720. 4 years in the making. Countless revisions. And from my brief personal experience with them, one of the most versatile yo-yos on the market. When I had the chance to play with a pair at Minnesota States in february I was transitioning from 2 handed loops to velvet rolls with no gap or response adjustments. I hope they make a butterfly version some day.

The innovative new response system in the Loop 720 is actually as old as yo-yos are. It’s String. Strings of string are woven in and out of small holes around the inside of the yo-yo. Different patterns can achieve different feels and response levels. With the removable caps and weaving tool (provided) it shouldn’t be to hard. Check out Loop720.com’s maintenance section that explains it a little better.

We all know there will be some rad yo-yos dropping at Worlds, but what about the other cool stuff?

Duncan’s “A New Level” Instructional DVD looks super dope! Filmed and Directed by Takeshi with the purpose of teaching you stuff that you’ve only dreamed of comprehending.

Save Deth Spring Break 2008 Trailer from Tyler Severance on Vimeo.

On the opposite end of the spectrum… we have the new Save Deth DVD. It follows Tyler, Danny, Joey, Dave and I on a week of mayhem. While A New Level teaches you yo-yo tricks, this DVD teaches you life lessons like, never leave your drink unattended, how to become an astronaut or what to do with thrift store wheelchairs. It’s sure to be the coolest yo-yo video, with the least amount of yo-yoing in it, that your parents would NOT approve of.
Check out SaveDeth.com for more clips and trailers coming in the following days.

Wood is Good…

For the past 8 years I’ve been constantly inspired by Eric Wolff’s creations with wood, metal and plastic…

Now Eric has lent his experience to the very competent Steve of SPYY to bring us an awesome piece of work.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Steve on Tyler Severance’s TrainWreck, and can vouch for the attention to detail steve puts into his designs. Something I think is lacking with a lot of the independent yo-yo manufacturers today. But maybe that’s just me?

After a few months on hiatus yoyo2 is back, up and running.

I’m sure you’ve heard rumors of this, but here are the first pictures… an aluminum Milk…


Check out the attention to detail that are being put into these…

Replaceable SPR to change up the bearing size. And look under the spacer, steel threaded insert. Good Work.
Coming in August.
More pictures here here and here.

Over at Yo-Yo Guy.com it looks like they are stocking the G-Spin by Active People. I posted about the G-spin about a year ago here. It will be interested to see AP’s step into Yo-Yo Jam’s metal rim market will have repercussions? Or has YYJ come to terns with the loopholes in their patent?

Ok, not in the flesh, but his art will be there. His first US show “Vida Apaixonada” will be running from May 17th through June 14th in Chelsea NY.

For more information visit:

http://www.juxtapoz.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3221&Itemid=1

You saw the first glimpse of the Yo-Yo Jam Axiom with this yoyo2 post. Now the production pictures have been released.

Weight: 63 grams
Width: 40.8 mm (1.61″)
Diameter: 50.5 mm (1.99″)

Around $85. Silicone O rings are slightly recessed (o rings are not recessed in the picture). Are we supposed to take this yo-yo as an axiom? I’m a big fan of story and purpose behind yo-yo graphics and names. But if we are supposed to take this as an axiom of metal yo-yos, that seems a little presumptuous, don’t you think?

The replaceable brass thread nuts are a neat idea in theory. But couldn’t they just make them steel and not worry about replacement at all?