I was just surfing through the forum when I found this stunning new entry from independent yoyo company 3yo3. Landon Balk -
www.landonbalk.com - yoking on this board, has offered up a new throw that I'd just never seen done before. Being a fan (and sucker for) all things shiny, new, and in this case icy clear - I had to get my hands on one. Six available in the BST and one of them DEFINITELY had my name on it. You can see Landon's original thread here:
http://www.yoyonation.com/talk/index.php/topic,49097.msg555742.html#msg555742Landon's specs have this listed at 2.1" diameter, 1.5" width (take THAT metric system!) and 68 grams. He machines and polishes these by hand and they are truly a work of art. Gap is fairly sizable, not sure of the exact measurements, but here's some comparison pics I took (he also has some in his BST thread):
888, Cosmos, and Superstar here. Used those two for comparison because I think the shape is kind of similar to the Superstar (one of my favorite throws), and the 888 is a fairly common throw that many of you have probably seen or thrown before.
So now to the brass tacks of the review - how does it play!? Really smooth - a really nice addition to my case. It can be a bit unforgiving with a bad throw, but throw it right and it is SMOOTH. No wobble or vibe to this one. Which really is cool because it just looks like a piece of glass or ice - can't even tell it's spinning other than the visible axle.
Here's some more eye candy:
A nice unresponsive bearing stock, and silicone response. My only complaint (and I mentioned this to Landon) is the red silicone - this thing just begs for clear. Grinding isn't great because acrylic is a bit grippy on the skin, but with all the other things going for this one I'm not complaining. It was similar to a polished aluminum surface.
The axle does go right into the acrylic and I asked Landon about possible cracking or issues from overtightening. He did say the bearing seat could be damaged by overtightening, but that you can tighten it down securely without worry. I also asked about possibility of scratching, which apparently there's not a huge issue with that since acrylic is such a tough material, but he did give me some tips on how to buff out any scratches (and even offered to do it himself if I paid for shipping).
Bottom line is that this is a REALLY fun throw and an amazing conversation piece. I've never seen a yoyo hand machined out of clear acrylic. The awesome thing is it doesn't just look great, it is a solid player. A really great entry from a great guy with a unique vision, and art in his blood.
Check out his site for more info (including options like weight rings, wood machined yoyos, hand turned pens, and even plugs!)
I don't know if he has any left, but if he does you should jump on it. Artistry, form, function, and something that really doesn't look like anything you've seen before. It's a CLEAR winner (you know I couldn't resist putting in at least ONE pun!!)
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