YoYo Discussion forum - Shinwoo Griffin Wing review

Let's have a recap of the offstring yoyos I have reviewed so far:
-Bigyo 2
-Hayabusa
-YYF Offstring
-Aquarius

Recap of what I have played with (all of the above, plus):
-Pocket Change w/ wings
-Fiesta

First, I'd like to thank Elephark for letting me play with his Shinwoo Griffin Wing, which ultimately led me to buy TWO of them, and various members of this board at PNWR to buy at least one. Jayyo, especially, followed suit and bought two with me!

Have you ever hoped that your Aquarius was just a tad bit wider, but kept the same diameter? How about a fixed gap that isn't as snaggy (will note this later)? The Griffin Wing (now will refer to as GW) is exactly that. It comes with spacers that allow you to set two gap settings: small for better regens, open whip catches and whatnot; and slightly wider for more technical tricks. Unlike the Aquarius, the bearing is actually a Duncan sized bearing, not that it makes too much of a difference in sleep times for those who really care (Note: everybody who expertly uses an Aqua). Finally, the response system is a pair of pads instead of a tight gap.

Upon the first throw, I fell in love with this yoyo. The spin generation is amazing because of the pad set up. Unlike tight gaps, you can actually feel the force of your throw when you throw the yoyo. Every little bit of effort is transferred into the spin, and the play of the yoyo shows it. The binds remain tight, even with low RPMs, and every little bit of string is caught into the gap like it should. In comparison, I have had some trouble with other offstrings not binding well after A) long combos and B) just in general sometimes with all the string not catching correctly. Compare the binds to something like a siliconed 1A yoyo, like say, the Legacy. Binds on the GW are as if it were freshly siliconed, and it doesn't seem like it will die any time soon. Check out Elephark's response, which is still very lively.

However, there is a set back with this pad response. With 50/50 string, I have had super tight binds with no snags at all. Very successful binds 100% of the time. On the other hand, I have been playing with highlights and I realize the fuzziness of the highlights really makes the yoyo snag like crazy.

The GW shares the same diameter with the Aqua, which makes it a very comfortable throw. If you have ever thrown a Bigyo and found it to arc backward, or have thrown the Hayabusa and have it fly outward; you will find the GW to throw just right.

On the other hand, the GW seems to be a tad bit on the heavy side. I don't know if it was because I picked it up after playing with the Fiesta, but it is much heavier than the Hayabusa and even the Aquarius. Might change with removal of the caps though.

A lot of people have complained about this yoyo breaking on them really easily. I beg to differ, because at PNWR I dropped it a terrible amount of times without any consequences. I think even Mac Jay tried my other one, and the only problem was that the hub caps kept popping off. Speaking of dropping them, these bounce and stay in place very very well; kind of similar to the Hayabusa and NOT the Aquarius. Big plus on an offstring if it stays in place when dropped.

In addition to the breakage, I can confirm that one of the ones I bought is still a first run despite what (other store) told us. Inside the hubs show the response coming through the plastic. The generation two versions do not have that, which might make them a bit sturdier. Good thing I bought two in case one of them breaks.

Griffin Wing is a wonderful throw. I can't put it down. Weapon of choice for now until I can afford more than one Fiesta. What is a Fiesta, you ask? You're in for a surprise (unless anybody on the board tells you). It'll make you flip. I won't say anything about it.