-The Caribou Lodge Bassalope (Spring edition/Large bearing)-
A couple weeks ago I received a CLYW Two-tone Green Bassalope for my birthday. I had wanted to write a review early on, but decided to wait until I had had the Yo-Yo for a while before doing so. Here are some pictures real quick before I start with the review:
The Box
Well, the first thing I liked about this Yo-Yo had nothing to do with the Yo-Yo itself. It was the box, which is a bland, thin cardboard box with some simple but cool drawings by Jensen Kimmitt printed on it. It seemed like an interesting way to package such a high quality Yo-Yo, and also seemed to fit the Caribou Lodge theme. Inside the box is the Yo-Yo (Which looked brilliant at first glance, might I add), and it was surrounded by what looked like fancy brown paper shrapnel. This was obviously to keep the Yo-Yo from being damaged while inside the box, but it doesn’t exactly hold it snug. Sitting under the Yo-Yo was a high quality type 6 polyester yellow string. I found it good that the string was not actually wound around the Yo-Yo, as keeping the string wound for a long period of time can make the string loose that “new string feel”.
I think one of my favorite things about this box is that it’s so easy to open and close, and it’s reusable. Good job on the package, CLYW!
First Impressions
From the first throw, the Bassalope has been brilliant. The weight and shape feel great. The Yo-Yo glides across the strings and goes as fast or as slow as I want it to. That’s only my personal opinion and experience, but I doubt you’ll feel different about this Yo-Yo if you try it.
Response
Another thing I wanted to point out was the Bassalope’s response system (Flowable silicone), which performs really well. At first, this Yo-Yo had what some people may call “Bassalope-bite”. Basically, when you start using this Yo-Yo it does have a tendency to snag the string every so often. But after a couple days of breaking in, the silicone has been doing it’s job brilliantly. Since the silicone has broken in, the Yo-Yo has never snagged or started to slow down a lot in the middle of my most complex string tricks (All my YoYoJam Yo-Yos snag the string during the tricks I’m referring to). But on the other hand, binding is easier than on my Half-responsive Yomega Maverick! Simply amazing.
Edit: After some time, the silicone in the Bassalope did wear out, and I had to replace it. More info on this in my new topic; Flowable Silicone: FAQ - Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance - YoYoExpert
Stability/Sleep time
The Bass does have a slight vibe when you first throw it, but it fades away quickly during combos. Also the Bassalope seems to spin forever. It must have something to do with the stock bearing, which is outstanding. I think a KonKave bearing would make this Yo-Yo too smooth! All the tricks that cause my other high end Yo-Yos to run out of spin can be performed with ease when I’m using this Yo-Yo. I have not yet come up with a combo long enough that the Bass cannot live up to it. Remember, sleep time is determined by the thrower. But I can only get my YYJ Dark Magic to spin around two minutes, where as the Bassalope spins a whoppin’ three minutes! that’s 60 seconds more sleep time coming from the Yo-Yo itself! Just wow.
Looks
Well, the Yo-Yo’s looks are determined by who’s looking at it, but I think this Yo-Yo looks flat out beautiful. In my opinion, the small hubs on both sides of the Yo-Yo look cool, and are emphasized by the two rings that surround it. Also, the shape of the Yo-Yo not only looks great, but as with any butterfly shaped Yo-Yo, it feels great in the hand as well. The Bassalope is a masterpiece as far as looks go, I think.
Performance
The Bassalope was created by Sebastian Brock, a member of team CLYW. Needless to say at this point, the Bass plays wonderfully. I can pull off my favorite tricks and they not only feel easier, but they also look smoother (so I’ve heard).The Bead-blasted aluminum surface lets it pull off grinds extremely well. However thumb grinds on the other hand are a bit difficult, because this Yo-Yo has no lip around the edge. I can still pull off a Thumb grind if I put some tilt on the Yo-Yo, but Thumb grinds are obviously not what this Yo-Yo was made for. Still, this Yo-Yos all around performance level appears to be outstanding.
Durability
Here’s a quick story:
The other day I was fooling around with my Bass attempting some high speed string tricks, when the Yo-Yo somehow flew behind me, slammed into the vacuum cleaner, made this horrible ringing noise, and proceeded to slam into the hard ground. I was so freaked out. However, once I examined the Yo-Yo, not a single ding in it. Not even a scuff mark. This Yo-Yo is one tough sucker! I’m sure it would ding if it got thrown at a brick wall, but the Bassalope can take some real punishment, if you ask me.
Final words
I love this Yo-Yo. It’s brilliantly made, and it boasts higher quality then something that costs $115.00 That’s for sure.
You may have a different opinion about this Yo-Yo if you buy it, but I somehow doubt it 
Stats
Diameter:…52.55 mm / 2.07 inches
Width: …41.80 mm / 1.64 inches
Gap Width:…4.00 mm / .16 inches
Response System:…Flowable Silicone
Weight:…66.3 grams
Bearing Size:…Size C Bearing
(This is my first review so please comment and tell me how I did)
