Well, here’s a review with pictures. I’m still a bit confused. A lot has gone on recently in the real world.
Anyhow, today, I check the mail as I always do. Inside is a little brown packet. Hmm, the handwriting looks familiar, the address seems to be familiar too as is the name… I’m a little confused. OK, I’m a LOT confused. I don’t recall ordering anything. I do know I want to order some Terrapin X A+ Beefcake kits, but unless I’m ordering yoyos and accessories in my sleep(it’s possible, but highly unlikely)… maybe I’m just getting some strings or something. It doesn’t really feel like much of anything is in there. Gotta be strings.
Gotta open it. Like a junkie looking for a fix, I’m off to find my box cutter, which once again my wife has hidden from me… This is a never-ending problem.
Anyhow, it’s open. What’s inside? An orange hamstring and a little Terrapin X baggie with 2 bearings in it. What? What am I going to do with two A-sized bearings… this makes no… oh wait… it is… no, it can’t be… these look too slim for a regular A bearing… it has to be… the A+ Beefcake kit. OMG!! I can slam that into my FHZ Pulse and it will be dead unresponsive…
So, a few photos are in order with my family of FHZ’s:
First, face shot, nothing interesting to see:
These are the FHZ Pulse, my clear xminusmikex with silicone recess and schmoove rings and custom paint, and a fresh out of the package(well, no mods or changes) FHZ.
Not exciting enough? Sorry, it doesn’t get better in this next shot,which shows things pretty good:
Now, we can see with the FHZ Pulse, it has the aluminum spacers, which are narrower than the brass that are in the custom and stock ones. The FHZ Pulse only comes with the aluminum spacers, but what this picture was supposed to show is the difference in height. The custom and stock are the same, while the Pulse is a tiny bit shorter.
Opening them up, we can see their innards:
We can see the stock friction stickers in the stock and Pulse FHZ, but the customizations done on the clear FHZ.
Swapping the bearings on the Pulse:
We can see what it looks like now. Different!
Now to put them back together:
The Pulse is a bit taller now that the gap has been widened.
Just a couple of more pictures, mostly because I took them and don’t want them wasted:
So, how does it play?
Freakin’ amazing!! Now, it’s still a bit tug responsive, but that’s because the friction sticker is still in there and those are super grippy, but I’m sure once I put the silicone stickers in there it’s gonna be smooth as silk and dead unresponsive.
So, let’s cut to the chase:
If you have a FHZ, you NEED to get these. Short of doing any mods like I got with the one done by XminusmikeX(which I DO recommend), this is as easy as it can get. Open it open, remove the bearing, remove the brass spacers, use the aluminum spacers that they typically come with, drop in these two bearings(in the proper order: spacer, bearings, spacer), screw it down and enjoy the upgrade! I mean, unless you have some sort of muscular problem that prevents you from taking the yoyo apart, you’ll have no problem doing this. If you DO have some sort of muscular problem that is preventing you to take the yoyo apart, then BEG SOMEONE to do this for you!
It’s sort of nice to see all three. I have a stock, I have a modified one, and now I have a beefcaked one. It’s great for compare and contrasting. The Pulse FHZ for me has been terribly responsive even after the bearing was cleaned and I haven’t worn down the friction stickers yet so I don’t want to put silicone stickers in there yet. Now the FHZ Pulse is exactly where I need it to be and now totally appropriate for what I bought it for.
Worth the money? Let me put this a different way. Is it worth what he is charging for this? Oh yeah, by a LONG SHOT!! You could spend a lot of time doing your own mods and learning and wrecking yoyos, or you could send it to a modder who can charge you a fair price for the work they do(it’s worth it), or you could order this and simply do it yourself. This also has the added benefit of being reversible as you can take it out.
I highly recommend it. Most definitely. I’m contemplating order a set for my other two FHZ’s as well, but at the same time, I might leave them as-is because, well, each one has its own unique character. But, I will say this, if I ever get another FHZ, you can bet the first thing I do will be to order these A+ Beefcake kits.
Do not question it. Do not doubt it. If you have a FHZ: BUY IT. The only reason to not buy these is if you’re in jail or dead. And if you’re in jail, BREAK OUT!!
DO not mock Terrapin X A+ Beefcake for stock FHZ Spacers!
Or, here’s the short review for those with ADD:
Me like. Get them. You’re welcome.
Never let it be said that I’m not “sponsor friendly”! I’m not sponsored, but with reviews like this, I better get to ride in the helicopter you’re gonna buy with the proceeds from these bearings!