CLYW Puffin Review

Pictures can be found here http://shop.yoyoexpert.com/product/804/CLYW-Puffin

Introduction
After seeing all the hype regarding the Puffin, I picked one up immediately, despite the steep price tag. The only negative thing I found was Slade Riggs (I’ll remove your name if you want) saying it doesn’t spin long enough, especially for a $150 yoyo. While I do agree with this, it is still a great little yoyo with its own merits, though it is no Chief raw performance wise.

Specifications
Diameter: 53.35 mm / 2.10 inches
Width: 44.50 mm / 1.75 inches
Gap Width: 4.25 mm / .16 inches
Weight: 65.7 grams
Bearing Size: Size C Center Trac Bearing
Response: CLYW Snow Tires

Design
The Puffin about 53mm, just under full sized, but feels much bigger in the hand. It has the widest gap for a CLYW, being 4.25mm, giving it some much needed stability. It isn’t a super wide throw, but it is wide, especially for its size. It has peak like rims, with a step separating the high and low wall (like a Canvas). Most importantly, it has a Chief style double rim.

Aesthetics
I have mine in Blizzard, and quite frankly, it looks like a blizzard. When it spins, it creates an interesting blend of shifting blues and greys. CLYW sets a high bar for themselves when it comes to aesthetics, and they delivered.

Weight
Despite the design being influenced by the Peak, the smallish diameter, and the somewhat light weight, I still wasn’t expecting a feather weight due to the Chief like double lip. I was wrong. It moves with grace and agility on the string, feeling light, at least to me, a guy who doesn’t own many light throws. It is pretty zippy, not uncontrollably fast, just zippy.

Performance
Now onto the important part. Here I’m not talking about how performs compared to just any throw, but to other premium throws. I mean, for $30 more you can get a YYR.

This yoyo is outstanding for fast and as well as slow play. It can go extremely fast without before says NO! I REFUSE TO GO FASTER! For slow play, it is extremely comfortable do to its float, something I like when I go slow. However, it is more geared towards fast play, meaning it won’t have the stability of many throws meant for slow play.

The Puffin really shines in technical play, its agility makes very complicated maneuvers easier. Its dimensions are also good for technical play, the smaller size making chopsticks easier and the width making more complicated hop tricks easier.

Even though it has a CLYW bead blast, it isn’t the best grinder. While it is good at arm grinds, the IRG is shallow and the shape of the string zone makes finger grinds difficult. I suck at palm grinds, so I can’t comment on those.

The pseudo-highwall makes regens snappy as well as easy.

The Puffin holds its current axis very well, making it great for horizontal. While it’s not as good as say, a v-shaped yoyo like the Sleipnir, where the loss of spin is minimal, it is still very good at horizontal.

The Bad
With all of this going for it, the Puffin must be a grand slam, right? Wrong. While I am not saying it is a bad yoyo, it has one, big flaw. It has crappy spin times. Not okay, not mediocre, not even below average, just crappy. While it spins long enough for say, a $40 throw, it doesn’t spin like a $150 throw. While this doesn’t make the throw bad, it just prevents it from being great.

Conclusion
While the Puffin is a good throw with many merits, it is prevented from being great due to its crappy spin times. If this is your first CLYW, get a Chief. If you already have a CLYW or two and want something different, get a Puffin.

Edit- this is my first review, don’t crucify me.
Edit 2- I do super long combos.

Wow, really nice technical review. I gotta say, it was both technical and detailed enough to give the information necessary, but not insanely long either. There are not enough reviewers who have this blend. Not saying that other reviews are bad, just that I like this style.

I have amazing spin times with mine. I tried every clyw since they have been around, and it is number 3 with the Ava and chief 2 and 1. It is not the best for competitions, but such a blast to throw. Hey, who competes all the time anyway?

Yes, most throws aren’t going to be used for competition, but when I am spending $150 on a yoyo, I expect it to be competition worthy.

Doesn’t Palli use these to compete?

Great review. Not 100% sure I agree that it has poor spin time, though. It’s no Chief, but that’s the tradeoff you get for different physics… different diameter and weight, something’s gotta give. But I don’t think it’s night and day.

On the other hand…

I’m an intermediate player at best, so what do I know?

Regardless of any spin-time discussion, that was a phenomenal review. Nicely detailed, well thought-out, and well-written. Moar plz!

Okay, I’ll note in the review I do super long combos that stretch my Chief thin. By competition worthy, I meant that it should be optimal for competition, not just viable.

I agree that the spin time is lacking. I still love it though.

Yep, it is an incredibly fun yoyo. I just don’t feel a yoyo this pricey should be marked off as fun.

great review yonut!

When designing this yoyo, Palli was looking to create a yoyo that fit his competition style, so it’s not fair to say it wouldn’t be good on stage because it was literally built for competition.

I also found that it grinds excellently. And though the spin times aren’t stellar, they’re much better than “crappy”.

All that being said, I didn’t feel it was worth $150. I was able to pick up an A-grade for $100 which was much more palatable.

And “super long combos” is pretty subjective. What constitutes a combo being ‘super long’?

First off, it seems that the gap is the perfect size for my finger to have heavy contact with both walls during a finger grind.

It wasn’t so much the spin time when sitting dead on the string, it seems to die out faster during play.

Maybe sixty to ninety seconds, a combo length I can’t pull off using the Puffin.

Where’d you get it for that cheap?

@ olldasmall
Thank you

i can pull off a pretty darn long combo with the puffin

I dont know why people say it has bad spin times
i think theyre fine!

Lets be real here. That is pretty subjective.

You are right for most throws. But I think the point is that this is a $150+ yoyo; it should perform like others in its class like the Sleipnir or Stardust at around the same price. The Puffin does not even come close to that kind of performance.

And while we are at it - doesn’t “competition” just mean “good”? Beyond the novelty aspect, what is there about great spin-time and phenomenal stability that is NOT to be desired in a yoyo? Yeah, give me that “non-competition” throw. I just have those days where I want a wimpy spin and no-stability…

Oh yeah, I have my $150 Puffin!

When I’m in the mood for a kinda crappy yoyo, I throw a cheap plastic.
The Puffin is very stable, it just doesn’t have long spin times.
When I think “competition”, I think excellent or outstanding; when I think of the Puffin, I think good or decent.

I thought the Stardust was pretty lacky in spin time compared to the Puffin.
Maybe your standards are too high
or maybe i just am doing something different?

Bump.

I really appreciate this review. I’ve had my rootbeer blizzard Puffin since the first run was released and I’ve had some love it and hate it moments with mine. Kind of sounds similar to how you feel. Very nice review. Very well organized, accurate pros and cons. Nicely done.

Same here. No sleep problems. Spins longer than a chief easily. Personally all other clyw dont really stack up to it besides the ac. Overall it really does have everything going for it, even sleep time. I dunno maye it the bearing but ive had no complaints here.

wat