http://i.imgur.com/VXLXhJGl.jpg
The Gambit. You’ve probably heard about the little project that Joey put together over the last few months. A serious sponsored thrower, Joey decided to do what many in the community want to do, but very few end up going through with: making their own yoyo. How did it turn out? In one word…
AWESOME
General Info
First off, specs:
Diameter- 56mm
width- 42.46mm
weight- 65.5g (7075 around 67.8g)
There were a grand total of 10 yoyos made, all a bit different from each other. Some blasted, some Polished, Some 6061, Some 7075. The yoyo that I decided to pick up is made of 6061, Blasted, and Gold Anodized. Here are a few pics:
http://i.imgur.com/Iz23E9nl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ENsTz35l.jpg
My Gold is actually closer to a bronze. Its very nice looking with a good bit of depth. Not as vibrant as the Polished versions, but a very cool color.
The Gambit arrived in a nice blue velvet pouch, complete with two extra axles and 2 Unknown bright orange strings. About the only negative I could come up with for the Gambit is the packaging; The blue pouch is just a litttttttle bit too small. I kind of had to pry the yoyo out. One size bigger and you would be in the money though because it is a nice pouch. For the purpose of my review, I chose not to use the strings and stick with what I know the best: YYSL Type X. This is my go to string for everything.
Playability
The Gambit is a full sized H shaped yoyo. The yoyo I would compare it most to size wise is the One Drop Burnside.
http://i.imgur.com/kd7KfYXl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/owU8vmrl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ELJyXBol.jpg
Very similar measurements, COMPLETELY different play. Where the Burnside is a full sized, heavy, beast of a yoyo, The Gambit is refined, nimble, and a bit slower. From the first throw, It just flowed for me. Its light and floaty and makes me enjoy my time with it. I don’t have to play catch up, it goes at just the right speed. Someone with the right skill could probably push this thing very quickly, but my level of playing borders on the Lower end of things(to say the least), so I can’t really comment on that. With mine being blasted, it has a very good grinding surface. Finger, Thumb, and Palm grinds were all easy to do. I know a grand total of ONE Horizontal trick, but this yoyo handles it very well. Again, someone with the appropriate skill level could tear it up with the Gambit. As someone who is a Very large General Yo supporter, I know smooth, and this yoyo is SMOOTH. I’m talking, if Ernie made it and slapped a BA skull on it I wouldn’t question it. No vibe whatsoever.
Comparable Throws
So, everyone wants to know how it stacks up to whats out there. Here are the throws that I own that I hear most people asking about. Here is the Gambit with the Burnside, Model 10, Summit, and Freq. Wave
http://i.imgur.com/zX4vfbyl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pbonjL5l.jpg
To me, The gambit has the shape of the Burnside, the Floatiness of the Model 10, the Stability of the Summit, and the interesting hub steps of the Freq. Wave. If I had to pick which I thought the Gambit played the MOST like, I think I would pick the Freq. Wave. To me, thats very high praise because the Freq. Wave is one of my most go to yoyos.
Conclusion
I am SO happy that I decided to take a chance on this. From the moment I saw Joey’s thread about it I was intrigued and he really hit it out of the park. I am hoping a larger run can happen in the future so that more people can get their hands on one. This is a high quality, competition ready throw that has a little something for everyone. Highly recommended, and Very Impressed.
