I’ve had remarkable experiences with three different yo-yos recently, so I figured I’d consolidate my thoughts on each of them into one thread instead of making a separate one for each yo-yo. This isn’t really a full review on any one of them per se, just one of my collections of thoughts that I’ve been doing as of recent.
Wooly Marmot
Just today my Team Edition 2010 model (66g) Wooly Marmot arrived. I’ve thrown an Iron Man Wooly Marmot before, but too briefly to really form a solid opinion on the yo-yo as a whole. I’ve had mixed experiences with CLYW yo-yos I’ve played with in the past - probably because all of them (with the exception of my former LB Bassalope and 1st run 28 Stories Peak [more on that later]) have been other people’s yo-yos and therefore were subject to the uncertainty of the other owners’ care and usage, the quality of which could potentially vastly differ from my own. This Marmot was one that also had a previous owner, but it was sold to me in immaculate condition (thanks Aaron :)) and finally gives me a perfect example of how a brand new 2010 CLYW plays.
All I can say is… “wow.”
Having owned a Peak for some time now, I approached the Marmot with a certain set of expectations of how it should play. And it honestly completely shattered them all.
Bullet points:
-Dead smooth - First CLYW I’ve had the pleasure of characterizing as such, and I have to say it’s an amazing feeling.
-Faithful to the original - It plays more similar to a Peak than, as an example, an 888 in comparison with a DNA.
-Floaty - Tying into the previous point, it plays floaty much like a Peak. Not quite as much, but the similarity is definitely there. This also allows the Marmot to play a bit more… deliberately and authoritatively than the Peak. Both are great depending on how you’d like to feel your yo-yo play at the moment.
-Grinding Finish - Honestly, this is hands down my absolute favorite grinding finish I’ve experienced thus far. It’s incredibly smooth and amazes me with how much it retains its spin momentum even after a somewhat lengthy finger grind.
-Colorway - Absolutely stunning. The chocolate brown and aqua blue blend into a silvery kind of hue while spinning - the blue definitely dominates the brown, but the way they blend together just can’t be faithfully captured on camera and must be seen in person to be believed.
In all, I’d say that my Wooly Marmot experience has been fantastic, and would definitely recommend it to those who are fans of the Peak profile and undersized throws. It blends the two together more faithfully than I expected, and I can’t wait for my other one to arrive.
E1NS
My only question about the E1NS is… Why aren’t these sold out everywhere? I don’t have any experience with the previous models of the E1NS, but have previously owned a Canflon coated Liopleurodon, and as a fan of undersized throws, I’ve definitely found a much better match for my preferences in this one.
Bullet points:
-Dead smooth - as is expected from ILYY.
-Great diameter/width ratio - I like yo-yos with a close-to-square diameter/width ratio. To me it just creates a really comfortable playing experience, and the E1NS really exemplifies this in comparison with the Lio, which has a much greater diameter than width.
-Grinding Finish - This is my first experience with the highly praised Candy Blast finish. To me, it’s very reminiscent of a GeneralYo beadblast, so fans of GeneralYo should have no problem adjusting to the E1NS, or any of ILYY’s other Candy Blasted throws. Great finish, really gets the job done, but honestly not one of my favorites.
-Plays surprisingly heavy - It weighs in at sort of the upper-midrange at 68g, and the distribution of weight is surprisingly rim-heavy, so you really feel the full 68g with every throw.
-Response - Normally I’m not much of a fan of concave silicone response - I like my binds nice and extra snappy, so I typically prefer my silicone flush, but ILYY’s Hot Red sILYYcone is a notable exception. Fantastic response. It still doesn’t deliver binds quite as powerfully as I’d like when milking my throw to the brink of death, but on a normal bind with still a decent amount of spin left, it performs quite well.
-I don’t know what it is with me and ILYY, but I seem to notice my throws tilting off axis more with this brand specifically moreso than other yo-yos. To elaborate, sometimes during a throw, I’ll throw the yo-yo in one direction, say “–” as shown from a birds-eye-view, and then by the end of the throw, I’ll end up in this direction “/”, also from a birds-eye-view. I know it’s all my throw, but it’s just odd to me that it seems to happen more on my ILYYs than any other brand (I had the same experience with my Lio).
Bottom line is, the E1NS is another top notch throw for those who prefer undersized. I’d definitely not hesitate to recommend it.
Beefcaked Peak
Now, this is only going to be applicable to those who own a first run Peak with a sub-4mm gap. My 1st run 28 Stories Peak for quite a while hadn’t been receiving the attention that it should, mostly collecting dust in my case for the most part. So in an effort to put an end to this ludicracy, I decided to try a little trick that really paid off tremendously. You can beefcake your Peak using two thin C-sized bearings. I used two YYJ thin bearings because they have a contour at the edges that sort of emulates a grooved bearing. Those who find the grooved bearing setup undesirable could instead use two Half-SPECs, as they just have the sharp drop off at the edge with no contour to better emulate an all but seamless flat bearing.
I don’t have the exact measurements on this one, but the beefcake makes the gap very wide. I’d estimate somewhere at about 5.5mm. That’s why I only recommend it be attempted on 1st run Peaks. With any other model, the gap will be too wide to give a halfway decent bind. While I know that some will cry blasphemy, I personally haven’t been able to put it down. Admittedly, if I could design it to my perfect specifications, I’d make the gap a little smaller as the binds do get slippy at times, but given that we’re working with a limited set of tools here, I’d say the beefcake is an absolute success! It all but eliminates most of the excessive friction caused by less-than-perfect playing on a thinner gap, and I feel that it even makes the vibe a little less noticable. I’d invite any 1st run Peak owner to give this a try, as I’d love to hear others’ feedback as well. It’s just a totally different approach to a classic, and like I said, I haven’t been able to put it down.
Well, that’s all for me today. Any comments or questions I’ll be happy to answer.