I picked up the 2Sick Blockade about a week ago and I am LOVING this thing! My preferences tend to swing more organic shaped and floaty - I’m more of a zen style player.
First, the finish is beautiful - I got the Unicorn Sneeze finish - so pretty. A nice bright green string to compliment the “sneeze” and this thing is looking SHARP! Finish is the tiniest bit chalky - not as silky smooth as some, but definitely grindable. Clean script engraving of the name and a very small signature engraving on the rim leave this boy looking fresh.
Spin time is crazy long (as you would expect) and stability is very strong. No spinning out on the string for this guy, even at low RPM you still get a nice spin. Takes wraps for days. Cup is beautiful for fingerspins and thumb grinds are easy to hit at a bit of an angle (the bowl is straight to the rim not undercut). It feels like a next level of quality - the bimetal was not squandered here, you can feel it’s purpose and effect quite clearly on the string.
Some yoyos just have that “pick me up and play me!” feel and this one has it for days. It’s the one I’ve been picking up off the shelf most this past week. Certainly some honeymoon period here, but I also have a LOT of nice throws and I can tell this one is immediately in the top to stay.
If you’re looking for a sweet new bimetal this one is a pretty great choice.
Blockade is prolly in my top 3 bi’s of all time currently! I recently sold nearly all my bimetals, but the Blockade one of 3 that made the cut. Feels way more floaty than it looks like it should, especially for a bimetal with rims on the outside edge.
Was going to post my own review for this yoyo but decided to keep everything in one thread, so here is my review also. I am also trying to follow The Guidelines (if you want I can shorten my review or move it to a separate post)
The Blockade was 2Sick’s first full-run outer rimmed Bi-metal yoyo, and it is clearly a favorite of the 2Sick team because the YYE description says it. lol
Play feel is Quite Interesting, as it is slightly organic but still sharp and competition oriented, I have heard it compared to the Stealth so I will use that as a comparison. Mine is a B-grade for vibe so I will not factor that in to consideration.
Specs are as follows:
Weight: 63.9 Grams
Diameter: 57.03 MM
Width: 44.61 MM
Gap: 4.92 MM
The response comes stock with 19mm pads and C size bearing
Mine is in the Supercharged colorway, so the only engraving is the Blockade on the inside of the cup
As you can tell by the specs, the Blockade is a Big Boy so I hope buyers like slightly oversized stuff.
Pro’s
Long spinning
Large Catch-zone (not a lot of wasted width)
Not too snaggy/good for tech
Good Grind finish (Thumb, Talon, ETC)
Cool colorways
Con’s
Bad at fingerspins (trench around a flat hub=finger can’t get to center)
Steel ring hugs aluminum all the way around, so the rims look kind of awkward and are not as big as they could’ve been. @bobafret Said that it feels like a chalkboard and I agree.
Binds are not as tight as I would like.
General thoughts and Comparison
This yoyo is very good and powers through Tech, Meta, and Speed, is excellent at Talon Grinds and feels kind of chill because the weight it well distributed and it is lightweight.
In comparison with the Stealth the Cups and shape look very similar:
I agree with everything on this review except the “bad with fingerspins” part. Personally I find the static centering fingerspin cups a bit boring. I prefer a dynamic style of fingerspin cup, which may not spin quite as long but is more fun and rewarding to hit. Requires stiffly different approach and angle for each yoyo, but again more fun imo than say a yyf pivot or iceberg style of fingerspin. Plus the finish on the blockade feels so nice! Still… great review!
I love my blockade for sure. Sometimes ill go a week or two without picking it up, but when i do i always wonder why i dont give as much love as some of my other bimetals. Its just as good as the rest of them.
