A-RT (Alternate - Return Tops) Alternatives

I’m not sure that emojis and vague condescension constitutes having “said” much of anything.

9 Likes

This is a really bad take.

Crediting a companies successes to a machinine shop alone is kind of a kick in the balls for these companies that have worked so hard to be where they are today. The companies you’ve mentioned have proven they can be successful with or without OD machining.

And yoyofriends/fpm is a great brand/OEM that has helped tons of people get their first yoyos/make their first yoyos.

Honestly the worst take ive seen in the community in such a long time.

Edit: this is nothing against OD as they themselves are an amazing company that I love and respect. But using their machining to put down other companies/yoyos is just not right.

21 Likes

I did not. But take it as you want.

1 Like

Your statements imply 2 of the most popular brands today wouldn’t be popular without OD machining, and mention yoyofriends (another super popular brand) negatively because they don’t use OD machining. I’d love for you to expand on your comments because this is what they read as currently.

G2 hasn’t used OD machining for a while now (sans life) and ART sells out in minutes regardless of where their yoyos are machined. Yoyofriends does very well for themselves as well, along with many other brands that don’t use OD machining. Have you tried a koi? It seems up your alley.

15 Likes

Xenophobic much?

FPM, TopYo, YoyoEmpire, MagicYoyo, YoyoLab, C3YoyoDesign and numerous other shops are the bedrock to this community. OD does solid work, but they are also very pricey compared to other shops for comparable work not to mention they wont just work with anyone.

Now more than ever before you can message a reputable designer, commission them to make you a design, then get a quote and order protos all within several days. This is only possible because there are shops like FPM who will machine a prototype without a commitment to a production run. YoyoEmpire might as well be the leaders in PolyCarb and Plastic yoyo machining because of the work they have done refining the process. The list and examples go on. Without the overseas shops you could say goodbye to most companies: TP, YYR, RSO, Luftverk, CLYW, Duncan, MK1, DD, Unprld, SF, GoodLife, etc.

15 Likes

Getting this conversation back on track: would anyone compare the recent Inhaler release to any of the Atmos releases, namely the Noah/Abel?

I’ve been wanting something different and all of my current organics feel way more focused on power/speed (Life, TiTross, SS Koi) than float/bounce.

2 Likes

Nah, feels pretty different from anything atmos put out. Closest would be a Gravity with ultralights.

3 Likes

After playing Inhaler the closest alterative model might be @G2_Jake 's Project B Prototype from 2020

Jake’s Pic

and there has been one lingering on the auction sight for a couple months now.

5 Likes

haven’t heard of this g2 before! reminds me of a saboteur without the schmoove grooves. how does it play?

3 Likes

It’s smaller than the Saboteur and is closer in spec with Inhaler. It plays light and agile and the high wall gives unprecedented control. For those who don’t understand “Organic Center Weight Play” it would be considered “unstable”, but if you have good plane control it has an appreciated sensitivity. Now throws that are geared to being heavy rim weighted and stable can be more forgiving with plane management, but when they do get off plane they can be trickier to get them back on track. This G2 Proto was prior to Project C which just became the newest production Carbine.

5 Likes

Anyone said the UNPRLD Motif as a substitute for the Sucction? They play very similarly. Both very fun.

5 Likes

UNPRLD say in the description of the text that its an evolution/improvement of the Sucction, not surprised they play alike =].

“The UNPRLD Motif is the signature yoyo of Daniel Kim.
The Motif refines the extremely popular UNPRLD x ART Sucction, adapting it to Daniel’s needs.”

2 Likes

Anything that is recent or available new that is like a Furn or Sparrow? the DD assassin seems like a good option for the Furn but I’m curious if there is anything else out there. I would prefer to not spend $100 on an used monometal that is like either of those.

1 Like

Fe/urn : this is a hard one bc of its unique properties. On paper the Assassin is the closest but in my opinion they feel noticeably different on the string bc the Assassin is stainless steel. However it’s also probably the closest you can get to the Fe/urn without it being a Fe/urn.

There’s also the Anomaly Euphonius which is 48D x 39W, 63.5g w/ a d-bearing. But it’s similar to the Assassin in how it feels dissimilar on the string due to its material. It’s also a late-2019 throw and doesn’t pop up on the BST that often.

Sparrow : this is another kind of hard one IMO, at least as far as recent releases go. The ILYY E1NS 2021/2022 would be a good one to check out. In the same vein (while not recent releases) I think the Mary and Wasabi could fill that niche.

2 Likes

The Assassin takes a dump on the Fe/urn, it’s so much better it’s not even funny IMO

4 Likes

I echo that, @Isaac this is a great thread

Wow I had the exact opposite take. I enjoy my furn a lot more than the assassin.

5 Likes

I just want to chime in and say that I’ve always admired the aesthetic of A-RT yo-yos but could never really get behind the way they market their brand and the almost cult-appeal of their yo-yos that really drive up the price.

Last year I got a Fair Trade Yo-Yos Project-Ti. It is my only FTY - a lot of their models look cool, I particularly like the clean cup design. Side note: The Project Y looked neat but the Project Ti drew me in strongly. I don’t know if it’s the Ti or the more open bowl of the cup, but I very much prefer the aesthetic of this version.

Anywho, I could be completely ignorant because I have never owned an A-RT yoyo, but this yoyo seems to scratch the itch for me. It looks fantastic and plays great!

Just felt like sharing that. The play may or may not have some similarities to A-RT yo-yos, someone else may be able to comment. But I value the aesthetic of a yo-yo too, and in this way I feel it captures the aesthetic for me.

3 Likes

I couldn’t agree more with @Xanadu

The project Ti is a better dale imo. Considering I got the Ti on the second hand market and the dale new I spent less money on the project Ti than I did the dale. I got a titanium yo-yo cheaper than a 6061 yo-yo with questionable siliconing.

The added rim weight compensates for the C bearing and makes it just as powerful as it’s D bearing counterpart. In my opinion.

Side by side pics below. Project Ti (left) Dale (Right)

9 Likes

Absolutely love my Project Ti. Have actually been using it a LOT for 5A, and it slays (insomuch as I myself can slay, which is not too much, lol).

3 Likes