I wanted to write a review of the AceYo Mercy 6 which I recently got. I’m still somewhat new, having just gotten into yoyoing earlier this year, so my trick catalog and number of yoyos I have experience with are a bit limited. But given the limited reviews of AceYo throws, I thought I might be able to contribute a little something.
I’ve always enjoyed gear that amuses me aesthetically, so when browsing for cheaper but hopefully decent (ie. Chinese) yoyos, AceYo caught my eye. They are a more affordable brand that serves mostly Asian markets. I really liked how a number of their yoyos feature cute anime style characters versus the more simple and conventional splash or graphic design of so many other yoyos (although AceYo does have many traditional color variants too.)
I originally wanted the AceYo Ace of Aces X bi-metal with a character design which was apparently sold at the 2023 Chinese National Yoyo Championship. I couldn’t find that one for sale or in-stock anywhere (including on non-US sites), so I started looking at another AceYo bi-metal with character art - the Mercy 6. It’s specs are:
Price: ~$60 USD
Width: 46mm
Diameter: 56mm
Weight: 64.6g
The AceYo Mercy 6 is the 6th version of this yoyo. AceYo seems to have a really fast product cycle with noticeable design changes between versions. There is a Mercy 7 out now and some of their other lines (such as the Gravitation) have version numbers as well. The Mercy 6 is made of 6061 aluminum with big flared out stainless steel rims. It’s predominantly a V shape. The rims are a bit sharp, but they don’t particularly bother me much in normal play (in part because the yoyo is wide so it’s not only the rims that wind up contacting your hand.) Until now my other metal yoyos have tended to have more rounded or H-like profiles and include the Shutter, Magicyoyo Z-01, N12, and a Duncan Grasshopper GTX 2.0.
I don’t quite understand the fixation on vibe, but if I had to rate it I’d say it has minimal nail vibe (certainly nothing I feel on the string and nothing more noticeable than my other affordable throws.) It definitely plays like a bimetal with longer spin times and quite good stability. However, the spin does die out a tiny bit more quickly than my Grasshopper GTX 2.0 and my Magicyoyo Z-01 Focus bi-metals. This falls in line with expectations though given that many reviews point out how angular V shaped throws in general give up a little power and stability. Since I wanted to try out something new, trading a tiny bit of spin power for the wider shape that is a bit easier to catch is worth it. I would describe its overall play as a solid middle-weight. It’s not floaty and it’s not a rock on the string either (like my Magicyoyo N12 which feels quite heavy on the string.)
Grinding isn’t part of my regular set of tricks and the Mercy 6 would be bad at it. It has a wide flat cup with shallow sloped walls leading to the SS rims. And don’t forget, in the one I chose the whole area is laser engraved. So, finger-spins would just wobble and fall off pretty quickly. I wouldn’t imagine thumb grinds are possible with sloped walls and flared out rims. The whole yoyo’s finish is relatively glossy so finger (or body) grinds would be brief at best (unless perhaps you wore a glove.) The amount of gloss with the depth of the color and the SS rims is however, very nice looking IMO.
(Update: I’ve since learned that while my blue one is glossy, some of the other colors have more of an eggshell or slightly matte finish which should allow for finger grinds better.)
Binds with the Mercy 6 are a bit slippy. You’ll want to be careful to do them neat and clean or else it can easily just not take or slip (which can be a bit frustrating after using my Grasshopper GTX 2.0 which binds quite nicely and reliably.) I also would have expected the Mercy 6 to be a bit more snappy with the way it returns to the hand than it is. Instead, I feel like it comes back at a slightly more modest speed than I would expect, even when it has decent spin left. So I generally don’t play it until it’s last breath like I might do with my Grasshopper and Z-01 which seem to have a bit of an easier time coming back, even when the spin is dying.
Binds seem to be one criticism the few reviews out there mention (including for previous Mercy versions as well.) I don’t consider this too big of an issue because you can tune it with fatter string or different response pads. I wanted to play the Mercy 6 as-is so I’ve just accommodated it and been a bit more careful and it hasn’t been that impactful. I do have some fat string on order to test out.
(UPDATE: after playing for a little bit the response pads seemed to break in and binding got better. Then I put Kitty First Class Fat string on it and slippy binds largely stopped being an issue.)
I don’t have any speed combos or bangers yet, but for what I do this yoyo is decent and capable in most respects. It doesn’t feel quite as carefully refined as my Grasshopper GTX 2 which I got on sale from Duncan at the same price as I got the Mercy 6 for ($60). I’ve compared it to my Magicyoyo Z-01 a little bit, but it would be a better comparison to the Z-02 which has a more similar shape.
CONCLUSION:
I really like this yoyo a lot and am glad I bought it. It has good power and is wide, so it’s helping me hit and learn new tricks. It’s also a very striking looking throw with it’s big stainless rims and Ace Girl laser engraving. If you’re looking for a sub-$100 bi-metal, particularly a larger V shaped one for big tricks or you want something different and amusing for your collection, then the Mercy 6 is completely worth it. If you’re looking for the most performance and refinement you can get out of a bi-metal on a budget, then something like Duncan’s Grasshopper GTX 2 or Orbital GTX 2 might be slightly better choices if they are on sale to bring them down to the Mercy 6’s price. For me though, I’m amused by the character design and I like playing with a brand that I don’t hear about as much. I’m very interested in checking out some of AceYo’s other offerings now too.
Let me know what you think.
Peace.