Ashiru Kamui Light first impressions

First impression Ashiru Kamui Light.
Oh god, craptastic. The pretty seethrow plastic is marred by an ugly thumbprint sized smudge on either side that is apparently a side effect of the mold process and is standard. It either slipps or snags on a bind, with a very tiny middle ground for a clean bind. It feels waaaay too light in the hand and I"m afraid I’ll break it the first time it hits anything other than carpet. I"m not usually one to come down hard on a yoyo, they all have thier advantages and disadvantages, but this one makes me sad. I’d rather play my Hayabusa SL at this point. I’ll give it another go in the morning.
The Jet Set on the other hand (also recieved today) is quite nice.

I know what you’re talking about. The Ashiru Kamui LIte has those big ugly spots on the halves. It’s like there was overage from the injection molding process and then they just simply ground them off and barely polished them away.

I also feel the axle system feels like a cheap Duncan(no offense, I do like many cheap Duncan yoyos).

I will disagree about weight. I like the weight. Binds, I also disagree as I have no issue with binds including doing open whip binds.

This yoyo is using a very stiff polycarbonate, or at least I think it’s polycarbonate. I am worried about it hitting the ground and shattering. My RexTremes seem to do that(shatter on impact), which is annoying. Still, I worry that one bad hit and this sucker is gonna fragment into a zillion pieces. I have to hope it’s treated like safety glass!

The Ashiru Kamui itself is a touch heavier but otherwise, identical in good and bad points.

I find, to avoid issues, I play over carpet indoors or over grass outdoors. I do enjoy these yoyos. I greatly prefer a Fiesta XX better, or even a Go Big.

Now, yeah, the Jet Set rocks!! But, be aware, it’s not perfect either. The weight rings are going to come loose. Forget about using Locktite or some other adhesive as it will take over a week to cure and it still won’t hold the ring in place. Been there, done that, don’t waste your time, I wasted my time. The other thing is the nuts will also come loose and pop out. Be aware that these screw in counter-clockwise, but you CAN use LockTite on these if you want to. This is by far my favorite off-string, worth every penny. I cannot do open whip binds on these on a consistent basis. Then again, I can’t do that on nearly any white yoyo! The Jet Set EC I can land those open whip binds without any issue.

Like with 1A, my 4A collection is also diverse.

If your Kamui Lite irks you so much, contact me after Nationals and I’ll give it a good home. Of course, I do expect to PAY for it. No freebies! If you are going to Nationals and intend to sell it to me then, let me know and I’ll stash cash for it and take it off your hands then and there.

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Sadly not attending nationals, but if I continue to dislike it we can perhaps work something out. If you are on facebook friend me https://www.facebook.com/mr.yoyothrower

And ‘gasps’ I was in error, its the Jet Set EC. I’m not sure I"m willing to cough up 115 for an offstring throw just yet, I beat them too hard :wink:

What other 4a throws do you recommend? I prefer wider and ideally with a flat rim as opposed to the sharp edges of the reextreme. Is the Ashiru Kami regular worth getting?

The Jet Set EC plays very similarly to the Jet Set. I prefer the weight ring feel of the regular Jet Set, it feels more solid and stable.

Honestly, if you dislike the Kamui Lite, you’ll dislike the Kamui:

Here is the “regular”:
http://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/65642_311516122311834_1079831219_n.jpg

Here is the Lite:
http://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/p206x206/399965_311517062311740_676989312_n.jpg
If you like the Lite, then the regular is well worth it.

The Fiesta XX is probably one of the best starter 4As out there on the market in my opinion, plus it can take you from nothing to competition, is inexpensive, durable and well made. A viable alternate is the Go Big. The rims on the Fiesta XX flatten a touch. The rims on the Go Big are rounded due to the rubber material.

As far as a more flat rimmed 4A, I can only go from my experience. Most of the 4A’s I have feature rims that angle inwards for maximum catch zone, to the best of my recollection. I have a growing collection of 4A yoyos. The only one I can think of right this second is the Chico YoYo Company ZRO:

http://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1000332_361631943966918_1685132982_n.jpg
At $150 or so, you’re not going to spring for this one!

The Jet Set and Jet Set EC share the same profile and I think the dimensions are nearly identical, but the weights are different. Not having weight rings really blows the price down. The EC is still an excellent off-string. Given the choice, I just simply prefer the regular better. I’m just trying to get the open whip binds down on the white off-strings. I swear, when the off-strings are white, I just cannot do the open whip bind consistently. I think I’m having problems getting perspective or something. It’s a me issue, NOT the yoyo, because I have done them, just not consistently. Swapping from my white Jet Sets(I have 2) to the Jet Set EC, I can nail that open whip bind on the EC version 9 out of 10 times.

Back to the Ashira Kamui series: Stick with the Lite for a while and see what you prefer between that and the Jet Set EC. The Kamui isn’t all that expensive, I think I paid around $65 or so for it, which ain’t bad. While they feel stiff, the plastic is very rugged. I just worry needlessly about certain things, plus with the recent problems I’ve had with the RexTreme, I’m a bit upset, annoyed and overly-cautious. I will say that Celcon and Delrin do make excellent 4A yoyos. Once you make up your mind, then consider upgrading. I don’t feel the need to upgrade between the Kamui Lite and Kamui as the Lite is mainly done with a less expensive plastic to drive the costs down.

If you’re looking for a good cheap enhancement to your Hayabusa SL, get the Duncan 4A off-string mod spacers. Wow!! Do spend the time to tune this yoyo out best you can afterwards, it will need it. Mark your axle, nut and yoyo halves so you can repeat this.

Lol, the Hayabusa SL was given as an example of ‘ick’.  I have a reextreme, like it but not the crazy bounces.  I’ve owned a few fiesta xx’s, and an original fiesta.  BOth too narrow for my taste.  Have you tried the adegle whale or roc?  They are similar in throw/bind feel to the Jet Set EC.

This is probbaly going to be my next purchase
http://www.yoyosam.com/p-1852-zeekio-apollo-off-string-yoyo.aspx

I don’t have a ROC or a Whale. I’ve heard a lot of stories about problems with the axle and/or nut stripping and other quality control issues. Granted, those who have negative to say speak the loudest, but if I can hear stories to the contrary, I would have no issue reconsidering those models.

The RexTreme is about as wide as it gets. The Big Yo is actually just as wide but a smaller diameter. Everthing else is a bit more closer to the Fiesta XX/Jet Set type width.

What I like about the RexTreme is it’s great for learning orbits, which is why I bought it. No reason to not make things easier if you have the means to obtain items to help in the learning process. It’s still a fantastic performing yoyo. I just feel the overly-wide stuff isn’t really what I prefer in an off-string as I can easily throw and catch a “regular” width off-string no problem. However, personal preferences are all that matters anyways.

The Roc and WHale have served me well, no quality issues, and I beat the hell out of my Roc, it was my contest throw for a while.

Google “Aoda Marin” and try to get your hands on one. Its my contest throw. Big-yoish shape, but smaller.

I’ll check into those later. Thanks for some ideas to check into.