Both blasts are great and my preference between the two usually depends on my mood. I’ve been leaning towards the dusty blast lately, but I really like how… tactile? textured? the clay finish feels too.
(Also… anyone interested in halfswapping a Celeste/Mars Bars Goji with me? 
)
I think the Khuno “dusty” blast is what comes to mind when I think of how a blast should feel. Silky smooth with just enough texture for a sensory experience. It’s what I would choose to appeal to the widest audience.
The Noah is more of an acquired taste. I could see a lot of people not liking it, or finding it too aggressive. For me this “clay” finish ages with the time you put into it; I like that experience. Mine has smoothed out quite a bit, and It’s maybe just a step above the “dusty” blast after all the hours of play time. I can still feel a distinctive difference, but I know that when I first got it, it was far more “textured” than it is now. Like going from 150 to 300 grit sand paper.
Personally, I didn’t have an issues with the string wear, or it cutting string. I did “sand it down” with denim after the reports, but even prior to that I had no issues with my string of choice.
I think if this finish is chosen on something with an aggressive response like the Noah, then you can either tell people to use Nylon/more durable string. You can look into trying to mask off that area around the response so it doesn’t get blasted. Or just warn people and tell them to apply the denim trick before they start throwing.
If I had to choose just one, it would be Noah “clay” blast every time - none of the “issues” outweigh how much I like the blast.
Thank you @Shwa @kight @suspense – this is actually incredibly helpful feedback.
We’ve been developing the clay blast for over a year, and hearing love for it encourages us to push on with it and to get it perfect. The textured experience is precisely what we were going for, and we were obviously dismayed when a couple of breakage reports came in, despite considerable internal testing.
As a manufacturer keeping the balance between experimenting with the new and exciting, and the associated risks can sometimes be difficult. But feedback like this helps us in orienting ourselves in all of it 
Very much appreciated!
I might be in the minority but I dislike gritty blasts. They make my hair stand on end. I would put the noah and fruitloop in that category. The noah plays and looks so good that I was willing to overlook how it felt in my hand initially. Now the finish is much more broken in and smoother so it doesnt bother me as much but one day Im just gonna sit and rub the whole yoyo with denim and see if it makes a difference.
Im not sure what the positives of such a blast are. If the intention is that the finish will break in to the point it feels like clay is there not a better way where it starts off as that?
Side note: how does a finish even break in. How come we can use denim to smooth out aluminium.
That’s fair! The benefits aren’t functional as much as they are just experiential, so ultimately it comes down to preference. My personal sense of it is it feels better in hand and in play, and colorways nearly always come out better than in glossier blasts. Just my opinion of course.
It’s helpful to hear a vote towards a softer blast though! From everyone’s feedback here and in the DMs it’s a pretty fair split. I’ll see what I can do about offering both options more frequently so anyone can opt for what they lean towards : )
I totally see how its a huuuge plus for your stellar colorways!!
The finish for me is one of the major things that separates Atmos from other brands. I can sit at my desk and fidget with your throws for hours without throwing. Much like singing, maybe the finish isn’t technically “right” but it’s what gives the yoyo soul.
FYI: I’ve only played with the Cloudberry, Thunder, Khuno, and Goji. My senses are looking forward to trying/buying a Noah, Frutloop, & Storm.
@Upmanyu Appreciate it! And your concerns register with us all the same. We just brought in some material over the weekend to experiment with some post-blast treatment, so as to get future runs as pre-broken in as we can We’ll update how that goes!
@KNOMAD Absolutely love the way you put it! Thank you.
Here’s a small, fresh batch of unreleased prototypes… that might just pop up in your mailbox this week?
We’ve just published a space on our site for stories that don’t quite fit our current platforms, and will serve as a centralised space for updates, behind-the-scenes, creative projects and release information. We think it’s exciting.
We’ve written more about this space, as well as these prototypes (and then some) over there. Check it out here, if you’d like.
Those look great!
Always love your write ups so its great to know there is going to be more of it.
Max excited about that plastic throw too!
This looks REALLY FUN. I hope it becomes something great and I can get in on it.
How will we know when a new blog post hits?
RSS feed?
They have one on their blog.
Just replace the last “/” with “?format=rss” in the URL linked by them.
Hey all! Just a quick update from us — a sneak peek at prototypes in development, upcoming releases, and other summer news.
More on all of this, over at our blog;
Is that a brass polycarb ?!
Yessir it’s been a crazy design project. Just kicked prototype ii off the past few days!
OMG, that’s my chance
Whatever that is with SE and crazed finish looks great! Is that TI?
Yes, that’s an Ari!
