Hey everyone! : ) My name’s Reuben, and I’ve been around here for some time. Just wanted to share something I’ve been working on for the past couple of months : )
This whole project starts with a deep interest for how form influences playfeel. The throws that have always felt best to me were “fatty” organics. On a tactile level, they are full-sized, have incredibly comfortable curves, and feel great in the hand. In my opinion, it’s half the reason why people love organics in the first place : ) Playwise, they are zippy and full of floaty goodness. The Cloudberry is my attempt to do all that, but with enough oomph to get through any modern trickset – in other words, to make the most comfortable throw I can imagine.
Specs
Diameter: 56.4 mm
Width: 48.58 mm
Weight 64.07 g
Gap Width 4.4 mm
Material: 7068 Aluminium
Working with 7068 AL was something exciting for me personally. The denser and stronger alloy allows me to keep the walls as thin as possible, which was necessary for two crucial things – firstly, to keep the overall weight down; and secondly, to be creative with apportioning rim weight where it needed it to be.
Something I really wanted to move away from was clunky or forceful weight distribution, which made other throws with otherwise really, really nice profiles feel heavy or unwieldy in play.
Keeping the cup open, simple, and with as much unbroken curvature as possible was important in my design process – very likely influenced by my experience in pottery. While most throws get power from thick and fat rims, I wanted to keep the rim lip as gradual and subtle as possible. Using 7068 gives me the freedom to add significant rim weight without having to disproportionately inflate the area.
Being full-sized, wide, and still only 64.07 g in weight, the Cloudberry has an MOI of 15,660. It might feel light and agile on the string, but it will have enough power to last through the longest of your combos.
Here’s one bonus detail I really enjoy – a steep, sloping response step leading to a schmoove ring. In addition to a width of 48.58mm, the Cloudberry’s going to be extremely forgiving in the departments of string friction and having a wide catchment area.
I’ve a small run of prototypes that are being machined right now, and will share more about them when they arrive! In the meantime, do let me know what you think! Comments, questions, thoughts and criticism are very welcome : )