You like reading reviews about yoyos that have been out for 4 years already? Me too.
You ever play with a yoyo that is just nice overall? Nothing particularly special one direction or the other, it just kinda checks a lot of the boxes of what you look for in a yoyo? Socius is a perfect example of that. I got mine from the c3 mystery boxes at US Nationals and I am very pleased with those 50 dollars going to that company.
Despite being quite narrow for today’s standards, and, to be honest, what I’m used to anymore (my tastes have gravitate towards the 50mm range over the past year), this is just a good yoyo. It definitely has the feel of a c3 yoyo of the time, being powerful for its generally low weight of 64g and being slightly focused towards speedy play. The 56mm diameter and step-round shape is very comfy, and lends itself well to someone who has also learned to like higher-diameter yoyos. Horizontals are surprisingly easy to the extent that I can do horizontals due to how easy it is to predict with its pacing, allowing me to hit zontal wrist mount combos with not that much of a decrease in confidence than how I would feel using a wider throw. Despite being pretty fast, the aforementioned clear pacing the yoyo sets also permits any style of play that the yoyoer chooses, although the “jawn kid” branch of throwers would definitely have to adapt to the narrow catch zone (it’s weird how much play has changed over the time I’ve been in the scene!).
Overall? Great throw. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, c3 in their modern era (which I’d consider to be around 2016 to now) doesn’t really make any bad yoyos. This is another instance of that. However, for almost 150 dollars retail, I don’t know if this thing is relegated to anything more than a mystery box win.
Ben’s Alphabetacular Yoyo Grade: A-
Compare to: Radius (unsurprisingly), Zaphkiel (much slower but similar pacing and power feel)
Specs:
Diam: 56mm
Width: 45.09mm (trapeze width 43mm)
Mass: 64g
Gap width: unknown, plays around 4.4-4.5mm if I were to take a guess.
Materials: 6061 al/ 304 stainless