Opening: Offstring play has always been one of my favorite styles to see. Seeing players such as Rei Iwakura and Hajime Miura play always makes me want to pick up a 4a throw and play. Biggest issue I had for some years now was I did not have 4a yo-yo that worked. My YYJ Fiesta XX is too vibey and my YYF Flight cracked. C3yoyodesign has made a few 4a throws and I always wanted to get myself one. The time to buy came during the sale recently and I was debating between the C3 Contrail and the C3 Submarine. I went ahead and purchased the Submarine and was so ready to get my offstring play going again.
Specs (Source Yoyoexpert.com):
Diameter-78.8 mm
Width-66.7 mm
Weight-80.9 grams
Bearing-Size C
First Impressions: Nice!!! I finally have an offstring yo-yo again. I got mine in white with the green hub. Looks absolutely amazing. I always saw the pros using a white 4a yoyo, Jeon Ji Hwan with the C3 Solar, Pornpinit Sanprasert with the C3 Neo Solar, just to name a few, so I always wanted a white 4a throw myself. The shape is indeed identical to the C3 Master Galaxy only bigger for 4a tricks. Since this is Shotaro Masuda’s signature throw, I knew the shape must be wide to handle his crazy 4a routines where he launches the yo-yo high up in the air. It is wide but the diameter is a bit smaller than the YYF Flight, which I feel makes it comfortable to hold and throw. It also comes with the full set of 4 different spacers, which I think makes this yo-yo deal too good to be true, but it is. It comes with the blue spacers (thickest) already installed and it also includes gold (thinnest), green (normal), and purple (thick). A black axle was already installed in the yo-yo, and another silver axle was also included along with the spacers. I went ahead to test this beast in its default setting with blue spacers .
Play: On the first throw the weight reminded me of the Fiesta XX, only wider. I had a bit of trouble binding it at first, which was not the yo-yo’s fault, I was just not accustomed to this play style after a while of not playing 4a. I practiced for a bit and was good after a few throws. I decided to keep playing with the blue spacers for a bit and then changed into the gold spacers and changed to Kitty Fat. This setup works well for me as I get really good binds but no snags. This can handle regens no problem and it also has smooth finish for finger grinds. I did try the other spacers and they all work very well. Personally for me, I keep going back to the gold spacers. I have been working on my 4a game now and boy is this beast taking everything and helping me get the much needed improvement. It can also handle finger spins rather well. After a bit of practice I was able to complete the 4a DNA, which made me so happy I was able to pull it off. It does not have the finger spin dimple hub like the iYoyo Icebreaker, but it can still handle those types of tricks well. Any type of trick involving body orbits, this can also handle them without any issues. Overall, I am super pleased I made this purchase. Looking forward to getting better at it and then trying my luck at soloham 4a.
Final Thoughts: If long spins times, a wide body, smooth finish, finger spin capabilities and an adjustable gap are what you are looking for in a 4a throw, the C3 Submarine is definitely the one to buy. If you have not seen what this yo-yo is capable of, just check out Shotaro Masuda’s video and you will be amazed by what he does with this throw. I watch videos from Kaoru Nakamura, Hajime MIura and Rei Iwakura and get inspired to pick up this throw and play for a while. My goal is to improve and then try out soloham soon. Should I buy another Submarine or change to the Contrail, if anyone has recommendations, please let me know. What do you guys/girls think? Feedback is greatly appreciated.