So I’m curious about the various Caribou Lodge throws - for those of you who have one (or even better more than one) - if you could only have one, which would it be? Chief? Canvas? Gnarwhal (really dig that name)? One of the others?..
Help me make an educated decision, so I can be ready to jump on one when it becomes available…
I have 7 so far, and I’d like to get at least 4 more.
I have a gnarwal, bvm, Avalanche, small bearing bassalope, 2nd Run Peak, campfire and wooly marmot. Of what I have, the gnarwal and Avalanche get the most play, and of those 2, the Avalache is my favorite. I like the size. I’ts not completely fair because I mostly don’t play the small bearing bassalope because of the smaller bearing, and the Campfire and Wooly Marmot are mint in box and I don’t want to ding them up. I know, play on carpet. But I have plenty of other yoyos in general. I’ll get to them.
I have played a Chief and it’s smooth, much better than what I’ve got. I found it had almost no detectable vibe(vibe doesn’t bug me), it was amazingly stable. It seemed for me to help correct my sometimes not perfectly straight throw. Play was very predictable from the point of view that the yoyo seemed to be where I wanted when I wanted it. It felt nearly weightless on the string, although it makes its presence known when you need it to or want it to. Granted, I’m relatively new with very limited skills, but I know good when I play this. I’m not sure what the target for this yoyo is. It’s definitely a competition quality yoyo, possibly performing better than things in much higher price brackets. It also seems to be designed for the player.
I’ve also played a Sasquatch. Excellent as well.
I’d like to get a Sasquatch, Chief, Canvas and a 3rd Run Peak.
I don’t like small sized throws that much so I Like a lot the peak, Avalanche, Canvas, Chief and the Wooly Marmot for being kinda like a smaller peak :), without a doubt the peak is the best, but the chief is a beast kinda on the same level as YYR/TP stuff or above.
There aren’t really any axiomatically bad clyw’s, as the sizes, shapes, weights, etc are so diverse that you can’t hate all clyw yoyos. Personally the gnarwhal is the best clyw I have used, with peak and canvas close behind. I don’t really suggest buying a chief or canvas stock from store, as they are (in my opinion) overpriced and not worth the investment. The Avalanche, BvM, Sasquatch, Gnarwhal, campfire, and bassalope are all worth their respective prices (stock). Now, the peak is a whole 'nother thing. You wouldn’t get it for how well it plays compared to other clyw’s, but would get it for it’s collectability (that even a word?). Granted, there are people that swear it is the best, but the quality is lower that the other clyw’s, as many had vibe issues.
Hope that helps. Harhar
I’m going to back up what Swatnoodle said regarding the Peak. My 2nd Run Peak is a great performer and has what is called “typical CLYW vibe”, which for me I don’t even notice. It also doesn’t bother me. In my opinion, it doesn’t play as well as my other CLYW’s. I’ve heard from trustworthy sources that the 2nd run had issues with consistency and mine feels very heavy on the string.
I’m glad I have it, I still want a 3rd Run Peak, which the same trustworthy sources say is the best type to get. And if I get it, I intend to play it. There is a collector’s aspect of it, but I am collecting yoyos to play them.
I’ve tried the Gnarwhale and it was pretty epic.
I have both the gnarwhal and the canvas. I have to say they are my two main players if I had to pick between one i would choose the canvas because of how smooth and classy it plays
i have a 28 stories wooly marmot, original peak with mountin scenery on the inside signed by jensen kimmet, b vs man ogopogo, and a avalanche. i love them all but if i had to pic one it would be my avalanche. i prefer larger yoyos. if you prefer a small throw the wooly marmot is perfect!!!
the wooly marmot is one of my favs too, i love small yoyos…check the sig pic
I would pick a canvas if I could
I agree for the most part, but a smooth playing Peak is just something awesome, even some second runs (the vibey-est) play astonishingly well, and I would personally not hesitate to pick up a reasonably-priced Peak, though that in itself can be quite hard to do.
But for the most part, I’d recommend the Avalanche, Chief, and Canvas over the Peak.
If I could only have one, I’d pick my Chief.
Peaks have a nice feel, but the quality control on the 1st and 2nd run peaks were outta whack. That’ why there are so many fools gold and vibey peaks. I do have a 2nd run peak coming cvs nd is suppose to be smooth, so yay.
It’s about preference. so that makes this whole thing pretty subjective. There hasn’t been a CLYW that i haven’t enjoyed throwing, (except the 2nd run peak i had, yuck) BUT, as far as my personal preferences go, i like a full sized throw, on the heavier end of the weight spectrum. The Sasquatch falls right into that category for me. It’s big and somewhat heavy, but it still plays fast. It’s my all time favorite throw.
The Sasquatch, Avalanche, and Gnarwhal are all modeled after the same design and shape. If you look at all three they are almost the exact same shape, except for slight differences. The gnarwhal came first, light and fast. Second came the Sasquatch, which is just a full sized Gnarwhal. (the shapes are identical) and last came the Avalanche. Which is exactly one gram lighter than the sasquatch. Once again, the shapes are exactly the same, except for the groove cut into the avalanches rims, which is where it loses that gram.
So CLYW managed to range most of the weight spectrum using one awesome shape. Like i said the Sasquatch is my favorite. The heaviest one. The Chief is also amazing, if you can find one for a reasonable price.
Hope this was helpful!!
AVALANCHE! YEAH!
I’ve tried all 3 runs, neither of my 2nd run peaks have vibe (yes I’m lucky) my 3rd run is a magical Kalusza(sp?) peak.
to be honest, the difference I see is weight, the 2nd run feels heavier, according to Chris the best of the 2nd run is the Alex Berenguel edition.
are they collectible? that’s up to you, I play them every day, what they are is unforgiving on a bad throw, but then again it’s about context, CLYW’s first yoyo, it was release a few years ago, so don’t put 2012 expetations on a yoyo that old.
To tell you the truth it all comes down to your personal preferences. You can’t really go wrong with Caribou Lodge throws, and they all look cool. Find out if you like floaty, heavy, light, etc. then pick one out that best fits what your looking for.
I concur! It’s all about personal preference. Before I had even tried out a CLYW, there was this huge hype around them, and still is. My first CLYW that I got was a Wooly Marmot, and that thing played really really well, a lot smaller than I saw of the pictures online. The next CLYW I got was a Sasquatch, and I mean, it was an okay throw, but I ended up trading a Rec Rev Oscillatrix, and a couple other ones for it, and it just wasn’t worth it. In my opinion, that Oscillatrix out performed the Sasquatch in every single way, and even the marmot, I wouldn’t say by a lot on the marmot, but I really love that yoyo, and I’m gonna pick up another Oscillatrix, anyways, back on to the topic.
I got a campfire shortly after, and for a pocket size throw, it really packs a punch to it, that thing played a lot better than I was expecting it to. I also had a mint gnarwhal, but only played with it 2 times, but from what I remember, it was a lot better than the Sasquatch. But…fast forward to 2 weeks ago, when I got my hands on an Avalanche…all I can say is WOW!!! That thing is a grinding beast, and everything about it, size, shape, gap, is just perfect! The Avalanche is my all time favorite CLYW so far. I just bought a FG Chief, and it’s getting mailed out tomorrow, so I’ll let you know how that one plays.
If it holds up to the hype, than it should be amazing, so after that, there will only be 3 CLYW’s I haven’t tried. The Peak, Canvas, and Bassalope. If you’re thinking that I forgot about the BearVSMan, I didn’t, I just picked one up last week in a trade, and I mean it’s a really smooth throw, it’s just not my favorite shape in the world. I will however say that it performs much better than a Sasquatch. I’ve tried out a couple Sas’s, and I just don’t find them up to the standard that CLYW has.
Sorry, I ranted on, but all in all, you can’t go wrong with any of them, just try and get some through the B/S/T’s, and if you end up not liking one, you can always find another person that wants it. Good luck in deciding!
So I have played all of the CLYW line and have all except the campfire in my collection, the canvas is the way to go in my opinion. It is the first CLYW imo to live up to the hype and I mean it is an awesome player. I have always been a fan of the CLYW colorways, they are the best but the canvas is the best of both worlds! If you can find one that’s the one to have but if not the avalanche and Sasquatch are both descent.
You will be completely satisfied whatever Clyw you get. They’re all awesome! ;D
I’m really thinking about jumping on a Chief when they go live on Friday…