I played it for over an hour last Sat. and I was not overly impressed. Obviously there will be folks who love it, sure. But a signature throw has it’s pos and negs. Not many people have Augie’s skill or taste for a throw. On the whole I felt it did not offer as much spin time as other throws in the price bracket, or enough momentum to keep it spinning. It’s fast but hits the wall or say runs out of gas 3/4ths of the way through. My Chaotic weighs .4 grams less and is smaller and beats it in terms of spin and speed. And for the money, the 2012 blows it away.
Regarding the Catalyst’s surface, it has the same texture as the Rockstar 2012, Current Yuuksta and Chaotic, so it grinds great. It has the same side profile found in the Genesis, Rockstar 2012, and Yuuksta for extra stability and it shows on the string. It has very good comfort thanks to its rounded shape, and an excellent catch zone too. It’s a very good yoyo, but it just doesn’t have the oomph! for my taste, which is why I put the Rockstar 2012 above it.
Like I said… there are people who will love it. I don’t agree with you, but you are a diff player so there it is. Good to hear both sides though, however i’ts just not up to what I like or expect compared to my other throws, undersized included.