This is what it looks like:
http://instagram.com/p/NFYK2rQF4t/
I’ve really struggled trying to come up with the best way to review a yo-yo. I dislike reviews that say a yo-yo is “floaty” or “fast”, because as far as I can tell from physics, a spinning yo-yo doesn’t fall any faster or slower than a still yo-yo. There’s also the matter of string length, which can change the feel of any yo-yo a great deal but is rarely mentioned in yo-yo reviews.
But simply stating the specs isn’t great either, since the diameter and weight of a yo-yo don’t tell the whole story. The angular moment would be a good number to compare, but manufacturers typically don’t release it.
What I’m left with then is a set of feelings - my feeling - and those don’t seem like great criteria for other people to use when thinking about where to put their money. But whatevs - I can’t think on this forever - other things to do - so I’ll write what I can now and edit later.
This review is about the Glacier Express. For this review, I used the string that came w/ the yo-yo. The GE looks pretty freaky. It’s got the double rings of the chief and an inner wall cutaway like the Dert Muffin Top / YYF Rewind / YYF Avant Garde I and II. I haven’t played any of those. This is my first inner wall cutaway yo-yo.
I expected it to play as weird as it looked. I expected it to feel kind of like the Pyro. And these expectations were wrong. The GE plays much like the Arctic Circle, but I think it is better at regens and perhaps more rim weighted (wish I could get the actual numbers for this), which is great, because I love regens. I haven’t had any issues with the string getting stuck on one of the steep H walls. Occasionally I will hear a small “ping”, which I think is caused by the string catches slightly on this wall before moving out of the way on a sloppy regin/bind/whatever. It hasn’t been a big deal and hasn’t detracted at all from my enjoyment. Suicides are great.
The GE is machined in Canada by a company that also produced precision optical equipment. The machining is on par with CLYW’s other recent successes (Chief, Arctic Circle). My finger fits in the gap, so I find it to be comfortable. I don’t spend much time hold it though, as I tend to try and regen from one trick to the next and only return the yo-yo to my hand when absolutely necessary. The finish is similar to my other CLYWs. I’ll need to try the glow sticks in recess on the outside.
As I said, I’m big on regens, so I prefer the GE to the Arctic Circle. I like other people looking at its unique design and raising an eyebrow, and I’m happy that the design, instead of getting in the way of play, actually enhances a characteristic I’m particularly fond of.
H-shaped yo-yos aren’t my favorite – generally I like the classic freehand or duncan butterfly shape. But the play characteristics of the GE have me picking it up again and again.