Ever since May of 2010, CYLW has been my favorite Yo-Yo company. I don’t know why, but I really like the way their return tops feel on the string. Such a smooth experience . . . you know you are using something truly amazing when you first throw a CLYW.
But there’s something unique in every model they release, and sometimes it’s hard to decide which one to get – especially when you start thinking about what shape, size, weight, color, and price you’re looking for. It is for this very reason that I have created
THE CLYW MEGA YO-YO REVIEW
Thunder and lightning
I’ll be reviewing two signature Yo-Yos (Sebastian Brock’s “Bassalope”, and Krisztian Kaluzsa’s “Avalanche”), as well as the “Campfire”, and the “Gnarwhal”.
I’ll be keeping each review somewhat short, because there are four of them. After reading it all, you might have an idea of how these Yo-Yos compare to each other.
Review #1: The Campfire
NOTE: I’m not sure if this Yo-Yo is still sold here on YYE, but you may be able to obtain one in a trade, or even buy one from someone else.
Looks
When I first took it out of the box, I was actually surprised by how small it was. I had heard that the Campfire was a “pocket Yo-Yo”, but I didn’t know how small that actually was. As it turns out, the outside diameter of this Yo-Yo is equal to that of a Ritz cracker. Now this isn’t a bad thing - the Campfire is in fact supposed to be small, and it does fit in my pocket extremely well. It also looks amazing. The anodization and bead blasting are super smooth, and the logo on each side of the Yo-Yo has been laser engraved, so it’s not going to scratch off.
Performance
This little Yo-Yo’s performance is fantastic. Mine has no vibe at all, and it spins for a very long time. The response is also great; it returns only when I bind it, and it barley ever snags. It also feels just as small as it really is, and I find that it is highly maneuverable when it comes to complex string tricks. This Yo-Yo is not very “whippy”, though. It’s small size makes it somewhat difficult to land complicated lacerations, and it’s just not floaty enough. This Yo-Yo is best for long combo tricks, I think.
Final words
I wouldn’t use this Yo-Yo as my main throw, but I love having it with me on the go (no rhyme intended). As I said, it fits perfectly in my pocket, and it’s great to have such a reliable Yo-Yo when a crowd starts to form around me in public.
Specs
Diameter: 48.3 mm
Width: 35.2 mm
Gap Width: 4.0 mm
Weight: 62.5 grams
Response Type: Flowable silcone
Bearing size: Large ©
Retail: $75.00 (currently unavailable)
Review #2: The Bassalope
Looks
The Bassalope, in my opinion, is one of the most visually striking CLYW return tops. The outside is very rounded and smooth in appearance, but then it cuts away to the inside where everything is more angular and sharp looking. Great, great contrast. When I first took my Bass out of the box, I was somewhat taken aback. No picture can do it justice.
Performance
The Bassalope performs wonderfully. It feels somewhat heavy, yet it glides across the strings like it’s weightless. It also has amazing spin times. I thought my campfire was good, but the Bass was able to go that little extra mile and pull off even longer combos. It’s also extremely stable. When you throw this Yo-Yo straight, it stays straight, and isn’t going to fall off the string any time soon.
Final words
Fantastic. It’s very reliable, very easy to use, and it’s a medium sized Yo-Yo, which I like. If you want a good, quality Yo-Yo that can handle all kinds of tricks, look no further than the Bassalope.
Specs
Diameter: 52.55 mm
Width: 41.80 mm
Gap Width: 4.0 mm
Weight: 66.3 grams
Response Type: Flowable silcone
Bearing size: Large ©
Retail: $115.00 (currently unavailable)
Review #3: The Gnarwhal
Looks
This return top really looks like the CLYW Sasquatch, Alex Berenguel’s signature Yo-Yo. Interestingly though, the diameter and width of the Gnarwhal are about equal to that of the Bassalope. I think this Yo-Yo is a very unique piece of art in the CLYW museum.
( . . . that seemed more clever before I typed it).
Performance
The Gnarwhal is probably the most floaty feeling Yo-Yo I have ever used. It feels like air when I start hopping it around from string to string, and whip tricks just feel so right. It’s also very fast. I feel more comfortable doing tricks at high speeds on this Yo-Yo, as oppose to something like the Bass. Out of all my CLYWs, the Gnarwhal is probably the most fun to use.
Final words
I love this Yo-Yo. I used it in two Yo-Yo videos, and the quality of this return top really shows when you watch them. I mean, I can do my best tricks on a Duncan Drifter if I have too, but the Gnarwhal just makes everything feel more under control. It doesn’t fight with you during each trick - it simply does whatever you want it too, and does it well.
Specs
Diameter: 52.0 mm
Width: 41.4 mm
Gap Width: 4.10 mm
Weight: 66.0 grams
Response Type: Snow Tires
Bearing size: Large ©
Retail: $115.00
Review #4: The Avalanche
Looks
This Yo-Yo, like everything else so far, looks great in my opinion. The inside of the Yo-Yo halves resemble the Gnarwhal, but the actual profile of the Yo-Yo is slightly more angular. This is also a “full size” Yo-Yo, since it’s outside diameter is about the same as that of a Duncan Butterfly.
Performance
This Yo-Yo spins longer than any other CLYW I own. It’s absolutely brilliant. The Avalanche also has some of that “floaty feel” that the Gnarwhal has, because whips and slacks feel great. However, this Yo-Yo doesn’t feel very fast to me, and it’s not nearly as maneuverable as the Campfire. Still, it performs great at slower, Jensen Kimmitt-ish speeds. The Avalanche is my go-to throw right now, because I’m practicing bigger, slower, more crowd-pleasing tricks.
Final Words
The Avalanche is every bit as awesome as I hoped it would be, and then some. It just slips around the strings so smoothly, and the size is really nice. I hope to make a video with this Yo-Yo at some point, because I don’t want to put it down.
(It’s tied to my finger right now)
Specs
Diameter: 55.5 mm
Width: 43.0 mm
Gap Width: 4.14 mm
Weight: 67.2 grams
Response Type: Flowable silcone
Bearing size: Large ©
Retail: $115.00
Pros and cons (applies to any of the four Yo-Yos)
Pros: Long spin times - Super smooth bead blast - Great stock bearing - Great stock response system - Not very noisy
Cons: Very expensive - Claims yet another spot in your Yo-Yo case
Well that’s about it, then
I hope you enjoyed these short reviews, and I hope that anyone who couldn’t pick which CLYW to buy (or whether or not to buy one at all) might be a little closer to their decision now 
Some of you may have also been annoyed by how quick, snappy, and opinion-based each review was. Well, if there is anything else you would like to know about these Yo-Yos, please ask me in the comments - I don’t mind answering questions. And if any of you edgy people were bothered by a sloppy sentence, or a bit of info you thought was false, please just PM me and I’ll fix the mistake (No need to clutter the replies with another grammar controversy).
Thanks for reading!
-Ace
