This is my first review, it’ll be a quick one on the CLYW Orca.
Specs
Diameter – 55.05 mm
Width --45 mm
Gap width – 4.05 mm
Weight – 67 grams
Bearing – C size CTX
Response – CLYW Snow tires
Packaging
Well, everyone else starts with the packaging, so I suppose I should too. As anyone who has received a CLYW return top before (or even people who haven’t) will know, CLYW uses simple cardboard boxes with nice box art printed in black ink. The orca is no exception here, it arrived in a standard CLYW box with a picture of an orca swallowing harrison lee (or harrison is wearing an orca costume) printed on the front.
Look
My orca is in the “clareview station” colorway. As with all CLYW return tops, this colorway looks fantastic. There are no ano flaws, and it looks incredibly high quality. As far as shape goes, think “shutter” with thicker and more defined rims. It’s also a few millimeters wider than the shutter.
Feel
Well, it certainly feels wider than it actually is. It looks very wide, and feels very wide, despite the fact that the orca is not extraordinarily wide. Its a normal width, however it feels much wider. This return top is very, very smooth. The anodization is great for grinds, and just awesome in every way anodization should be.
Play
One throw SCREECH and ridiculous amounts of vibe. It made this thing unplayable.
Maybe in an alternate universe-- the orca is dead smooth, and there is really no way not to mention that. Aside from that, the spin times are phenomenal. However, I did put a slightly thicker string on and the spin times dropped considerably under about two string wraps. Stick to thinner string. There is some bearing noise, as with all center track bearings. I switched to a flat one drop bearing and the orca is nearly silent, that’s my new setup. While maneuvering between strings, the orca has a unique feel and quite a bit of life to it. It isn’t a cloud on a string, but it’s floaty enough for it to not be solid, if that makes sense. It changes direction very easily, and is kind of like one drop 54, in the way that it can carry momentum. It carries momentum well, but not so well that it takes more than a split second to snap into a totally different direction. It makes this return top great for any playstyle, as the way it carries momentum and moves is very desireable. It’s really a versatile trait. Suicides stay open pretty well, but not as well as something like the gnarwhal would keep them. Grindwise, the orca easily handles them with the anodization it has. Its not the best grinding yoyo I’ve used, but it’s beyond sufficient for the small amount of grinds that I do.
Thoughts
As you can tell there’s really nothing I dislike about the orca. I think that it’s a fantastic return top that anyone who has the money should own. The price is really the only downside. At 145 dollars, this is not cheap at all. This, along with most other CLYWs requires alot of saving; It is without a doubt worth it though.
Seriously, anyone who doesn’t own an orca is missing out. This should be your next return top ;D.