I’m not really talking about manufacturing quality though, I’m talking about performance. Yeah I’ve had yoyos that are less than $50 that are smoother than a Draupnir. That doesn’t mean my YYF Czech Point is better than the Draupnir though.
If there’s $30 monometals that play better than the Draupnir what’s the point of making $100 bimetals anymore.
There isn’t any; it’s purely aesthetics these days. The good news is that all yo-yos are great… the bad news is that all yo-yos are great.
It is true that you can get a tighter shape with denser materials in use on the edges in bimetals (or trimetals, or POM/metal for that matter), but I feel that the stronger 7068 and 7075 alu becoming more common has narrowed that gap considerably.
First of all, the first half of your post is dilatory; it doesn’t support your claim that the Draupnir is still at the top. Second of all, Iori used the Draupnir for a consistent three years (2013-15)before switching his competition throw of choice to a Sigtyr. Let’s take a look at the Sigtyr, it’s ten dollars cheaper and not to mention a better all rounded yoyo for both tech and speed players. The Yoyoexpert description itself said,
“This is where the Sigtyr really outshines the Draupnir - The incredible stability and spin power, not to mention a more comfortable feel in the hand!”
I may be wrong about most yoyos over 100 dollars surpassing the draupnir but I can confidently guarantee that the future models YYR will produce will definitely replace the draup on the podium for best yoyos.
There’s probably many yoyos now that could rival the Draupnir, but I’m still very impressed by
It. It appears rather simple but has such a superb performance and feeling.
It’s very difficult to realise a rich concept and whittle it down to it’s simplest design, and whoever designed the Draupnir executed this masterfully.
With all the stuff I said, I still like the draup a lot. Like coding horror and zslane said, I think the draupnir is going to be outdated soon. I really want them to update the design a little bit or experiment with different arrangements of materials to cut the cost down.
No, I meant maybe try using another type of aluminium like 6068 or something to actually maintain the feel of a metal draup, I didn’t mean the POM version of it.
They probably used the same design. But as of right now, I don’t think the technology right now can make plastic replicate the feel of metal. Plastics tend to be lighter and bouncier while metals are much more hefty.
As far as I see it they did exactly what you said you wanted them to do: experiment with different materials and cut down the cost. You didn’t specify that you only meant a different grade of aluminium, which isn’t really different material.
If you think they only machined the exact same body out if POM then you are mistaken. If they did that, the body would be wafer thin and crack at the slightest impact. It would have been a serious redesign.
I think you’ve established that you feel the Draupnir is too expensive and superceded by other more current models. And your poo-pooing of the POM version as not what you meant by a redesign means you’re simply unhappy with the Draupnir line as a whole. So maybe the conversation has been wrapped up now.
If you want a Draupnir you can buy a Draupnir. If you don’t, you can buy something else. There is a premium product line in EVERY category. It doesn’t matter if you want it or not, and It doesn’t matter if you personally think it’s worth the money. They aren’t for everyone and the price/availability reflects that.
Companies don’t owe you a cheaper version of their premium models and they don’t have to lower the price to cater to you or anyone. If you want something cheaper there are plenty of options for cheaper products. Yoyorecreation even offers some in their Rebellion line.
P.S. I really like the Draupnir, it’s a great yo-yo, but I just don’t have the desire to spend that much on a yo-yo personally. The fact that I don’t want to spend that much doesn’t cause me to think it should be cheaper though, it’s just not the right product for me.
Surely the lofty price tag adds to its mystique. YYR could probably sell the Draupnir for $150 and still make a tidy profit. But why should they?
There is a principle in business that the perception of value is often tied to purchase price. So if a company wants a product to be regarded as a prestigous luxury item, they will price it accordingly regardless of how much it costs them to make it.