After a long wait, Design II has made it to my doorstep. I completed QC and first impressions last night and will be shipping them out slowly starting today. Thank you as always for supporting these projects!
A note: Several folks have reached out asking for a production run of these however not enough to justify a run. If you were one of the people looking to grab a production release version please reach out to me so I can create a contact list about it. This way I can prep another order batch and know exactly how many I might need for those who had missed out. Pricing is increasing from $100 to $150 to allow for the usual custom stamp + artwork fee’s along with the additional effort associated with larger runs. I am not in a position to take on more work at the moment but I can make this happen if the interest is large enough.
It has been a month and I wanted to update those who have been following the thread.
First off:
Design II has received some fantastic feedback and love from those who have had a chance to snag one or try a version at clubs/Nationals. It really brings me joy to hear folks are enjoying these projects. I am always thankful for those folks who support these projects and those who are taking interest to debate design improvements and concepts.
So whats the plan going forward?
Ideally this would have gone straight into production and you would have access to snag it. However, I want this to be something a National or World Finalist could pick up and go compete with on that level of stage with, so additional refinement is required. A version 2.0 has been designed and a quote has been made. More details soon on how to snag one.
What were some of these “problems”?
In terms of direct player feedback the main reoccurring design flaw was that the design lacked spin speed. While in theory you could technically milk out 1:30 second combos out of the play, and Adrian managed to hit a 1:57 once with careful play, this was not a realistic test since after about 45 seconds the speed would die down into a “limbo state”. This limbo state resulted in the yoyo still having another 45 seconds or more of stable play. However, binds became slippy and would only return about 1/2 way up the string. To me that’s unacceptable.
Additional critiques were in the lack of “heft”. And while the yoyo was not light by any means, the packaging of that weight made it present as lighter while in play.
What caused it?
After several conversations with Jordan and Mark from MK1 also taking the time to diagnose the yoyo, It was decided that the rim angle needed a change. The previous rim angle cause high amounts of stability but with the string interaction within the catch zone it would cause the speed scrubbing effect. With this, I also wanted to have Jordan use his favorite material of choice: 7068 AL.
The material change instantly allowed us to repackage how we wanted to present that weight. With the ring now being increased from 16.13g to 18.74, dropping the body down to 13.02g compared to the original 15.28g (per half). MOI was preserved between the two versions as almost the same.
Aesthetically this update resulted in a more aggressive visual presentation of the rim section however we were also able to bring more of the extended rim styling element into play with the design.
Cross section of the rim V2 in green and V1 in black.
Finally the updated spec comparison:
Version 1:
Diameter: 55mm
Width: 46mm
Gap: 4.61
Total weight: 66.0g
Ring weight: 16.13g (per half)
Body weight: 15.28g (per half)
Material: 6061 + SS
Version 2:
Diameter: 55mm
Width: 46mm
Gap: 4.61
Total weight: 66.26g
Ring weight: 18.74g (per half)
Body weight: 13.02g (per half)
Material: 7068 + SS
That’s all for now, thanks for coming to my TED Talk!
Yep! I want to finalize some renders first so you all can actually see the updated design before putting in your pre-order. Same run count of 15 pieces with 12 being available for purchase. However the price has been increased to $145.
Color will again be in the same clear polished finish as version 1 was.
Pre-orders will launch sometime Friday or slightly earlier.
Please note!!! The colors you see here are NOT the colors of the actual yo-yo. This is done to help differentiate between the stainless ring and body within the render and make it visually easy to understand!
The final color will be like the V1: clear polished body with raw rings
Also please note: some nail vibe was present on version one when it arrived. I suspect this will be the case for non production sized runs.
Official Pre-Order Drop will be on Friday 7/14/2023 at 9am PST.
Additionally during this prototype order, there is another design going in for prototyping. I hope that I can tease some details soon but for now keep your eyes out on Instagram. For those who are on Patreon the details are already live.
Some pre-anodizing photos came in from the folks over at FPM.
I was not expecting any updates for a while due to WYYC being around the corner so this was a pleasant surprise! Thanks for being patient as always, cant wait to get these into your hands!
Some post-anodizing updates:
The shop recently sent these over! D2 v2 in clear and a mysterious purple yo-yo. I have details to share if there is an interest to know more about the mysterious purple yo.
SS and Ti rings are next (a little hint about the mystery yo)
Reasonably priced is a bit difficult since it’s Grade 5 bar stock caps which need to be made while still retaining a good bimetal rim structure all in one piece.
D2 has landed and has been tested! They will slowly start going out today and will be all on their way to their new homes this weekend! Thank you for the support!
It’s been almost 2 weeks and all US bound Design 2’s have officially landed. A big thank you to all of those who support these little projects Hopefully it was a fun mail day!
Design 2 has hit its intended marks and I cannot be happier with how it turned out. Until the need arises to further progress the level of refinement, Design 2 is considered retired until further notice.
It was a pleasure working with @chaosgow through two different variations of this project. Both limited to 15 pieces resulting in 30 pieces in total circulation.
Thank you to everyone who was involved throughout both iterations. From those who play tested and talked design improvements, to those involved in either of the two drops.
It was both challenging and extremely enjoyable to take a positive reactionary position to the Reflection feedback in order to bring a more competitive focused multipurpose design to the table. Only to do that once more after additional follow up feedback with v1.
Hoping to see some reviews when folks are ready to share thoughts
Hopefully it was a fun mail day!