General-Yo Essence
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
February 13, 2011
Introduction
There is a trend in the yo-yo industry to update older designs in order to keep them fresh and relevant to the community. Some companies will release the redesign using the same name showing the lineage that the update carries. Other companies will tweak a single spec or two and then release it under a completely new name and market it as a completely new product. Recently a new way of paying homage to previous products has emerged, one that results in a completely new design… the combination yo-yo. These combination yo-yos require the manufacturer to pour over all their previous designs and pick the best specs from each. Then they have to meld these specs into a cohesive unit. A good example of this type of design is the One Drop Y Factor which pulls form the M1, Project, P2 and Sovereign. Now it is General-Yo’s turn to bring out a yo-yo that combines the best of the best from Ernie’s previous throws, the Essence. As the name implies this yo-yo is supposed to capture some of the magic that made each previous throw great, in this case the Torrent, 5-Star, and Hatrick. With any combination, I can see an issue being that one yo-yo could dominate in the new design making it feel like just another revamp. Lets see if that is the case with the Essence or if it is equal parts magic from these three well-loved General-Yo designs.
Specs
• Diameter: 53.8mm
• Width: 43mm
• Gap: 4.2mm
• Weight: 67grams
• Response: Thick Hat Pads
• Bearing: General-Yo AIGR Bearing
Construction
Before I dive into the construction of this yo-yo, lets talk about what pieces come from which yo-yos:
• Rims – Hatrick
• Diameter – Torrent
• Cup – 5-Star/Torrent
• Catch Zone – 5-Star
• Response – Every Gen-Yo after the Hatrick
• Finish – 5-Star v.2
That is a respectable list of specs borrowed from previous designs and an even distribution from each. On paper no single yo-yo seems to dominate. Looking at the yo-yo the most striking feature of the Essence is the rim shape. It does make it look like a full sized Hatrick but the similarities end there. The profile shows a wide open, lower walled catch zone that reduces string friction. The inner walls curve out from the gap in a classic butterfly shape that transition to the flat rims. The cup of the yo-yo has a flat rim face while floor has a low profile spike in the center. The cup walls follow the curve of the catch zone giving a wide-open area for catching it on the IGR behind the rim. The whole yo-yo is wrapped in General-Yo’s bead blast finish. The finish is silky smooth in the hand. As with any General-Yo product, the logos are only etched into one side of the yo-yo leaving the other half blank. This yo-yo feels large in the hand having similar specs to the CLYW Peak. Players with small hands may not like the large size of the Essence but I welcomed its full hand feel. I found that it was easier to control and just fit my large hand better than a lot of the undersized yo-yos out there. In the end, the design is pure General-Yo. While the rims may give it a nod towards being a larger Hatrick, the feel in the hand and the over all look are completely unique.
Weight
At 67 grams this looks to tip the scales into “too heavy” territory for me, but the larger size and well thought out distribution made for an enjoyable play. It is not as fast as the 64 gram 5-Star v.2 or Hatrick but it is still quick. The weight gives the Essence a nice float on the string and in the air. The large rims give the yo-yo a high spin time allowing for extended amounts of play before binding. I may have to rethink my 64-67 gram range when it comes to larger yo-yos, 67 grams seems to be a good sweet spot for full sized yo-yos since it is more spread out across the body of the yo-yo.
Response and Bearing
The response is a set of thick Hat-Pads, which debuted with the General-Yo Hatrick. These pads give a great bind without being as grabby as a full .555 pad. Hat-Pads are offered in three types, thick-smooth, thick-textured, and thin-smooth. My personal preference is a combination of one thick and one thin smooth pad. I find that plays a tad more unresponsive than the two stock thick Hat-Pads and gives me the feel I am looking for.
The bearing is the General-Yo AIGR 8-Ball that has been used in every yo-yo that Ernie has produced. These bearings can take quite a bit of abuse without failing. They can get a little loud after a while but a drop or two of your thin lube of choice will fix that.
Playability
This yo-yo is General-Yo smooth on the string. I was impressed from the first throw, not only by the smoothness, but by how stable it was as well. Even though it is a large yo-yo it is also quite nimble on the string. I found that it moved well through Black Hops without hitting the strings while bouncing around on the strings. One new trick I decided to learn is from Steve Brown’s 365 Yo-Yo Tricks project, trick number 2 “Pulled Triangle”. It is basically a front style green triangle that feels like you have to thread a needle in order to land correctly. I found that learning this trick on the larger Essence made it easier to transition this trick to undersized yo-yos. As far as grinds are concerned, this is a General-Yo so you know they are going to be perfect. The finish allows this yo-yo to just sit on my skin for what feels like an eternity and still to your hand. Thumb grinds are easy to pull off thanks to the deep cup and IGR. One thing I did notice was that my yo-yo would have what looks like white dust after a thumb grind. Turns out it was just thumb nail dust from the yo-yo sitting on the nail; wipes right off with no damage to the finish… and only minor damage to my nail. While this may have a slight nod to the Hatrick in looks the play is completely fresh and new. It has the feel of a General-Yo product but plays unlike any previous design.
Final Thoughts
After an extended amount of play, I can honestly say that Ernie has made a perfect blend of his previous designs while coming up with a wholly unique addition to the General-Yo line up. I think this might be my new favorite General-Yo. As far as getting your hands on one, this is going to be a highly sought after yo-yo in the community due to its low numbers and amazing play. If you can get your hands on one do not hesitate in about a month I can see it becoming harder to find than a Torrent.
How many great yoyos do we overlook because we obsess over the hard to get or currently hyped ones, right?