The Grail is one of the rather wide-set, somewhat recent, reportedly “floaty” organics that my collection is currently lacking. I’ve got a few yoyos that embody the aforementioned characteristics, as this is one of my favorite approximate shapes and favorite diameter/width ratios. Would you (a person who owns/has owned both) mind giving me a subjective comparison to the RSO Bowl 7068?
I’m trying to determine whether or not it’s worth buying for me, given that most of the Grail colorways I like typically run $170+ on the BST. My current top 3 in this design space are the GWAY Saboteur, TS Sistine Thief, and Bowl 7068 (all different enough that I can justify keeping them), but I don’t own one that weighs less than 64g, and I know that the Grail’s weight distribution is legendary for its borderline oversized diameter. I think I already have my answer (that it’s almost certainly not worth buying), but I’d like to hear from the Grail diehards, and specifically the ones who can compare it to something I own.
If a person has a Grail, they don’t need an RSO Bowl.
And if they have a Bowl, they ‘do not’ need a Grail.
Not a thing bad to say about the Grail. It is a great design. But the higher BST prices aren’t directly related to ‘magical yo-yo dynamics. The higher prices are the direct result of their scarcity on the BST.
The MK1 Contact plays really close to a Grail compared to the 7068 Bowl
The 7068 Bowl plays more like a less dense Duncan MayheM 2019
The MayheM and Koi play similar, but the MayheM has a little more power and that One Drop feel.
The B7 or Grail 7069 plays denser than the OG Grail, but is lighter and faster on the string, OG Grail has more hang time, the MK1 Contact has that similar hang time feel.
The hype behind the Grail is largely stemming from Jensen being the owner of A/RT. It’s a fun yoyo definitely, but the prices it’s selling at is mostly because of it’s collectability. As @Exmime said, there’s plenty of yoyos out there that play very similar for a fraction of the price if that’s all you’re looking for. I’d throw in the Heaven Sent Creep as well, which IMO plays very similar/almost identical. The Markmont Classic with ultralights is also similar but plays with a tad more heft.
Agreed. Not sure if maybe a very skilled player might have a reasonable basis for preferring one over the others. I tend to agree with something Tyler Severance said in one of his interviews. Something along the lines of yo-yos are all pretty much the same, but people have preferences based on how they want to see themselves. I have a Grail, a Saboteur, a Sistine (thief edn), a Contact, an MCMO and probably a few others that are generally close to that shape. The last one I’d part with would be the Grail or the MCMO because it somehow adds some magic that Jensen/Charles and Mark respectively had a hand in/on them. To me, they’re all close enough that for pure play results, you don’t need more than one. But since you already mentioned that you feel that the difference between the Sistine and the Saboteur are enough to justify having both, you should probably get a Grail. You’ve already invested more than the cost of a Grail in the others and you’ll enjoy holding it and noticing the similarities and differences and (at least for the foreseeable future), as many threads have mentioned, you can always sell a Grail for close to what you paid if you decide you don’t want it.
To be completely honest its hard for me to say a grail is more collected, sure there is a demand, but try find a bowl, vs the countless grails you will see pop up. Sure you have to be quick on the trigger to get a grail, but I see them far more often than a bowl.
That said I have never played the standard version of the bowl so I cant give a comparison… but I will say I no longer have any grails, just a lonely quail left in my collection.
Yep! I agree on both of those! I sold both a creep as well as my mmc(with ultralights) because they played too similar to my grail and I prefer pyramatte to the blasts.
Sistine is an unstable highwall mess compared to grail (at least the OG), mcmo is too heavy comparatively and makes it feel far more comp oriented. Contact has the same feel but again, doesnt end up as stable. Wait for a dinged up one to hit the market for about 120 and shoot to kill on that one, the damage very rarely affects play on these grails (I’ve had a few chewed ones ranging from a few flatspots to pavement dings all around the rim and you can seldom tell the diff between those and mint ones on a throw).
But tbh as much of a fan I am of organics and a/rt, I still think it’s overhyped. Go for an atmos noah, with what you currently have in your rotation that one is sure to give you that crazy amount of float and creamy weight distro you need–at half the price if youre lucky on the BST
I would suggest the Contact as well, it’s way better value than the Grail or Bowl 7068. Out of the options you said though, I would definitely suggest Bowl 7068 over the Grail. It has better performance but a really close feel to the Grail. RSO also has amazing machining and QC, so at least you are getting something premium for the money. A lot of A-rt stuff has QC issues especially vibe, and often if you want to BST one it will be dinged up or a big markup from retail. Not worth over other options IMO.
I think for me the grail just feels “different” any one I have played has a little character vibe and feeling that one drop machining as you are pairing the two half’s together just feels “solid”
I do think that there are other great options out there for organics - no doubt about that, but for me the grail has enough “personality” to make it feel different, no flashy splashes, no gimmicks, just a solidly good YoYo.
The Grail did the super floaty bubbly organic with minimalist look first. I’m guessing the Grail got into more players’ hands than the Bowl, so, all told, maybe that’s why there is still plenty of reverence for it. Also, to me the Grail looks way cooler. As an OG YYR fan, the Grail aesthetics spoke to me
Spec-wise, the Grail is slightly bigger and lighter than the Bowl so I’m guessing the Grail plays floatier/bouncier but with a little less spin time. Can anyone who has both confirm or deny that?
Grail was originally released in 2016 and has multiple runs and drops since then that sell out within a day. The RSO 7068 Bowl was released in early summer of 2019 with only that one run and a lot of folks slept on them at first as they lingered in the online shops for a few months.
