Here’s a review of the Yoyofriends Graviton: Y (pronounced GraviTony, after Tony Sung). For those who don’t know, it’s the 7068 monometal version of the Ti-rimmed Graviton, which I’ve not played and thus won’t be comparing it to (Dylan Kowalski has reviewed both if you’re curious).
There have been several reviews of this yoyo already, but I found they sharply contradicted each other. YoYoJoe1 on YT claimed it was te fastest yoyo he’d ever played with, but that it was a bit lacking in the spin department; others said it was powerful and long spinning, but felt heavy. That made my choice picking this one quite confusing, so I’m here to give you the definitive (wait, that’s Simply Mike’s thing) review of the YYFr Gravitony. (Ok, that’s a joke. But clearly, my opinion is better than everyone else’s).
Let’s kick it off with some general thoughts on how it feels.
Those rims feel every bit as chunky as they look. This is far and away the most rim-weighted mono I’ve thrown. While it’s not as extreme as bimetals with thick steel rims, it falls somewhere between a thinner-rimmed bi and competition mono. If you love extreme weight distribution in a bimetal, you’ll likely love this one. The wide catch zone makes landing tricks on the string quite easy as well.
It didn’t take long to notice some cons. There’s a sharp edge to the rims if you don’t get an even catch, and the rim weight got a bit fatiguing pretty quickly. More on these later.
Power & spin time: Long and strong. Doesn’t smash the hand as hard as the most powerful after a bind, but in no way feels lacking (and I love power).
Stability: Great. I’ve played a few bimetals that are more stable, but it’s probably the most stable mono I’ve thrown.
Speed & controlability: I have to debunk YoYoJoe1’s claim of this being one of the fastest throws around (it’s not even close). It’s by no means slow, but for me it’s wedged between fast and slightly above average. As with nearly all rim-weighted yoyos, it does feel reluctant until it’s in motion. It’s easy to control for tech & zoning and certainly won’t get away from you; however, it doesn’t sit like a rock once you overcome inertia.
Smoothness: 9.5/10 smooth in the vibe department. The anno is superb. Buttery smooth, and slightly addicting to feel in the hand/on the finger.
Binds: Tight, consistent, not snaggy.
Overall, this thing won’t hold you back at all for 1A. It does have some cons: most notably for me is the sharp corner of the outer rim and face. This keeps it from feeling quite as refined, and makes what would otherwise be an extremely comfortable yoyo less so. It also has rim-weighted sluggishness, which is often one thing that makes me favor monometals. Perhaps that could put this yoyo in limbo of not reaping the full benefits of bimetal or mono; conversely, if you’re looking for the closest thing to bimetal in performance with mono durability, it bridges the gap well. If you’re looking for a durable, capable throw, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better bang for your buck. If you don’t mind discomfort on an awkward catch, this thing is a monster for 5A (as Tony designed it to be) and likely a great candidate for 3A as well. Check it out!