Hspin Pyro 3
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
May 8, 2011
Introduction
Hspin is back with its first release of 2011, the Pyro 3. The original Pyro came in 2005 and quickly became a fan favorite for some of the top names today, most notable being current SPYY team member Guy Wright. The original Pyro was a large diameter, large width yo-yo with very little curve to the catch zone; some likened it to throwing around a soup can. To combat this Hspin released the second in the line, the Pyro Light. The Light was a chopped version of the original design that cut the width by almost 6 mm and cut the weight almost a full 10 grams. Today we are looking at the latest in the Pyro line, the Pyro 3. There is always a risk in badging a yo-yo as the second or third in a series. There will be certain expectations of play and there could be negative connotations with the name that could make potential customers shy away from purchasing it. Even with those risks, there is one huge positive. You get a major amount of hype surrounding the release thanks to the fact that the Pyro had a huge following and was loved by a lot of people during its initial run. The players that owned one are going to want to try a new Pyro 3 just to see if they can rekindle the nostalgia from days gone by. Did Hspin do the right thing by placing this yo-yo in the Pyro family or would they have been better off letting it stand on its own as a brand new product?
Specs
• Diameter: 52.0mm
• Width: 41.9mm
• Gap: 4mm
• Weight: 65.5g
• Bearing: 6x13x5 mm
• Response: Flowable Silicone
Construction
Normally I save the finish for last but the looks of this yo-yo demand that I start off with them. Pulling the Pyro 3 out of the clear plastic and foam container I immediately noticed the black military hard coat ano and the red laser etching. In the cups you have a simple flame and a roman numeral 3 on one side and the Hspin logo and serial on the other. In the catch zone there are large, red, laser etched flames that stand out against the jet-black finish. If I had to take a guess I would say that the yo-yo started out completely anodized black and then the laser etching exposed the raw metal. It was then dipped again in red to color the laser etch. This is the first yo-yo I have seen that has gone the extra step of coloring the etchings.
Moving on to the construction of the yo-yo, the profile is a classic butterfly shape with a little bit of V-shape thrown in near the guts. There is a sweeping curve from the rims down into the catch zone that straightens out near the guts giving it a little extra bit of low wall. The rims have a rounded edge that is comfortable to hold in the hand. The cups are deep with a small spiked hub in the center and an angled IGR lip at the edges. Over all I am a fond of the design, you can still see a few small references to the original Pyro shape while making it a completely new entry.
Weight
The weight on paper is 65.5 grams but it plays heavier than that on the string. This is a solid throw with no float and a commanding hit at the end of the string. It maintains a medium speed during play with loads of spin time.
Response and Bearing
This yo-yo is Hspin’s first to be released with a flowable silicone response. While I liked the tiny pads that came with the original Axle & Response 2.0 system I must admit that this is a much better option for the consumers. The pads could be hard to come by at times and flowable gives more customization. For those who had problems with flowable silicone falling out of the original A&R2.0 system I am happy to say that the recess is now deep enough to accommodate it. After many hours of play there has not been a single issue.
For this release Hspin has stepped up from the D-Sized bearing to the large metric bearing. Even with the step up they are still using the hybrid bearing that was introduced back with the NVx. The bearing is super quiet thanks to the plastic cage and maintains low noise even when run completely dry.
Playability
The Pyro 3 is smooth on the string. On the first throw I was greeted with a distinct and solid hit when it reached the end of the line. This yo-yo runs through tricks without skipping a beat. Even though it is a mid sized yo-yo it has no problem weaving around multiple string wraps including this weird GT that I stumbled upon while working with this yo-yo. I discovered that you can get into a Green Triangle while trying to do a double or nothing, you just miss your off hand pointer finger, bring the yo-yo up and around from the inside and then land it on the bottom string. Let go of the string on your throw hand and you are now in a GT. I’ll have to film it, it is hard to describe. Grinds were one area of play that I worried about since there is no bead blast finish. In the end I had nothing to worry about, the laser etched flames act as a blast finish and do a decent job of replicating a bead blast. I would have liked the finish to be a little smoother, the flames feel a little rough on the hand but aside from that they do exactly what they were designed to do, allow it to finger grind. Since the flames to not extend to the edge of the catch zone, palm grinds do suffer a bit. Thumb grinds are easy to do thanks to the deep IGR and small spike. Speaking of the spike, it is sharp enough to catch for matador play but you have to hit it spot on. If you miss and hit the ano you will stop the yo-yo. In the end there are a few small issues for me but it is an over all great playing yo-yo. I would have liked a little more float, maybe a gram or two less in weight, and a bead blast finish but those are just to fit my preferred feel. There is no denying that this is a very well playing yo-yo that will please a lot of people.
Final Thoughts
While this yo-yo does take some small design cues from the Pyro family, I don’t think it should have been called the Pyro 3. This is a very well made yo-yo that could have easily stood on it’s own as a totally new product from Hspin. With a limitation of only 150 produced, it is going to be hard to find. Even though I had a few small issues with it, it was strong enough of a performer to keep me coming back for more time and time again.