ILOVEYOYO Falcon 2011
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
March 20, 2011
Introduction
It is funny how time changes your perspective on things. Back when I reviewed the original Falcon over a year ago I thought it was a little too wide and I considered it slightly unwieldy. Now it fits right in with the current trends of the yo-yo industry and is as wide as two of my current favorites, the CLYW Avalanche and the General-Yo Essence. Also, when the original Falcon was released we were introduced to the new Candodized finish. Candodize was supposed to be the replacement to the Candy Blast finish that ILYY had become known for. At the time of the release I didn’t mind the new hard coat finish that gave eye-popping color. After the year and some change from the original release my liking of the Candodized finish has waned. I have found that in humid weather, or when transitioning from cold to warm temperatures, the finish felt quite sticky. I began to miss the Candy Blast finish and I was not alone. Luckily that has changed recently. ILYY has decided that all future runs of their yo-yos would now come in the Candy Blast finish due to community demand. To kick off this new Candy Blast trend they released the redesigned Falcon 2011. It is always risky to release a redesign instead of a new yo-yo. If the changes are not drastic enough then all of the people who already own the previous will leave it sit on the e-store shelves. We already know one major change to this new Falcon, the finish, are the rest of the changes enough to warrant a new purchase?
Specs
• Diameter: 54mm
• Width: 44.20mm
• Weight: 67.50g
• Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
• Bearing: ILYY KMK 6x13x5mm
Construction
At 44.2 millimeters wide the Falcon is still the widest production yo-yo in ILYY’s stable. While it is an extremely wide yo-yo the outer walls are angled just enough that you do not get that pop can feel when holding it, like people talked about with the original Hspin Pyro. Looking at the profile you can see that there is only about a 15 to 20 degree slope from rim edge to catch zone. While it doesn’t sound like a lot, it does make for a comfortable yo-yo to hold in the hand. The gap of the yo-yo is ultra high walled but masked off to prevent string wear. Turing attention to the face of the yo-yo you can see that the rims have been redesigned. They look larger and the IGR is easier to catch on the thumb thanks to the lip now hanging lower into the cup. The cup itself still has that deep cavern that I talked about in the original Falcon review. When thumb grinding on this yo-yo I found that it covered my bulbous thumb all the way up to the cuticle. The spike in the middle is still the miniature one from the original design but thanks to the Candy Blast finish it is easier to catch and matador with. The finish of the yo-yo is the most readily perceived change to the overall design. The Candy Blast finish gives a velvety smooth feel when you run your fingers over it and in bright light it just sparkles, even the black titanium. Overall, the design is very true to the original but there is enough there to warrant the second look from previous owners.
Weight
0.60 grams. That is the difference between the original Falcon and the Falcon 2011. It may not sound like much but it all comes down to where that weight is placed on the yo-yo. In the case of the Falcon 2011 all the extra weight was added to the rims giving the yo-yo an increased amount of spin time over the original without making it feel chunky on the string. Even at the new 67.50 grams it still flies on the string. What I did notice was that the newer Falcon feels quite a bit more stable on the string. This is perfect example of a little more weight fleshing out a proven design.
Response and Bearing
The Falcon 2011 comes with ILYY’s standard Red Hot sILYYcone installed. I have been banging away at this yo-yo for a couple weeks now and the only thing that has happened to the response is that it lost its new silicone shine. There is none of the small edge chewing like on normal flowable.
ILOVEYOYO has gone back to using shielded bearings but instead of using the press fit shields of the past, their current bearings all come with a c-clip instead. This really is the best option for shipping. While I loved the convenience of shieldless bearings, there were a couple of times that dirt got into the bearing during shipping causing me to have to clean it right off the bat. C-clips are easy to remove once the yo-yo arrives safely at my door. This was a good move on ILYY.
Playability
I have said it before in the post and I will say it again, stable. It is very stable and smooth on the string. The Falcon 2011 moves quickly from the get go and can take all the accidental knocks that come during play without being thrown off kilter. A perfect example of this is the new Ninja Vanish, Tower, Ping Pong trick that Jacob showed off on the site. At the end you can ping pong the yo-yo between the open triangle and the trapeze string. I would repeatedly hit the top of the triangle but I could still continue on with the trick using the Falcon 2011, some of my others would tilt and spin out. Grinds on the new Falcon are super easy to pull of with the reintroduced Candy Blast finish. Every complaint I have had in the past about the Candodized finish has vanished. Just about the only issue I could find with the Falcon 2011 is a minor one that affects all high walled yo-yos. There is more surface area that comes in contact with the string closing suicide loops quicker than say a v-shaped yo-yo. Suicides are not impossible to pull off; you just have to adjust your timing a little bit. Like I said, a minor issue.
Final Thoughts
As with most of ILYY’s redesigns, this one ramps up the play of an already proven design. If you own an original Falcon I would suggest you give this one a try. As it stands, if I owned an original I would be trading it about now, the new one has a better over all feel to it. If you have never played a Falcon before and are looking to buy one, make sure it says Falcon 2011. This is the version to get.