ILYY Lynx
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
June 5, 2011
Introduction
ILOVEYOYO is back at it again, this time with their first brand new design of 2011. The Lynx has been kept pretty much a secret, having been in production since about mid 2010. There has been a leaked picture here and there of the original design but the final design has been kept out of the spotlight leaving only a small few in the know as to if and when this yo-yo would actually make it out into the wild. The design goal for the Lynx was simple in theory, ILYY described it as followed, “With this one, we tried to combine extreme design with ace playability. The result was one the floatiest yoyos, you’ll ever experience.” We will see if they met their goal a little later on in the review. At this point I am just excited to play a completely original design. While I really like that they have been updating their older designs, I am a huge fan of ILYY pushing the limit with their original concepts.
Specs
• Diameter: 55.00mm
• Width: 44.00mm
• Weight: 66.75g
• Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
• Bearing: ILYY KMK 6×13x5mm
Construction
ILOVEYOYO wanted an extreme design and honestly I cannot call the Lynx extreme. The profile shows a classic butterfly curve that has been married to a muted H-Shaped catch zone. No crazy curves or rims, just classic style. In this instance I am glad they did not go the extreme route, this yo-yo feels great in the hand. The catch zone is indented just enough to rest comfortably on the finger and the curved rims sit perfectly in the hand. The rim edges have been rounded so as not to cause pain when hitting the hand or brushing up against the sides of the finger when catching it. The cups show more of the extreme design that ILYY was aiming for. There are five scalloped cuts of various widths giving it a “ripples in a pond” look radiating out from the center hub. The hub itself looks like the impact point where a drop of rain hit the water. The hub comes to what looks like a ballpoint pen tip that was engineered for excellent spin times while balanced on the finger. Going back to those scalloped cuts, the widest one not only gives the cup character but it also doubles as a wide channel for the IGR and is partially hidden by the rim lip. The Lynx is wrapped in a bright gold Candy Blast finish. The candy blast finish is still as silky smooth as ever and in direct light it sparkles and catches the light like crazy. Overall the design is a large, classic shape with some extreme flair thrown in for good measure.
Weight
At almost 67 grams you would think that this is a heavy hitting yo-yo but that is not the case. It does not have the heavy hit at the bottom of the string like a heavier yoyo should. Even with that being said, the Lynx has a slower more relaxed feel during play and an extreme amount of float to it. The weight feels very evenly distributed throughout the yo-yo making for stable play.
Response and Bearing
The stock ILYY Hot Red sILLYcone makes a return in the Lynx bringing with it everything we have grown to love about it, dead unresponsive play and super tight binds. It takes a little bit of time to break in perfectly but once it is there the silicone lasts for darn near ever.
The KMK Metric bearing in the Lynx gives a great amount of spin but can get a little loud. After removing the c-clips and shields I applied a drop of V4M lube and quieted it down significantly. If you are not as OCD about loud bearings as I am then you can skip the lube and play this thing like mad right out of the box.
Playability
This yo-yo almost has a ramped up Peak sort of feel to it. Not trying to belittle the Peak but that yo-yo has become synonymous with the floaty feel. The Lynx takes that chilled out and floaty feel and then goes a step further. The Lynx is smooth on the string no matter what the orientation. I decided to give some side style play a shot with the Lynx and found it to handle my limited amount of tricks while maintaining its composure the entire time. Matador play was similar in feel, with it spinning for a good deal of time on my thumb. The cups are deep recessed but I still found the spikes were easy to grab from the side when popped into the air. Grinds are always a pleasure when it comes to the Candy Blast finish. The H-Shaped catch zone allows the yo-yo to ride on the edges when it comes in contact with my index finger. This allows for extra long spins due to the sparse amount of contact between skin and finger. Palm and arm grinds are just as nice; I had a great amount of control over the speed that the yo-yo would move around in my palm or up my arm. Finally, thumb grinds are also a snap thanks to the deep IGR, which latched on to my finger with ease.
Final Thoughts
I would have to say that the Lynx is an impressive knew entry to ILYY’s arsenal of products. I think most of their fans would agree with me, we want to see more of this from the company. Leave your old designs alone for a while and let them speak for themselves. ILYY as a whole is a two-man team with some incredible ideas up their sleeves. I have been privy to some of the things on the drawing board and I can honestly say that they are unique and innovative. If they play half as well as the Lynx does, they need to come out. The Lynx itself is hands down the best full sized yo-yo to come out of ILYY since the Lio.