Intro
Note - the intro is more of a personal background to give context to my experience with the yoyo. If you just care about how the yoyo plays, skip to that section.
The funny thing about hobbies like yoyos is that they can come full circle in ways you don’t expect. I started yoyoing when I was in the 6th grade, and it was a major part of my life and who I was for a long time. Spending time here on the YYE forums, going to the regional competition in my home state every summer, and just generally immersing myself in the hobby played a huge part in forming my identity and who I was as a middle-highschooler. For me, it was a more than a toy - it was a creative outlet and meditative pursuit.
But, things change over time. Coming to college, I brought my yoyos with me of course, but my connection to the hobby began to change. For a while in my hometown I had been “the yoyo guy” which never bothered me there. But in a new place, with none of my old friends, extracurriculars, or family, that title began to irk me a little bit. It felt like more of a barrier to people getting to know my rapidly changing self rather than an authentic introduction, and I lost serious interest for a while. While I still picked up a throw from time-to-time, for the past 3-4 years I’ve mostly been stagnant in my play.
Fast forward to now. Last fall I began my career as a middle-school English teacher in a state outside where I grew up. Being in that environment again, I began to remember the feeling that learning even the simplest of tricks then gave me, that sense of wonder and excitement. So, I started a yoyo club. Teaching the kids my old hobby has been one of my favorite parts of my new job, and I’ve found a newfound interest in throwing. However, my collection has mostly disappeared or fallen into disrepair in the time since I’ve been seriously throwing, so I decided to start looking around for new yoyos.
When I saw the release of the Luftverk Plastic 000, the pitch intrigued me. While I never owned a Yoyojam Kickside myself, I did have plenty of experience with their other models, and similar “starter” plastics in my early years. The idea of a more “modern” yoyo with similar feelings was appealing to me. Would a “back to basics” sort of yoyo fulfill its promise? Let’s see.
Look and aesthetics
The 000 clearly has had a lot of thought put into its design. I appreciate yoyos that have a more understated look to them. Yoyos are just as much pieces of functional art as anything else. Most of what this is about can be seen in the pictures online, but there are a few things I would like to note. My 000 is of the “medium teal” colorway, and in real life the color is a bit softer and more muted than the pictures show, which I enjoy. Additionally, the yoyo makes a very slight “ringing” sound while spinning. I imagine this is due to some sort of resonance coming from the bell-like shape. It’s very pleasant and playful in action. Finally, the finish of the yoyo is delightful. It may be one of the best grinding finishes I’ve played, which is not the norm for plastics. The best way I can describe it is like a very fine blast finish, but without the “cold” quality of a metal yoyo.
In motion
The play of the 000 has some subtleties that are hard to describe. The best way I can describe it is that it plays much better than it feels like it should. It has an almost empty feeling while playing, with just enough weight for its size to feel it on the string. It definitely feels like it skews more towards an evenly weighted, or even slightly center weighted weight distribution. Despite this, it still is quite stable and long spinning. I suspect this may have to do with the large size in proportion to its weight. It feels like it really embraces the “plastic feeling,” yet it remains quite stable and long spinning in play. It is also very nimble for its size yet doesn’t feel like it is forcing you to go fast. It’s a very unusual feeling, yet not an unpleasant one. It’s like somewhere in between the dense feeling of metal, and the chunky feeling of the plastics that inspired it. Fingerspins are very easy due to the bowl like cup and finish. One thing you also notice is that is a very smooth yoyo, although that seems to be the norm these days. All in all, it’s a hard play feel to put into words. If I were to change one thing, I would personally add maybe half a gram to a gram more weight, to just give it a slightly more substantial feel on the string. The light weight can be sometimes fun, but also give a slightly “disconnected” feeling from the yoyo while moving it around. But, the lack of density is also probably the most unique thing about the yoyo, so maybe it would lose some of its unique feel in the process.
Conclusion
If I had to describe the Plastic 000 in one phrase, it would be to say that it feels like a toy. But I in no way mean this as a bad thing. I think that Luftverk has done an admirable job of crafting a modern plastic that plays homage to the roots of plastic yoyos. While it is definitely a capable performer, I don’t think that this is the yoyo for those looking for the height of competition technology, plastic or otherwise. Instead, it is for those like me who came up playing on the classics like the old Freehands and Yoyojams, but with just enough updates to the construction and playfeel to keep it relevant today. It’s a charming, understated yoyo at a reasonable price-point. It’s a yoyo that knows what it is, and that’s all it needs to be.