we all know monkeyfinger ray does some of the most amazing anno jobs out there. i got to wondering though, how do they play? are they average to above average throws that just look phenomenal, are they as amazing as they look, or are they just collectors pieces with ok play?
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Responses will vary dramatically based on how much of a fan of the brand people are… in my experience, they’re fine. Nothing special, just fine. There’s a few that are great and a few that are horrible, but overall, they’re fine.
I think the brand is as big as it is due to the cult-esque following he has, along with the anodization/artwork that he does himself.
Just my $0.02.
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I have a Banana Grade 
Black Aotus and its a great player. They’ve been doing YoYos for a while now.
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I only have three of their models (and multiples of each): the PixelApe, Prime8, and Conspiracy, and every one of them is a fantastic player. I can’t speak to any of the other models, but the three I have are more than just beautiful works of art; they are excellent performers as well.
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I adore the way my BSP plays. Solid player for sure.
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From the ones I owned over time I’d say they are all good and have character. Maybe not like competition grade but solid and fun. My fav was also the Aotus.
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I collect them. I’d say they play average. Agree with the character sentiment.
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“How they play?” is always a personal experience depending on Your style , skill , weight preference and other stuff. I like mine , some more some less ( can say this about pretty much every brand from big to boutique). But… when You do Your first throws with a yo-yo there is certain feeling that makes You go “Ohhh”. And it not about anodization or “cult-esque” or how it looks like. It is between You and yoyo . Happened to me when I was throwing couple of MFD models ( aswell as some other brands). This very personal feeling makes yo-yo special for You. As for me , MFD hit this spot. So if someone would ask me " Is it worth to get MFD?" I would say " It’s definitely worth to try".
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I’ve only used an Evil-Yo, haven’t tried any of their newer models so can’t really speak to how they’ve changed over time.
I’d say it’s alright play wise but was never really particularly special in play even for it’s time. It’s fast (honestly verging on uncontrollable at times), pretty stable due to the extreme H shape and feels relatively solid during play. The shape is just as uncomfortable to catch as it looks though.
I’m pretty sure the appeal of MFDs is generally the looks for most people who buy them (nothing wrong with that though to be clear). So if you’re going to get one at some point I’d say to do it with the visuals in mind as your priority rather than a spectacular player.
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I have only tried the Gelada 2. As a yo-yo design, I think it is very good. The finish is excellent as expected and everything else about the execution is top notch. After all the all the add-ons, box etc. I haven’t seen a better presented yo-yo. Everything I got for the pre-order price is pretty astonishing (especially since that meant it was actually easy to buy).
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Tbh I don’t know any really, REALLY good yoyoers who prefer them over other more performant designs. That said, that’s not the demographic they’re after obviously and their aesthetic has a cult following that collectors really love. I’m glad there’s a brand for every type of yoyoer in our hobby, I think that’s cool.
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I may be biased, but you can definitely feel when you’re throwing an MFD. As to whether or not they are “good” I think that’s up to personal preference as others are saying. Some people think their finish on ano is good and some people think it’s awful. All opinions. I think they are fun for collectors due to their limited runs.
I’ve had/have a Pixel Ape Helium, BSP, Caesar, and Monkey Flyer. They’re unique (:
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Seamonkey and Fire Devil play amazing.
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Most of them play great. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the forte, ape-x, or lesula. The forte, apex, and lesula have a lot of center weight compared to most throws. The lesula is the most extreme and the worst offender of being unstable and unforgiving. The others also feel a little unstable and unforgiving but not as bad.
My favorite throws they make are the BSP, Prime8, pixel ape, and gelada. The pixel ape and prime 8 have excellent performance while the BSP and Gelada provide a comfortable relaxed experience.
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Ive tried a few different ones and honestly the aotus is a solid every day type of throw. Love mine.
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I will say that I’m probably a biased as they come… I’ll also say with a collection of over 600 yoyos from dozens of companies that i think i can try to be objective.
MFD is as good as any other company performance wise, MFD makes only monometal AL6 and AL 7 yoyos (Ti toys but no yoyos yet that i now of).
MFD has a few out side the mainstream design cause Ray likes to experiment. Lesula is a great example, it’s not meant as a comp yoyo, Its a one off idea that MFD thought would be interesting to play. Ray likes to try things and currently he’s playing with the Anti-Pro which will see a sequel soon.
I would put their Aotus and prime8 up their with many of my other favorite organic type yoyos.
Cesear and Conspiracy are excellent V shapes that can handle everything i can throw, and you can see videos of Will H and John N as well as thier other skilled team throwing amazing combos.
Pixelape and 2evil are H and both great representation of thier shape. 2evil undersized and i still love it.
I try every combo i know with every yoyos i own, much like everyone reading this im sure. I honestly think there is no yoyo that is “better”. I can hit my most tech heavy combo with my floatiest fat yoyo, i can go as fast as i can with all my yoyos and pretend to be Angelo on a good day. Practice will make you better. Buy and collect yoyos that make you smile. MFD are great to throw and great to look at.
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I’ve tried only two.
I got a Gelada 2 in a pre-order. Lovely packaging, great presentation.
Play wise…I wasn’t impressed. It’s good…but almost all new yoyos are good nowadays. It just wasn’t impressive.
Tried an Aotus at a friends house. Liked that one better. But same as with the Gelada. Nothing really impressive playwise to me.
They make a lovely product, they’re possibly the most fun brand to unpack when you get them. Their ano jobs are unique and very much out there.
Their pricing is matching their ano though. And for me (being outside of the US or Canada) Shipping and import comes on top of that as well. Basically turning their $95, 6 series aluminium , in to a $130+ yoyo.
And I know some people love the MFD community. And love being part of the hype. And that’s fine. But to me that’s exhausting.
So if it’s your thing. I’m not knocking it. But there’s other makers that I personally would rather support.
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Let me put it like this.
Do you remember early CLYW? Peaks, BvsM, etc.? This is very close path that Ray is following, in my humble personal opinion. Yoyos are nice, but not that you would kill for, in terms of specifications and feelings on a string. But of course, anodization jobs are fantastic, and that is mostly why many players want these yoyos.
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MFD is a legendary yoyo company. They’ve been making yoyos for yeaaars now and I must say I admire their work.
Objectively speaking performance wise I find that most of their models are meant to be fun and chill to play with, but they do have some very good competition yoyos such as the Conspiracy and Pixelape Helium.
Think of it this way… while 99% of other “niche” brands mass manufacture and anodize their yoyos in China, Ray machines them in Canada and anodizes them himself to perfection standards. He even does the silicone manually. On top that you get the absolute best unboxing experience along with many cool accessories. You actually get what you pay for here. You’re not buying something that you know will depreciate the moment you unbox it and that probably cost 1/10th of the price to be made. You are paying for pure functional art.
The community itself is amazing and very friendly, makes you really want to own an MFD and join the club.
If you manage to buy an MFD from their website I’m telling you you won the lottery. You don’t like it? You could always sell it for more than retail given the insane demand. This is enough reason for me to continue buying from them lol.
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I only own one MFD, an Aotus that I got in a First Time Buyers sale that MFD does occasionally. It’s a “b grade” and it looks and plays fantastic. I didn’t get all the cool packaging that the A grades come with, but the price point was very reasonable compared to the regular drops. As others have said, the ano job are insane and unique and look fantastic. The community is full of cool people who are very nice and I’m sure are good throwers as well, but the frustrating part is that outside of a first time buyer sale, the likelihood of getting an MFD on a drop night is close to 0%. There is a whole system that I personally don’t have the energy to participate in just to get a yoyo, no matter how good it is. And while the ano and packaging is really nice, I don’t think the pricing is accurate for the yoyo itself. $100 for a 6 series AL yoyo is a bit unapproachable when for $100, you can get an incredible performance yoyo from numerous other brands. MFD has an extremely loyal fanbase that borders on a fanatical religion, and while I appreciate that, I find it exhausting. Their discord server is very active, no active that I have to mute the notifications! Ray is a fantastic dude and an ano genius, so no shade there. For me, the play of the yoyo is decent, but not anything that blows me out of the water.
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