MonkeyfingeR Gelada Review
Review by: Matthew Henry
2/16/2014
Introduction:
For this review I will be looking over the MonkeyFingeR Gelada. This spin top released back in 2012 so because of that, some of you have already had the pleasure of throwing this yoyo. I have been watching this company for a long time, and just recently picked up the Gelada for myself. This is my first MonkeyfingeR throw, lets see how my experience went shall we…
MonkeyfingeR is company that was started in 2010 with the goal of designing the craziest, high end performing return tops on the market. This relatively young company is located in Alberta Canada and was founded by Ray (MonkeyfingeR Ray) and Todd (Dam Tawd).
After the success of their first release the “Evil-Yo” MonkeyfingeR did gain notoriety for having some of the wildest designs and colorways out on the market. As you can tell by the introduction picture, that style has carried over to the “Gelada”.
Specs:
Weight: 63.7 Grams
Diameter: 56.13 MM
Width: 36.32 MM
Bearing: Center Trac Size C (.250 x .500 x .187) or 10-ball high end bearing
Response: Monkey Snot or CBC Pad large slim
Available Colorways: Green Muddy, Patriot, Orange Muddy, Teal Muddy, Plum Crazy, Fallout, Kikazaru Edition, Jungle Boogie Edition, Curious George Edition (Pictured above), Plus many custom Colorways out there.
Price:(At time of Review) $120.00 USD
Shipping and Packaging:
I ordered my MonkeyfingeR from Yoyo Expert.com. The confirmation email, tracking, and shipping where all done quickly as usual. My new throw arrived in a Priority “hard sided” box that is great for protecting expensive throws from damage. I give Yoyo Expert an A+ for this effort as always!
The Gelada comes packaged in a brown cardboard box with a MonkeyfingeR graphic on the front. Monkeyfinger also includes a decent amount of extras with their throws. I give them kudos for this!
Each “Gelada” MonkeyfingeR includes:
1 x Highend String
2 x MonkeyfingeR Stickers
1 x Carrying pouch
Warranty Card
MonkeyFinger Snot advertising card
Yoyo comes packaged in bubble wrap.
When opening this package I did feel extra care was taken to protect this yoyo. I also appreciate MonkeyfingeR spending the extra effort on providing their customers with little accessories when ordering from them.
http://img.techpowerup.org/140216/Packaging1.jpg
Looks and Feel:
The “Gelada” is a oval organic shape which kind of reminded me of some older classic yoyo’s such as the Duncan Free hand zero. After picking up the “Gelada” for the first time that perviously mentioned feeling stuck with me. The classic organic shape felt very comfortable in my hand. I enjoyed this feeling very much!
While the anodizing on this yoyo feels smooth to the touch it feels a little rougher then comparable yoyos in it’s category. (More to come on this below)
I appreciate the attention to detail MonkeyfingeR displayed toward the “Gelada”. The inner catch zone is bead blasted to create a smooth surface for grinding. While the inner cup was left glossy to show off the detail in it’s paint job. Note Even though the inner cup was left glossy, don’t worry, thumb grinds are still easily possible because of a great design by MonkeyfingeR. There is a sharp (but comfortable) curve under the inner lip that allows for easy thumb grinds.
The paint job on this throw is also amazing. I really dig the exotic nature of this colorway and when looking at what other colorways are available for this throw, I could imagine that others are just as equally as impressive. I do want to mention while I view these paint jobs as a plus, I can imagine there are others out there who don’t have the same opinion I do.
http://img.techpowerup.org/140216/Spinning1.jpg
Play and Performance:
The play and performance of the “Gelada” really reminds me of what a classic yoyo would feel like if it were developed and designed in the present time. The “Gelada” doesn’t really have a speed that it prefers. Whether your play style is slow and meticulous or fast and zippy I feel you would really appreciate the feeling you get when tossing it around.
Like mentioned above in the “Looks and Feel” section the “Gelada” works well for grinds. It also works well for technical string tricks. But I personally thought it was at it’s best when doing long flowing tricks such as “Skin the Gerbil/Hamster” or “Braintwister Combos” I suppose that has to do with its smooth catch zone and center-trac bearing, which allows it to accept the several strings necessary to complete those tricks without getting hung up on sharp corners.
I will also add the spin time on this yoyo was quit smooth and lasted a decent amount of time. I did not have any problems completing longer combos.
Remember above when I said “it feels a little rougher then comparable yoyos in it’s category. (More to come on this below)” well this is the part of the review where I come back to that.
Despite my glowing review of the “Gelada” up to this point, I was upset to have this beautiful yoyo come flying off the the string without warning in the middle of play and go bouncing across my floor a half a dozen times before coming to a stop. Why did this happen?, Well after troubleshooting I was able to determine the rougher anodizing on this yoyo ate through my string in rather short order. Luckily the ano on this yoyo is tough and the fall did not leave many dings or marks. Nor did it leave a wobble.
This mishap almost caused me not to write this review because I wasn’t sure how to approach it. Luckily a kind Yoyo Expert community member by the name of “Stringking” helped me out and gave me a way to fix this from happening. So I would like to say “Thanks you” Stringking!
His advice was as follows: Buy a Non- Scratch Scotch pad and rub the catch zone with the dark green side of it. To my excitement… it worked and fixed the issue. This procedure also did not leave any scratches on the ano.
Another YYE member gave me advice to rub an old pair of jeens on the catch zone. While I could not verify that this method works (Because my problem had already been fixed) I would guess this fix also would work just as well. Thanks to “Mr.wIerdHObBies31” for this advice. You can always count on YYE members when you are in a rut!
This issue never happened to me before and after looking more into it, there seems to be some documentation and reviews out there stating that MonkeyfingeR has run into this problem before with older versions of their ano. But to be fair MonkeyfingeR has seemed to fix the issue in their later yoyo designs. It is not my intention to bash anyone with this section of the review, but it would not be fair if I didn’t mention this mishap. I sent an email to MonkeyfingeR’s Customer Service and at the time of this review, they have not responded. (But I am sure they will as soon as they have the chance.) When they do I will update my review if needed.
http://img.techpowerup.org/140216/Comparision1.jpghttp://img.techpowerup.org/140216/Comparision2.jpghttp://img.techpowerup.org/140216/Comparision3.jpghttp://img.techpowerup.org/140216/Comparision4.jpghttp://img.techpowerup.org/140216/Comparision5.jpg
Final Thoughts:
Despite the mishap … lets look at this logically, the Pros in the situation far out way the cons, as long as you check your string regularly in the beginning and if you notice any wear, just follow the suggestion that was given to me above.
Now some of you maybe wondering if I am going to give my seal of approval to this yoyo, and the answer is yes. Why?.. Well there is a very good chance what happened to me is an oddity and since this is my first experience with MonkeyfingeR I am willing to give this situation the benefit of the doubt. Plus, with hundreds of faithful customers out there, MFD has to be doing something right!
The “Gelada” is an amazing player, A great all around performer! For my first experience with MonkeyfingeR I can say I will definitely keep them in mind for further purchases.
With a price tag of $120 USD it is not a purchase you should make lightly. But if you are someone who is looking for a organically shaped throw that has a traditional yet modern feel to it… this throw is for you.
In the end I guess I would like to see MonkeyfingeR keep doing what they did with the release of the “Gelada” and every release spin top they have done since. Keep coming out with solid players in crazy yet very creative colorways!
http://img.techpowerup.org/140216/Closing1.jpg
Update I have still not heard back from MFD customer support after a week and a half of waiting. While I will report after applying the fix given to me by Stringking here has been no further issue and the Gelada has turned out to be a delight to throw.
But I will say, I would’ve thought to have heard something back by now considering I wrote as an ordinary customer. 2/25/2014