First off, I realise there has been at least three Cloud String reviews posted already, but I have avoided reading them so that I could write only from my perspective on how it performs.
The first thing I think of when I see a new brand of string on the market is ‘Oh look another type of string that is more or less like the others’. I don’t mean this cynically, I’m a believer that every new string that comes out will perform well. I thought similarly of Cloud String when I saw it on the new releases page, but upon closer inspection of the product, it had me intrigued: 1 string - $4.
Four bucks is certainly no bank buster, but for one string it does seem a lot. I just had to know what was so special about these strings, and I have been using it for a couple of weeks now.
First sight
It is obvious from the moment you see the string that it is something different. It is thinner, much more tightly wound and makes brand new polyester strings look fluffy in comparison (as you can see in the picture). The fibres of the string seem to be much finer than any other I’ve used and it gives it a kind of satin sheen. It comes in a nice bright neon yellow which is highly visible and matches pretty much any yoyo colour you have. It is not as long as some others on the market, but it is by no means short. I just tied my loop without cutting it and it was fine for me. However if you are a tall person and need your string a bit longer, you may not come off so well with this.
The appearance of the string is not the only striking thing about it, its play truly stands out from other strings.
Boing-boing
It has a very pronounced bounce at the end of your throw, like new string bounce but much more exaggerated. Its elasticity is felt throughout tricks and at the start causes you to concentrate more on what you are doing. It alters the feeling you are used to. This is not a bad thing at all and within 10 minutes or so, you feel in control again. The tight sections of string between your hands vibrate and wobble a lot more than poly string, but I haven’t found this to affect play in any way. It feels very smooth on the fingers and sliding tricks are performed with comfort and without that nasty burning feeling.
What a slacker!
What is most noteworthy is how well it performs in slacks and whips. I mean, it just eats them up for breakfast. The heavier weight, thinness and elasticity of the the string are an incredible recipe for these kinds of tricks. At first, I thought it performed quite sloppily in this area, but I soon realised it was the operator - not the product. I simply eased off on the power and found it formed nice round slacks and accurate whips. I have found that I only need to put around a third of the effort into them than I need to with my bulk poly strings. Rejections are similar, you need to put in a little less ping than usual to whip it right around to other fingers. Brent Stoles are performed with such ease and pleasure that I just stood there throwing them one after another, mesmerised.
Whoosh factor
A really cool little thing about this string is its whipping/whooshing sounds it makes with any fast whipping motion you perform. Small detail, but makes you feel like some kind of ninja. Haha.
Twisticuffs
Because it is a stiffer and tighter wound string than usual, It is more difficult to tell during play if it is gaining a lot of tension. You don’t get the same gradual feeling of tension building that you do with poly and before I realised, it was nylon spaghetti when there was any slack or whip added in the mix. It also really holds its tension in odd inconsistent ways. This is a very minor complaint though, as with its other idiosyncrasies, with a little time I got to know how it behaved and it was smooth sailing from there on out.
Tough stuff
This string is seriously durable. I’ve used it a lot in the past couple of weeks and it still looks like new. There is ZERO fraying around the bearing and response area of the string. This is some pretty magical nylon Quinton has used to make this, because other nylon strings that I’ve tried have not has this level of durability. This is a huge factor in justifying the price for this string because it could probably outlive 20 strings. Think of that if you are unsure whether you want to fork out the $4.
Final thoughts
I’m a real ‘any regular bulk poly will do the trick’ kinda guy. But there are a lot of merits with this string and they far outweigh the quirks it has. This string will serve you very well, especially if you have a lot of whips and slacks in your routine. Quinton has come up with something that is not only unique but functional and trusty. Is it worth paying the $4 for one string?.. Yes it is. I think it is worth you dropping in a Cloud String in your cart with any order you put together. You wont regret it.