Hey everyone, We are At Design Lab from Tokyo, Japan. We just wanted to share our new release information. zero is our new undersized yoyo which is inspired by Anti-yo Business and A-rt Sparrow.
Specs
Diameter：50.0mm
Width：39.5mm
Weight：60.8g (Clear color: 60.2g)
Gap-width：4.2mm
Bearing：10 ball, Concave bearing
Response：Silky Pad compatible with CLYW/A-rt
Signature color x Smooth Ultimatte Coating
Homage color x Vintage Coating
Clear color x Vintage Coating
White x Silky Coating
zero review by Tsukasa Takatsu
zero review by FG NEIGHBOR’S(44nollie)
zero 50mm Features
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Round shape for a smooth feel and enough spin power even in undersized.
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Shmoved ring reduces sleep loss while maintaining the round shape design
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Comfortable feel by large hub for weight balance adjustment
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New non-matte Vintage Coating has been added, which represents the smooth texture of the old American yo-yos of the early days of full-metal yo-yos.
What is the Zero Series?
The Zero Series is a series of round-shaped yoyos that are “ordinary yoyos for us” inspired by the shape of 0 (zero). They are designed to be the benchmark for measuring the feel of various yoyos, like the “zero( 0 )” on a ruler. The design is inspired by the shape of the Duncan Butterfly, the ancestor of string trick yoyos, and incorporates the essence of Anti-yo and A-rt. The second work in the Zero Series, the XS size zero 50mm, is “an ordinary undersize yoyo that is our benchmark, incorporating the essence of Anti-yo’s Business and A-rt’s Sparrow.”
What is an Undersize Yoyo?
Generally, undersize yoyos are associated with images such as small, less spinning, bulky, and niche. However, there are some undersize yoyos that are considered to be historical masterpieces. They can be swung comfortably while still having the unique quirks of undersize yoyos. They may be prone to tilting or not spinning for long, but even those imperfect parts are their individuality and are loved. They are the perfect yoyos to swing without taking off your shoulders, unlike competitive yoyos. In recent terms, it might be appropriate to call them “chill out”. However, many people avoid undersize yoyos. I think this is because the design of undersize yoyos is very difficult, and manufacturers struggle to make good yoyos. There is even a perception that undersize = unpopular, and major manufacturers are reluctant to release products in this size range.
The difficulty of undersize design
It is no exaggeration to say that the spin power of a yoyo is determined by its diameter. In simple terms, the spin power is significantly improved by increasing the diameter rather than the weight. Therefore, it is difficult to secure sufficient spin power for small-diameter undersize yoyos, and they generally increase the weight unnecessarily to inefficiently boost the spin power. As a result, the feel of swinging becomes heavy, and I often hear that people dislike this “undersize bulkiness.” Of course, you can secure sufficient spin power without increasing the weight by making a bimetal structure with a heavier material such as stainless steel or titanium on the outer circumference. However, I cannot give up the comfortable playability that is unique to monometal made of aluminum material. So, how can we secure sufficient spin power while maintaining a feel that is not bulky in a monometal 50mm diameter?
The starting point is the detuning of mono 50mm
The mono 50mm has challenged the difficulty of undersize design and has made it a yoyo with a refined feel that is not undersize. However, for undersize lovers, it was a little lacking. It lacks the incompleteness and individuality that I felt at the time when the past masterpieces were not spinning enough and I felt uncomfortable. With this in mind, when we started developing zero, we told the designer early on, “Would you like to detune mono to make it more comfortable to use?” Although it may be away from the mainstream preference, I wanted to make an undersize yoyo that was ordinary for us. Of course, it is also a fact that we were able to take such a development direction because there is already a wonderful undersize yoyo called mono.
Playability
The design that allows you to feel the comfort of an undersize yoyo even when you are tired. It is very easy to move because it is lightweight and has low spin power, but it has a solid core. It compensates for the low spin power by taking an approach of eliminating sleep loss. The point is that it perfectly balances the weight to reproduce the comfort of old undersize yoyos while firmly holding the usability of modern yoyos. While paying homage to the original, we hope that those of you who loved the comfort of using yo-yos back then can enjoy them while reminiscing about the fun you had back then.