Non-Video Gingie Reviews & Tierlist

Would it be possible to do a review on Kim 23 hybrid please?

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I second this lol
People say it gets vibe bc the plastic rings shift but I wanna know how much it affects it and if it’s the same on the miracle

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Just ignore the vibe or use the rim alignment tool from yyf.

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I really wanna buy a hybrid in 2024. I am leaning more towards the fulvia V2 or the DD shell however.

I guess we will see…

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How about the shfx?

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You can call me weird but I do not like yoyos with a finger spin dimple. For one I do not do DNAs. Secondly, I just do now find them pretty.

Monarch is also excellent.

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There s a reason monarch is SS tier and in my top throws. I need another my monarch got a beating a while back and hasn’t played the same.

If I am thinking right it’s also Patrick’s birthday this weekend so DD monarch is on sale on his site.

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I wish you have a chance to try the TM or almighty for a review, the profile cuts is soo avant garde-ish but im keen to own this one.

@OhDavidBowie you’re up

Japan Technology | Fractal | A-tier

Specs:
Diameter - 56.22mm
Width - 44.07mm
Weight - 64.6g
Materials - ??? Alu Body + SS Rims


Note: There are different variations of this yoyo. The variations mostly seem to be in the rim interfacing, but just understand that the version I was sent and playtested is the version in the pic above. I can’t speak for the other version which has a slightly different rim interface (pictured below in a spoiler) if there are any play variations I wouldn’t know.

Also, this is a big one so buckle up. JT makes interesting things I guess.

Different Version (note how there’s no line between the aluminum and steel)

The Fractal’s a far more standard yoyo compared to some of the other wacky offerings I’ve played from Japan Technology. The Shade was particularly obtuse and odd to me; the Jugemu was a modern-spec beast that needed some adjusting. The Fractal is, certainly more normal than both of these.

So the Fractal is kinda awesome. It’s very much a do-it-all yoyo. Probably one of the most reliable yoyos I’ve ever played with in the sense that it has a flexibility to it that just never gets in the way of anything you do. It’s not too big. It’s not too wide. It’s not too heavy or too light. It’s a truly impressively well-tuned yoyo. Perhaps a little unnatural feeling with the rimweight, but overall, the Fractal is insanely reliable and flexible for a lot of different playstyles. It controls well and it’s not uncontrollably fast.

But what’s the drawback? Why not SS-Tier if it’s so good?

For one, it’s extremely expensive for Alu + SS. Generally speaking, the price of a yoyo doesn’t mean anything to me. I say a yoyo is worth as much as you’re willing to pay. But, the $250 pricetag of the Fractal is an extremely tall ask. If you can justify that pricetag, ball out. If not: Use that money on other things. Simple as.

This leads me to the second thing. It’s a GREAT yoyo don’t misunderstand. But, the difference between that $250 price tag and the more budget-conscious price points for similarly shaped and performant yoyos is only as important as you are willing to justify. I wouldn’t be able to justify purchasing a Fractal over a Nucleon or an Overdrive Draupnir, even though I like the Fractal more than both. The play difference is there, enough for me to prefer the Fractal, but not to the point where I’m willing to fork out $250 when I have things juuust similar enough.

Tl;dr: Super good but the pricetag is a bit hard to justify even if it’s arguably better or more fun than other similarly-shaped and similarly-performant yoyos.

Play: Competitive

Power: Powerful
Speed: Average
Controllability: Easy
Stability: Build Different

Value: Terrible
Bind: Average
Sturdiness: Average(?)

Brass Exia added to S-tier*

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such a sweet guy, good guy sent a good yo-yo for a good review made by good person. nice job :smiling_face:

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How much would lower the fractal need to cost in order to justify its purchase? Also will you review the YYR Upheaval?

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With the super cringe motivation that they do not specify which aluminium is the body, probably or is the worst one or nothing special. Even being 6061 I think the value can be around 100$/130$ like most of bimetals (and is already high).
Looking at it, there is nothing special that can justify that price, I can be wrong but I stay at my idea.

It is just marketing move, sometimes work, sometimes not.

I think you can find better or the same around spending the half.

C3Yoyodesign | Epiphanion | A-tier

Specs:
Diameter - 55.37
Width - 46.13
Weight - 65.6g
Materials - 6061 Alu


A great example of a yoyo that executes exactly what you need to how you want it to. I wish there were just a little something extra, but it’s just a good option for seshing however you like. Tbh, it’s kinda like C3’s offering of the modern comp monometal just, lacking some of the stuff that Monopheasant and Recog have. Idk. It’s good but it just lacks that x-factor for me to rate it much higher.

Good for zontals, average for speed, etc. Low-key the shape reminds me of the Miracle.

I’d say this yoyo is in the same niche as the Shortcut honestly. Great first-bind yoyo that honestly has the flexibility to carry you all the way up to advanced tricks. Shortcut is nicer overall tho.

Play: Competitive

Power: Powerful
Speed: Average
Controllability: Average
Stability: Solid

Value: Average
Binds: Average
Sturdiness: Play Hard

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Any chance for a review on dressel designs shell Gingie?

maybe. dressel wanted to send me one but I passed on it iirc

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Gingie couldn’t handle a big girl like Shelly :eyes: :joy:

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Would love to see a review of the aster, on paper it looks perfect but I’m curious why it’s quite low

I wouldn’t say it’s low-- it’s at the focal point of the bell curve at B-tier.

It’s there because of the price gap between the MSG and ASTer. Both are good yoyos (Hence, MSG in A-tier, ASTer in B-tier) but as far as I’m concerned the difference in play doesn’t justify the pretty steep price difference (A full $60-$80 price increase depending on colorway). So the ASTer gets dropped a tier.

To add: the price of a TP bimetal is already extremely steep relative to materials and other bimetals on the market in particular. Like, the MSG is already a $210 yoyo. That extra $60-80 pushes it to an insane price of nearly $300. For one yoyo.

This last bit is less directed towards you but mostly just me rambling because it’s something on my mind; professional yapping inbound:

I’ve always said the final price of a yoyo being justified comes down to the respective person buying it. If you think the price is justified, then go for it, I won’t judge you or anyone for buying a yoyo they want and that’s not what this list is about. However, for me and the way I make this list; there is an upper-value ceiling where there is significantly less return on investment than a lower-priced yoyo.

I’m extremely critical and skeptical of generally higher-priced yoyos (Around $150 for monometal alu yoyos, $200 for Alu-bodied bimetals). To be honest, I don’t care about the price of a yoyo until it reaches a generally higher price for a variety of reasons. There are margins in yoyo. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to profit off of your creation. However, in the same vein, after a yoyo hits a certain price point (and beyond) is when I start to raise my eyebrow and put a little more scrutiny on why a company could be charging so much for a yoyo.

Just a bit more reflection on the price ykno? The scrutiny and questioning go up the higher the price is.

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I think factoring value in the tier list is a bit confusing. Price should be mentioned in the review but not the performance rating imo.

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