My goal is to review every onedrop yoyo. If this sounds ambitious, that’s because it is.
A bit about me to put the reviews in context:
I started yoyoing in the early 2000s as a kid, and got quite into it before dropping off as a teenager, and picking it up again. Now I get a ton of joy out of collecting, I own too many yoyos and have done a ton of trading over the years, so I feel I can confidently say I’ve thrown about 400-500 different yoyos. I throw strictly for fun, slightly thicker and longer string than average for the maximum fun factor, and I’d like to say I’m decent enough. I can throw a 2.5 hook and a couple other fancy combos, but that’s about my limit, I mostly prefer to just kinda do my own thing anyway. So, I approach yoyos from the fun angle, the artistic angle, and a just enough of the performance angle.
Links to reviews:
Par Avion (scroll down)
Wyvern
Kuntosh
Panorama
DANG1
Format:C Gen 2
I’ll be replying to this thread with each review eventually, but here’s the first one:
The Par Avion is BIG. It doesn’t fit in standard cases, and I had to fashion an extra-large hole to comfortably fit it in my case. That being said, the Par Avion is a criminally underrated onedrop yoyo that I’ve wanted to shine some light on for some time. Onedrop’s description (Par Avion - One Drop YoYos, read it if you are interested!) cites it as being “fast, agile, and dare we say it, floaty”, which I think could be used to describe the Par Avion, but I think it’s slightly missing the mark of where I would classify this yoyo. Rather than being “fast” and “agile”, I would classify the Par Avion as a yoyo that glides, and it’s comfortable while doing so. I was shocked to learn that this yoyo weights 65g, as it truly plays lighter than its weight (hence, floaty!). The yoyo is also incredibly stable, even being suitable (while obviously, not ideal) for horizontal play. I definitely think the number one strength of the Par Avion is the fun factor though, and this is what makes it truly stand out as being a unique offering in the onedrop lineup. The Par Avion has a flow to it that makes me want to binge watch Ed Haponik youtube videos. It plays so well when you dial in the speed just right that it almost feels like a dance.
Comparing the Par Avion to other yoyos in the same category, I think it definitely stands out. A lot of oversized yoyos for me fall into the unwieldy category or play too heavy for my tastes such as the G2 Direwolf, JT MiLarge, CLYW Sasquatch, or YYR Dreadnought (shoutout to the Dread-G for a true finger breaking experience). However, sometimes you get some truly great oversized yoyos such as the A-RT 420 or Atmos Pomelo, and I definitely think the Par Avion deserves to at least be considered among this crowd. With those comparisons in mind, it’s important to note that if you put it in the same group as the A-RT 420 and the Atmos Pomelo, the Par Avion is sadly, not the same level of floaty as these two throws. Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely some floatiness going on in the Par Avion camp, dare I say the most out of any onedrop throw, but we’re not at A-RT 420L levels of absolute floaty bliss. If we had the 420L at 10/10 floatiness, the 420 at 8/10 floatiness, the Par Avion might clock in around a 6. Keep in mind that’s far and away better than most of the oversized throws out there, but the weight distribution of the Par Avion still has a decent amount of rimweight compared to the traditionally more “floaty” options.
When it comes to downsides, the major drawback I can see for many people with the Par Avion is the gap width, at 4.7mm it’s a bit on the wider wide, and if you play with thinner string you might find yourself hating this yoyo just because the binds are a bit slippy. Combine this with the fact that these larger, floatier yoyos tend to be ideal yoyos for regens, and you should know that this yoyo requires a tad bit thicker string than usual to really shine. I would consider the traditional kitty fat as being the thinnest string I’d use. The only other drawback is the sheer size, so if you’re someone who wants to store it in like a cube shelf, maybe measure first.
Overall, If you want yourself a larger diameter yoyo that’s just fun, or have been interested in the concept of the A-RT 420 but just don’t like organics (for some reason…), then the Par Avion is definitely a good pickup. If you like the Par Avion and want similar yoyos, check out the Markmont Classic, the Fat Tire 20/20, and the above mentioned Atmos Pomelo and A-RT 420/420L.
