Ding Counter: Still 1!
Alright, time for a review with some history! Introducing the onedrop Kuntosh, a yoyo designed by Sonny Patrick, who was one half of Anti-Yo. To my knowledge, the original set of Kuntosh prototypes were the last Anti-Yo associated prototypes made, and by all assumptions seem to have been made sometime in the early 2010s (the onedrop writeup from 2016 states that 10 of the prototypes have existed for years, so I would assume 2014 at the latest)… You can find pictures of the prototypes in this post here: Kuntosh: onedrop, anti-yo, or somewhere inbetween? In 2016, onedrop released the Kuntosh, which to my knowledge is the original unchanged design that AntiYo designed, with the only difference from the prototypes being the lack of Anti-Yo side effects (swapped for flat caps) and the finish changed from Slip Matte Type III Hard Coat to onedrop’s Pyramatte.
Once again consulting onedrop’s writeup, they cite the design influence of the Kuntosh being the classic Italian car, the Lamborghini Countach. Which, if you’re unfamiliar, is quite a boxy car with plenty of sharp square angles while retaining the blistering performance you’d expect from your average Lambo. Now, upon looking at the yoyo you might assume that these sharper angles make the Kuntosh uncomfortable, but it’s oddly comfortable. The flattened out rims go a long way to cushion any impacts, and make it pretty difficult to accidentally hit yourself with the outer edge of the yoyo. This yoyo just sits great in your hand, your throwhand middle finger sits right in the groove and your index and ring fingers rest gently along each rim, fits like a glove.
As for playfeel, the Kuntosh is a yoyo that screams solidity, and it doesn’t mess around. It has a reassuring heaviness to it that makes it feel robust by comparison to a lot of other yoyos, while simultaneously not being so heavy that the yoyo plays like a rock. This solidity gives the Kuntosh a great presence on the string, it feels robust and controlled, giving you plenty of maneuverability to perform whatever tricks you want. While the Kuntosh isn’t the most stable yoyo I’ve ever thrown, it’s definitely not bad. Doing tricks with it is a forgiving experience, and the large catchzone is wider than you might think. Now, the drawback to all of these positives is that the yoyo isn’t very fast. If you want to pretend to be Shion and throw rail combos for days, you might want to look elsewhere. However, if you find yourself drawn to more older style tricks (lots of hops, denser mounts without too many wraps, some flowy elements), you’ll probably really like the Kuntosh. Also if you like doing inner ring grinds, the Kuntosh has a sick IRG lip. Plays alright with a flat bearing, better than the Wyvern that’s for sure.
Now, let’s talk side effects! So, I like to swap around the side effects in my throws quite a lot, and it’s one of the main things that attracts me to onedrop yoyos. Being able to subtly or drastically shift the playfeel of a yoyo is a lot of power. It’s my understanding that the Kuntosh was originally intended for Anti-Yo side effects, however this is just speculation on my end based on the prototypes having them. To replicate this feeling, I threw mini-disc side effects (which weigh just 0.1 more grams than an Anti-Yo SE) on the Kuntosh and threw it around for a few days. I can definitely say that onedrop’s decision to switch to flat caps was correct. The main drawback to the Kuntosh with the heavier SE is to no surprise, the weight! With the mini-discs, the Kuntosh was more reluctant to move, and got a little bit rock-y for my tastes. I also tried some lighter side effects than the flat caps, but I found that as you moved lighter you didn’t really gain much.
As for my rating… “B??” you might say? But let me provide my defense. If this yoyo was released back shortly after the prototypes were made, let’s say 2013 to provide a number, I honestly think this yoyo would be respectfully placed in the A or maybe even S tier. However, delaying the release until 2016 gave yoyo design a bit of a chance to catch up, and so I feel the Kuntosh is a little slept on sometimes. The other argument for the lower rating is the Kuntosh’s younger brother, the Kuntosh 5000QV, which will get its own review at some point. Spoiler alert: the 5000QV is better (but it’s preference, they play very differently). So, if the 5000QV didn’t exist I would easily put this yoyo in A tier.