Been a bit pressed for time as of late, but had some time to write one of these up!
So, lots of people (including myself) were skeptical about the new Format:C Gen 2 when it was first announced because… well, they read the specs. I believe there was a forum thread around here somewhere where the collective reaction was:
And now here I am! To tell you that this yoyo, is indeed too light. Shocker. Now, the problem isn’t that the Format:C Gen 2 (“the yoyo”) is bad, or unusable, it’s the opposite actually! The lighter weight makes it glide on the string, and the weight distribution is rim-weighted enough so that you get a pretty solid experience all around. I think my major issue with this yoyo is the fact that it’s right on the cusp of being so light that it’s just downright uncontrollable (ever taken the rims off a Shutter EVO and tried to throw it before?). Maybe I play with too many heavy yoyos, but every once in a while when I go to maneuver the yoyo it will fly off with a mind of it’s own. I think an extra gram on the rims would’ve gone a looong way with this one.
Also as an aside, if you own an original Format:C, the Gen 2 has these changes that I noticed:
- The Gen 2 is noticably more stable, I attribute this to better weight distribution and also the bump near the response that helps prevent string rubbing.
- Gen 2 still has the zippy qualities that the gen 1 sort of has, but turned up to like 11 by comparison. The feeling on the string is much more refined as well, and I feel like the gen 2 is a better yoyo overall.
The closest existing yoyo I could compare it to is the Blur Autoscopy that recently dropped from yoyorecreation. I have both of these, and I heavily prefer the Blur Autoscopy (“BA”) simply because of the extra rimweight on it. The BA has the string presence that the Format:C Gen 2 lacks, and is something that I really look for in yoyos, especially when they get lighter. When you swing the BA around in and out of mounts, you can feel it at every point on the string even when the weight is quite low (61.7g), but the Format:C Gen 2 has points where it zips so fast that you blink and miss it, and don’t feel it either.
Who would enjoy this yoyo? Well, if the weight doesn’t scare you right away, it might be you! I think the people who would really enjoy this yoyo are people who like their yoyos maneuverable, light, and fast. Sports car energy almost, but… I don’t think the performance is quite there to push it there for me. Maybe like a gutted & suped up golf cart or something.
Finally here’s a trick with it: