i was wondering what yoyo to get and i really like the phenom or fools gold avalanche but i dont know which one is better price doesnt matter to me either
I have a Matterhorn Avalanche, and unless they’ve done something different for the Fools Gold version, I can’t see anything different. All that means is that the Fools Gold Avalanche would be nothing short of amazing.
I also have the nickel plated Phenom with the gold weight ring. It’s great, solid player. It feels like it weighs like nothing on the string, super stable and just wants to spin forever. It also includes a Dif-E-O Koncave bearing in it. The one thing I didn’t like is that when it spins, it reminds me of a hollow tin can spinning.
I can’t see you making a bad choice either way. All I can say is that these are different. The Phenom is sharp and angular, moves fast through the air, but at the same time seems to have an odd sense of float with it. The Avalanche is more “organic” in shape, feels more comfortable in my hand, is super smooth and stable.
Since money is apparently no object, I’m just going to make it an object and say you’re in the $130 and under market.
Now, since I have both and I enjoy both, it’s hard for me to choose. Right now, I just can’t put down the Phenom, but just got it, so that may have something to do with it. I think the Avalanche will appear to a broader audience due to it’s shape and general performance. The Phenom is clearly targeting fast players. Regarding size, they are very similar, in the full size approaching over-sized. However, due to the shape of the Phenom, in my opinion, it’s a fantastic not only advanced and competition throw, it has an advantage for intermediate players because it just wants to spin forever, giving you more time to work on tricks. This is important for me. But, don’t think the Ava isn’t a serious throw for one second. While I don’t know if anyone is using the Ava in competition I don’t see why it wouldn’t do great and leave a lot of other stuff in the dust as well.
The different shapes mean that if you have some preferences developed, you might want to really consider what direction your preferences are pushing you. Why? Costs. This ain’t gonna be “cheap”. I’m lucky that I’m not looking to compete or really do performances, so I am in this for personal enjoyment, recreation, collecting and a hobby. So, in this case, you hear people say that your preferences really do play a huge decision.
I will say this, I do like yoyos with a V-shape the best. At the same time I have yoyos in a lot of different shapes, materials, weights, bearings and more. I pretty much like everything.
CLYW has the problem of being able to meet supply. All their stuff is great, people know it. So, the downfall of the Ava is it’s out of stock, so you’re forced to hunt these down on BST, and it could also raise the price a bit because some of the sellers know the demand. I mean, CLYW releases something, the entire stock sells out in minutes. I have 7 different CLYW’s, and in my opinion, they make great stuff.
The Phenom has been around a while and I don’t see it moving off the shelves that much. I think there’s multiple reasons for that. One, is as I stated, it’s been around a while. 2nd, Hiroyuki Suzuki is still a top level performer, but he’s not been able to recapture Worlds since the last time he won, but even so, taking the title not only 3 times but 3 times in a row is super impressive. It’s a much more specialty/niche performer. Visually, I am drawn to his yoyos based on the shape, and what’s nice is that it works for me. I also have a H-Spin Corli Prototype, which I find is also a fantastic player. I just dig the V-shapes. Even my DM2, which is my hands down favorite period so far, is mostly a V shape in my opinion. The Speeder 2 was obviously designed to be a model designed to be sold at a lower price point and has a softer, rounded V profile and is mostly plastic, yet is still a solid player.
So, if I had to make a recommendation, I think in general, the Ava has the edge. I think it’s a better shape that appeals to a wider audience. It costs less at retail. Each half is a solid piece of solid metal. It is worth hunting down on BST, just try to not get ripped off.
I can’t say which is better. They are both great yoyos. I just have the feeling that the Ava is the safer bet, not just for you, but for just about anyone. But if you to make your decision based on availability, the Phenom is in stock. I might get a second Phenom if it comes out in the color I really want: one of the blues. But, the nickel/gold matches my Rolex, so I guess I’m accessorizing while throwing. It also looks very hot!