It’s been a couple months since I made this thread. I figured an update might be interesting.
From left to right: Blackbelt, Torino, Josy-Ann, Liopleurodon, E1ns, Fury
Blackbelt: This is just something you know if you’re interested in or not. Extremely cool collection piece. If you’re into big diameter super slimline yoyos, I’m not entirely sure you could do much better than this without making it feel like a rock to play. Blackbelt very much does not feel like a rock, and you’re going to be more concerned with missing string hits than running out of spin time. I’m impressed with this yoyo for what it is. The “black belt” aesthetic of is fantastic, it’s one of the best looking yoyos I own.
Torino: This yoyo rules, it makes me want an AbysmAL. Extremely comfortable rim shape, has that nice beefy presence on the string that I enjoy, and lower walls for a way more forgiving string break angle. It doesn’t even cross my mind during play that there’s a flat bearing in this yoyo.
Josy-Ann: A yoyo from a different time period. A long-lost cousin to the AnY Free Rider, distant relative to the YWET. This yoyo shares the same DNA of those other oversized diameter/slim width organics. Shockingly stable with very impressive spin times for its weight. It has walls this high and a width this slim yet “challenge” is not a word I’d ever use to describe this yoyo. It’s just comfortable, it just plays well. Feels super light on the string and reacts to all of your movements instantly. There’s really nothing on the market even similar to this yoyo, it really does feel from a different era. Makes me nostalgic for times I didn’t experience
Liopleurodon: I was worried the rim shape would be uncomfortable and dig into my hands. I was extremely wrong. On the profile the rims curve downwards before the edge of the yoyo, that causes the rim lip to never actuall touch your hand. The profile cradles your palm perfectly. This yoyo has a fairly high midwall past the response groove, and it’s equipped with a flat bearing, yet those two factors never even cross my mind when I’m playing this. I can just completely autopilot it. It is absolutely getting the most out of its beefy weight. This is the best performing yoyo of the bunch, it’s the most stable and has the best spin times. The Torino is a close second though, but the Torino does have the big advantage of much lower walls. The newer 2022 Lios have much lower walls, from both reducing the OD of the response groove and eliminating the midwall. This yoyo is an extreme winner. If you want one ILYY, buy a Lio imo.
E1ns: It’s an undersized organic. For what it is this yoyo is really good. This is the most comfortable yoyo I’ve ever held in my hand. The hand feel is completely unrivaled. The play is just a little bit anemic and this yoyo needs to be babied in play if you don’t want to tilt/kill your spin. But to an extent that should maybe be expected considering the size of the yoyo. I think a centering bearing would help this yoyo quite a bit. That being said if you can play clean, this yoyo is amazing for 5A. In general I’m usually throwing shorter combos/tricks in 5A, so lower spin times/stability of undersized yoyos don’t bother me. And the feel on the catch/grip of this yoyo is amazing. For 1A I’d rather play a full sized though, and Lio is the 1A winner.
Fury: Not what you expect, not what I expected. I expected a sluggish, rimweighted monster of a yoyo. That’s not at all what I got. It feels much lighter than its 66g body would imply. I think the combination of IRG and a bit of extra center weight from this hub style really balance out the big step to push the rims outwards. This yoyo feels like it’s sacrificing a bit of spin time and stability to be easier to move around in play. This yoyo feels very forward-thinking for a competition oriented yoyo. If I had to make a comparison, it’s kind of similar to 62g bimetals. Technically they’re pushing out the rim weight in an effective way, and getting a lot out of what they’re working with, but they’re sacrificing some performance to hit that lower target weight so they’ll feel more comfortable and less effort to accelerate in play. Ignoring the Blackbelt (which serves as a unique specialized yoyo, instead of being a generlist design) this is my least favorite yoyo of the bunch. That was very shocking to me, because I expected this to be my favorite. I think maybe a centering bearing and 2-3g of extra weight on this yoyo would go a very long way.
To summarize for anybody else looking at recommendations for a first ILYY:
Get a Liopleurodon if you want an extremely good performer of an organic yoyo, with profile curves that make other organics seem hard-edged and uncomfortable in comparison. If I could only have one yoyo in this bunch, I’d probably pick the Lio.
Get an E1ns if you’re willing to sacrifice performance to play the most comfortable yoyo you will ever hold. If your 5A preferences are anything like mine, C bearing E1ns will probably be one of your favorite 5A yoyos ever.
If you want a yoyo that just performs extremely well, has a great shape for grinds, and an excellent soda blast, maybe grab an AbysmAL? I really want an AbysmAL after playing the Torino. I plan on buying either one of those or a Krapfen whenever those are released, depending on which one I think looks cooler.
Also as good as candy blasts are, I think they’re a little overrated. The soda blast on the Blackbelt is exceptional, and personally I love the look of candodized. The candodized Torino can grind competently enough. The spin of the Torino doesn’t screech to a halt when it bumps your hand during play, and the glossy finish looks amazing if you record lots of trick clips like I do. Soda blasts grind every bit as well as candy blast, the difference is entirely negligible to me. The only thing candy blast has going for it is that it truly does feel amazing to just hold in your hand and run your fingers across, but I’m not really sure how much I actually care about that.
