First things first:
I’m a novice player, I am still pushing my way into the echelons of the intermediate player but I believe the fact that I’m not an expert gives very important feedback on the yoyo. Also, I bought it with my own money, so this is an honest unbiased review (other than the fact that I love GWAY Throws yoyos).
Ok, that said, this is a review for The DareDevil, the newest yoyo from GWAY Throws… so, Where to begin?
Ah, I know: I’m the kind of player who gets attracted by the look of a yoyo, there are many yoyos that look good and I wish I had them, but I don’t… and yet, I am certainly proud of the ones I have.
It could be the colors (splashes and washes), or the shape, or a combination of both and while I picked a DareDevil with solid colors, they are beautiful. The saturation is rich, the pink half reminds me of bubble gum from my childhood, and the blue half looks to me like dark cobalt. Both colors are intense and have character and they make the yoyo a joy to just look at when it sits on my desk. This specific version of the yoyo has a sand-blasted (matte) finish on the outer body and the inner cup is glossy. Since I can’t perform finger spins at all, I can’t say if this characteristic will impact those tricks, but Nate Martsolf does one on his review so I assume it shouldn’t be a problem.
The logo engraving is located in a position that should not affect your play, and it’s done in a very professional way. Clear, crisp, perfectly aligned, and even on close inspection with a magnifier, I couldn’t find any defect. I know these things are considered a given by today standards, but what makes me appreciate them is that quality wasn’t compromised in order to make the yoyo inexpensive, especially if we take into account this is a craft yoyo.
The shape feels right in the hand, it’s comfortable and while this is a light yoyo at 62 grams and slightly small at 53.5mm, it doesn’t feel weird. It feels the way it should: the right weight according to the size. In a way, I think it is The Saboteur’s little brother. This is very subjective but I think the shape of the yoyo contributes to how nicely it looks on my desk, not only the overall shape but also the stepped design and the spike the inner cup has.
Concerning the performance, as I mentioned before I am not an expert player, and here is why this is important: I favor yoyos with long spin time and lots of balance because this helps me a lot when I’m learning or practicing tricks. and the DareDevil is such a yoyo. Does it mean it’s a yoyo for novice players only? Heck no, you can follow GWAY Throws on Instagram and you will see what the yoyo can do. It’s a sick tool for experienced players.
I don’t follow the professional scene but I believe the yoyo does not have competition yoyo size and weight (if such thing exists) but I can tell you one thing: This yoyo is a lot of fun.
I leave you with this final thought and some pics: If you’re on the fence about this yoyo, go for it. You won’t regret it. Not only is this an enjoyable throw from all perspectives but also has behind it one hell of a great guy to support it. Chill, amicable and polite. My only regret is I didn’t have enough money to buy two, but in time I will get another because it’s a must! Just like a craft beer, you can see this yoyo was made with love, attention to detail, care, and (most important) with the intention to give the world a fun toy and not a mere source of income.
