“Project 2” by One Drop Designs
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Well, it is finally here. The Project 2 has finally been released to the general public. This has been THE yo-yo I have been waiting for and with good reason. A One Drop Designs M1 was my introduction to the metal yo-yo scene. I put them under a lot of pressure. If their product sucked, I would have just stuck with plastics and be done with it. Luckily it became, and still is, my “go to” pocket throw. There is always an M1 in my pocket when I leave the house. After the M1 I moved on to other metals and traded my way up to Dr. YoYo’s pink and brown Project. The original Project is one of my favorite throws. The soda blasting feels great, the weight is just right and the projection profile is great for grinding. Those of you that have read my previous reviews know that I am a little bit of a grind whore (man that just doesn’t sound right). With all that out of the way let’s see if the Project 2, commonly referred to as the P2, lives up to all the hype I have given it.
Specs
Weight: 67.6 grams
Width: 40.63mm
Diameter: 50mm
Stock Response: Flow Groove
Flow Groove Response Depth: .075
Gap Width: 4.37mm
Bearing Size: Large (C) stainless steel (One Drop 10 Ball Bearing)
Look and Feel
First thing I noticed when I opened the box was the color. I received a purple and green Project 2 and the colors are just stunning. It is a nice, rich green and a vibrant purple. Not a deep royal purple like my Big Brother Bully, it is more in the violet spectrum. All in all, a great looking yo-yo. After that, the shape caught my eye. The P2 looks like the illegitimate love child of my Project and M1. It has the flat rims, projection profile, and width of a Project while retaining the rounded nature of the M1. A very unique design. Speaking of the projection profile, I noticed right away that it had been completely redesigned. At first I was not fond of the change, the original had such a subtle projection profile that you could barley photograph it. The P2 has deeper, wider ridges, it is significantly more pronounced. After throwing it for a little bit it grew on me. More on that later. I will end this section with a little bit about the finish. If you liked the soda blasted feel of the Project then you will love the feel of the Project 2. The finish feels identical to its older sibling.
Weight
At almost 68 grams the Project 2 is significantly heavier than the original Project. It out weighs its elder by a good 4 grams and the feel of the two while in flight is drastically different because of it. The original Project is floaty on the string. I once likened it to Michael Jordan because when I would pop it up to grind it would get hang time in the air. The Project 2, on the other hand, has a solid feel on the string. I noticed that with the extra weight I had to exert more force to do some of the same tricks that I pull off with ease on the original Project. I also had to move quicker because of the difference in the hang time. This is not a bad thing, it just took a bit of readjusting. I have found that I am getting better while using heavier yo-yos, like the P2, because my reaction times are getting quicker. I now tend to like a heavier throw. The best part about the extra weight is that it has been pushed to the rims giving the Project 2 incredible spin times.
(from left to right: Project 2 / Project / Space Bat M1)
Response and Bearing
The Project 2 is using One Drop’s new “Flow Groove” response system. They ship it with thick silicone pads that mimic the look and feel of flowable silicone. The response groove will also accept flowable silicone. I am on the fence on if I will put flowable in the P2 or not. The pads, once broken in, have the same feel that a good recess silicone job will give you. The only down side is that pads tend not to last as long as flowable. Although I have heard great things about these pads. given that this is only the second flow groove One Drop product that I have received and I got them within a week of each other, I will reserve judgement on the pads until a point when they actually do wear out.
There is nothing to really say about the bearing. It is a One Drop 10-Ball bearing, their standard bearing and one of my favorite bearings out there. They are smooth, quiet, and spin like mad Tasmanian Devil. What’s not to like about that?
Playability
Well here it is, the make or break section of this review. I am happy to say that yes, this yo-yo has lived up to all of my self generated hype. It plays fast and is solid on the string. Once I stopped treating it like a Project and got use to the extra weight I was pushing it threw hooks, whips, and slacks with ease. it is also smooth on the string, this is one of those yo-yos that you have to check to see if it is actually spinning at the end of the string. Being the grind maniac that I am, I am happy to say that the soda blasting and new projection profile make for an excellent grind surface. I can get this yo-yo to just spin on my arm forever. The key to the P2 is to treat it like a new yo-yo. I did not do that at first. I figured it was just a refined Project and I can play it like one. This is not a Project it is a P2. it takes a completely different approach when throwing it.
Final Recommendation
This is a solid yo-yo and I would definitely recommend that you add one to your collection. If you were an original Project owner that didn’t like the light weight, the P2 is for you. If you like to grind, again the P2 is for you. The only group that I would not recommend this yo-yo to is the anti flat rims crowd. They are out there and they probably will not like the Project 2 for that reason. Personally, I can not find a major flaw in it other than the fact that it is bulky in my pocket so I will still reach for my M1 when leaving the house. All in all it meet or beat all of my expectations once I got use to it.
In summary, this yo-yo takes everything great about the original Project and dials it up to 11.
