Well, I’m sitting around the house here (No school today! WooT!) and I’ve decided to review my Shinwoo Zen 3.
The Zen 3 was my first metal yo-yo. I was super stoked when I got it and well, I'm still stoked every time I throw it. But let's not get into old stories, let's review it!
Manufacturer Shinwoo
Shape Wing
Weight (g) 67.00
Width (mm) 39.54
Diameter (mm) 53.91
Gap Width (mm) 4.60
Bearing Size (Inside x Outside x Width) .250 in x .500 in x .187 in
Gap Type Fixed
Stock Response System Shinwoo Starburst rubber pad
Alright, I want to get the packaging out of the way first. When I got the yo-yo, it came in a nice box that contained the yo-yo, a string, and instructions. Bad thing about that is: Everything was in Korean… That’s the only bad thing I remember about the packaging. (I got this yo-yo about 8 months ago.)
Response and bearing: The response that came with this yo-yo is the Shinwoo Starburst rubber pad. Although this pad is great for semi-responsive play, it’s not the best to start off with if you want dead unresponsive. I pulled my hand up lightly and the yo-yo shot straight back to my hand. Ow! The response groove is deep enough to use flowable silicone in, however, so it’s a quick fix. Now, if you want to you can use the yo-yo stock and wear the response down (like I did) or rip them out and use silicone. The yo-yo also came with a pair of rubber o-rings, but I really didn’t like them. They seemed to make the yo-yo slow down incredibly quick. Probably because the rings stuck out a bit and rubbed the string and such? The bearing that came with the yo-yo seemed to have some sort of lube in it and man was it dirty looking inside. After I got my One Drop Dingo (I’ve also reviewed it on here) I swapped the bearings out and now I have a 10-ball in the yo-yo currently and I absolutely LOVE the play.
First throw: Well, my first throw was pretty much described in the above section about response. Basically, the yo-yo hit the string with a nice little thunk and then after a small tug, shot back to my hand. I was kinda okay with that, but at the same time I wanted it dead unresponsive. I was kind of a noob (that’s what the kids are calling it now-a-days, right?) back then so I just played with it.
Grinds: I don’t actually know if this yo-yo has a sort of finish to it, but it grinds quite well. Finger and arm grinds are fine, where palm grinds kind of shoot off. Thumb grinds aren’t too great and the yo-yo feels like jumping right off of the thumb.
Weight: At 67 grams, this yo-yo seems to be just right. It doesn’t force you to play fast or slow, it lets you go with your own pace. Can’t really delve to deeply into the weight.
Extra: This yo-yo is pretty sturdy. It’s the beater in my collection. I’ve dinged it off of concrete, thrown it, and it’s STILL smooth. This yo-yo can handle it all and I’ve given it all.
Anyway, I’ve ranted long enough about this yo-yo. I hope you enjoyed this review. Comment below and tell me what you think!
-Adam