He’s just giving me a hard time to have fun at my expense. It’s all good.
Yes, those are reflections. That’s my Chick, and you can inspect it as close as you want(let’s meet up, you can try my other stuff) and you’ll see it’s reflections. The spikes are shiny.
I know it seems ridiculous to argue with the owner, but those are not reflections. I can tell even in the photo. Da5id and Paul confirm that they are etched (?), I have a purple one and when I first got it I thought “Oh, those must be reflections” until I REALLY inspected them! You’re not likely to have gotten a fluke “not engraved” one.
But back to the photo, if they were reflections, the white would be more or less “continuous” from the cup to the spikes. It is not. It is interrupted and staggered because the side effect has rotated about 1mm counter-clockwise compared to the cup. You can see where the engravings/etchings (what are these called?) are meant to line up, and they currently do not because the spike isn’t perfectly aligned anymore. If it were a reflection, it would be impossible to go out of alignment.
There’s also the question of physics. Looking at the angles and how reflection works… it would be unpossible for this to be a reflection. If you managed to get some sort of reflection at all (you can’t, but let’s just play devil’s advocate), the reflected bits wouldn’t be in a straight line the way they appear. The spike is conical, which will skew the reflection seven ways 'til Sunday.
There’s a point at which it doesn’t matter if you’re the one who has the yoyo right in front of you, swearing that it’s a reflection. I can tell from that photo, from the design of the yoyo (ie. you’d have to have a factory flaw), from personal experience with my purple one (I couldn’t even tell at first when it was right in front of MY eyes!), and from the laws of physics… that it’s not a reflection you’re seeing there.
I’ll take a photo of the side effects later to prove it. I gotta take some BvM vs BvMr2 shots for someon else, so might as well dismantle the CHIK to prove a point.
No ink, no engraving. Just purple ano.
Simple way to find out if it’s a reflection: Take off the Side Effects. If the pattern is there, it’s not a reflection, and vice versa. I don’t think it’s a reflection because David and Paul have both said it’s etched on there, but hey, I don’t have the yoyo in front of me.
Edit: Studio ninja’d me and had a similar idea. Great minds think alike. 
I don’t know if I just have the soft and sensitive fingers of a lady, but all I had to do on mine was lightly run my fingertip over it to feel it.
Not sure why “more proof than proof” is needed, but sure. As long as it’s done in good faith and a guy can admit when he’s wrong. Not to sound like I’m pre-covering my butt (I know they’re not reflections) but there’s not a lot of contrast there. Photos of the wrong angle or under certain conditions will make it tricky to see the ghosting… the photograph that was already taken perfectly shows the ghosting and how it’s impossible for it to be a reflection.
You guys don’t believe in physics or logic or something? Sheesh.
Well, here’s the bottom line:
I am wrong. Closer inspection(without removing the side effects) show that there is some whatever on the side effects. However, the camera makes it look like there is more than their is.
I tried using acetone to remove it. I may have to try more, but it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. I may just need to put more effort in to it. But I got better things to do.
I’m wrong. I can clearly see it. No big deal.
Guys, I was just joking around with Studio42. No debate needed. I noticed the laser on the spikes in the original photos of the Chik that were posted on the One Drop Flickr. I like the effect.
Give up on the acetone. Those are laser etched into the metal… or to put it in Doctor Evil terms, “The graphics were burned in (possibly by sharks) with a FREAKING LASER BEAM!!!”
Well, then that saves me some time and some photos. Back into the Case of Wonders with the Chik.
I might have to intercept my latest YYE order if they have purple spikes. However, I can live with this. It does make lining up the SE’s a bit more of an effort though!
The spikes are most definitely etched.
And lining them back up is super easy. I tried a few different SE’s on my Chik, but ended up going back to the spikes. It took an extra few seconds to line them up before pushing the spikes into their seats. Really. Not a problem whatsoever.