thanks for the mention @maximusjesse ! the Fair Trade Yoyos 138 comes in at 38mm wide, is very pocketable and is available at YYE! check it out bud!
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Hi gang, thanks again for the discussion and suggestions.
Since we left off, I’ve gotten a Panorama. With a centering bearing it works surprisingly well at low rpm, giving good bind returns even as it is nearly out of spin. At least that’s the way it seems to me as compared to other slim organics I’ve had. The Pano inspires a smoothness in play. I like it quite a bit but need to marinate on it a while still.
Then, a Freehand 1 AL is calling my name. Just still not sure about the color (I really really really do not like the cap graphics!!). I either want a purple with caps swapped to a white plastic cap that is wiped clean as a tribute to Danny Severance or a Duncan = Love because the pink looks so great even though I’m still not a fan of the cap graphics (though better than the logo caps).
Hmm… would swapping from the stock Freehand 1 AL cap to a plastic cap result in rattling or vibe or worse performance?
EDIT: I assume the plastic Freehand caps below fit the FH1AL, right? If so, do they work well or does it play better with the stock AL caps?
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Panorama/Diorama is my favorite new release in a long time. It’s right up there for my all time favorite yoyo. I’ve mentioned it to Tsukasa and David, but outside of one little change, if I was the one to have sat down with Shawn to design a yoyo it probably would’ve looked and played very similar to these yoyos. Absolutely love those yoyos.
As far as plastic caps on the FH1-AL’s, it’ll lower the weight a little bit. I tried it when I had a couple extras of them, and I liked it quite a bit. May eventually pick up another just to have one with plastic caps.
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The Next Gen and Big Fun don’t take Freehand caps actually! Don’t buy the listing you linked they won’t fit since they aren’t regular plastic Freehand caps.
Plastic caps will fit well and it’s a fairly tight fit so you don’t have to worry about rattling. There’s a hole in the axle hub you can use to blow the caps out with a bike pump or other methods. It looks like YYE doesn’t actually carry normal Freehand caps but you can buy them and all kinds of weight rings from Taka’s website. You can DM me for a link if you need it.
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Absolutely not, just make sure they are fully installed. This is my favorite set up, 60 grams of pure 
Shed another gram if you can get some RSO/ Atmos Projects Gravity Caps
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Oooh ok! Thanks, y’all have me convinced that clean plastic caps is it, as far as the look and feel I want. So nice!
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How do you remove the al caps ?
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Compressed Air, above 30 psi works best
Here are some links
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Hey man! I was wonder since you have both the Freehand One Al and an Independent, how do the two compare? I haven’t had the chance to snag a Freehand One Al yet.
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The Independent V2 with its A-Bearing and more center weight distribution still plays more like an older Freehand / FHZ, especially with the caps. The new FH1ALs including the small bearing play lighter without the center weight feel. I still think that the Independent has been the best FH clone I’ve ever played.
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I’ve a purple FH1AL with white plastic caps en route. Did I mention a Bolt 2 as well? Still rocking the Panorama and cleared the concave bearing that’s in it a bit more so it’s spinning even better. I’m finding that the slimness of the Pano is great for chopsticks. To be continued…
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