Agreed. The design skills of CLYW is only eclipsed by their astute marketing. Whether conscious or not, CLYW hits on all cylinders when it comes to creating brand image and brand awareness. Call it hype or call it brilliant marketing; CLYW is the clear leader in this regard.
Did I mention the fabulous yo-yo’s they make? Don’t forget those.
Sorry analogy master I will try better next time.
CLYW is your mom bringing you a warm glass of milk in the middle of the night. CLYW is back-rubs and foot massages. CLYW is the smell of a new pack of Pokemon cards. CLYW is a single beam of hope in a dark world.
Chris and his team have managed to cultivate this ‘mom and pop’ feel with their return tops. It gives the company a down to Earth, relatable quality. They have characters (Puffin, Yeti, Gnarwhal) that give their yoyos a sense of personality which makes it easy for some to develop a kind of emotional attachment to them.
CLYW has history, killer designs, and great colorways. After that, price isn’t really an issue, people are going to pay whatever the price for a brand that they’ve come to love.
I think the real question is: what DOESN’T make CLYW popular?
Spot. On.
Just to prevent any misinterpretations, this was not a thread to bash CLYW, I was curious about what makes CLYW such a popular company, and James hit the nail head on.
How to start a megathread on YYE:
Use any of the following keywords (in no particular order):
-CLYW
-Yeti (Yeti vs. Rally works too)
-Hype
-Jensen
-Chief
Sit back and watch.
/thread
Why is this bad. People who like things will talk about those quite a bit. Does it really matter if they don’t want to try other brands… it is their prerogative and they have a passion about a certain brand. I have seen it quite a bit in many different fields these are some that come to mind:
Auto: Ford vs. Chevy, Honda vs. Toyota.
Tech: AMD vs. Intel, Nvidia vs. ATI
Camera: Canon vs. Nikon
There is nothing wrong being a brand loyalist. Blind zealotry is where I have a problem.
When I discovered CLYW I was blown away with the colors. Their yoyos looked incredible! I knew that I needed to have one.
I never really considered CLYW cause I was like damn, why the hell would I ever spend that much on a yoyo but after reading so many positive things people have to say about them I decided to try one out. The finish, design, and playability was all stuff that made me HAVE to get one and made me a total fanboy I guess however I still enjoy my other throws just as much.
So I’m now totally convinced that a CLYW is a top tier yoyo company. ( I recently bought a totally overpriced Bip Bop Bonfire and I guess it isn’t overpriced if I was still willing to buy one hehe.)
The word Hype gets thrown around too easily. Hype is more of a deception or exaggeration, making claims that can’t be achieved. I don’t see that here. CLYW is genuine quality. Great throws, great customer service. A team of popular players, genius marketing! The passion people show for this company is genuine and well deserved in my opinion. The bashing because some people love it so is misplaced and unfair. . Cool is cool. No hype, just a great company run by a smart and genuinely nice person. The real deal. Success can be a curse too I guess.
If you really want a light and floaty yoyo get a Oxygene Oxy 5. So smooth you can barely tell its spinning.
You forgot one: having saintrobyn and Yoyogeezer in the same thread.
I too have always said “CLYW is the Ferrari of yoyo” like another person mentioned. But we could also compare the brand to something we all own and recognize like denim jeans.
The hierarchy of jeans go like this:
Walmart: You can buy a solid pair of Wranglers for like $15 and they will last you for years which is ideal if you need to do some dirty construction work and don’t really care if they get torn or stained up.
Target: One step up above from Walmart. You can spend about $25 on a pair of jeans that are equally durable but they do work with designers who make the jeans have a flattering fit that look much nicer.
Old Navy / Gap / Banana Republic: These 3 companies are all owned by the same corporation. Old Navy markets primarily to younger teens. The gap aimed at 20 somethings and Banana Republic aimed at professionals who dont mind spending $80 on a pair of jeans that fit well and look fantastic paired with collared shirts and blazers on a casual friday at the office. Go ahead and compare the prices. Old Navy jeans are around $35 vs the Gap jeans which around $65. BR jeans priced no less than $70-$90. (Me personally I always buy Gap jeans on holiday sales for around $45).
MOST people are satisfied with the quality/price/durability/fit of the above mentioned brands…HOWEVER there is a BIG market for designer jeans. If you go to Nordstrom you can spend $300 on a pair of jeans that a famous designer has personally oversaw the bleaching/coloring/wash process to insure they look exactly as expected before they get sent off to be mass produced. Any actor you’ve ever seen on TV is wearing jeans like this because they know millions of people are going to be looking at them and judging their taste in fashion.
Now believe it or not…some people are still not satisfied with the quality at Nordstrom/Saks 5th Ave/Whatever. They want a pair of jeans that cost no less than $350 that where hand made by their personal favorite designer in extremely limited quantities. These jeans can only be found at what are called “Boutique” fashion stores and are known as “haute couture” These jeans can easily go for $350-$800…probably more.
So that’s what people mean when they say CLYW is a boutique market. Chris is a favorite designer to many and he personally oversees the design of each yoyo every step of the way. Whenever he catches a flaw or something he doesn’t like the item gets marked b-grade. Any time I’ve emailed him a question he has responded within about 24 hours. His designs are top tier. The packaging has great art by Jason Week. His team make entertaining videos and do well in competitions.
I believe CLYW is more in line with the Nordstrom/Saks level of fashion/trendiness and that for true haute corture in the yoyo world you would be looking at hand made items like Mr. B!ST’s Stradivari or one of a kind items like Ernest Khan’s Louis Vuitton yoyo featured here: http://yoyoexpert.com/blog/louis-vuitton-special-yo-yo-and-ernest-kahn OR something personally anodized by Jason Wong.
Only sometimes, and I usually let him take the first “swing”. 
Ive often wondered this. I thought hype but it doesn’t look like it will be crashing anytime soon. Its vaguely irritating how highly they’re valued, but as long as they’re still attainable its fine in my book. I think the big CLYW boom started with the Chief.
The Chief is one of them. CLYW goes through cycles with many minor booms as well. The hit is out of the park with the Peak release where it crashed YoYoNations servers. after that there was a down swing of sorts and then a renewed interest in the company when the Sasquatch and Avalanche released. The next major boom came when Ben’s Guide to the Peak came out. Before that you could fine a peak at a reasonable price in the BST, I found a mint 'Gull Peak for $75. Now Peaks are selling at $200+. Then the Chief came out and upped the interest in the company allowing Chris to try some more “out there” designs like the Cliff and Glacier Express. It will be interesting to see what CLYW comes up with next that grabs the community’s attention.
I enjoy CLYW because if the unique feel their throws have. Plus the quality, as in many other brands
Amazing feel 
Say what? Aw man; its on now! ;D