sOMEThING FIRMY Review by NJStringer

sOMEThING FIRMY Review by NJStringer

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Hiroyuki “Mickey” Suzuki is a name that has become synonymous with the yoyo world. His skills seem nearly magical and his level of precision is only matched by his passion for what some consider a hobby but for Mickey is not only a sport but a form of art. The FIRMY, which is named after its purpose of being a players “FIRst Metal Yoyo,” is one of the latest yoyos to come from the sOMEThING brand and offers a mid-sized throw aimed to be an entry level metal at a price that is pretty generous considering the quality of the yoyo and its ability to hold up to some intense, freestyle play.

FIRMY Specs:
Butterfly shape
67 grams
54mm diameter
41.12mm width
4.8 gap
Stock Bearing: C Size 8 ball bearing OR curved 8 ball bearing
Stock Response System: CBC “Slim Pad” 19mm OD

In the Box:

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In the Box:
sOMEThING FIRMY
1 poly string

The review FIRMY I received came in a solid, polished blue and is also offered in red and hot pink. Each FIRMY is engraved with the stylized logo within each bowl along with the sOMEThING name and the FIRMY name. A visually simple approach with the engraving bringing the focus to the bowl

Build:

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Upon first holding the FIRMY I realized how hefty this little throw felt. The FIRMY has a weight to it that is surprising and I actually had to weigh it because I couldn’t believe that at 67 grams a yoyo would feel like this and wondered how so much weight could fit into such a small package. I even compared its feel to a few other throws in the same weight range and again, as always, weight distribution can really do wonders placing weight over the body of a yoyo changing one’s perception on how its overall mass feels in-hand. But, once weighed, the scale flashed back at me with an even 67 grams.

The FIRMY is a standard butterfly shape that maintains the organic, soft, rounded feel of the classic shape with a sweeping catch zone that begins at small, liberally rounded outer rims that slope towards the wall, response and bearing in a single step that is soft to the touch. The outer rims moving towards the bowl lead to several facets that are angled increasingly towards the bowl and a curved, nearly second rim shape before sloping inward towards the bowl. This area just outside of the bowl feels and looks like an IGR but I’ll touch on its functionality in the next section. The bowl has a pleasant sweep to it that plateaus to a slight outward convexity that is neither a matador spike nor a hub but simply a pleasant, flat surface that is barely noticeable beneath the engraved logo that is seated in the bowl itself.

The FIRMY finish is something that makes the quality of this particular throw stand out among its price point; one would not expect a yoyo that is this affordable to have a finish that feels this resilient. Now I own a good number of yoyos, many of which cost twice as much as the FIRMY and the finish on some of them don’t feel this nice in hand or scream resilience like the finish on the FIRMY. Mickey has placed this yoyo competitively and generously with the pricing and again the quality is better than “nice” for the price.

On a Throw:

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There is something to be said for the classic, butterfly shape of a yoyo on a throw. Simply put - The dynamics are wonderful. The play is stable. The feel on the string smooth and pleasant. With this in mind its no wonder that this was the choice of shapes when it came to sOMEThING designing a yoyo for the sole purpose of transitioning players from plastics and bi-metals to a full metal, unresponsive throw. The FIRMY offers an organic design that is solid and yet easy on the hand when catching a hard return.

Thanks to that same, solid design choice and some well-weighted rims, the FIRMY offers excellent spin time with stability that, again, for the price is just amazing. The precision that this yoyo is capable of make it not only a great choice for the transitioning player but a throw that can suit pretty much any style of play. The smoothness of the FIRMY at the end of the string is surprising when one considers how many $150 throws out there hit your doorstep with a vibe, or worse a nasty pulse, that leave you scratching your head wondering where your money went.

In the hands of the player who is ready for their first metal yoyo the FIRMY is a great choice thanks to the self-correcting tendency of the shape, design and overall distribution of weight. I purposely threw against a neutral, centered throw and, you can, over the course of a maneuver, watch the FIRMY strive to achieve that neutral position that is so vital to more advanced play. The size of the FIRMY falls into that mid-sized category that again is great for someone looking at their first metal. So many times on the forum one can find that single question that everyone asks at one time or another: “What size yoyo should I buy?” Players not sure on what size to play will find the FIRMY a mid sized delight capable of medium to fast play and large enough to control with relative ease and yet small enough to tackle chop stick tricks.

The finish feels and looks polished which many know can mean grinds are slightly harder to manage but with the FIRMY they are possible and not at all difficult. The inner rim of the FIRMY that resembles an IGR can hold a thumb grind with some effort but I found that the depth of the bowl in respect to the rim caused my thumb to catch against the bowl surface which decreased my spin time a bit but with practice I did notice a greater degree of success when done prior to any other trick when the yoyo is at its fastest spin. So as far as toying with thumb grinds, it is possible but I’m not certain consistency will ever be 100%. I’ve seen several people mention that thumb grinds are impossible with the FIRMY but from my time with the yoyo I can definitely say they are possible just not as easy as other throws with a more prominent IGR. All in all, as always, practice and determination are going to always pay off and with the FIRMY in hand you have a capable throw to help you reach new levels of skill.

Stock Bearing and Response:

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The FIRMY comes loaded with either a flat or curved surface 8 ball bearing. My review FIRMY came stock with a curved bearing which played well. The play is just as consistent when the bearing is switched out and played with a flat 8 ball should you prefer. CBC slim pads are the stock response system and are a great choice for a yoyo aimed at the transitioning player due to the fact that they are flush and not recessed meaning that someone working on learning or perfecting the art of a consistent, tight, neat bind will do so with less frustration than someone attempting binds with recessed response. I’ve always found CBC pads to be a very efficient and easy response system to change out and they offer wonderful binds that from the beginning are consistent once broken in. The combination of CBC pads and the curved bearing equate to a very capable throw that will most assuredly compliment a players growing arsenal of tricks. When you consider the goal of this design the choice of stock bearing and response show that Mickey really did what he set out to accomplish - namely create a wonderful transitional metal that can carry a player from beginner and beyond.

In the End:

The FIRMY by sOMEThing is a no nonsense, no frills throw - the kind of throw that really is a much higher priced yoyo in terms of its quality but something that players ready to transition to metal can afford without buyers remorse. Early intermediate players can make this a daily throw and continue to improve their skill set without worrying about ruining a $200 throw as they do so. Aimed at being the first of more than likely many metals the FIRMY succeeds at being a solid choice for pretty much any player. Beginners tempted at all-metal, unresponsive play who don’t want to invest in a more expensive throw will find the price range appealing but the intermediate to advanced player will find in the FIRMY the quality of play suitable for pretty much any style of play you choose to throw at it.

I just love reviews like this. Thank you for the effort you put into it, i enjoyed every single line!

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Once again, a stellar review with stellar pictures. Thanks!

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