I love my One Drop Top Deck because it has such tight binds and will bind very crisply even when I go off kilter or I am severely losing spin. Not many other of my yoyos do this. I have several pairs of standard OD Flow Groove pads that I got just for my Top Deck (when I eventually need them). Tonight I started thinking: maybe it’s not the design of the Top Deck that gives me such awesome binds - that it’s the pads. QUESTION: Has anyone here ever put standard OD Flow Groove pads in a non-One Drop yoyo and instantly noticed way better, really tight, snappy binds? Most of the time when I am unable to bind or get a slippy, loose bind it’s because my yoyo is badly tilted or losing spin and I’m getting better at avoiding that. It’s just that with my Top Deck - my shortcomings are barely noticeable when it comes to binds.
As I understand it, standard flow groove pads are thicker than normal. One Drop yoyos are designed to have deeper pad wells in order to accommodate those pads, and as such the pads sit flush with the inner wall and are slightly recessed to boot. If you put them into any yoyo designed to take standard slim response pads–which is, like what, 99% of yoyos these days?–those pads will stick out too high and not sit flush with the inner wall. You don’t want that unless you want your yoyo to play responsive.
At the end of the day, it isn’t the thickness of the flow groove pads that make One Drop yoyo so snappy with their binds; it is their (relatively) narrow gap widths (and the fact that flowable silicone is very soft and creates lots of friction).
I remember you saying that a few months ago and then I looked up gap widths of the yoyos I use the most and some had a narrower gap than the Top Deck and didn’t bind as nicely as my Top Deck. Maybe it’s a combination of the One Drop design as well as their pads. Great tip about OD grooves (where the pads go) being deeper. I’ve only replaced one pair of pads in the last year and half because I rotate through so many yoyos. I’d like to experiment with a higher end pad just to see if there’s a difference from the factory pads. I don’t want anything thick but I do want awesome OD-like binds. Katanas come to mind. Would you recommend I order a couple pairs to try out?
Try the slim version of these maybe:
BTW, a 4.45mm gap width (the Top Deck gap) is on the tighter side these days. It produces nice snappy binds. It also helps that the Top Deck plays at incredible spin velocity.
I will try these in a few of my favorites. Thanks.
It’s the shoes
FWIW, The Par Avion has a 4.86 gap, and I find myself wishing it was smaller.