They’re the same yoyo except one doesn’t have side effects, right?
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Definitely similar, but not “exactly” the same feel in play for sure.
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This photo is the best possible comparison I could give tbh.
Red half is the Free Solo, the other half is the Summit. You’ll notice the ever so slightly modernized shape (most notably, the wall comes closer to the bearing on the Free Solo), Free Solo is made from 7075 instead of 6061, and doesn’t have SE’s as you mentioned. There are other minor changes but they add up enough to where you can definitely tell a difference. Free Solo is lighter, zippier, more premium feeling and can take more of a beating due to the usage of 7075. Summit is ever so slightly laid back and more classic feeling. But it’s like they’re brothers (just several years apart 
) since you can definitely tell they’re from the same family. You absolutely cannot go wrong with either one.
And yes this half swap actually plays quite well, and is surprisingly vibe free.
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Wait… Is the free solo supposed to be a boosted summit and I didn’t realize it‽
They didn’t advertise it as such, right?
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I mean yeah, that’s essentially what it is - I called it a “20/20 Summit” when it came out and people first asked me what it was like. But yes, they did not market or advertise it that way, or associate it with the Summit in any way. It was kinda strange, and Steve said awhile back on the CLYW discord something about how they were kinda talking with OD about plans to do a re-run of the 7075 Summits, but then One Drop got weird, ghosted them and made this instead without telling them LMAO
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That’s so funny! I didn’t realize the yoyo world and my dating life had so much in common.
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Those two color ways actually look really good with the solid and the splash. You should put a string on it and see how it throws for a comparison of how similar they are 
Yeah but sidefx on the Summit make everything more fun, I love the variability of centerweight in me throws. Plus it’s got the CLYW anno, and nostalgia kick going for it.
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Summit has snow tires too. I think.
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pretty sure thats why the wall is so much higher
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The summit was around for the era of midwalls. So it’s not really just having snow tires, as much as it is having snow tires + an intentionally higher wall around them.
Adding a picture for visual aid:
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looking at the aluminum after the response pad there is definitely more wall than the 2mm OD difference between 19mm pads and snow tires
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i’ve never played a summit before, but after playing my free solo last night I can say its a wicked yoyo. going to go out on a limb and say the summit is probably also a super sick yoyo
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Yeah, the free solo didn’t remove the midwall it, I just felt it was worth pointing out that the Summit’s wall height was also more than just snow tire height. Since some people think snow tires alone ruin a yoyo from creating too high of a wall as a baseline.
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yeah i can see that, and appreciate you sharing.
i personally love 21mm pads with C-bearings, binds feel tighter and throws have more power than 19mm pads. i’ve had a not so great experience with snow tires as they were proud of the groove and snagged, swapped the pads to gamer pads and they sat perfectly flush. dad pads are also really nice in the Life and in the short time i had my inhaler. the minor difference in wall height is a great trade off for tighter binds as it also offers more control over the yoyo.
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