Look: Upon close inspection of this design, it looks complex and quite interesting. It has fine grooves or ridges on the wings, with flared round rims while on the underside or inside the cup, there are three 90 degree cuts and a concave center. It’s quite a busy looking yoyo. The finish on this one is an anodized matte black. A rather interesting black when compared to other Blacks like on the OD 54, the Pyro 3 or the Dv888, it kind of stands on its own. The included and optional side caps are the same type as on the Raptor. The Caps are Clear and quite stiff. On the yoyo they give it depth and rather a hollow look, almost as if there’s a magnifying lens on it.
Feel: The feel of this throw in the hand is quite comfortable and easily conforms to your palm. It’s a soft feeling hold. The anodized finish of the yoyo feels smooth and slick. Its diameter is not too large and therefore can accommodate smaller hands too.
*This is not a beginner’s yoyo, but rather an advanced, unresponsive yoyo that requires binding.
1a Play (Without caps). On the 1st throw you can feel that it is very, very solid and stable. I was quite impressed. It has excellent balance and the best part that you’ll discover right away is, that It has a very, very, long spin life. I got this and the Metropolis on the same day last year so I can tell you hands down, that this one spins the longest of the two. Once you play it, the name begins to make sense.
At just over 68 grams, this is no lightweight. But it can play fast when pushed. It is very unresponsive during play and yet binds really tight with its SG Rings. These rings can be replaced with slim pads too as they are 19mm. There is no string drag at all throughout play and it’s quite nimble to get you through transitions and so forth. I found it to have good float and superb grinding abilities. Superb! Like it’s on rails. Doing a palm grind off a breakaway, the throw stood its ground as if two anchors have landed on your palm. It did not roll forward even slightly on the palm. Not many throws actually stick the landing. Some have to be cradled a bit because of the momentum but this, this stuck the landing. Also, it handles finger grinds in the gap with excellent stability and balance. Those fine ridges really work the miracle. Sometimes on this trick you may lose balance, but not with the Echo. Again off a breakaway, land it on your index finger, it sticks the landing. It stays on its axis throughout and gives you enough time to pop it off and go into something else. Just excellent, excellent control!
The minor draw back that may Crush some people is that these little ridges under the rim for seating the caps get in the way of a good IRG. But, the throw is awesome at everything else. From Intermediate to Master and above, the Echo handles it easily.
Playing with the caps on, I found it slow and somewhat sluggish. So it’s up the player. Especially if s/he likes heavy throws, well then it’s a good thing.
5a Play: The throw is suitable for 5a without caps in my opinion. Its very good and grippy for throwing 5a style. It has good stability, long spin life, and catches are very easy. It’s just kinda heavy for this style as a standard counterweight doesn’t have enough weight for good balance.
Conclusion: This is an excellent yoyo and an excellent buy. You can’t argue with results. For a price of $52, you get a lot of bang for the buck and it’s worth every penny. It plays like a $100 without paying the $100. It’s a great yoyo and is a definite keeper. Features that stand out are its long spin life and excellent grinding. It deserves a spot in anyone’s arsenal. If you want high end performance and long combos at a modest price, check out the Echo, echo, echo…
