The influence of the One Drop Cascade (a deep dive)

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

Going to eventually put this into a long post, but for those who want the sneak peak, here is the google docs version that will slowly (just kidding, it took like 5 minutes) get imported. Only thing holding me back from copying and pasting the whole 21 PAGE DOCUMENT is the pictures and formatting, so I’m going to comment the first 4 posts on here in case this document is too long.

UPDATE: Copying and pasting worked pretty from google docs. The formating in the google doc is the best, so if this feels hard to read, use the links below.

21 Page Document: Link

Spreadsheet with condensed data: Link

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

“Our new yo-yo, the Cascade, had some interesting design goals: Wide, Curvy/Organic, Mid-Size (53 mm), Side Effects” -One Drop, 2012

TLDR:

I think there might be anywhere from 8 to 24 One Drops that have been influenced by the design of the Cascade.

The deep dive:

I have had a fascination with One Drop’s yoyos for the last several years. Browsing through the OD website, a yoyo that stood out to me is the Cascade. The name kept coming up the more I would read, but it didn’t fully stand out to me until I read a comment in the Shrimpgang PDX group chat (Portland skill toy club) comparing the 1 to 1 to the Cascade. I followed this up, and I took a 4 hour break from doing homework to make this super unnecessary, but personally interesting comparison of all of One Drops from the Cascade to the Boosted Rainier, and to see how often it’s influenced some One Drop yoyos. I’ve only included yoyos below this that I see some elements that range from subtle reminders (I see you, Dang 2 and Legendary Terrarian), to seemingly minor tweaks(Perscription, Vanguard, Gauntlet, T1), to finally fully reincarnations (Rainier, Boosted Rainier) of it.

What makes a Cascade a Cascade?

Cascade Cross Section, from One Drop Flickr

One Drop’s Description from their website:

“Our new yo-yo, the Cascade, had some interesting design goals: Wide, Curvy/Organic, Mid-Size (53 mm), Side Effects

It went through three different iterations. Version 1 was a source of contention here at the shop. Everyone disagreed about liking it and some vigorous debate took place. However, we did all agree that it needed changes but we were on the verge of scrapping it.

Justin “Vendetta” Lotempio was visiting us at the time and convinced us to at least try a revision. Version 2 was much improved and everyone agreed it was an awesome yo-yo that really felt and played different.

Mark Montgomery really liked it and suggested a couple of small tweaks which resulted in version 3. For this revision we smoothed out some areas of the cup and added a touch of rim weight. We went to production with version 3 and are really excited to get this beautiful yo-yo out into the world. It ships with Dome Side Effects.”-One Drop, 2012 (Cascade)

“the false rim look from the Cascade” -JT Nickel, 2016 (Top Deck)

“The Cascade has a ring of weight down in the cup.” - One Drop, 2024 (Rainier)

How am I deciding if a yoyo has been Cascade Inspired, or has the Cascade DNA?

(Format for the rest of the document)

• Objective (Observable truth, best evidence):
  • Quotes that mention the Cascade
    • “Taking the ______ of the Cascade”
    • “inspired by the Cascade”
    • Ect
• Subjective (Opinions, weakest evidence):
  • Semi Organic but curved to a curved/flattish catch
  • false rim/middle weight bump inside (obvious mid rim weight?)
  • Wideish (45mm width to 53mm diameter) 45/53= 84% width to diameter ratio
    • How close is close enough for it to be a similar wideish of the Cascade?
      • 80% or greater? You be the judge.

Super Comparison:

Cascade-July 2012

• “Our new yo-yo, the Cascade, had some interesting design goals: Wide, Curvy/Organic, Mid-Size (53 mm), Side Effects” -One Drop, 2014 (Cascade)
• Organic? Yes
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yes
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 84.90%
  • Width: 45 mm
  • Diameter: 53 mm

1. Summit: April 2013

• “The name really speaks for itself as this is a melding of a CLYW Avalanche and a One Drop Cascade.” -One Drop
• semi organic rim, but W shaped
• Mid Rim Weight/false rim/middle weight bump
• Wide /Diameter Ratio= 82.6%
  • Width: 46 mm
  • Diameter: 55.64 mm

2. T1: April 2014

• No quote that clues inspiration
• Organic
• Slight false rim/middle weight bump
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 85.25%
  • Width: 48.4 mm
  • Diameter: 56.77 mm

3. Gradient: July 2014
   

• “The Cascade type weight distribution promotes maneuverability, and the bigger size promotes stability allowing the Gradient to ride the line between those two forces while still being speedy.” -One Drop
• Organic? No, V shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yep
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 78.84%
  • Width: 44.35 mm
  • Diameter: 56.25 mm

4. Seven Summits: November 2014
   

• Quote: No Quote
• semi organic rim, W shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yep
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 85.25%
  • Width: 46 mm
  • Diameter: 55.64 mm

5. Vanguard: 2015

• Quote: “There’s a sense of familiarity as the yo-yo rests between the crevices of your fingers.” -One Drop (weak quote)
• Organic? No, W shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? yes
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 74.06%
  • Width: 41.4 mm
  • Diameter: 55.9 mm

6. Gauntlet: March 2016

• Quote: None
• Organic? Yes
• false rim/middle weight bump? Slight
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 84.61%
  • Width: 47.3 mm
  • Diameter: 55.9 mm

7. Benchmark O 2016 : July 2016

• Quote: None
• Organic? Yes
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yes
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 76.91%
  • Width: 43.65 mm
  • Diameter: 56.75 mm

8. Prescription: October 2016

• “At the end of the day, the Prescription feels like the Cascade’s older, more refined, and obviously more handsome brother.” -One Drop
• Organic? Yep
• false rim/middle weight bump? yep
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 86.38%
  • Width: 46.3 mm
  • Diameter: 53.6 mm

9. Top Deck: April 2016

• “Combined with an organic catch zone and the false rim look from the Cascade….” -JT Nickel (onedrop’s website)
• Organic? Yes
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yes
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 80.32%
  • Width: 44.5 mm
  • Diameter: 55.4 mm

10. Dang 2: August 2017

• Quote? No
• Organic? No, V shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yes
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 79.28%
  • Width: 44.4 mm
  • Diameter: 56 mm

11. Sugar Glider: May 2019

• “The Sugar Glider can be best understood with some background story on the Cascade.” - One Drop
• Organic? Yep
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yep
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 84.25%
  • Width: 45.50 mm
  • Diameter: 54.00 mm

12. Legendary Terrarian: July 2019

• Quote Nope
• Organic? Nope, W shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yep
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 83.63%
  • Width: 46.00 mm
  • Diameter: 55.00 mm

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

13. 1 to 1: July 2019
    
    

• No Official Quote
• Organic- Yes/No/Maybe stretched O crossed with a flattened V?
• false rim/middle weight bump- Yes
• Wide /Diameter Ratio =100%
  • Width: 53 mm
  • Diameter: 53 mmf

14. Rev: November 2019

• “The design itself is based on a Top Deck so you’ll notice it has a similar profile shape, but don’t be fooled, the weight distribution and cup are changed radically and it plays like a totally different beast.” -One Drop
• Organic- Yes
• false rim/middle weight bump- No
• Wide /Diameter Ratio =79.07%
  • Width: 44.6 mm
  • Diameter: 56.4 mm

15. Silhouette: March 2020

• Quote? No
• Organic? No, W shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Barely
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 72.31%
  • Width: 41.5 mm
  • Diameter: 56.7 mm

16. Halifax: July 2020
    
    

• Quote nope
• Organic? No, H Shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? yep
• Wide /Diameter Ratio =76.58%
  • Width: 39.9 mm
  • Diameter: 52.1 mm

17. Free Solo: December 2020
    [
    

• No Quote (actually this is in yoyoexpert, but I won’t add it due to unknown origin)
• Organic? Nah, W shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Yes
• Wide /Diameter Ratio =82.73%
  • Width: 46.0 mm
  • Diameter: 55.6 mm

18. Thorn: August 2022

• Quote? Nope
• Organic? Nope V shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Seems like it
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 74.95%
  • Width: 42.55 mm
  • Diameter: 56.77 mm

19. Wyvern: December 2022
    
    

• “The Wyvern as a whole is an amalgamation of yo-yos, games, and art that I hold near and dear to me. This yoyo takes inspiration from some of my all time favorite onedrops: the OG Project, the Summit, and the Sugar Glider.” -One Drop/Andrew Daugherty
• Organic? No v/w shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Slight/ not really, it’s practically in the rim
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 82.31%
  • Width: 46.00 mm
  • Diameter: 55.88 mm

20. Booster Wyvern: October 2024

• No Quote
• Organic? No. V/W shaped
• false rim/middle weight bump? Slight/ not really, it’s practically in the rim.
  • Wide /Diameter Ratio = 82.31%
    • Width: 46.00 mm
    • Diameter: 55.88 mm

21. Perspective: July 2024

• No Quote
• Organic? Yes/No, both? O/W shaped.
• false rim/middle weight bump? Slight? Not sure. Maybe not.
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 78.00%
  • Width: 42.9 mm
  • Diameter: 55 mm

22. Rainier: December 2024
    

• This yo-yo started as a simple idea: What if we took a Cascade, scaled it up and shifted all the weight to the rims? …. we scaled up the diameter to 56.4mm and the width scaled up to 48.4mm in keeping the same proportions as the Cascade…” - One Drop
• Organic? Yes
• false rim/middle weight bump? No
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 85.81%
  • Width: 48.4 mm
  • Diameter: 56.4 mm

23. Boosted Rainier: May 2025
    

• “The Rainier started with the idea of scaling up a Cascade…” -One Drop
• Organic? Yes
• false rim/middle weight bump? No
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 85.81%
  • Width: 48.4 mm
  • Diameter: 56.4 mm

24. Markmont Blunderbuss: June 2025

• “..We originally incorporated the Cascade yoyo “bump” in the halves cup area, to add mid-weight for improved spin time and stability… like the true to form artisan he is, Shawn whipped up another 3 prototypes with the most saucy and original cup “wave” I’ve seen ” - Mark Mont
• Organic? Yes, O/V
• false rim/middle weight bump? Slight, only known of due to MM’s post
• Wide /Diameter Ratio = 84.46%
  • Width: 47.3 mm
  • Diameter: 56 mm

Observations from the Cascade Super Comparison:

• Objective (Observable truth, best evidence):

  • Quotes that mention the Cascade
    • 8/24 Explicitly say Cascade was influence
    • 3/24 Say they were influenced by one (or more) yoyo that was influenced by the Cascade (weakish evidence)
    • 1/24 says the feel is familiar (weak evidence)

• Subjective (Opinions, weakest evidence):

  • Semi Organic but curved to a curved/flattish palm catch
    • O 9/22
    • W 4/22
    • V 9/22
      • Didn’t know how to classify 1 to 1 and perspective, so I left them out.

• false rim/middle weight bump inside (obvious mid rim weight?)

  • Obvious/visually confirmed/quote noted it
    • 16/24
  • Subtle/barely
    • 5/24
  • None Observed
    • 3/24

• Wideish

  • “On average these days, the width tends to be 70% - 80% of the diameter. A very average example is the SK at 75%. On the wide side, the Sugar Glider comes in at 84%. And on the narrow end, the Deep State is 50%.” -One Drop on the 1 to 1, 2019
    • 83% or greater= 9/24
    • 80-82.99%= 5/24
    • 79 and below = 10/24

Spreadsheet of Above Data:

Condensed Data

Conclusion:

• 8 are explicitly influenced by the Cascade due to the quotes in the yoyo description
• The best subjective influence, in my opinion, is the false rim/middle weight bump, which 21/24 have this feature. The 3 that don’t are the Rainier, the Boosted Rainier, and the Rev. However, both Rainiers explicitly say they are from the Cascade.
• Of the ones that don’t explicitly say they were influenced, 4 (to me) look Cascade-ish be being organic, wide, and having the midweight step
• The last 12 outside of the 1 and 3rd bullet point above have very little evidence (only 1-2 subjective points) that keep me from concluding they are heavily influenced by the Cascade.

Yoyos that might be similar still, but slipped my mind: Overture, 2016 Benchmarks(V, H, W), T1 20/20, and the Rev2. All 5 the yoyos have connections to other yoyos in here, so they might have some small similarities also with the Cascade.

Finally, I think I need to say that in no way am I saying that these yoyos play the same. The more I read about designing yoyos and weight distribution, the more I know that it’s pretty hard to determine how yoyos feel in comparison to each other. I know so little about this, these are just speculations of a layperson who knows a handful of yoyo tricks and looks at pictures of yoyos. I’m a big one drop fan, oh, and BTW, HMU if you have a cascade you want to get rid of.

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

Saved Comment 3

[Upmanyu]

I like it when people do a deep dive like this! Will read this over the weekend!

[mable]

Fun post to have some numbers too. One aspect you didn’t mention that I think is pretty critical to the Cascade is the intentionally high midwall past the response, instead of being simply low edged.

When you consider how much extra string contact with the body of the yoyo this creates, it has a significant impact on the play of the yoyo. It’s high enough to make you feel like you have some of the play characteristics of high wall designs (in regard to tilt control/rejections/regens/etc.) but not so high that the yoyo feels like it demands your full attention to play.

The Summit also carried this aspect over and it’s one of my favorite parts of the Summit.

The smaller diameter combined with a large stepped rim to push the mass even lower feels like the other most significant aspect of the Cascade to me. So a yoyo like the Rainier, while an explicit follow-up just feels like it wholly stands on its own rather than something to be compared to its predecessor.

The T1 and Prescription feel a lot more like sized up Cascades to me than the actual Rainier, despite the Rainier being the explicit Cascade follow up. Not to say this is a bad thing, Rainier is extremely good on its own merits. Although I think sizing up the Cascade inherently loses a bit of the appeal of the dense and lower moi design of the Cascade.

Tangential yo-yos of note I think would be the YYR SYFO, which feels like a Cascade redux and was machined by OD. It’s got the smaller size and fatty stepped rim, it feels very similar in play, albeit missing the higher midwall.

And then of other tangential note would be how many classic YYR monos (and YYF) featured those stepped rims before and around the same time as the cascade. The stepped rim is the sauce of the Genesis, and the Supernova is also a super classic. People don’t really talk about the Acrophobia or E=mc^2 much, but those are some true classics still influencing modern yoyos.

Cascade is definitely a yoyo that deserves a lot of thought about. So it’s nice to see some more yapping about it and the yoyos it was influenced, and many yoyos influenced by it.

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

Thanks for chiming in! I haven’t played most of these yoyos, so hearing that detail about the midwall is a really helpful detail.

[Jobis2020 (Joseph)]

The Cascade is my all time favorite and reading this was enjoyable. Cheers!

[Kllyoslf (Chris Brown)]

Kinda feels like the Rainer is more like the second evolution of the cascade (think pokemon). I’ve never gotten my hands on one but I’ve heard so much about it I’m very curious. While back I asked my gal what her favorite of my throws was. Her not being very interested in yoyos I felt would give me a different opinion on how they felt. She picked my og t-1 but had a few complaints. In an effort to increase her interest in throwing I set out to find a yoyo that mimicked the qualities she likes while incorporating the things she complained about. I found a prescription on ebay and was literally perfect. At the time even though I knew the two were years apart and seemingly didn’t have anything to do with one another I felt like their designs had to stem from the same source. Too coincidental. This post seems to confirm my suspicions. Having the prescription kinda makes having a cascade seem unnecessary other than from a collection standpoint imo. I feels to me like certain one drops have achieved almost cult status among their fans. Top deck, kuntosh, MCMO, summit are all good examples and the cascade has its place right along side though beasts I’d say. Love it, love one drop, love this post. Good job dude

[Upmanyu]

I havent read the whole thing yet but want to give the prescription some of its dues too!

Great throw! Underrated, prefer it to the cascade haha

[Kllyoslf (Chris Brown)]

[theyoyoarchive (The Yoyo Archive (Rob. Totally not Berv.))]

OMG! Can this go on the Archive?

[Kllyoslf (Chris Brown)]

Archive?

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

I mean, this is all speculative, but sure!

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

Just for fun, I used AI to measure this drawn on area that you highlighted. I went from high spot to hight spot.
My prompt was “If the distance between the 2 horizontal rectagles in 53 mm, what is the side length of the square”

It looks like the region I initially selected to detect the square was off — the image didn’t contain any black pixels in that specific area. I’ll adjust the search region and try again to identify the square’s dimensions accurately.
Based on the measurement:

• The vertical distance between the two large horizontal rectangles is 646 pixels, which corresponds to 53 mm.*
• The square is 50 pixels tall.*
• This means the square’s side length is approximately 4.1 mm.*

Let me know if you want the square width or other parts measured as well.

So, there’s a small bump from the response pad recess, so this midwall height before the taper of the walls is not exact’s 4.1mm, and there could be error from my ability to draw these horizontal and vertical shapes that I used as reference points.

[theyoyoarchive (The Yoyo Archive (Rob. Totally not Berv.))]

The Yoyo Archive - History, Nostalgia & Stories

[bheinz63 (Brandon Heinz)]

i think the bump would be much shorter, as the 53 mm is the diameter of the entire yoyo. the section shown in the drawing is only 1/4 of the yoyo, and is not quite half of it as the “half” would be to the center of the side effect.

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

Duh.
Okay, so the new formula is SE taper diameter at the bearing seat = S (s for side effect
Distance between rectangles + C. (c for cascade 1/2 in the picture)
So formula is S + 2C = 53mm, then if we know what S is, we can solve for C, and then multiply by 50/646 and have the side length of the square.
Yay algebra!

[Vektor (Weston)]

Good write up.

One question I would ask: Is the Sugar Glider really considered organic? It’s pretty W shaped IMO. Also not much “organic” feeling in play either. Personally I don’t know I would consider the Top Deck organic either, but it is more rounded than the SG for example. However, it does seem like you have a loose definition of what classifies as organic though, which is fine. I don’t have experience with all of these yoyos so that’s just my 2 cents.

[washyjoshe (Josh)]

Okay, another short cut method: Assume that the cut diagram is exactly 45mm (width of cascade). Then we can use a similar prompt to determine the length of the response bump.

If the distance between halves isn’t accurate, then 1.16mm isn’t accurate either. Next possibility, compare the inner and outer diameter of the response area, if thats well know as well.