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

General Yo-Yo
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  1. 1 to 1: July 2019
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  • 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
  1. Rev: November 2019

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  • “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
  1. Silhouette: March 2020

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  • 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
  1. Halifax: July 2020
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  • 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
  1. Free Solo: December 2020
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  1. Thorn: August 2022

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  • 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
  1. Wyvern: December 2022
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  • “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
  1. Booster Wyvern: October 2024

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  • 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
  1. Perspective: July 2024

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  • 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
  1. Rainier: December 2024
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  • 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
  1. Boosted Rainier: May 2025
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  • “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
  1. Markmont Blunderbuss: June 2025

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  • “..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 :face_exhaling:” - 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: 2016 Benchmarks(V, H, W), T1 20/20, and the Rev2. All 4 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.

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