-The “New” YoYoFactory Velocity-
I’m going to spare you the cheesy introduction and jump right into this. The other day I was at my local Toys ‘R’ Us store, and I decided to check on the Yo-Yo display. For those of you who have never seen one of these, it’s just a selection of various Yo-Yos hanging on the side of an aisle near the front of the store. They have Duncan Imperials, Butterflies, Freehands, and all the entry-level Yomegas. They even have some impressive stuff, such as the Duncan Drifter (20$), Yomega Hyper Warp Heavy Wing (25$), and the Yomega Maverick (30$). And I guess people buy them, because they’ve been around for a while and often get re-stocked. But what I never expected to see on the shelf was this:
My jaw nearly hit the floor. I never thought I’d see a YoYoFactory Yo-Yo in the Toys ‘R’ Us. But there it was, sitting in it’s flashy packaging, looming over the expensive Duncan and Yomega Yo-Yos with it’s 15$ price tag.
Of course, I had to get it. At that point I had never actually thrown a YYF Yo-Yo before. I started Yo-Yoing with a Duncan, upgraded to YoYoJam, and then finally started throwing CLYW. Never at any point had I thought to purchase a YYF Yo-Yo. So after all this time, I finally get one for just fifteen bucks, with no shipping charges.
This is actually YYF’s “New” Velocity, which has several upgraded features, such as silicone response instead of starburst. Sounds good to me.
So I bring it home, take it out of the package, and throw it. Interestingly, the cotton string has been pre-cut to the correct length for a ten year old. Thankfully, YYF was nice enough to include a full-length polyester green string. I swapped the strings, tied it to my finger and threw a trapeze. So far, the weight and size felt great. I did some basic string tricks, and the response did not hesitate to bring the Yo-Yo back with a slight tug. Very nice.
For those of you who don’t know, the Velocity has a dial on each side of the Yo-Yo. These dials control how much gap width you have by moving the response closer, or farther away from the string. Straight out of the box, the response is pretty choked up on the string, and it makes for beginner-level snappy response.
But YYF claims that with a few twists of each dial, the Yo-Yo becomes dead unresponsive. I was naturally skeptical, as this seemed like an awfully good deal for fifteen bucks. So I twist the dials, and the gap is now noticeably wider, as the response is now completely recessed in the Yo-Yo halves.
So I throw it again and show no mercy. I immediately attempted my most technical, lengthy combo right off the bat. I was shocked when the Yo-Yo glided through the whole trick smoothly and then made a tight bind back to my hand. Wow.
It didn’t feel like a 100$ metal Yo-Yo, but dang. You could win a competition with this thing. Maybe I just threw a really good sleeper or something, but that was nuts. I continued to test it out, and I already really liked this Yo-Yo. The plastic feels good, the shape is smooth, and it has some real weight to it. The Velocity has really grown on me in just a few days! The bearing was already dry, and I put some thin lube in it to quiet it down, but that’s no big deal.
In conclusion, this Yo-Yo is brilliant. No, it does not feel incredible. However, it out-performs all the other Yo-Yos in the Toys ‘R’ Us, and I find it quite easy to land all my tricks on it with a good throw. Heck, it can even grind a little bit. All in all, I love it.
Also, the Velocity may be intended as a “Beginner Yo-Yo”, but I’ve discovered it’s perfect for taking out into public. It’s cheap, so it doesn’t matter if you loose it. It’s unresponsive and long-spinning, so you can still practice your favorite tricks. And best of all, it’s a plastic Yo-Yo that can be instantly switched to “tug responsive”, so you can actually walk the blasted dog when someone asks you.
I can finally stop explaining to people why you can’t walk the dog with a CLYW Avalanche.
SPECS:
Diameter: 2.20"
Width: 1.41"
Weight: 62.4 grams
Response: Silicone
Bearing Size: Size A
