GOOD NEWS! Heath announced that he’s OK with this project as a collaboration, and posted his review of the Ti-Vayder. Manufacturing is complete, and the release has occurred at the website with the same name as the yo-yo. Orders are now shipping daily.
If you’ve heard of the legendary VsNYYC Ti-Walker, you know that a lot of people consider it one of the best – if not the best – yo-yos ever made.
(photo courtesy @jasonwongzero)
Released in February 2011, it was definitely a design far ahead of its time. But the bad news, for you, is that less than 100 of these were ever made … something that Heath, the founder of VsNYYC, regretted in 2012:
For most yo-yoers the idea of getting a Ti-Walker was, and is, an unobtainable dream.
That is … until today.
I borrowed a Ti-Walker, digitally measured and digitally weighed it (these pics courtesy yoyodoc, whose figures match my own)
and then sent each half to two different 3D scanning companies to produce extremely accurate 3D scans of the Ti-Walker.
Measurement | Scan 1 | Scan 2 | Units |
---|---|---|---|
Width | 20.307 | 20.594 | mm |
Diameter | 53.352 | 53.271 | mm |
Weight | 30.205 | 30.433 | g |
Moment | 14,160 | 14,240 | g mm2 |
With the help of @MarkD who has experience manufacturing yo-yos, we worked through creating a millimeter accurate composite of both halves with FPM (Fenghuida Precision Manufacturing Co). You may know FPM as YoyoFriends, who created the Hummingbird.
We’ve been meticulous and demanding in being as faithful as possible to the timeless magic of Heath’s original Ti-Walker design … with two exceptions recommended by @chaosgow:
-
Gap widened to a modern 4.5mm.
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Response area changed to standard 19mm slim silicone sticker pads.
I received three prototypes today, so the project can now officially be launched.
I am proud to present to you, a trip to the dark side of yo-yo manufacturing… the natural titanium foil to the Ti-Walker…
The Ti-Vayder
Manufacturing begins as soon as these prototypes get a bit of testing, and this is a big run – some say it’s the biggest run of a Titanium yo-yo they’ve ever heard of – to be available at a surprisingly low price, so everyone can get a chance to enjoy the magic of this legendary yoyo, with adjustments for modern standards of play.
Let’s begin with a poll – if I said I would give one of these to you for free, so it doesn’t cost you anything, which color would you pick? This will help me determine manufacturing allocations for each colorway.
- Dark Side (black)
- Light Side (grey)
- Raw
UPDATE: Based on polling, the final release will be available in these colorway allocations with these specific engraved numbers:
- 135 raw (1 - 135)
- 200 grey (136 - 335)
- 165 black (336 - 500)
Price is $140, available at the website with the same name as the yo-yo.
I also need someone to record a short series of trick videos with the yo-yo to feature on the webpage we’ll set up for it.
Keep your on this space for further updates!