What’s up YoYo Universe! Thanks for stopping by and reading this review.
The first thing I wondered about this model is what does JK mean? Kinda makes it a bit mysterious hehe. What I’ve been able to attain is kind of vague. JK could have meant Jensen Kimmit as this throw’s production run was on Nov 14th 2010, very close to the Northstar I have produced on Oct. 1, 2010. This May be or may not be significant but does spark curiosity. I was told they were giving JK’s away at Cal States after Kimmit had left the brand, but I don’t know this to be a fact. Some other folks think it means “Just Kidding” but for whatever it’s worth, the name does have some kind of appeal. Furthermore I understand that the JK is a Licensed YYF Version of the Aoda Pearl that is being manufactured by Aoda in China, which does makes some sense. Anyway…
Appearance: I have to say that when I first saw this throw, my first impression was that it looked a lot like my SPYY Supra. However the Supra is larger and heavier and has a lot more rim weight with an exposed axle. This similarity annoyed me at first, but after playing it, this impression has been erased. Generally speaking, this yoyo is smaller in dimension. When you set it side by side with the Supra or any other standard 50mm by 40 mm undersized yoyo, you can see right away that the JK is a bit smaller and narrower.
The finish is really nice and smooth and has a soft blue sheen to it. It does not look or feel like a cheap throw. It has plenty of Street Cred. I’ve already gotten several compliments on it while throwing it at the park this past weekend. I would have liked more color choices, but this is the first release in the states so, we’ll see what happens within a year’s time as far as color options go. I did notice when I took it apart to see it’s guts, that it had a floating axle which is thicker, say 2mm thicker, than the axle in the Dv888 or 888x as well as some other YYF models. There’s no need for balance adjustment thankfully as it locks itself into place when it’s screwed together.
Play/ Feel: The JK has a soft feel to it that is fairly comfortable in the hand and does not hurt on returns. It’s finish feels like a glass bead blast, similar to what you’d find on the Duncan Raptor for example. Overall, I am surprised and satisfied with the play of this throw. Taking it for what it is, an unresponsive, full aluminum $22.00 budget throw… IT’S AWESOME.
What can the JK do? Well the real question is what CAN"T it DO?!! One thing of note here is not to be fooled by it’s low price. At first I thought, how good can that yoyo be? especially after buying several $100 throws. BUT, after running it through the gamut Expert and Master level combos, I could see right away that the JK has excellent capacity for everything you throw at it.
The JK is all catch zone and its fast, fast fast! It’s super floaty, super hoppy, super nimble, smooth, and a great grinder! It can do awesome finger, palm, arm and IRG grinds! I got it to grind for just over 6 seconds… COOL And binds are really tight as it stops on a dime. It’s long spinning and has excellent stability and balance for doing whips and slacks etc… It stays on it’s axis from beginning to end. The gap is nice and wide and allows for easy layering of the string with no String Drag thanks to it’s low tapered wall. It easily moves around the string and jumps about between knots and string segments and just cuts through whatever you got going on. And it fits comfortably in your pocket too. What a great yoyo!
Conclusion: If you’re wanting the full metal experience, get this, as it’s hands down the best option I feel for the money… The JK proves to be one $20 power house _ _ _ Kicker… I’m not kidding. If you’re thinking of getting a Duncan metal drifter for example, don’t even bother. This thing smokes it and will take you further than the Drifter ever could. I don’t think there’s anything currently in the US market that can touch it when it comes to price and performance. If you look at the JK in terms of design efficiency, it’s a winner because of its weight to spin ratio. If you look at it from a price stand point, it can smoke and own other models in its league.
The ONLY Question remaining is… What are YOU waiting for???