Every time I try to get out… THEY PULL ME BACK IN! hehe
I never ever heard of a whistling yoyo before this… has anyone else Gen X or Gen Y? Maybe from the grandpa. As it turns out, a whistling yoyo is nothing new because Duncan made them, a loooooong time ago between the 1930’s and 50’s.
I dug up a few pics of the old old Duncan whistlers just to show the evolution of it, a then and now kinda thing. The blue ones are tin, and the red and beige one is wood and tin.
YYF’s version, thank the Lord is Stainless Steel! Hence the “SS” abbreviation. It’s Sturdy and won’t rust! This is definitely a collector’s piece. A big thanks to YYF for releasing an accessible collectors’ piece that plays! Let’s Check it out…
Appearance: This yoyo has a traditional and rather conservative appearance I think with a tint of aggressive design. It has the brushed metal surface all around the wings and the sides. It’s also hollow, naturally. Each half has 6 holes measuring about 4mm in diameter. The YYF Logo as you wil see is embossed on both sides of the yoyo. Looking inside the halves I notice that there is no inner shell, its completely hollow.
Feel: This is of full size dimensions and is rather hefty… 70 grams to be exact. The rims feel somewhat pronounced in the palm. The yoyo feels fat and full in the hand. The brushed steel is silky to the touch making for a smooth hold. The returns are soft too, they come back with a soft pat.
Set Up: Similar to the YYF 888 Premium Pkg, you get a short and long axle as well as a super super narrow bearing (never seen one this thin) and an unshielded regular Spec bearing and black string. Of course… only black string will do. Also you get two different response systems which you can tailor to your preference. You get 2 starburst disc pieces and two silicone pad disc pieces. And if you want, you can create a hybrid response of one half silicone and one half starburst! Pretty cool don’t you think?
Anyway the set up is interesting. When you take the yoyo apart, you’ll notice the response system is composed of 2 plastic discs that rest inside a recess at the center of the yoyo. The Whistler comes to you responsive out of the box with the starburst discs in place, 2 spacers, a narrow bearing and the short axle installed. This is good for beginners or traditional play like gravity drop and some other basic tricks although I would not ever recommend walking the dog because you’ll scratch this to no end plus get dirt or debris in it for sure which you probably won’t ever get out!
To get advanced play, simply switch the short axle with the long axle, put in the silicone discs, the standard C bearing, tighten and Walla! Welcome to unresponsive land!
Sound: As the yoyo spins, you begin to hear the whistle and a slight hum. What does it sound like? Well as best as I can describe it,it’s like an OLD Steam train whistle, crossed with a tea pot, and a subtle harmonica. It’s really cool. On a hard throw, or as hard as you can throw it, the whistle is more high pitched. As it slows down the tone gets lower and wider. Also it’s not an obnoxiously loud sound. It’s volume is just right for indoor play.
Play: The yoyo can and does perform many different tricks from intermediate to advanced and even some expert. I’ve been throwing it feverishly just to hear it whistle. I can do everything from: brain twister, to atomic bomb, to cold fusion, to skin the gerbil, to black hops, green triangles, to kamikaze, to And Whut, so there is a vast range depending on your skill level.
For a yoyo with air moving through it, the Whistler offers good momentum and really awesome float in my opinion. This is a slower moving yoyo, but you can push it to play faster and on the string it feels solid and heavy. It is stable for what it is but does have vibe. Obviously, its hollow! Still you can do all kinds of tricks and impress people while it whistles so its vibe is forgivable. Although it’s not meant for it, the thing can grind too. I got it to finger grind for about 3 seconds. It’s a bumpy grind you know because its brushed stainless with holes in it but there are other yoyos for that anyway! And once more, you can tug return it easily with the star burst set up or bind return it just like any other unresponsive yoyo.
Conclusion: I love this throw! This is a collectors piece that can perform some cool tricks! It whistles and that’s the point! It has a really fun sound and I consider it a MUST HAVE and a COOL addition to any collection. I recommend it to any yoyo enthusiast. Have fun and relax with it and you’ll love it. I know I do.
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