Every time I see the Otter, it grabs my attention, I love the shape. Three things always seem to hold me back.
1- I’ve never owned a CLYW, so I don’t really have a feel for their quality.
2- The Price seems steep for a mono metal.
3- I’ve never really been able to find much in the way of information regarding how it plays. I’ve seen a little here and there, but nothing that’s really definitive.
The big questions: How does it play, how does it stack up against other yoyos in its range, is it worth a hundred bucks for a mono metal?
It plays just right. You never get the feeling through text, because people are different with different taste, but i personally can say that considering shape, size and weight - Otter is rubbing all sweet spots.
Seriously, just go and buy one, no need to fiddle around it. If you won`t like it (in what i highly doubt), sell it, there will be always guys who gladly take it off your hands to enjoy this great yoyo.
P.S. I have one, but i would buy another one or two, in different colors. Waiting for Hotter to be released again at Spinkult, and for possible future splashed versions.
I have one from the first run. For me its a solid throw in terms of quality and playabilty but I think its overpriced. I have the same „problem“ with the Borealis 2. They just don’t feel special to me but I guess I am just not enough of a CLYW-guy and their designs. Thats maybe one reason I tend to grab other monometals from my collection more.
Hey! I just got one within the last week and I may be in the “new yoyo honeymoon phase”, but I am thoroughly enjoying my Otter. It’s a bit undersized, but it plays VERY solid. Smooth as pudding, too. I’d rate it a solid 8.5-9/10.
As for whether or not its worth the price tag, that’s all dependent on you. If you make a lot of money and 100 bucks isn’t that much, then absolutely it’s worth it. If you don’t make a lot of money and are hesitant to drop that much on a monometal, there are tons of other options that will likely better suit your price tag. One thing I’ve learned with yoyos, though, is that you generally get what you pay for as far as quality goes. However, a really high-quality yoyo that doesn’t fit your style will never feel as worth it to you.
All in all, if you like slightly undersized, but very sturdy, possibly non-competition based throws, the nthe Otter is fantastic. I’ve been using it non-stop since I got it.