Anyone have experience with both the blue and raw brushed versions of the Ti Dream? I’m big on grinds and such and I’ve heard that the blue can be a bit sticky, and that it might wear out over time.
Also bonus question, how does it compare to the Nightmare?
Go for the raw! I chose blue and I regret it. If you are big on grinds, blue is a very poor choice. It is as grabby as it gets.
At some point I’m going to find someone to refinish it. Any confident takers? PM me. ;D
No idea about the Nightmare.
How about a powder coat on her 
If you pick up the Ti Dream make sure you go with the raw version. The blue finish may look nice, that is about its only redeeming factor The finish feels absolutely horrible, does not grind well, and ends up giving an otherwise good yo-yo a major black eye. When I did my latest titanium shoot out I liked the play of the yo-yo on the string but did not like the feel of it in my hands… so wish I could have used a raw for that review.
I picked up a purple one, and regret not getting raw. It started out beautiful, but the ano has rubbed off in places, and As others above have stated this finish is just awful for grinds.
You can always sand it down to give the gap a brushed finish. 
Problem being, at $300 you should not have to.
I don’t think it is anodized. I think, and I cannot stress enough that this is just my theory, it is a coating of some sort. Here is an image I posted in my titanium shoot out review. I don’t think those specks would be there if the titanium was anodized. Titanium anodizing uses an electric current that is passed though the metal, the color is based on the frequency of the current. The process should not be as susceptible to dust on the surface as traditional aluminum anodizing, which has a dye added to the top layer.
The other thing that leads me to believe it is coated is this picture. If you look at the outer rim face you can see that there is some texture to it. If these were mirror polished before anodizing, I don’t think there would be a texture to it. I have played with plenty of anodized yo-yos and titanium knives and I have never seen a texture like that on the surface of the metal. Again, this is just my theory based on what I know about titanium anodizing. If someone would like to come and correct me I welcome it.
Again, this is just my theory based on what I know about titanium anodizing. If someone would like to come and correct me I welcome it.
According to Ben himself it is anodized, not powder coated. I have no idea why it’s such a fragile finish though.
I don’t think it is powder coated, but I have never seen titanium ano that looked like this.
Whatever it is, I’m sure it was the same type of anodizing as on the Ricochet. I think Ben said it was chemically anodized?
Regular electrical anodizing on titanium produces a very thin layer indeed. I’m not surprised that it would wear off sooner or later.
