Titanium Peak - A Comprehensive Review ***Updated Sept 5 2017***

Well well well… What have we here?

A while back, I remember talking in a thread along the lines of “What yoyo would you like to see made out of titanium?” I said that a TiPeak would be my choice. This was well over a year ago, maybe two? They said it would be too heavy, they said it would be silly and wasteful. That it would not be able to take full advantage of what Ti can be machined to.
I just wanted something that was like a Peak that I wasn’t afraid to play and play hard. The several Peaks (2nd and 3rd run Peaks) I have owned in the past I really liked to play them as they are a stark contrast to alot of today’s hyper-stable bi-metal competition throws (which I also enjoy, btw).
The catch that kept it out of my favorites/EDC was the fact that they’ve turned into more of a collectible than anything. The design was slightly dated and the thinner gap and high AF walls kept the performance down a bit. The fear of hurting it always outweighed the ability to really get lost with it. So they didn’t get enough play and eventually sold them off.

Some time later the Peak2 comes and was a good drop, its a nice addition to the Peak Family but a bit of a stretch compared to the older Peaks. Overall, I found it to be a suitable substitute to the V1 Peaks. I played the Peak2 a lot. It played better on the string but felt quite a bit different.


Then comes the bomb announcement. There will be a TiPeak! (The Titanium Peak - LUFTVERK to read the story) I was more than pleased to read that announcement and knew I had to have one. The Tundra was already my favorite yoyo so I knew that another Luftverk x CLYW collab was going to be hot stuff. I sold off some throws to be ready for the online drop and got one a few seconds after they loaded on the site. A week later, it lands and it is GLORIOUS!

I open the box to find a CLYW style box with updated Peak art. I opened it up to find the typical Luftverk swagger. The info card with your number and signatures. The stained wooden insert, the foam, the square CLYW x LFVK patch/sticker and golden rod kitty. Pure Class.

Looking at the throw itself, the first thing that I see is obviously the engraving. I found this to be tasteful, reminiscent, and adds a splash of flavor/soul. Purple Snow Tires are suiting. Purple is the color of royalty. Snow tires are some one the best response out there and I have nothing to add about that that hasn’t been spouted before elsewhere.

Its shape is somewhere between the V1 Peak and the V2 Peak. A nearly perfect hybrid of the two striking a balance of many things. Look, feel, play, weight, size, etc. Its got a lower wall than V1 but higher than V2. I might go as far as to call it a mid wall. The cup is Peak as Peak can be. IRG are possible here. The nipple is iconic and those ripples. What a beauty! Im sure finger grinds are possible but its not really built for it, and I am not proficient enough to test it myself.
Looking closer I find a flat bearing. . . . hmm. This must be a design choice. It must be a throw back to the OG peaks that also had flat bearing. This was honestly the only thing I didn’t love. Not only because I dont prefer flat bearings, but also that the bearing that mine came with was lackluster at best. It always played semi responsive even after acetone bath and dry play. I think I just got a dud (I found this surprising considering that Jeffery has quite the eye for detail), so I swapped it out trying a few different bearings before settling on a DS Platinum. Now its practically perfect as the bearing swap brought a noticeable improvement. Again, this could be simply cause I may have simply get a bad bearing. Yours may be excellent as is.

The TiPeak hits all the right marks in all the right ways. Its not too heavy or light. Its not speeding away from you nor are you having to pull it around. Its not too stable so as to make you pay attention to errors making you a better player by holding your hand a bit less. It will punish poor technique but at the same time will reward clean play and proper alignment with solid and predictable play. Its comfortable and capable. The raw finish is not great for finger grinds, but not impossible. This is my first raw. I love the feel. Its clean and smooth, not smudgey. One of the biggest things I love about it is that its raw finish makes most any dings or scratches be able to be buffed right out! However, probably my favorite thing about it is the sound. The string hits, crisp binds, and the like makes the Ti ring in a way that nothing else does. Its like music to my ears.

Its been my EDC now and literally a dream come true for me. I just love it but I am a bit slanted, cause to me, this project started in my head some time ago, but someone else did all the hard work. I almost feel guilty. . . .almost. This, for me, is one of those yoyos you just dont get rid of. I doubt Ill ever sell it, even if I quit throwing.

Jeffery with Luftverk did an AMAZING job and major kudos to him for pulling this off right. This was a sensitive job and could have been a disaster if meddled with too much. Thankfully he was a lover of the OG peaks and knew how to keep the feel And while some haters will say its a waste that the TiPeak doesn’t take advantage of how thin Ti can be machined, I don’t care at all. Its durability is exactly what i wanted, and Jeffery was able to find change, reshape, and redistribute the weight to keep enough of the feel to know its a Peak, while at the same time using a material that’s quite a bit heavier than aluminum making a simple clone impossible, so this was a serious challenge to “keep the feel” of the peak while juggling all the other factors needed to come together. There was so many ways this could have turned south, yet it did not. For all this, I am thankful.

CLYW has done so much for the community, thanks for all your hard word guys! This was a brilliant move.
If you made it reading this far, Thank you too! You are awesome!
All in all the TiPeak is excellent. It brings a peace of mind that I didnt have with the others at the same time it looks, plays, and sounds better than ever! If you like ANY of the versions of the Peak, DON’T MISS OUT!

If someone had to pick just one Peak out of all the versions, this one is it.

These are limited to 140 raw (around 50 ano’d are rumored to be lurking in the shadows at the time of this writing) and for me was more that worth the price tag of just over $300. It is Titanium. Its a new Peak.

Ping 8)


UPDATE Sept 5, 2017

After spending a solid couple weeks with the TiPeak, I wanted to offer an update to my initial thoughts, observations, and experiences with it.

Since Aug 19, I have thrown the TiPeak everyday without fail. It just makes me want to throw it again. Obviously this is a sign of a good yoyo!
Ive dropped my belt on it, dinging the side a tiny bit, and had a peice of sand or something under the cloth I used to Buff it for a picture. I hairline scratched in a nice swirly mark into the cup. So now that its no longer mint, I love it even more as I am less scared that it may get hurt somehow down line line. I wont spark it (ive got a FG Tundra for that) but Im not afraid to ding it. That being said, Im not trying to make that happen either! So mentally, I am less concerned allowing me to fall into deeper and more care free.

It really has become an EDC for me. I know that most new yoyos are super sparkely to our eyes at first but usually fades quickly over time. So far, the TiPeak has not diminished in the slightest. I Love it, plain and simple.

Also, I did not mention before, but there is a tiny amount of nail vibe, but I mean tiny. Far less than any old Peak but not quite are glassed as the Peak2’s. I imagine the IRG area’s difficulty in machining may have played a role here(?), but I can only speculate as Im really ignorant about machining yoyos.

One thing I really love about it is that the training wheels are off. Its up to you to be on point and on plane. I just love that it reminds you when you are not. And it really shines when you do well. It gives you a nice pat on the hand for doing a good job.
:smiley:

I also learned some new binds that make that bad boy ring like a bell! Just another thing, albiet a small one, that I think matters in the overall experience.

“Yoyo is a taste. Titanium is a flavor.”
Do with that, what you will. ::slight_smile:

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Great review! Makes me want one even more!

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Excellent review. This yoyo for me is the Holy Grail, and to be honest, I don’t know why the hype train isn’t here. My guess is the price point keeps many away and hence the lack of talk about it. I imagine it will go into phenom status as time goes on, the next Ti-Walker basically, and rightfully so. I hope you really have a blast with it, and it never grows old to your hands and mind.

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Another solid review!

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Damnit Dust, now I need to get a Ti Peak!

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As you should! And if it dont jive your turkey, itll be an easy sell on the BST’s methinks.

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Does it have vibe? I don’t mind the vibe I have, it’s in no way bad, very well playable but just wanted to make sure it’s normal because I kind had super high expectation on it’s smoothness. My cheaper $50 yoyo is so dead smooth, i was rather disappointed to feel the vibe on the peak (i check it by using my nails right at the center of the yoyo to see how the vibe of a yoyo is). Despite that, it is actually the top player in my arsenal. It’s not the most stable in my collection, neither the smoothest, but it has something that I can’t explain… it’s just so fun to play, the shape, the way the color shines and the way it bounces from the string to string is just uncanny, it’s nothing like anything in my collection.

Hopefully I can write a comprehensive review like yours. Your review is very good review. I read your review like 6-8 times … while waiting for my TiPeak to be shipped. XD

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No vibe…smooth as eel snot

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What kinda Eel?

An eel is any fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (/æŋˌɡwɪlɪˈfɔːrmiːz/), which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and about 800 species.

:thinking::fearful:

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Thanks for the kind words! Im glad you found my review helpful.

Mine did have a tiny bit of nail vibe, but nothing that can be felt on the string. VERY minor overall but present. I found it kind of suiting actually. Every peak ive ever thrown had vibe other than my Peak2.

And your right, there is just something special about it that I can quite put my finger on. I still think its a little early to tell, but I could easily see this in my top 5. I just keep reaching for it!

Oh I was referring to the Slime Eel. FYI - it’s actually not an eel at all. A delicacy in some countries, these bottom-dwellers look like small ­e­els. And when agitated, they do indeed produce a very thick and slimy coat of mucous. However, slime eels aren’t eels at all – they’re traditionally known as hagfish. ;D

Oh, I thought you were referring to the Saint Eel, and the snot was some special lube, or silicone it uses.

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Updated OP with . . . .update? 8)

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I like the update because it’s good to get to know a yoyo more after the excitement of “wow, new toy!” goes away.

I would guess that the Ti Peak could feel even lighter than the Peak 2 since it is basically the same weight but slightly larger, but is that so? How light and fast does the Ti Peak feel compared to the Peak 2?

(I dig my Peak 2 more now than when I first got it, but I like the weight of the older Peaks better. Because I am older and slower, just like the older Peaks :wink: )

Ok, so I just spent an hour with just the TiPeak and Peak2 going back and fourth with different setups (bearings & strings combos) and there are some differences, and some similarities, depending on setup.

With the same bearing and string, its kinda hard to tell a difference in either speed or weight on the string. Hitting the hand is noticible. The Peak2 feels a tad more compact, thicker somehow. More mass hitting less area, but not much. TiPeak on the other hand feels “kushier” in comparison hitting the hand. The power is still there but it kind feels like the power is living in a slightly different place in the yoyo. Hard to explain. Subtle, but present.

It plays a bit better than the Peak2 but just margenally. It may be boosted by the aesthetic of the wonderful sound Ti makes to edge its favor between the two, but if you cant get a TiPeak or wont get one for what ever reason, the Peak2 is a suitable replacement.

However, while experimenting with different bearings and strings I did find that there can be some differences worth noting. One thing I found on a whim was to take the full ceramic bearing out of my AMS Tundra ( :o ) and put it in the TiPeak, just for fun really. But I am really glad I did! That made a huge difference. So much so, I plan to keep it in there, and Tundra got downgraded to Terripin Xwing SS/Ceramic.

Awesome, thanks for the additional comparison!!! It really helps to get a sense of the TiPeak in play. The only way I’ll get to try it directly is to buy it, but of course this isn’t your average yoyo expense :slight_smile: Maybe one day… I do love a Peak!

As an aside, I think you and I have a very similar taste in yoyos. Keep throwing, cheers, B.

i did the same with the flat bearing. mine was quiet and smooth, i’m just not a fan. i put in a full ceramic due to luftverks use of one in the tundra and it really was nice but then i put a nsk micro platinum in and that changed everything. so smooth and quiet. it’s been only a couple of days but i cant put it down. i have read your review over and over and it’s just right. thank you dust

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That Dust write one hell of a review. Great job sir! Reading this may make for an expensive few weeks for me…

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it’s worth every penny. ;D ;D ;D

I myself own two TiPeaks, a Raw (from a fellow forums member) and an AMS hardcoat from Mr. Pang himself. And I must say, I’ve fallen in love with these throws. After the first few binds, I was completely hooked. Its incredibly balanced, as said by Dust: not too light or heavy. not too powerful and zippy, and it isn’t by any means sluggish. I did change the bearings in the AMS and Raw, to full ceramic and the Pixel I bought them with (respectibly).

It hits all the marks for me. Honestly, it feels like how I imagine a YYF '07 888 or a OD Parlay would feel (I’ve never tried them, so I’m just going out on a limb here). It can be a little annoying when you happen to get a knot, and they can snag if you’re not careful due to the higher wall. But I like these two better than my Ti Shutter and Dream, hands down!

It can do almost any trick I throw at it. Fingerspins ARE possible, as your finger goes to the outer bowl and not the middle. It doesn’t stay for long though (as should be expected. this isn’t an Octavia or a Skyva). It does seem to be more speed-centered than tech, as least for me. It can do thumb and finger grinds, ESPECIALLY on the AMS. That thing does it for an eternity.

Overall, Chris and Jeffery know what they wanted. Sure, it isn’t a Sigtyr or a Frost, heck even a Fulvia BTM. But I can tell a lot of work went into the Titanium Peaks.

“Yoyo is a taste. Titanium is a flavor.”
A flavor a cannot get enough of. :slight_smile:

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