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.
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. :
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