Oh man a challenge, I’m always down! Also thank you for showing me these rewind tuts! I had no idea they even existed I’m gonna check out more of them today too.
I think the big “issue” with CLYW is that they don’t appeal to the younger demographic any more. The demographic that just views CLYWs as being super mid when compared to yoyofriends/yoyofactory/c3/duncan/etc. releases.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, the older demographic only wants floaty organic yoyos that play worse and are made domestically. With as poor of a reputation as the Peak 2 has, I don’t think they can ever fully win back that demographic. Maybe that’s changing a bit though with the Creep/Beater having very positive releases.
CLYW yoyos are just viewed as being mid in terms of performance, and it really doesn’t help that a lot of the models people prop up are the older ones that actually just don’t hold up well in terms of performance (think: Peak 1, Bassalope, BvM1, WM1, etc.). The narrow gap widths and higher string break angle caused by the 21mm response definitely doesn’t help either. That sort of creates the illusion that CLYW is just a collector brand, with models that have subpar play being sold at a premium price to people who only want a fancy colorway.
I don’t agree with that, but it’s undeniably the reputation the brand has among a lot of throwers now. And the older throwers don’t care for stuff like the Dune/Otter/bimetals that are just trying to be good modern performance focused yoyos. Anthony Rojas and Mark Mangarin are still killing it, Zach Gormley and Petr Kavka are just as good as they’ve ever been. Harrison Lee and Ayumu Harada are amazing. Despite the amazing players using these yoyos though, the perception is definitely here that CLYW yoyos are just mid performers and something purely for collectors.
Also the price of CLYW yoyos definitely hurts their perception a lot with that younger/comp demographic.
As a funny side note to reiterate this point, when Michael Ferdico’s signature was being talked about recently and it was described as being a very comp focused yoyo, people audibly expressed their disappointment and lost interest in it by that alone LOL. CLYW really is stuck between people who only want peak performance and people who only want casual/fun yoyo designs.
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Absolutely agree with all that too. But for me personally all those reasons are actually why I like CLYW and like OD etc lol. Although CLYW absolutely has performance/comp throws, I always appreciated their chill vibes. Not all yo-yos need to be comp ready or bimetal beasts. The artwork, the design and the time that went into each design means more to me than anything. But I can also understand the younger generations point of view too I guess. The comp scene and skillsets are insane. Imagine getting on YouTube as a kid nowadays not knowing too much about yoyo, and stumbling across a Gentry Stein routine or Evan Nagao etc. You’re probably gonna wanna go out and buy something YYF to be like them lol. We’re getting off topic, we could definitely do a podcast on all this stuff though lmao
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Pretty much agree with that. That’s why CLYW has a spot in my collection right next to Japan Technology and Hydrangea. I just like the designs. If all I wanted was peak performance at a good price I’d have just bought a Duncan GTR and called it a day there. CLYW makes cool and interesting designs with a killer aesthetic and I love the shared design traits like the little Peak cylinder spike hybrid. Part of what makes me also love the design of the Bonfire/Scout/Otter that all inherited that for aesthetic.
Also imo this is just as on topic as the trick posts. If the idea of this thread is to use everything in your collection, post some tricks, I think discussing the yoyos we already own or want to put into our collections fits right in. It’s these discussed reasons that led to us picking these yoyos up in the first place.
I care about how a yoyo looks about at much as it plays, and CLYW kills it in looks. Harrison Hurricane is my favorite and I’d love to add in an Avalanche and Gnarwhal at some point.
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You’re right da$n it it’s our thread! Lol but yep I have a Grasshopper GTX and that’s my full on badass, pure performance throw. Really the only one I need of that nature unless something else comes along and really intrigues me. I definitely would’ve sold you one of those if I still had em cuz you’re a CLYW fan like that. But, that was years ago and they were great money even back then for stuff I needed to go to school. I want a Galactic Goose, after the holidays and I hopefully acquire some Christmas money I’m gonna try and find one. Spyy was my jam as well I’m so glad I at least kept my addiction 2
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Been meaning to join this thread for a while but it’s hard to find filming time. For the yoyos i don’t play regularly. So here’s my Office display, i grab one on occasion when a patient cancels and i don’t have paperwork… so rarely. But some are really amazing. Some are old from when i first started throwing. I’ll try to work through these first then move to other displays.
To get into the Spirit of this thread I grabbed my OG Pyro (close to 15 or 20 years old! ) and the a SpiritBomb.
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Excited to see more people joining in, no pressure to post any more than you want to, but it’s awesome to see an oldschool classic like an og Pyro getting pulled out for this!
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My thoughts exactly haha I’m pretty stoked to see all the old school stuff that I remember as a preteen
Your collection is gonna be so fun to see, I already spot a few I could drool over lol
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Starting off with the yomega brain. One of my first yoyos…Crazy how far yoyo design has come.
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Excited to see you in the thread! Honestly kinda crazy to think about how much easier getting started with yoyoing is now. I remember struggling to learn braintwister while using a C bearing yoyo, trying to learn on a transaxle would’ve taken sooo much longer.
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Brain Twister on the brain is not easy 
. I know you heard how it sounded when I started spinning it lol
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Aye let’s go! Glad you’re joining in
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Maybe I’ll throw the plastic Grind Machine today. I don’t throw it a lot anymore cuz it’s kinda nostalgic and sentimental but, yo-yos are made to be thrown. Also I’m super stoked we have more people joining in, the more the merrier
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I’m so hyped to see you post here! The flames on the yoyo really carry a 2000s vibe 
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YEEES, I’m glad to see you post here. I did not expect a yoyo like the yomega brain from you. Cool
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gotta take it back to the 90s haha
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Here’s some 5A on my Free Solo. It has quickly become a favorite for 5A.
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I just casually forgot to post, my bad lol. I promise I’m gonna find a better spot to film this weekend, ton of spots around where I live that I could try out. Anyways I wanted to make sure I got one in today so here’s literally just a on the spot, whatever comes to my mind with one throw, winging it thing…with a missed GT.
Yoyo used is General Yo Legato 2. Typical Ernie awesomeness. If you own a Prestige it’s that on steroids, is basically the best and easiest way to describe it. I can’t really have too much of an opinion on how it compares to other bi-metals since I only have one other, but it is a completely different throw from it. My GTX plays a lot heavier on the string and wants to go more slow and steady (how János plays obviously), and the Legato 2 feels a lot more floaty and chill, capable of faster play, while still maintaining that bi-metal power. It’s actually incredible how it’s all those things in one now that I think about it more. If you’re in the market for a high quality, amazingly designed bi-metal by a really great company and owner, scoop you up one while they’re still available.
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Two today just because I wanted to get these One Drops out of the way. These are my only One Drops but I feel like they’ve got more of a story than basically every other yoyo I own. I’ve got a handful of yoyos that I don’t really consider to be part of my collection because they’re things I won’t get rid of for sentimental reasons or because while I like them, I feel like they have zero monetary value to others. These two yoyos are part of that group.
These were both given to me by a friend and I only have one pair of side effects between the two of them, but that’s okay because the nickel plated Markmont Classic vibes so hard it actually just sucks to play. I’m not a person who cares about vibe, but a failed nickel plating job that also managed to have the plater ruin the bearing seat is just… too much. The cascade is cool though, the paint kinda gets everywhere when I play it, but that’s part of the charm 
The markmont classic mostly lives on my back porch as my ash tray. It smells like cigarettes mixed with a musty metal aroma… kind of like an old coin. It’s comfy.
Here’s a little 5A move I learned recently and an old trick I forgot I even knew until it just randomly popped into my head yesterday lol.
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