Thanks to my boy Jdauer was finally able to try the W1LD at DXL on Sunday. Since it’s so similar to the Klondike, I’ve wanted to compare the two for awhile now, and ideally with the Kagerou as well. Luckily I was able to compare all 3 back to back!
Klondike, W1LD, Kagerou - as you can see, they get progressively wider from L to R
Kagerou, Klondike, W1LD
Here’s my thoughts:
The Kagerou is probably the most “performant” of the three but is by far the most uncomfortable. I think the W1LD strikes a nice balance between performance and comfort, but is still edged out by Klondike in the comfort department. The angle of the rims (on the Klondike) just make it quite a bit more comfortable on the catch/give it a better hand feel - you can see the rims flare up a bit more on the W1LD and Kagerou, giving it a bit of a sharper feel. And obviously performance is no issue, you just might get the slightest, tiniest bit more spin power/time out of the other two. Keeping in mind that these three yoyos are all powerful, solid portion of the yoyo spectrum - Kagerou feels the most solid and dense, whereas Klondike is slightly more hollow and floaty feeling, with the W1LD being a bit in between. Kagerou feels the most heavy, while Klondike is a touch lighter and moves about with a little less effort, while still maintaining supreme stability - W1LD in between the two again.
I’ll say this - if you already own a Klondike, you’re not missing out on owning a W1LD… IMO, if you’re on more of a budget, they’re too similar to justify owning both since the differences between the two are subtle (and vice versa, if you already own a W1LD - you can probably feel comfortable passing on the Klondike). If you sprinkle some DaVinci DNA on the Klondike, that’s basically what a W1LD feels like, and you can quote me on that. The Kagerou though I’d say is just different enough to justify a purchase if you already own either a Klondike or W1LD. The problem for me though personally is that I just prefer the Klondike so much more still.
All in all, after trying these, I’m more convinced and happier than ever about being on the Klondike train. These are undoubtedly some of the best performing yoyos available today and I still prefer the Klondike over the other two. Yes, that is my preference. But after passing em around the meet and getting opinions, it seems like I’m not the only one who feels that way.
