Is grade 5 titanium what most Ti yoyos are made of or is that a bonus? If not grade 5, what are most Tis using [answered below by @MarkD that the other Ti commonly used for yoyos is grade 2]? And…I’m not sure if this is really answerable by anyone outside of the people who make them, but is the material/machining cost for working grade 5 a lot higher than other Ti? Some of the grade 5 yos are like three or more times the price of something like the Titanic.
Most Ti yoyos (aside from special colors) seem to have the same raw finish, but a couple of Mowls (Heterogeneity for ex) and the Titanic are mirror like. Is polishing an expensive option? Looks awesome, but obviously might not be ideal for play.
I’m basically asking all this because of those beautiful Mowl ti’s have me wondering wishing.
the cost of a yoyo is not just how much the materials and manufacturing costs, every company has different ways of factoring in overhead to their pricing. some yoyos may have had a longer prototyping phase and need to recoup additional development costs.
Polishing adds time and complexity to the manufacturing process, which will add cost. That is likely not super important because you often see different blast and polished finishes that just sell at different price points. The reason most Ti’s are just raw is because the material itself is hard, resistant to corrosion and does not need additional finishing to be robust (aluminum is soft, and the anodizing adds a layer of very hard aluminum oxide to the surface, increasing the durability of the finish).
ive never seen that before tbh. i know i’ve seen a few grades used in Ti yoyos but i’ve never seen 2 versions of Ti in the same yoyo.
the yoyofriends mini Ti for example claims “Titanium - TA2” and retailed for only $100 but was quite a small yoyo too. to my eyes, ears, and hands though i cant see/hear/feel a difference between it and my other Ti yoyos.
they’re likely just different alloys with different properties. similar to how there are 3 common Alu alloys used in yoyos, 6061, 7068, and 7075 (maybe 4 if you consider topyo’s 7003).
I did a little searching and reading before posting, but it seems like grade 5 is the only thing I’ve seen listed generally as a selling point. Hoping someone who orders from FPM or the other shops might have some intel. Yoyo makers seem mostly pretty transparent about all the stuff they do/deal with so I’m just hoping for someone to chime in about it who can clear it up a bit.
From TP, only 2 model are made in grade 5 only which are Mustang and Absinthe which Absinthe only release within Japan only and it is like a run test model on new material (this is the same as Magnesium Counter Jet) which is not sold commercially worldwide. Most of it are like Grade 2, both can tell by the appearance which grade 5 is shiny and grade 2 is a little dull. Feel when playing is also a big different but not affect to the performance at all.
P/s: I think this is like the 3rd time this topic is raised so I think it would be better if there is a thread on yoyo material so every information can be added there
i’ve only been able to find pricing in Yen, but Mustang and ES are both 49,800 yen, Grade 5 is priced at 59,800 yen. $370 and $445 respectively based on current exchange rates. not 3x price increase but definitely different lol
If you go back in time when Japan economy is good that 49800 jpy is same as 59800 jpy now. This means if grade 5 is released back then you would expect to pay ~600usd for the new model. The price is same as Diaspora back then
yeah the yen is having hard time relative to the dollar now, but exchange rates dont change the relative cost difference. just how many USD equivalent is. the OP said there is a 3x or more price difference between grade 5 and other Ti, which is what I’m referring to.
