Background: Being a complete newbie to the Offstring style of play, for some reason a few years ago I decided to buy a Duncan Flying Panda so I can start playing offstring. It was ok in the beginning but the the down sides started showing; the hassle of buying friction stickers all the time and the weight being on the light side. I needed a new offstring yo-yo to take me to the next level. Enter the Yoyojam Fiesta XX. I saw Bryan Figueroa tearing it up with this throw, I was about to find out just how good it was.
Opening: Team Yoyojam’s Bryan Figueroa is a player with tricks and “pizzaz”. His offstring yo-yo’s are built for stability, durability and spin. My wallet and I were really happy getting this yo-yo since many of Yoyojams offstring yo-yo’s at about 30 dollars and up and this one was at about 23 dollars so I was able to buy it since it was affordable and it was a National Champion’s signature yo-yo. I opened up a page on Youtube and was ready to learn new offstring tricks with this yo-yo.
Specs:
Diameter: 77.19 mm/ 3.04 inches
Width: 50.13 mm/ 1.97 inches
Gap Width: 4.83 mm/ .19 inches
Weight: 81.2 grams
Bearing: YYJ Speed Bearing Size C (.250 x .500 x .187)
Response: YYJ Silicone O-Ring
First Impressions: I received my yo-yo and tore open the package and inspected it right away. As I said before, the only other offstring yo-yo I had was the Duncan Flying Panda, so that was the only other offstring throw I can compare it to. I immediately noticed how much heavier it was compared to the Flying Panda with the Flying Panda being at about 69 grams and the Fiesta XX being about 81.2 grams. It felt much more solid and stable it my hand. It was also a lot wider than the Flying Panda. I wondered if the plastic would be durable enough to withstand many drops since it is an offstring yo-yo.
Play: From the first throw, I knew this was a great investment. It threw this yo-yo and noticed the pretty long spin times and the effect the weight had on the stability. The catch area is great too because it is wide. Bearing and response system work great. I did read about people who said the bearing did not allow for tight binds, but mine was perfect. I even took it outside to test it out on the concrete to see how durable it was and after many many drops it still plays great. Funny story, I live in my university’s dorms in the fifth floor and one day I was practicing not noticing the balcony door was open and my yo-yo flew off from the fifth floor. I went down expecting devastating results but was blown away at the fact that it was still in tact and played great with minimal scratches. It just shows how big YYJ is on durability and quality. I made this yo-yo go through body orbits, re-generations, slack tricks, and many others and it did not disappoint me in any way. I was also skeptical about grinds, and when I tried them, they worked beautifully. Binds are always tight and every spin is strong. All of my expectations regarding this yo-yo were correct, I think it is one of the best offstring yo-yo’s on the market.
Final Thoughts: Yoyojam is a company that has developed many great offstring yo-yo’s like the Rextreme, Go Big, Equinox, and Big Yo. The Fiesta XX is a great addition to their successful line and with a price tag of about 23 dollars as well as being the signature series of 2007-2012 US 4a National Champion Bryan Figueroa, it is definitely a yo-yo worth buying. It did not disappoint me in anyway and exceeded my expectations. I will probably attend a talent show and this will be my weapon of choice.